Carl Spackler: “I have to laugh, because I’ve outsmarted even myself. My enemy, my foe, is an animal. In order to conquer the animal, I have to learn to think like an animal. And, whenever possible, to look like one. I’ve gotta get inside this guy’s pelt and crawl around for a few days.” 1980
If you were alive in 1980 you might recall that that Carl Spackler, played by Bill Murray, was the hapless groundskeeper in the movie Caddyshack. Carl was battling gophers for control of the grounds that made up the Bushwood Country Club golf course. Thirty one years later a similar battle is played out daily to regain control of the Buck ‘n Run Ranch from the ground squirrels.
Michael O’Brien: “I have to laugh, because they’ve outsmarted me. My enemy, my foe, is an animal. In order to conquer the animal, I have to learn to think like an animal. And, whenever possible, to look like one. I’ve gotta get inside this guy’s pelt and crawl around for a few days, providing he sleeps until noon.” 2011
The battle at the Buck ‘n Run has raged on for the last year. Methods to depopulate the ground squirrels have included drowning, burying, poisoning, and gassing. To date, none have worked, so in desperation we ordered The Squirrelinator!
This baby claims to enable the Carl Spackler’s of the world to trap dozens of ground squirrels in a few hours. Shazam! That won’t even put a dent in our population.
We need to get the problem under control as these pests eat the chicken food at an alarming rate, dig dangerous tunnels in the ground that can break the leg of an equine or any old lady that happens to step in it, and can bring in a variety of diseases that can sicken or kill poultry.
They gotta go! Here are a few pictures of the last gassing session. You’ll notice Michael is wearing the Carl Spackler hat. He has forbidden me from posting photographs in which he is sporting “bad hair.” I’ll be photoshopping in a lot of hats from now on!
Look at the size of this squirrel hole. We have these all over the property, tunnels running everywhere. This is a hip fracture waiting to happen.
Please enjoy the pictures of my Carl Spackler a.k.a Michael. In instances where I was too tired to photoshop a hat on his head, Michael’s head has simply been cut off. There are only so-many hours in a day.
Kathy says
Love the hats, Michael. I am dying to hear if this new contraption works, too. Please keep us updated.