Bluffton is a river town in Wells County, with the Wabash along the edge and the woods of Ouabache State Park not far away. Woods plus older houses is a reliable recipe for something in a gable. People here know the sound. They want it to stop, and they want it to stay stopped.
We look for the animal and the door. On older Bluffton homes that is often a vent, a chimney, or a soffit corner. On places at the edge of town, we also check under porches. Groundhogs undermine steps. Skunks borrow the hole. Different animal, different repair, same idea: do not close it until we know who is home.
Ossian is on the way up toward Fort Wayne. If you are between the two, you are on a normal route for us. Tell us the ZIP, 46714 if you are in Bluffton, and what you have noticed. A time of day is worth more than a guess at the species.
Houses around Bluffton
Older downtown roofs and edge properties near the river and the fields. Chimneys, vents, and porch skirts are the usual list.
What we get called for
Something in the gable
Squirrels and raccoons both use a tired vent. The hour of the noise helps us tell them apart.
Steps that dip
A groundhog burrow under a stoop is more than a lawn issue.
A borrowed hole
If the dirt was a groundhog and the smell is a skunk, say so. We plan for the current resident.