Oh, That Odor
by John Mooy
It seems there are wonderful odors that are never to be forgotten; homemade bread baking in the oven, bacon and eggs in a cast iron skillet over a campfire, and chocolate chip cookies that will soon come out of the oven. These smells transport you back to a particular time and place, not to mention the taste of each delicacy.
But this past week I was confronted with a very different odor. The odor was brought to me through the morning air courtesy of a family of skunks. First they were under the building where Wendy and Holley work and then they seem to have migrated to our cottage. In both instances they have declared residency under the buildings.
What to do? I have a live trap, but my thinking was they could release their spray through the sides of the cage. So I resorted to the now somewhat reliable internet and YouTube. It seems that nowadays this is becoming more and more the first go to “tool” to find a solution to almost any problem.
And sure enough, there was a host of suggestions on how to rid your area of these furry black and white creatures; so cute. After reviewing the options, I thought I wouldn’t be using any of these suggestions as they would take up too much of my time. Below are some of the options:
*Install a wire mesh fence
*Sprinkle Kitty Litter nearby
*Use cotton balls soaked in ammonia
*Apple cider in a plastic bag
*Install motion activated sprinklers
*Add moth balls to your yard
*Install predator deterrent lights
*Use an ultrasonic skunk repellent
I made several comments to my wife on how to rid the yard of the skunks and she immediately said, “No, you can’t do that.” We swat mosquitoes don’t we. I relented and followed her wishes.
In searching, I found a Tomahawk trap on the internet which was advertised as being the perfect trap for skunks. The trap was covered with a heavy duty opaque white plastic. The idea being of course that once inside the skunk would not be able to spray you. Sounded good to me so we ordered the Tomahawk Model #924 (pictured).
When the trap arrived, I was anxious to set it. Toast with peanut butter was the bait of choice and once in place on the trip pad I placed the trap near the end of the cottage. The next morning, we had our first critter. From a distance I peeked into the front of the cage and through the holes in the door, I could see that indeed it was a skunk.
I loaded the cage into the back of the truck and we clocked off seven miles down the road from the house. This was a distance that according to my research would guarantee the skunk would not show up at the house again. Once the release was complete, I took the cage to the car wash for a thorough cleaning. And now I’m ready to go after the next skunk.
My first capture made me wish Howard Cree was still alive so I could share with him my big game conquest.
Now I can move on to the chocolate chip cookies.
Have a great week, Marcellus.
Remain the best.
Keep your nose to the grindstone,
it could be worse.
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