A small visitor…

So, Sunday… had some family over for family activities. Later in the afternoon… about 5pm… had my brother, his wife, and my wife in the pool.. I had gotten out having had enough of the waterplay. I let the dogs out and walked around back. Dogs went nuts barking at something in the bushes. My little rat terrior was acting as she normally does… barking, growling, etc as if it was tearing something apart. I come around the corner of the house and my brother yells from the pool that something is in the bushes. I say it must be the cat but he assures me the cat was just seen 50 yards away over by the horses. I walk around the house a bit to peer into the bushes… and see this SKUNK right behind a solitary bush and my rat terrior 2 INCHES from the nose of the skunk all while BARKING like MAD! This SMALL skunk didn’t seem to notice my dog… or rather, seemed to think it wise to not move a muscle. After about 2 mins, I was able to get my dog away (while not getting too close)… and get both dogs into the house. The tiny skunk walked around the house… and into the front yard… and wandered out there for about 45 minutes. Every few minutes.. it would lay down. Wife tried to give it some water (while I was attempting to talk her into letting me take it out with my high-powered pellet rifle). Eventually… wife won… and skunk walked away. Interesting visitor on a sunday afternoon.

Nice… Perfect picture of typical gender reactions.

Women want to feed it and men want to blow it the heck away with the biggest gun they can find. Who knew skunks and boyfriends had so much in common?

You could have been a little closer when you snapped the photo…

I love skunks; my dog and I were fortunate enough to have a close encouter out on the Dakota praire.

We never had so much free time after that,the wife would not come near me for several weeks.

Funny! Once, way back in high school, I awoke in the middle of the night to find one had fallen into the well of the egress window in my bedroom. Not a real pleasant smell to wake up to.

Ran into one on my bike ridding home from a buddy’s house when I was in HS at night, mom and pop were none to pleased

Of course there is the story of cousin Debbie who loves and respects all of God’s creatures: inviting one lonely skunk into her house to live with her for awhile. You can choose your friends but you cant choose your family

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Funny! Once, way back in high school, I awoke in the middle of the night to find one had fallen into the well of the egress window in my bedroom

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Sure it wasn’t your prom date?

When I was about 20 I adopted and raised a skunk. Great pet! House trained, slept on the pillow next to me, rode around in a pocket sewn inside my jean jacket. Any way some one left the door open and he got out. 2 days later I was having an adult beverage on the back porch and saw a skunk at the edge of the yard. Thinking it was Louie I ran out and grabbed him by the tail. I got a full blast right in the chest! Was sick for a day and alone for 2 weeks. That was my last pet skunk

I descented a skunk for a pet back in my younger days. Not an easy chore. Why do we try to make pets out of them? When they get wet, they still stink like a skunk. Looking back, it was a dumb idea;; skunks are vermin in every sense of the word. My .17HMR makes good skunk medicine…….

If you raise them from small descenting isn’t needed. Until they get excited.

Daylight wandering skunks and coons are a posssible sign of rabies.

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Daylight wandering skunks and coons are a posssible sign of rabies.

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That was my first thought too, but the extended heat I think also can make them active during the day, usually because they are stressed.

We THINK it is because this was a fairly YOUNG skunk. It was pretty small. But… it didn’t seem to have any fear either. A few times… it slowely walked towards us. It also sat down and/or laid down numerous times.. and then would get back up in a few seconds. Also kept coming back toward the house.

I don’t hate skunks. But I certainly don’t want it to grow up in my yard… and have it not be so nice to my dogs in the future. Since the wife wouldn’t let me take care of it… SHE will be taking care of any dog-smell problems in the future.

If it was sitting or lying frequently it probably has distemper. In western WI, coons got hit HARD with it last year so I would imagine that same thing could happen to skunks. .22 Mag does the trick every time

or just plain hungry for what your cookin..they love johnsonville brats…lol

i’m going with distemper or rabies and the 22 mag cure. my plate is full of issues as it is…

Well, fairly certain the skunk is dead. My wife found it under a small pine tree this morning… I have been smelling that skunk smell all day… and this evening, it seems to be in the same place… though, I haven’t gotten close enough to check for a pulse… Should it be there tomorrow… I will ENSURE it is dead by jabbing at it with a 22… then gonna dig a whole and make it disappear.