The Missouri countryside is teeming with wild animals. Deer are seen almost daily around here. Over the years you will see a wide range of animals. Unfortunately, mostly as road kill. Over the decades I have had some interesting encounters with wild animals.
Black Rat Snake
Maybe it’s a technicality, but this is the black rat snake, not the black snake. We had another label for the rat snake. We called it the “bull snake,” but the more you probe into the world of snakes the more you discover that local descriptions of these creatures can be considerably in error. I still have a friend who swears that he killed a “cottonmouth,” but I am not positive they are present in this part of Missouri.
The peculiar feature of the black rat snake is its potential size. It can get to be as long as 6 feet. Black snakes, on the other hand, are no longer than three feet. The same applies to the infamous cottonmouth. Of these three snakes, the cottonmouth is venomous.
The snake pictured was a frequent visitor to my garden, which is not far from Rachel’s Prairie. I noticed it slithering its way into the tall prairie grass.
Coyote
Canis latrans
Ever since I was a child I recall hearing coyotes yelping in the night. Before we had air conditioning, I would sleep with my head close to the screened window and I would often hear owls and coyotes. There are a lot of farms in Boone County. In my experience, the primary complainers are owners of small livestock. Coyotes are a menace. Sheep farmers often have large dogs with white fur intermingle with their herds and this is usually effective.
As a country “gentlemen,” with no livestock, I find coyotes intriguing. My game camera has captured some beautiful shots of coyotes, but my most memorable encounter was while sitting in my back yard I saw a coyote nonchalantly wander across Prairie #2. About a third of the way across the yard he turned and noticed me. He did not panic, but looked me over for a bit, before proceeding toward the pond.
Eastern Deer Mouse
Peromyscus maniculatus
Aka — The field mouse by locals. It no longer suffices to call them “deer mice”, because there is a western deer mouse and an eastern deer mouse. My encounters with deer mice go all the back to my childhood. I would find them in brush piles, the wood pile and, of course, in the house. So many tales that it may warrant a special article on these little things.
Deer mice live virtually anywhere, and it is no surprise that I stumble across them while walking through either of the two prairie sites. I sometimes see them scurrying under brush piles.
My method for trapping them is to use a live animal trap. I do not use poisons because of the harm it does to domestic animals and people. Having 30 acres at my disposal, I find different places to release them.
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
When I was a kid about all I saw around the house were what we called “fox squirrels”, so labeled because of their long, bushy tails. But their true name is Eastern Fox Squirrel. There were a ton of them because they had few predators. Over time, the Eastern Gray Squirrel made its appearance and today are predominant. I rarely see a red squirrel. Their numbers have diminished considerably because of the abundance of raptors in the area.
Metric Paper Wasp
Polistes metricus
Can’t have an animal kingdom without a few bugs, right? I have never been a big fan of wasps. I learned not to fear dirt dobbers as a kid. But wasps? I started out on a bad note with those things. Was stung frequently up through my teenage years before I picked up the degree of caution necessary to avoid getting stung — like always knowing where you are placing your hands.
But wasps are pollinators. They have an important role in our world. I also noticed that wasps were about as likely to sting you as any other pollinator I would see in the garden or out in the prairie. Just let them be, and they will not bother you.
Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
The muskrat has been the one animal that rural Missourians love to hate. My father conducted warfare against the animals persistently over the decades. There was good reason for it. They loved to burrow into the banks of ponds, but it seemed like they preferred burrowing into the dam. Not cool. All it takes is for one to discover the opposite side of the dam and the next thing you have is a major leak. Good thing the neighbor was an enthusiastic trapper. Before long, there were no more muskrats. A few years later, they reappeared. The trapper, then a teenager, had now grown into a young man and was no longer in the area. So Dad carried out his stacked shotgun and dispatched them accordingly (and probably a dozen bass and frogs besides).
