Suddenly, it's Skunks

They seem to be everywhere all of a sudden. Skunks are not often spotted in day light unless they're sick or wounded, so their increased presence is evidenced mostly by the ones that didn't make it. One ended up as roadkill on Route 75, and I spotted another casualty on the lane that connects us to that road. There was another one on the road near our mailbox a few days ago. This always makes me feel a little sad. Skunks are truly beautiful animals.

Darrin came over a few days ago to check on the flying squirrel traps. He'd set them to catch the little invaders that occupy a narrow space between the first and second floors, which is another story all it's own. In the back of his truck was a cute and very alive little skunk he'd caught for a customer who badly wanted the li'l darlin' out of her basement, and fast.

Here's Darrin getting ready to pull the towel off the trap. In his hip pocket is a tool I crave - a foam gun that lets you use only the amount of rigid expanding foam you need, and doesn't let it set in the barrel. I go through a lot of cans of foam, trying to plug leaks and block critter routes.

I wondered why we seem to be seeing skunks everywhere. “The deep freeze is over now, so they're coming out to feed and breed,” he related.

To show me the skunk, he carefully, gently, peeled the towel away from the trap. Crouching inside, the small animal was still, quiet as a mouse, seemingly almost asleep. She seemed kind of resigned and glum. I'd feel that way too, surrounded by a bars like a prison. But better days lay ahead for her.

Noticing with a sudden jab of alarm that the business end of the skunk was aimed at me, I quickly but smoothly moved to Darrin's side of the truck. He grinned, as if to say, "Now you're getting smart!" He explained that a skunk will usually give plenty of warning before it sprays. “He'll stamp his feet, turn around, try to escape. Spraying is almost a last resort for the skunk. Most people don't know that,” he explains.

Skunks supposedly make make good pets, if they are de-scented, and I asked if he thought that was true. A smile came over his face, and he said, “I'd love to have a skunk as a pet. They're gentle and affectionate, especially if you get 'em young and can hand-rear them. But I don't know of any vet who will de-scent them. I can sure find the skunks, though. If you ever learn of a vet who can do it, let me know!”

What if your dog gets a good dose of skunk? "Wash him real good, and call me," advises Darrin. " I've got a commercial grade ionizing air cleaner that works wonders. You just put the dog in the same room as the air cleaner and wait a few hours. You'll notice an amazing difference. And by the way, tomato paste doesn't work. It just makes your dog gummy and smelling like tomatoes in addition to skunk."

Darrin knows the habits of all kinds of animals. Bats, among other things. He's an expert at ridding belfries, attics and other places of bats.

He's also a son of the land, and has many skills of observation, experience and insight. Such as where to find morels by the hundreds, or wild leeks, and wild raspberries and blueberries. I'm hoping he'll let me tag along for mushroom hunting or berry picking some day. Especially after his story about seeing a black bear in the berry patch he'd just finished foraging in.

After we discussed the flying squirrels, he left down the dirt road, only to come barreling back up in reverse to announce that there was a skunk down in the lower field, and did I want him to shoot it?

Darrin is a gentle man, who despite his work as an animal control specialist truly loves living creatures and does not harm them if it can be avoided. But, as he pointed out, skunks can also carry rabies and this one was walking a bit wobbly. This skunk was in the hunting range of the Rocket Dog, so we decided with a bit of regret that the skunk's time was up. He went back down the road and I put R. Dog in the house.

I heard a series of pops and then he came walking back across the field to his truck. “Yeah, I got 'im,” he said with a touch of regret. “I think he was sick though, so it's probably just as well. Sick animals don't last long out here and can spread disease.” He put away his large silvery pistol.

A lot of guys carry pistols around here, 22's mostly. It's not a macho thing or for “protection.” You don't see men flashing guns around or walking around with surreptitious bulges. It's just part of how one lives here. For example, my neighbor shot a copperhead with his pistol a couple of years ago, while riding on his tractor.

We chatted a bit more, then he took off to find a place to release the little skunk.

This one will make it.