[jajwrigh]

Anyone ever run over an animal while mowing?! I hit a family of rabbits once and it took me a few days to get over the sound of breaking bones and the blood all over the yard. These last few months with no mowing is making me stir crazy...

 

[turf9]

I'm glad i'm not the only one, By the way only a 1 garter snake to my name

 

[MudslinginFX4]

Just crickets and frogs... thats about all. Oh... did I forget snakes intentionally!!!

 

[Farmer]

I got the snakes...but the worst thing I ever hit would be a family of rabits... then two weeks later, I hit a second family. Same property, different side of the house..... And ofcourse I was using a walkbehind anyone ever have a problem with mice building nests in engine shrouds? I once had this happen on a lawn tractor, when I hit the key... my leg got kinda messy.

 

[jaybird]

of mice and men.

 

[Lawn Dog2001]

I have hit nests of rabbits before. One time I had to unravel a gardner snake from around one of my spindles. MESSY . I try to be as careful as possible, but in tall grass you never really know what you are going to run into. Or what is going to run into you for that matter.

 

[work_it]

There's a large property (4+ acres) that I take care of down by the Ohio River. Prime breading ground for moles. You got it! I hate those little moles more than any other animal on that property. One day I messed up at least a half acre of stripes chasing on of those little #**$^s around. Well worth it to see it shoot 30' out of the discharge chute.

 

[Turfdude]

i only hate it when after you hit th nest of rabbits, that you then have to put the squimers out of their misery. tge heel of the boot to their little bodies is no picnic. but i guess if i were a *******, that it'd be hossenfeffer dor dinner

 

[proenterprises]

god i would be just beside myself if i ever hti a rabbit or somthing. ive been ok thus far as far as critters go.

 

[pinnacle]

Lots of rodents........ mice n rats. I did this field once and the thing was packed with mice! It was a massacer. I felt like a real A'hole but I had to mow it. I fell realy bad even talking about it. If they were rats it wouldn't be so bad but little mousys............It's a bit harsh
Few snakes.........not too many though. They seem to bugger off with all the noise.

 

[Littleriver1]

Snakes I don't mind they will run from you and other critters too, but bees will track you down. I don't know how they do it but they will hit you in the softest places every time.

Bill

 

[J&R]

I have run over rats rabbits and snakes.

 

[griffin16]

snakes and a large turtle once, I saw it and stopped just in time to leave the front wheel on it and crack its shell.turtles bleed red.

 

[cush]

Chopped up a family of kill deer with the five gang at a Golf Course. Those things are fast, not quite as fast as the FORD tractor!

 

[promower]

When I worked for an old LCO a member of my crew chased down a baby bird with a string trimmer, I couldnt believe my eyes I refused to work with him the rest of the summer so he got fired.

 

[pjslawncare/landscap]

Who started this gorry thread anyway
Yea, I know, just kiddin.
Unfortunatelly, I hit more animals that I can remember. Its an unfortunate part of our industry. I will always stop or go around any animal if I see it in time, but I still mess up a few. Oh well, dinner for some other animal. Bushhogging runs into a bigger variety of animals and let me tell you it aint pritty, but someone has to do it.
One time wife & me were visiting a nuture presurve and they had a stuffed fawn on display. The lady working there said a farmer killed it while bushhogging. My wife stated that I do a lot of bushhogging and luckily I havent hit anything like a deer yet. The lady replied that it was unfortunate that I had such a horrible and destructive (to nature) job. I was obviously offended. I then replied ALL of us as people are horrible & destructive to nature. She asked me why? I procedded to tell her that nature had to be destroyed & disrupted to build her home she lives in, the streets she drives on, the stores she shops in, the factories that make the stuff she buys at the stores she shops in, ect, ect, ect. Result? end of lecture

 

[yardsurfer]

I've only hit frogs and lizards with the weedeater, frogs have a tendancy just to jump right into the line.

My friend ran over a small rabbit inbetween two houses, needless to say one house had some blood and furry chunks stuck to it.

When I told my dad about my friend running the rabbit over he replied, "He picked the wrong time to use the camoflouge technique."

My other friend nicked a rabbit with the weedeater and then took it home and took care of it and let it go again. His name was scarface.

 

[Jason Rose]

Iv'e had waaaay to many run-ins with wildlife on my mower. I have accidently hit a few different rabbits nests. I can't begin to count how many poor toads have fallen victom to my trimmer and mower both. Garder snakes are everywhere here in the summer and I have one lawn in particular that is some kind of breeding ground for 'em. I don't mind snakes myslef but just about every week I have to dodge them, and sometimes hit one.

The best kill I ever had though was a the friendly mole that was terrorizing one of my lawns. I must have scared him and he came o the surface, now theres a creature I hunt with the mower! I should have charged extra that week; mowing + mole control!

 

[Mark Lawncare]

I read an article a while back at lawnandlanscape.com about not hitting dead animals because there is a fungus that grows on dead animals that can get you very sick if inhaled. I guess you having nothing to worry about if the animal was alive when mowed.

 

[Jason Rose]

SSLC; I hear ya. the main reason I don't hit anything dead is 1. being dead, it probably hasn't darted in front of me and I can see where it's at, and 2. Dead things STINK!!! As if the stink wasn't enough reason to NOT run over dead things... LOL!

I wonder if there is any truth to that fungus thing?