Double Trouble

In my most recent spate of stomping around my yard, muttering under my breath at the elk damage…my landscaping is accruing, I noticed, some of my plants only had tiny little nibbles taken out of them. Like, teeny, tiny nibbles---slug sized nibbles you might say.  

Upon see the offending nibbles, I promptly undertook several courses of action. None, of which, turned out to be a call to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s “Wildlife Conflict Specialist” (360)749-7195---the number is included for your future reference. You’re welcome.

Where was I? Oh, yes, no call to complain, just immediate action on my part. I got a stabby stick and my “safe for pets and wildlife” slug bait and set out on my search and destroy mission. As I was vindictively—perhaps a wee bit gleefully?-- dealing with the problem at hand, I began to muse upon the difference between my approach to dealing with elk and slugs...

Why, I wondered, didn’t I pick up the phone and express my distress and displeasure to the State of Washington? Do slugs not fall under their jurisdiction? Slugs are “wild” and free roaming destructive little creatures yet I don’t complain about it---to the state, anyway—I just deal.

UGH Slug

With slugs I’m ALLOWED to go full out Rambo. If I need to, I can go out after dark, with a flashlight and a red headband (I’m kidding about the headband. Sort of) and hunt them down. I can exact my revenge—i.e. “harvest” them. And there seems to be no limit on the number of wee beasties I can bag, no tag required. Try that with elk sometime and see what that gets you. Probably some time in the pokey and a hefty fine, would be my guess.

All in all, it seems a bit unfair in my book; is there no Slug Lobby? Do elk have better P.R. people? What’s going on here? 

Perhaps the fumes coming off my slug bait, while “safe,” are not meant to be inhaled?