Update from the PeeMan’s Farm

Greetings!

It has been a busy, full summer, and I have spent most of it outside on the farm and not in front of the computer – obviously. This post is long overdue. Even though I failed to document it on the blogosphere, amazingly life at Winterberry Farm has kept buzzing along. I used last year’s pigpen to plant my garden. Apparently pig manure is very nutrient filled as I have pumpkins coming out my ears and mounds of

corn. This year’s pigs, Peter and Oreo are growing but they are not nearly as hefty as Stanley was at this point last year. The eight chicks from this spring are now full grown, and one has actually turned out to be a rooster. With nine hens surrounding him, he is one happy man.

Last night, SEPTEMBER 19, we had a killing frost! So, our growing season is pretty much over up here in the North Woods. Chilly temperatures and changing leaves means it is time for cider making. The apple trees on the farm this year are all heavy with fruit. Even trees that have not fruited since we have lived here are covered with apples. In fact, I have been making apple pie which according to my youngest daughter are more than just edible. The PeeMan can bake!

Once again my wife and I are hosting the annual church harvest party/hayride, and the preparations have already begun. In fact between now and then I will be lucky if I have time to do anything other than get the property up to my wife’s high aesthetic standards.

As far as business goes, this is the time of year when we start to remind people, as much as they might not want to think about it, that winter is coming. With the onset of winter comes the threat of rodent invasion of attics, basements, stored vehicles, boats and rvs. That is why we are letting everyone know about our PeeShots – they come in an 8 pack and are “Pee-Loaded” with PredatorPee. Just remove the caps and place the vented canisters under sink, in basement, attic, garage, shed etc. Choose BobcatPeeShots for mice, CoyotePeeShots for rats and ‘coons, FoxPeeShots for squirrels, and WolfPeeShots for domestic and feral cats.

And speaking of storing things for the winter, I now have in my possession an Airstream of my very own. As you may recall, I have already refurbished one that belonged to some friends. This beauty, however, is my very own. Look for a post about that “PeeMan Project”soon.

Until I find more words . . .The PeeMan

Power of Pure PredatorPee – buyer beware of diluted urine repellents

Greetings from the North Woods!

It has been quite a while since my last post, and I really have no excuse except maybe for the fact that summer in Maine lasts only about two months, and every true Mainer(which status I can’t really claim since I was born in NJ)knows that you have to squeeze as much out of it as possible. So, summer projects – boat painting, Scout restoration, gardening, care and feeding of two piglets and 10 hens as well as mowing, mowing and more mowing seem to take up a lot of my time these days.

Today it is raining, and I have unearthed the keyboard in order to reconnect with the blogosphere. My post today concerns the fact that some of the companies out there that sell similar products to those of predatorpee.com, do not have a problem delivering a diluted urine product to their customers. I am not about to name names or sling mud, but I just want consumers to know that this can be a problem.

What is the big deal, anyway? Wolf urine is still wolf urine even if it is diluted, right? Yes, that is true, but according to some research, diluted urine repellents are actually less effective than undiluted urines when field tested against each other. I have included a link to one such study below. If you are the scientific type, you will probably understand it better than I did. But even for a layperson like me, it is pretty clear that the bobcat urine worked very well against woodchucks and voles in its undiluted form and not well when diluted.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/symposia/repellents_symposium/pdfs/swihart.pdf

So, when you buy predator urine to protect your gardens, yards, etc. this summer, even if you aren’t buying from us, make sure that the product you are purchasing is actually 100% undiluted urine. This will ensure that those unwanted critters go away and stay away.

Hope your summer is going well and your gardens are critter free!

Until I find more words. . . The PeeMan

PeeMan’s Christmas 2013: Holiday Warmth and Nature’s Freeze

Greetings from the Frozen North Country – literally!

Let me start off by saying that we were very fortunate at Winterberry Farm not to lose power due to the Christmas week ice storm. As I write this, there are still thousands throughout the state without power. Many spent Christmas in emergency shelters or in a constant effort to keep backup generators running. Power company crews have also spent their Christmas’ out in the sub-freezing temperatures around the clock attempting to restore electricity to Mainers. My thoughts and prayers go out to them. It has been a rough week for many, and it will certainly go down in the history books.

The flip side of the havoc caused by nature’s icy fury is the sheer beauty that it left behind. The family all agree that we don’t remember a more beautiful Christmas, The brilliant sunlight reflecting off the ice laden surfaces is certainly a sight to behold.

Each year on Christmas Eve, my family gathers together and in an effort to remember the true meaning of Christmas, the children, grandchildren, and nephews put on a simple pageant and the audience acts as the choir. It is a long standing, important tradition for our family and it sets the tone for the rest of the festivities as it reminds us of the humble birth of Christ our Lord and Savior.

Food, fellowship and fun including the popping of the English “crackers” and the annual paper hat family photograph rounded out the evening. Christmas day was a quieter, but no less pleasant affair. The family Christmas tree, cut fresh off the back forty was declared the best(and tallest)that we have ever had. My wife has a very particular aesthetic and she makes all decorating decisions. However this year, I sneaked in one Christmas decoration of my own.(see pic below)

Anyway, enough of this sentimental blathering on … just look at the pictures and Have a Happy New Year from my family to yours. Until I find more words . . . The PeeMan

Trim the Tractor

Oh Christmas Tree

Grandpa’s angel

PeeMan’s Christmas

: Ice coated trees

Elks Eatin’ You Up? – We’ve Got a Pee for That!

Hello Again!
Well, I have been busy, busy, busy! Between farm chores, PeeMan duties, and keeping the wife happy, I have been swamped. But, I have a few minutes, and I will spend them sharing my “wisdom” on the blogosphere. I would insert an emoticon to express my sarcasm at this point, but The PeeMan refuses to use emoticons.

