A couple of weeks ago I started to notice
some odd things over at the chicken house. We lock our girls up in their little
house each night. But something was getting into the coop yard and
leaving some poo behind that I thought came from a raccoon. But coons usually
make a huge mess out of everything and there was only a few rocks moved around.
My mom informed me it had to be a skunk, not a coon.
So mom went out and bought us a live trap to
trap the skunk and solve our problem. The first night we set the trap inside
the coop yard, baited with cat food. Bingo! Then next morning we had us a little
skunk in the trap. Hubby got the job of shooting the critter with the .22
rifle. It is legal to shoot "nuisance animals" in the town limits with a .22.
After he shot it the smell was impressive! Even though it hadn't actually
sprayed, it leaked out all over. The whole yard and a two block radius
absolutely reeked! We waited a bit and then Hubby and my mom had to empty the
trap into a plastic garbage bag and mom hauled it to the dump, outside of town.
They came home with the scent and even though they took their clothes off out in
the garage and took showers, it infected our whole house! I had every candle and
Scentsy thing burning all day.
We thought we solved our problem and felt pretty
proud to have gotten it taken care of on the first attempt. But mom decided to
leave the trap set that night, just in case. She didn't bother to put any fresh
bait in it, not thinking it would really catch another skunk. Wrong! The next
morning we had another skunk. Bait or no bait. So the whole process was
repeated. Shoot skunk, stink up the entire North end of town, wait a bit, get
rid of dead skunk. Mom decided not to leave the trap set that night!
Then we noticed the rocks moved again.... so mom decided to leave it set....again without bait. What do ya know? Another skunk! This time, not in the coop yard, just out on the lawn. We were told about covering the trap with a blanket and hauling out of town before shooting it. They don't spray if they are in the dark I guess. So Hubby covered it up, set it in the bucket of the backhoe and hauled it out of town to it's demise. It didn't really help though. Hubby still had to strip his clothes off out in the yard and take a shower. They decided to take a break from skunk trapping for a day.....
Last night, mom
left her trap open again. Just sitting on the lawn, nothing in it. "Just
because". We teased Hubby this morning that he had to go kill the skunk again.
He said, "Nooooo! I just got dressed for the day!" We told him to just go
check, they probably wasn't any more skunks to trap.....Wrong again! Skunk
number four was waiting for him. He came back and geared up to kill another
skunk. Once again this entire end of town stinks to high heaven! The neighbors
have all caught on to our skunk trapping adventures and are all very please we
are making the effort. The skunk problem has been an issue for quite a while I
guess. We have many vacant old houses here in Geraldine. They make prime homes
for skunks.
The ladies that work at the bar/cafe tell me that they watch all kinds of wildlife walk right down Main Street late in the evenings. Raccoons, fox, deer and of course skunks! Two weeks ago, the nice lady that lives next door to the little yellow house actually had one come in her house! The blasted thing went in through the doggie door! Her two Boston Terriers had at it and she came home to the stench of skunk and fur all over the place! It got away after making a disgusting mess and spraying everything. Another neighbor lady told my mom how glad she is the we are trapping the skunks. She said she is always trying to keep them out of her yard and has even tried using repellents.
While skunks must have some good qualities, I'm sure. Most folks agree, the fact that they are a main carrier of rabies means it's best to exterminate them from populated areas. I have a cousin who was chased and nearly attacked by a rabid skunk when she was a small child. Her mother's quick thinking saved her, thank goodness. ( If that cousin is reading this, you know who you are! *wink*)
So I guess we will keep leaving that trap open and keep shooting skunks. Hubby will have to keep stripping out in the yard, the town will keep on stinking to high heaven. But I am starting to wonder how many skunks we will get! Any guesses?
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| Putting the trap together with grandma. |
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| Skunk #1 |
Then we noticed the rocks moved again.... so mom decided to leave it set....again without bait. What do ya know? Another skunk! This time, not in the coop yard, just out on the lawn. We were told about covering the trap with a blanket and hauling out of town before shooting it. They don't spray if they are in the dark I guess. So Hubby covered it up, set it in the bucket of the backhoe and hauled it out of town to it's demise. It didn't really help though. Hubby still had to strip his clothes off out in the yard and take a shower. They decided to take a break from skunk trapping for a day.....
 |
| The Great Skunk Hunter isn't allowed to bring those clothes inside! |
 |
The ladies that work at the bar/cafe tell me that they watch all kinds of wildlife walk right down Main Street late in the evenings. Raccoons, fox, deer and of course skunks! Two weeks ago, the nice lady that lives next door to the little yellow house actually had one come in her house! The blasted thing went in through the doggie door! Her two Boston Terriers had at it and she came home to the stench of skunk and fur all over the place! It got away after making a disgusting mess and spraying everything. Another neighbor lady told my mom how glad she is the we are trapping the skunks. She said she is always trying to keep them out of her yard and has even tried using repellents.
While skunks must have some good qualities, I'm sure. Most folks agree, the fact that they are a main carrier of rabies means it's best to exterminate them from populated areas. I have a cousin who was chased and nearly attacked by a rabid skunk when she was a small child. Her mother's quick thinking saved her, thank goodness. ( If that cousin is reading this, you know who you are! *wink*)
So I guess we will keep leaving that trap open and keep shooting skunks. Hubby will have to keep stripping out in the yard, the town will keep on stinking to high heaven. But I am starting to wonder how many skunks we will get! Any guesses?
Update! The fifth skunk was the last skunk standing! We have not had any other stinky visitors since this post.
Is that me you're talking about?!! My Mom was awesome, and my hubby LOVES to tell that story. How did you hear about it? I just found your blog. So fun to read about your adventures! Hugs from Idaho!
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