Randy Hall wrote:
> Don't discount the possibility of wildlife causing vandalism.
> ...Wild animals have excellent senses of smell, and deer
> have been caught red-handed stealing orienteering controls.
> ...don't reuse a container that once contained food (its
> impossible to wash the smell out),...

I've heard that before, so I want to confirm it here. If a
container has had food in it, then even if it is washed animals
may be attracted to it. This would be true of anything inside
the container also. I suppose if you had been eating salami or
potato chips just prior to putting your box together it will
leave behind an odor.

I've heard stories about deer, racoons and bears that were rutting
around where only the most remote trace of food or food smell had
existed. Apparently, if animals are hungry enough they will find
whatever trace of food smell there is. And we know that rats (of
the animal type, that is) are excellent at rooting out stuff that
smells like... well, just about anything -- it does not even have
to be food, just something which gives off a pungent odor.

So I just want to confirm Randy's strategy. Since we can't be
one hundred percent certain about causes in all instances, let's
narrow down the likelihood of boxes disappearing through things we
could have controlled. So please ensure that your containers are
fresh/new.

Thanks for the input Randy.

Dan

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