Skunk

A few nights ago, after a busy day, I went out to check my gopher traps. This was the first chance I had to check the traps since setting them the day before and I was curious to see if I caught any gophers.

The sun had set and it was dusk and not so easy to see. At the first trap I saw a shape. Success! I caught a gopher already! When I got closer I noticed the shape was larger and the fur had long hair and the hair was dark. Huh?

The animal was curled in a ball and when I approached it lifted its head up to look at me and then I noticed a white strip among the black hair. It was a skunk. It began to lift its tail and I ran like Hell!!! I was tired after a day of hiking and then other physical chores, but that didn't matter, I ran!!!

I didn't get sprayed - see, I told you I ran like Hell - but I could smell it until I got away from being downwind. P-you!

I had caught a skunk in a leg hold trap. Getting close to finish him off wasn't an option. I went to my neighbor, Lyle, as he has a gun. He wasn't home. Darn! While I quickly kill any gopher caught in a leg hold trap as I don't like to see any animal suffer, I sure wasn't going back to handle the skunk. He probably had more spray and in the gathering darkness I couldn't guarantee I would be at the correct end when approaching the skunk. Judging from how active the gophers are when caught in a leg hold trap, the trap seems to hold more than really hurt.

I waited till the next morning.

As I fed my cattle Lyle came outside. I got him to use his gun to kill the skunk. Lyle has a .22 rifle. Even though the skunk was held in the trap Lyle didn't get too close when shooting it. Just close enough. The skunk was still active before Lyle shot it.

It was a big skunk. Okay, maybe I haven't seen another skunk before and can't really compare the size, but this skunk was a pretty good size. What it was doing at the entrance of a gopher hole is a mystery. The skunk was too large to fit into the hole.

There is something about the look of a skunk - I don't care for it's look. Must be the shape of the head and the beady eyes. Those eyes look at you like - "Oh yeah! Have I got a surprise for you!"

The skunk's death from the gunshot was quick. So quick there was no smell. Or that might have been because the skunk had somehow gotten it's rear end into the gopher hole. Lyle and I pulled the skunk out and - oh yeah! - it smelled.

I went to get a shovel to bury the skunk. The smell had dissipated some by the time I returned. I decided to bury the skunk in the gopher hole - that should put an end to gophers moving back into this hole after I cleared it!

Digging the gopher hole to make a grave was a mistake. I stirred up the skunk smell and I almost threw up. I had to dig, run off to get fresh air, then dig again, then run off for air, etc. The hole may not be deep, but I think it is deep enough to get rid of the smell.

Oh! And gophers? Yes, after burying the skunk I checked the rest of my traps and I had caught and killed a gopher in one of my conibear traps. On my blog's sidebar you will now notice I have started a gopher count for 2007. The first of hopefully the rest of them.

A few other traps had been triggered but nothing caught. Hmmm... odd as these traps are pretty good. Naturally, having been triggered, there was no more activity at these holes. I found that at most of the other holes in the north pasture there was no activity over several days. I had trapped all the gophers out of this pasture last year. I think all the holes being reopened this Spring was because the gophers in the middle pasture wanted places to duck when the hawks and other predators return. Else they had prepared the holes for when the youngin's leave the den.

I also learned that Lyle retired from driving a logging truck. He sold his house, shop, and property to another logger. Lyle plans to move east of the mountains. Not uncommon for the old time residents as the Valley has changed and gotten more crowded than what the old timers remember and like. I wonder if the new owners will have a gun in case I case I catch another skunk!