So I was not surprised to recently observe them swimming across the pond. The pond is no longer rimmed by barren banks. Much of the shoreline is lined with deeply rooted grasses, shrubs and trees, with an inner lining of cattails. The dam is also different, recently reinforced with an inner lining of large rocks and filled with an additional two feet of clay. Muskrats will find the large rocks a bit challenging to dig through (hopefully).
All this to say that I am not too concerned about the muskrats. This is now a wild pond, frequented by herons, ducks, and geese. And now a pair of muskrats.
Opossum
Didelphis marsupialis
Also known as the “possum”, these are the most peculiar creatures. My experience with opossums goes back to my childhood. Famous for their ability to feign death, they can fool you into thinking they are sluggish, dumb-witted animals. Far from the truth. I would find them in the trash barrel, a chore of which I totally despised. It was always cold. I would find them “frozen” at the bottom of the barrel. I would tip the 50 gallon barrel over (something a bit difficult for a twelve year old), take a long stick or pole, wait for them to clamp down on it, and drag them out. They would then pause for a moment to look me over, and scamper away before climbing a nearby tree.
As an adult, I have had them walk practically into me as I sat in a chair. Of course, I would not provide them the opportunity to come into contact, knowing the length of their teeth. They would see my movement, pause for a moment, turn around and walk away. I get the feeling their eyesight is awful. If you happen to be downwind from them and sitting still, they will come up very close.
Pond Turtle
I am sure that over time I will nail down the exact species of this turtle, but for now it is “pond turtle.” Actually saw one of these things burrowing into the flower bed uphill from the pond where I am cultivating bulb flowers. Almost appeared like “she” was laying some eggs. Will see.
The pond has dozens of these type of turtles. They are not “box turtles.” I typically will catch them sunning themselves along the pond bank.
Raccoons
Procyon lotor
My encounter with raccoons justifies a separate story, but a short description is due for this section. Raccoons are all over the place in our area. They are amazing animals to observe, but they can try your patience. Their ability to sabotage bird feeders, harangue chickens and upend garbage cans is highly recognized. In my experience I have had them raid the dog food, spin around on an old frying pan, inhabit my attic and put the fear of God in me as I maneuvered them in traps.
Yet for all the years I have dealt with raccoons, they have generally been well-behaved in my rural estate and I have not seen one as of late in Rachel’s Prairie. The game camera captured on during the night, but the picture is too fuzzy for this website. So I will make do, for now, with a web-linked photo to Wikipedia.
Red Fox
Vulpes fulva
I have had a long history with foxes. I have frequently seen them. There was a time I knew about every hole they crawled into. I would see them while camping or hiking. Around the house I have frequently seen them during the day (they are typically noctornal). They are intensely curious. I sometimes get this feeling I am being watched and I turn and, lo and behold, see a fox 20-30 yards away looking me over. For a few years there was one or two that stayed close to the pond.
Whitetail Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
Around here deer are seen almost daily. The herd has ranged from three to twelve. They are not domesticated, per se. They often walk into my back yard or the prairie while I sit quietly in a chair. The bucks are usually not pleased by my presence, snorting at me from behind cover. The deer get nervous if I am around, but don’t always take off and run. They have particularly been pleased with the development of the two prairies. The wild grasses and flowers are providing a more diverse, natural forage. There are also a wide range of mushrooms growing in the prairies and probably explains why on wet summer mornings they are seen grazing in broad daylight, sometimes sleeping in the grass (you know how mushrooms can be).
I have to watch my step in the spring. I nearly stepped on a fawn one time. I had a fawn approach me one time, only to discover it was covered with ticks, particularly around its eyes. Before I could get it to the vet, it wandered off. It was later discovered in our front flower bed, startling my wife as she was planting flowers. It ran away. I believe it survived the ordeal.
Resources
Peterson Field Guides: Mammals, William H. Burt, ed. and Richard P. Grossenheider, Illus., Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1980
Please note that, unless clearly designated in the photo, photos are from the Creative Commons, usually Wikipedia.
© Copyright 2026 to Eric Niewoehner
Last updated April 6, 2026