egg, My biggest problem is with the deer( 18- 30), but the groundhogs(2-8) are a close second. My 17 yr old son helped me dig up a 4' section of the garden about 18" down and then we placed the wire mesh, and covered it with the soil we had moved. We then dug up the next 4' stretch layed the mesh and covered it, third 4' width was the same. We used 6' foot fencing (2" by 4") for the vertical (above ground) fence, and bent the top 6" down to parallel the ground, veggie garden looks like moderate security prison (not maximum-no razor wire) if you are up close, but the green plastic covered mesh is nearly invisible at 75'. Yes, we stopped the groundhog, but only after bending the top of the fence outwards horizontally, the fat demonspawn did climb it before that (twice!). I had tried using a shallower, underground layer of fencing outside the raised bed, but he just dug a longer tunnel; he wanted my veggies and was willing to work hard to get them. As an aid toward keeping deer out - the garden has internal fencing (trellis' and beanpoles) which seem to deter Bambi's kin- - - they don't seem to like narrow spaces, if they have to jump in, beanpoles help by providing more "clutter" for their eyes to deal with. One other unusual use for fencing (hardware cloth actually 1/2" by 1/2" mesh), involves burying it an inch or two above crocuse bulbs (or other small bulbs) that are attractive to chipmunks/squirrels/other rodents. Don

WL, "Any special tips for catching them?" Just don't handle them. It is my understanding that armadillos can carry Leprosy. For that reason, and safety in general, any live catch traps should have protection for your hand at the carrying handle. I suspect that the NWS5300 Universal Trap with built-in nose cone trap would be suitable for armadillos. However, several other traps, like the Wickencamp Coon Trap (Model 302) or the Safeguard Pro Raccoon Trap, are suitable for armadillos. For traps with a rollover release, you should anchor the trap to prevent the captured animal from rolling the trap over and escaping. I lost several large gray squirrels before learning to attach an anti-rollover bar (a short piece of concrete re-bar) to my Havahart traps. If you are trying to catch an armadillo, you might want to use TreeBerry paste bait. If you prefer not to use a live trap, you could try a repellent like Whole Control. I have never used it, so I can't attest to its effectiveness. If all else fails, you could always try "the old reliable" Juicy Fruit gum. (grin) MM

We get holes in the yard, too, and sometime get curious enough to try filling them up like you did. And like you experienced, they never do. Hopefully if there was a snake in there, the flood encouraged him/her to go out another hole and never come back. Probably not but clinging to this thought allows me to get to sleep. I don't really care who/what dug a hole, as long as there are no snakes in it! This may help you discover why there's a hole in your yard: what dug this hole?

Hey, on 5/20/07 i was in my backyard enjoying the sun and i noticed that a hawk was circling over the backyard. I have an Italian Greyhound and he was strolling about so i thouht the hawk may have been looking at him. I kind of got nervous so i rushed over to him to try to catch him but he was having to much fun to come inside so he starts speeding around the yard playfully. As i'm trying to catch him i notice a still bird sitting in the open grass I study it for awhile and it hasn't blinked or moved at all, i gently touch its beak with the tip of my shoe to see if alive or dead because i often find dead birds but this one wasn't shredded. Once i touch its beak it opens and i relize the hawk was stalking the bird! I dig up a few worms clean them then let them soak in a little Gatorade for a minute and feed them to the bird. I look to see if the hawk is still around and it has perched itself on the neighboor's roof. The little bird being replenished starts to hop around so i think to myself it must be a fledgling. I let it hop around without any interaction and the parents start to react nerviously, thats when i discover it was a baby robin. As it hops closer to the neighboors fence i soon put together the pieces and the parents are panicking becuase the hawk is over there so i walk as calmly and fast as i can but i startle it and it goes under the large wood fence as the parent robins start to scream and squawk. I run to get a garbage can, a net, the stick part of a broken shovel, and duck tape. I now have a very long net and something to stand on to see over the fence. I swoop it in the net just in time and the hawk takes of from the closer part of the roof frustrated. Sure the parents are mad at me now but i couldn't just leave it there for the hawk to get it later. So i took it inside. That afternoon i put it in a Nike shoe box and went back to my other house in NYC. The next day i brought it to school to ask my math teacher what i should do because she has helped injured birds before, she upgraded its box to an office paper box. She recommened Exact hand feeding formula for baby birds and an eye dropper. A couple of days i bought a small hamster cage that fitted the robin well and then later i set out to find some worms. It is very hard to find wild worms in NYC but i did. As the bird got a little fatter we cleaned up the cage and switched it for a real bird cage. I let it out in my room whenever i'm not at school. It is happy as can be. I am currently trying to teach it how to eat on its own by gently pushing its beak into various fruits - I research what it should and shouldn't have. Tomorrow will make it a month that its been living with me. I do plan to give it the option of leaving, but thats after i teach it to eat without my assistance. It will peck and eat small insects that it finds on the patio in NJ. Well thats my story in great detail, hope i have some interesting comments to view in a few days. BTW it taught itself to walk in a hamster wheel which i took a short video of. (NOTE: It is no longer in the hamster cage) I'll post the link for anyone that would like to see. LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRflDdmRu0c