Anyhow, elk problems anyone? We actually have a golf course out West that regularly purchases our 100% Wolf Urine to keep the animals off the greens. Apparently their hooves create divets that are detrimental to the top-notch golfing experience they are trying to provide.

According to my limited research, they also can cause damage to coniferous shrubs especially in housing developments that have been built near their territory. Now, we have plenty of beasts with antlers in Maine – deer, moose, the occasional captive caribou, but no elk. Apparently there are four different types of elk – “The Rocky Mountain elk . . . is found in the Rocky Mountain states and in scattered locations in the Midwest and East. . . The current distribution of the Roosevelt elk . . . is the inland coastal areas of northern California, Oregon, Washington, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and Afognak Island, Alaska. The Tule elk. . . is found only in California and the Manitoban elk . . . is found in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.”(http://icwdm.org/handbook/mammals/elk.asp)

So, if elk are eating at you, we have a pee for that – 100% Original WolfPee. Just like the Jackson Hole Golf Course, you can put the predator-prey instinct to work for you and keep the elk away from your prized ornamentals and coniferous shrubs. Or maybe you just happened to be lucky enough to have 9 holes in your backyard and you want to keep those greens smooth. Whatever the case, we have the stuff you need.

Ok, well it is probably about time to check on Stanley the pig and to make sure Brown Betty and the Amish Hen(we bought her recently from an Amish farmer)have enough water. So, until I find more words . . . The PeeMan

Mutant Pigs? Hogs Gone Wild!

Hello all!

It was the magazine cover that caught my eye – “Hogs R Us” From Florida’s Mangrove Swamps to California’s Central Valley and the Hawaiian Islands, Wild Hogs Swarm the USA – American Hunter June 2013

“Sows begin breeding at six months and can drop litters of four to 12 piglets every 12-15 months. Piglets as young as two weeks begin to forage for themselves and are weaned in three months, by which time they’re large and strong enough that only bears, cougars and humans can kill them. Hogs root up fences, gobble up quail and turkey eggs, ravage gardens, tear up corn and bean fields. . .” Ron Spomer, Field Editor

As if the ones that descended from the era of Spanish explorers weren’t bad enough, now thanks to some not so bright people we have mutant varieties as well. “The story I was told: A local who raised Vietnamese potbellied pigs as pets decided to buy a Russian boar and see what would happen. Russian-pot bellied pigs happened – lots of ’em. And they were considerably bigger than the Asian variety, too big for the local’s fences. So some escaped. That was five years ago, and the crossbreeds are thriving among the sage brush and the irrigated pivots of green alfalfa.” – Brian McCombie, Field Editor

The cover caught my eye because I always like to know what pests new and old people are dealing with. I haven’t seen any wild hogs or Russian-pot bellies wandering around my back forty, but maybe they are in your area. Now of course, the writers in American Hunter are advocating hunting and shooting the hogs, but for those of you who want a kinder, gentler way to keep your gardens and yards safe from the rooting, destructive pests, well – you guessed it – we’ve got a pee for that. Mt. Lion Pee to be exact. Yep, that’s right – put the predator-prey instinct to work for you even against this formidable adversary.

But, as I like to say, don’t just take my word for it – Life on Kaua’i: Wild Pigs in Paradise By Gabriela Taylor “A big break through occurs at my place. My housemate goes online and discovers the Predator Pee.com website. The principle of this strange strategy is that specific animal urine scents, such as wolf, bobcat, coyote and fox will deter specific predators. I briefly reflect upon how on earth anyone would collect pee from those animals and decide that I don’t want to know, although I am excited about the promise of purging pigs in such a peaceful way. The website says that mountain lion pee is guaranteed to drive off desert animals such as armadillos and javalinas, as well as wild boar. I immediately place an order online…. Several months later, I can report that no plant-plundering pigs have returned to my property.”

Well, I hope everyone had a restful Memorial Day. My thanks to the many veterans who have fought and are fighting for justice and freedom. Your service does not go unnoticed and it is heartily appreciated. God Bless You.

The PeeMan

Words from the Peeman

This is the PeeMan, for the past 20 years or so I have been in the pee-business. Pee Business? Yes, that’s right. First started to supply hunters and trappers with the wild animal urine that they use to lure animals, it has evolved into something pee-mendous! Shortly after starting the business, we found that people were buying our pee who had absolutely no interest in hunting or trapping. They were buying our coyote urine and other varieties for everything from housebreaking their dog to keeping deer and other wild animals from feasting on their prize ornamentals. We found that the pee-market had a life of its own. When humor columnist Dave Barry included our bobcat pee in his top ten Christmas gift list, yet another market category emerged…the prank gift market is huge! People send PredatorPee to people they love and people they hate. They squirt the pungent liquid in places no wild animal has ever been! You can only imagine what uses a frat house could find for wolfpee. Now, of course, hunters and trappers make up only a tiny portion of our customer base. Regular folks with gardens, flowers, shrubs and backyards make up the most. Now on this day, July 14, 2008, PredatorPee enters the blog-o-sphere. Who would have thought?

In each new post, I will include some of the pee questions we get every day at predatorpee.com and our answers…like this one:

Dear PeeMan,

Coyote or Fox???

I live in Arizona where the problem is rabbits. We also have coyotes (not

enough it seems) that do prey on the rabbits, but no foxes, that I know

of. It seems logical that coyote urine would be the product of choice for me,

but your website suggests fox urine to repel rabbits. Which product would

you recommend in view of this situation?

Thank you in advance,

Charles

Dear Charlie,

Both the fox and coyote love to dine on rabbit and the rabbits know it!