Got a tale to tell regarding how my Fathers day went.
My Dad lives in Seattle so I didn't get a chance to see him,I did call him however.Well after I called him,I took my dogs for a walk in the woods out back.They stuck around for a minute and then investigated an old barn that had fallen over a year or two ago.I didn't think much of it,there's a bunch of red squirrels that live under it and it's nothing new for them to check it out.
So I left them to check out the rubble and proceeded to go back to the house and crack a beer.It was a nice warm day and I was enjoying my beer,relaxing,watching some TV.Well a couple beers later,I realized my dogs weren't back yet so I grabbed another beer and went outside to call them.Like good dogs they arrived within a couple minutes and I let them in the house.
Well it's about this time I noticed something wasn't right.There was a rather foul odor that I recognized instantly....You guessed it, skunk....Both my dogs got hit....In the face...
Well,out came the baby shampoo and the baking soda,they both got bathed twice,letting the mixture saturate and soak into their coats.
About that time I realized there was definitely an issue that needed addressed rather quickly,so I grabbed some traps and stuff and went for a walk to find the source of the problem.I arrived at the scene of the incident,it was the old barn that had fallen over.The odor was unmistakable....I surveyed the scene and contemplated the placement of the two cage traps I had in my possession.Two spots stood out and I proceeded to set said traps and I baited them with some canned sardines in oil.
Feeling confident,I proceeded back to the house were there was more beer waiting for me patiently in my refrigerator.After drinking a couple more, I about forgot all about the incident even though the dogs weren't completely dry nor were they foreign odor free but the smell was bearable as long as I wasn't hugging them.Just a hint remained.
I went to bed and proceeded to attempt to cut down a national Forrest ,all in one night, single handedly.....Waking up in the morning,feeling refreshed,I started a pot of coffee and remembered setting the traps last night.Knowing it was going to be a hot day today, I knew I couldn't neglect checking them.So gathering a cup of coffee and and a fresh smoke I went for a morning walk.
Arriving at the scene,I realized that the cage door was shut in the first trap I checked,it held a small coon.Having chickens and catching him this close to the house I realized there was but one place he would be relocated to....About three feet under.
At this time,I was in position to view the other trap that had been set.It too was tripped.I could see the telltale signs of a skunk inside.But it looked different, there were too many stripes inside so I went in for a closer look.
Whoa,there was more than one skunk in there!It held at least two...No wait, make it three...A momma and two babies.I had caught three skunks in one trap!Happy with the results I studied them a minute contemplating how I was going to handle this.
It was at about this time I noticed that one of the baby skunks moving around, was OUTSIDE the cage.That makes it four...Realizing that taking a shot at the other skunks,in the cage,would probable spook the outside one, I decided he would be my primary target.
After making a shot on him I proceeded to dispatch the others that were contained.Being as we were starting at 7 am this morning, I had little time to deal with the problem and decided to wait till I got home to take care of it.Off I went to work...
After a long 11 hour day,I arrived home and proceeded to liberate a chilled alcoholic beverage from my refrigerator.Feeling grateful,it went down smoothly.Not wanting to be left alone, it beckoned me to free some more of his friends,which I was more than happy to oblige.After freeing a couple beers I decided it was time to go finish the deed and grabbed a shovel and a couple more neglected beers from my fridge.They would keep me company while I performed the burial ritual.
Arriving at the scene, I noticed that the one that had happened to be outside the trap,was still very much alive and he was missing his
family.Not wanting to have to deal with a skunk that might not weigh enough to trip my trap, I took a couple shots at him before he disappeared under the rubble.Confident that he was mortally wounded,I started digging the hole that would entomb the rest of todays catch.
After taking a couple of pictures and filling the hole,I re baited the two traps.Realizing that it was starting to get late and that there were more beers that needed my attention, I decided to call it a day and proceeded back to the house, to see what tomorrow would bring me...
*** to be continued... ***
My Dad lives in Seattle so I didn't get a chance to see him,I did call him however.Well after I called him,I took my dogs for a walk in the woods out back.They stuck around for a minute and then investigated an old barn that had fallen over a year or two ago.I didn't think much of it,there's a bunch of red squirrels that live under it and it's nothing new for them to check it out.
So I left them to check out the rubble and proceeded to go back to the house and crack a beer.It was a nice warm day and I was enjoying my beer,relaxing,watching some TV.Well a couple beers later,I realized my dogs weren't back yet so I grabbed another beer and went outside to call them.Like good dogs they arrived within a couple minutes and I let them in the house.
Well it's about this time I noticed something wasn't right.There was a rather foul odor that I recognized instantly....You guessed it, skunk....Both my dogs got hit....In the face...
Well,out came the baby shampoo and the baking soda,they both got bathed twice,letting the mixture saturate and soak into their coats.
About that time I realized there was definitely an issue that needed addressed rather quickly,so I grabbed some traps and stuff and went for a walk to find the source of the problem.I arrived at the scene of the incident,it was the old barn that had fallen over.The odor was unmistakable....I surveyed the scene and contemplated the placement of the two cage traps I had in my possession.Two spots stood out and I proceeded to set said traps and I baited them with some canned sardines in oil.
Feeling confident,I proceeded back to the house were there was more beer waiting for me patiently in my refrigerator.After drinking a couple more, I about forgot all about the incident even though the dogs weren't completely dry nor were they foreign odor free but the smell was bearable as long as I wasn't hugging them.Just a hint remained.
I went to bed and proceeded to attempt to cut down a national Forrest ,all in one night, single handedly.....Waking up in the morning,feeling refreshed,I started a pot of coffee and remembered setting the traps last night.Knowing it was going to be a hot day today, I knew I couldn't neglect checking them.So gathering a cup of coffee and and a fresh smoke I went for a morning walk.
Arriving at the scene,I realized that the cage door was shut in the first trap I checked,it held a small coon.Having chickens and catching him this close to the house I realized there was but one place he would be relocated to....About three feet under.
At this time,I was in position to view the other trap that had been set.It too was tripped.I could see the telltale signs of a skunk inside.But it looked different, there were too many stripes inside so I went in for a closer look.
Whoa,there was more than one skunk in there!It held at least two...No wait, make it three...A momma and two babies.I had caught three skunks in one trap!Happy with the results I studied them a minute contemplating how I was going to handle this.
It was at about this time I noticed that one of the baby skunks moving around, was OUTSIDE the cage.That makes it four...Realizing that taking a shot at the other skunks,in the cage,would probable spook the outside one, I decided he would be my primary target.
After making a shot on him I proceeded to dispatch the others that were contained.Being as we were starting at 7 am this morning, I had little time to deal with the problem and decided to wait till I got home to take care of it.Off I went to work...
After a long 11 hour day,I arrived home and proceeded to liberate a chilled alcoholic beverage from my refrigerator.Feeling grateful,it went down smoothly.Not wanting to be left alone, it beckoned me to free some more of his friends,which I was more than happy to oblige.After freeing a couple beers I decided it was time to go finish the deed and grabbed a shovel and a couple more neglected beers from my fridge.They would keep me company while I performed the burial ritual.
Arriving at the scene, I noticed that the one that had happened to be outside the trap,was still very much alive and he was missing his
family.Not wanting to have to deal with a skunk that might not weigh enough to trip my trap, I took a couple shots at him before he disappeared under the rubble.Confident that he was mortally wounded,I started digging the hole that would entomb the rest of todays catch.
After taking a couple of pictures and filling the hole,I re baited the two traps.Realizing that it was starting to get late and that there were more beers that needed my attention, I decided to call it a day and proceeded back to the house, to see what tomorrow would bring me...
*** to be continued... ***
