Archive for September, 2010

I have to admit that I am not mechanically minded.  Working a Have-A-Heart trap that is right side up and empty is enough of a challenge for me; working with one that is upside down with a skunk in it is WAY beyond my capacity.  Pete, however, is unfazed.  We gently remove the trap from the back of the truck and set it down.  Using an old axe handle and a long stick Pete is able to open the trap door and we RUN!  Once we are safely back in the truck and pulling away, Pete, the grandson of Depression era grandparents, says that maybe “we” should go back and get the blanket that is still wrapped around the trap (you never know when we may need it again and he would be right there waiting for me with his foot on the gas….)  I balked at first but in the end decided “what the heck…maybe we WILL need the blanket again..” I creep ever so carefully up to the cage, begin pulling the blanket away and discover…nothing!  While Pete and I were making our great escape and negotiating who would go back for the blanket, the skunk had decided that he had had enough and made HIS great escape!

How anti-climatic!  Ah, well, the next time we have a skunk trapped in the basement we’ll be ready!

When we left off, I had just been given a crash course in setting a Have-A-Heart trap and sent to the basement, trap in hand.  I have lived in the country my entire life and this was the first time I had come up close and personal with anything wilder than a mouse.  After Pete did some quick internet research we learned that in order for a skunk to feel comfortable enough to enter an enclosed area it needs to be cozy so I gently wrapped the trap in an old fleece blanket, loaded it with a bit of tuna fish and turned out the lights to create a nocturnal atmosphere.

At this point, our guest had been in the basement at least 24 hours and his presence was becoming more and more palpable.  We hadn’t been sprayed but a skunk definitely carries a certain aura that is not easily ignored. Is it possible that they simply leak?  I’m torn between wanting to know whether or not I have trapped the skunk and not wanting to ever go in the basement again.  Finally, I just go to bed with a bit of Scarlett O’Hara’s “I’ll think about it tomorrow” attitude.

Before I have fully awoken the next morning, Pete announces that I have caught the skunk and that I need to get the skunk and the trap out of the house – carefully.  I’m thinking “when did this become MY project?” and something in my expression must have conveyed that because Pete then suggested that if he got the trap and its contents outside, maybe I could get them into the truck. This accomplished we decide to follow internet advice that states that you should remove a skunk to a new location about 8 to 10 miles away. Perfect! We know just the place and head out before the sun is quite up.

Our destination is a cornfield in Arlington that you get to by going “off road” for a bit. Of course, common sense tells you that you want to make the trip as uneventful as possible so as not to create any stress for the skunk and we’ve been pretty considerate about that. Unfortunately when we finally get to the drop off point and check our buddy, he is right side up, but the trap is now upside down. Hmmm……

Check in later for the exciting climax of SKUNKED!

Throughout our marriage, my husband Pete has often been the catalyst for me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things; atomic hot chicken wings, homemade beer, learning how to ride a motorcycle and drive it to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota among other things.  He has brought excitement to the life of this bookworm and wallflower!  He is a man with a can-do attitude if I ever met one and recently that attitude came into play again.

It was early on a weekday morning while we were eating breakfast that we had a conversation something like this:

Me:  “What was that noise?”

Him: “Sounds like a bird to me…” (head in Bennington Banner)

Me:  ” Kind of funny sounding for a bird, don’t you think?”

Him: “uuuhhmmmm………” (not really listening)

Me: “I think it’s coming from the basement.”

Him:”uuhhmmmmm……..” (still reading the Bennington Banner)

Me: “I think you should go look.”

Him: “Sigh…Okay…..”

Turns out the sound was coming from our basement. Pete, in spite of his can-do attitude, is also a cautious man when the situation calls for it. Peeking down from the top of our basement stairs, he saw…nothing. We plucked up our courage and headed downstairs – still nothing. As anyone who has gone looking for something potentially scary can tell you, the longer you go without finding it, the more tense things become. When we finally did hear something, we just about knocked each other over getting back upstairs.  The situation called for more experienced help so we brought in our Husky-Shepherd mix, Kylie. Within moments she led us to….a baby skunk!

Poor thing must have crawled into the old part of our basement and dropped down into the new basement. The problem was, the way in was not going to work for the way out…the only door from the new basement goes into the kitchen so just hoping he would find his way out wasn’t an option. I wanted professional help and made a few calls. Turns out the game warden was out of town and the only pest control person I spoke with wanted to charge $125 with no guarantee of a “scent-free” removal. My husband on the other hand, is completely undaunted by the prospect of removing the furry time bomb “ourselves”; he brings home a Have-A-Heart trap, shows me how to set it and heads out for soccer!

Stay tuned for the next installment of SKUNKED!