Animal Damage in Boat

[thedeadsea]

Caught a nice fish the other day, and went into the garage to get the bigger scale from the boat.

Didn't find the scale, but did find a mink had somehow gotten into the garage and taken up residence in my boat.

To make matters worse, he had stolen the 11 tulibees and 1 crappie I had iced in the garage. I was waiting to catch a few more of each before cleaning them for a dinner of crappies and smoking batch of tulibees.

There is [PoorWordUsage] and urine frozen to the carpet of my boat. Smells like a combination of cat urine mixed with spruce needles.

Also I had stored my good tent and sleeping bags in the boat, because although we have never had a mouse in the garage, I wanted to make double sure they were safe. Because of the stench from the boat, I couldn't tell if they got stunk up too.

I am going to clean up what I can when it warms up a little. If I can't get the smell out, I'm going to be ticked. I'm going to call my insurance agent on Tuesday to see if they can do anything in the event I cannot get it clean myself.

Although I don't like him very much, I was happy to find and shoo a good sized mink with a VERY thick, silky coat (thanks to those tulibees) out of the boat. Fortunately I had left the man door open when I came in and he zipped off into the night.

Steve

[jwmiller33]

wow thats crazy! hopefully he doesnt find his way back into your garage! now that he got some food (the fish), he might return to try and find more. did you find the place where he originally entered the garage? cuz theres a chance he will return looking for more fish!

[thedeadsea]

I had left the door open for a few hours one day.

Haven't had that problem before in the 19 years of that garage, and will be sure to never let it happen again.

Of course we usually don't store any food in the garage either.

[gregg52]

trap him

put the pelt on the door that will help you remember.....lol

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Here in the city it's not the mink coming in that we need to worry about!

[Phred52]

Wish-I-Were-Fishn, What's the difference? (They're both just different forms of RATS) Trap "them" and put THEIR pelt on the door. That'll help THEM to remember! Phred52

[thedeadsea]

Talked to my insurance agent today, he said that anything to clean/replace flooring above my $250 deductible will be covered.

Hopefully my tent and sleeping bags stored in the boat didn't get damaged as they fall under my homeowners policy with a $1000 deductible, which is their approximate cumulative value. I moved them from the damaged area, and will have to go in there with a clear nose to do the sniff test as my head was full of the stench last time. Gee that mink pee is strong stuff!

Trapping license has been purchased, justice will be served shortly.....

[croixflats]

"Justice will be served" Thats funny.

Love the pelt on the door idea. Dont forget the picture of the critter with a red circle around it and a line through it above the pelt.

I think the upright critter will figure that out in a hurry.

[propster]

dead, after you wash the sleeping bags put them in a closet with a good ozone machine with a high output - that will take any of the remaining urine smell out. Do the same to the tent with the machine inside it closed for a few days then in a closed area to get the outside. Probably won't be able ot wash the tent.

[thedeadsea]

Thanks, hopefully they will be ok. He did designate under the drivers side console as the "bathroom" and the dining room table was under the back seats. Hoping he used the sleeping bag area as only the bedroom LOL.

[gregg52]

probably i think animals are kinda smart that way....lol

[thedeadsea]

Justice HAS been served!

It kept hanging around the house and was even raiding my outside garbage can. We have never had a mink anywhere up by the house before in the 37 years the place has been in the family, they always stayed down by the lake.

Now do I bring this thing to the taxidermist or sell the pelt to offset the deductible? What do pelts even go for now?

A mink on a piece of driftwood about to put the bite on a fish might look really nice...

[boatfixer]

Go for it! that would look nice

[gregg52]

ya catch a little dinky walleye and put cross ways in its mouth

i have like an 8lber and a bout an 7-8 inch walleye on a piece of driftwood kinda cool

lota people ask did i catch the baby to...lol

and i did