Fox urine as deterrent to squirrels

Matmail: (Here's a copy of a letter I thought you might be interested in.) “After many battles with the squirrels, it seems like I've finally won. I found a Web site selling animal urines, www.websiteserv.com/predator. I bought some fox urine and hung it on my bird feeders, and the squirrels don't seem to come near them anymore. The birds aren't able to smell, so they don't pay any attention to it.... Sincerely, Margie Dunn" — Backspin67, the Net

We’re not even going to ask why this brought us to mind, Backspin. We’ll take it as some kind of weird compliment and move on. So, you got bunnies in your broccoli? Moose in the magnolias? Whatever’s eating you, the newest deterrent on the market is urine of fox, wolf, coyote, or bobcat. The products are harvested and marketed by Leg-Up Enterprises, Hampton, Maine. The collection process involves ranch-raised or captive predators, a room with a sloping floor, a drain, and a barrel. For $33 a quart, you can, as Leg-Up says, “create the illusion that predators are nearby.” And don’t we all know how that feels.