Saturday, August 14, 2010

Gone Fishing

Fishing.  In my back yard.  Think bait and tackle.  Think big game.  Think....wait for it....

S K U N K.

After close calls on several occasions, Nelson  got it in the face four nights ago. 
It was epic: 

Frothing, white foam. 
Vomiting. 
Stench.
Ulcerated eyes.
Trip to the Vet.


Now we are on a mission to catch that varmint, and I can not help but see the similarities to fishing.  (This is a boating blog, after all.)  On the ocean, I choose the bait most likely to attract the fish being sought after.  I cruise or troll the areas known for success in catching said fish.  I think positive thoughts about eating good omega 3's for dinner and hope it is tonight.

Fishing for Skunks is just like that.  I have a live trap.  I have bait.  I have the area of most frequently seen skunks.  I have good thoughts of what I will do once I catch the Stinky Fellow. But...just like in fishing, I am not having the very best results.

First, I caught a squirrel. 

Nelson found him first and was totally beside himself, running circles around the cage, barking his voice hoarse.  The squirrel was freaking out, doing flips inside the cage, throwing himself against the door to no avail.  He was well and truly trapped.  Hubby and I were in a dither trying to coral the dog, release the squirrel and not get rabies in the process.  Nobody even thought about taking a picture.  This was like catching sand shark when I want to catch sea bass.

Next, I caught an opossum.
This time, I was ready with the camera. 

A face only a mother would love, still kind of cute in a possumy-sort-of-way.
This is like catching barracuda (think teeth) when I want to catch Dorado.

Tonight we have a plan to relocate the trap to a different area of the yard.  What will we catch next????  It seems "The Wild Kingdom" is living back there.  Last night, Super Son, got the scare of his life when something large, furry, and able to bound over hedges in a single leap came at him in the dark.  Being out after curfew has its own rewards.  He says he was watching the meteor shower....

Stay tuned for the next installment in

"Inland Fishing Experts Agree:  Skunks are hard to catch."

6 comments:

Veronica Lee said...

Good luck with the trap!! But oppossums look so cute in movies!!

Have a blessed Sunday, Rosemary!

Matty said...

Oh> NO! I sure hope Nelson gets cleaned up good. I've never been sprayed by a skunk, but I've heard it nasty to get rid of the odor.

Good luck with your "fishing" expedition. I hope you have a trophy catch.

Anonymous said...

Wow, skunks are one thing we don't have at our new place. lol, congrats on the vermin catches.

Anonymous said...

Yikes! I hope they were able to get the smell off of Nelson, if his eyes were burning and he needed to be taken to the vet. I can image that being an epic incident. I never thought about skunks in the backyard before since we don't live in a rural area, but how awful. At least you caught something...so maybe soon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you, wow.

Haupi

Karen and Gerard said...

You are the second blog that has a skunk story to tell (The other was Red Pine Mountain when 7 of her dogs met up with a skunk). Good luck on catching it! You are braver than I. Poor Nelson.

Jazevox said...

we drove yesterday, and smelled skunk in the air, someone must had runover one nearby. they definitely have some powerful stinks. blog hopping, jazevox