Andy writes:
In the past, my cantalopes have been decimated by mice/birds who
come along and
start pecking/gnawing at the fruit as soon as it starts to ripen.
They tend to eat holes
in the sides to get at the seeds.

This year, I tried something different. As soon as the fruit got
to about softball
size, still green, I took a plastic Walmart bag and put it around the
plant, loosely
tying it so that it didn't stress the fruit.

It worked very well. No predators bothered the gruit. Every week
or so I would
peek inside the sack, and determine if it was time to pick. Also, I
oriented the
bag so that when it rained, the fruit wouldn't be sitting in water...

As a result, I got a full, intact, cantalope crop...

I posted this technique and received some advice from others who
have
tried it. One good suggestion was to use old panty hose instead of
solid
plastic, so that there wouldn't be any drainage problem. I'll try it
next year.

I wanted to share this experience, since it's an easy thing to do
if you
have a rodent/bird problem.... and, believe me, sooner or later you
will.

If any readers can add to this technique, I'd be pleased to read
about it.

Andy in Eureka, Texas