The SKUNK Line

Here I am, back in California still fighting the SKUNKS.  I'm not sure what's worse ... snakes and scorpions in Arizona or the skunks that reside here.

Here's my line of de-fence .. pun intended.  This entire back wall has everything I could find in my arsenal to keep them at bay.  How do I know they are still around?  I can smell them every morning.  

Keeping the patio lights on has helped a little.   All this junk ... fence panels, metal lounge chairs and old wooden pallets, a couple bales of hay, hasn't worked at all.  They just find another 6" space and dig another hole under the fence.

 This was the freeway they built while I was gone.  I took a lead from the highways in California.  Construction (I moved the panels over) has now blocked THAT passage.  

Here's something very weird about skunks.  Not the best to be talking bout on a blog, but here goes.  As I walked around checking the property, I found they poo-ed (to put it nicely) in two big spots.  There were two HUGE piles about 20 feet apart.  What the heck?  That's weird!!

So ... thinking maybe that marked their territory or something, I grabbed my trusty shovel and tossed it over the fence by the biggest hole.  The second pile, I moved down 30 feet and dropped IT over the fence.

 Here's my latest line of de-fence.  I ordered a skunk trap from Alabama.  Rather than deal with a big trap and lots of bad smells, after much research I found this baby.  Put their favorite peanut butter and worms in one end and set it right in the hole.  When they enter, they will step on a plate that will release the gate at the end.

They SAY that a skunk cannot spray if it's tail is down.  This is about 8 inches around and should keep it non-smelly.  The next step is to drop it in a water trough.  I'm probably too soft hearted to do that, but I can drive it to my least favorite friends house and drop it off.

 So .. the trap is set.  Nothing.  I checked for the last two days.  NOTHING.  Honestly I don't care if it works or not, just as long as they quit coming back.  I'm hoping that's because of the poo piles.  Time will tell.

In the meantime, I had to go to the patch yesterday at 10:00 to help with the crowds.  I got home at 7:30 after driving tractor for 4 hours straight.  It's fun ... and at least I was sitting down most of the time.  

I like interacting with the people by telling everyone that girlfriends have to sit on their boyfriends laps to save space and wives on husbands laps.  It worked ... we laughed and all had a GREAT time!!