Damn skunks!

[lonewolfz28]

Last winter I started leaving the doors open on the end of my closed in back porch (the only way in and out of my living area unless I go upstairs and disturb Maye) so a stray cat we've been feeding and basically adopting had a warmer, more sheltered place to sleep. Can't let it inside because our two indoor-only cats won't stand for it, Maye doesn't want it inside and it was infested with fleas and ticks at first.

Now it's summertime so I leave the doors on both ends open to let the breeze through to cut down on the heat buildup. The cat, Jethro, still eats her food there since I put it up on a stack of new ceiling tiles I need to install one of these days to keep the wild animals from getting at it. Or at least I thought it was enough to keep the wild animals from getting at it.

I've got a bunch of other wood scraps for future projects stored out there too. Seems it was all too inviting to a skunk so she made her nest behind there.

I've never seen skunks that were able to climb vertical surfaces. They tend to stay close to the ground and not climb anything more than a fallen tree or short stump. Not this one. The bitch can climb a 3' tall cinderblock wall.

I got tired of running a hostel for wayward skunks several weeks ago when they started getting so bold as to not run when you open the door. They would just sit there like, "WTF do you want?" At first, I thought it was just the one so I decided I was going to have to kill it with the pellet gun. I didn't want to because of the stench I knew was going to be bad and hard to get rid of. But, when you open the door in broad daylight and there's a skunk staring at you from less than 6' away...no bueno.

So, I've got a single shot, break barrel .22 cal pellet rifle that's good for ~900fps. Plenty for killing a small animal like a skunk. Just gotta make that one shot count and then run and close the door because reloading and recocking it takes ~15secs at best. Meanwhile, a very pissed off skunk will be spraying the area.

The first night, I go out to check on Jethro, and sure enough, a little skunk rounds the corner on me. Pop! I nail it then duck back inside, close the door so the smell won't get too bad inside the house.

I look out the window with a flashlight and there's the one I shot lying on its side and there are TWO more inspecting it. WTF! Quickly reload and recock and open the door to get a shot and oh boy, does it ever stink. Strong enough to make your eyes and sinus burn kind of stink. Quick shot, but I think I hit one of them before ducking back inside.

I go out the next day (still stinks really bad) and bury the dead one downwind from the house. On my way back inside, I hear a rustling behind the wood scraps. It's at the other end of the porch and I'm not standing around in that stench to see what it is so I go inside to warn Maye and let her know what happened the night before.

She decides to keep a lookout on the food she sets out at ground level just outside of that end of the porch because heaven forbid she be left out of feeding a cat. About half an hour later she calls down that there are FIVE skunks feeding at the dishes she left out. A mama and 4 babies.

So, I get the pellet gun ready and go out there with a pocket full of pellets. I managed to hit at least three of them before they scurried back behind the scrap pile. That's good, but no confirmed kills and a fresh wave of stench.

So, we gave it a week to see if they'd gotten the hint and moved out and to let the stench die down so we could sleep. Yes, the smell got so bad inside the house that it made it hard to sleep.

In the meantime, I decided that a single-shot was just not going to cut it in the future. Yeah, it's powerful, but way too slow for followup shots when facing multiple targets. So, I ordered one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K4GV8XP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

No more screwing around. While waiting for it to arrive, I managed to kill another one with the single-shot. That's when I discovered the skunks can climb.

I left the inside door open with the screen door closed to let some cool air in (yes, the stink had died down) and heard Jethro's empty dish rattling on top of the cinderblock half wall right outside my kitchen door. I thought Jethro was letting me know she was hungry since surely it couldn't be a skunk. I open the door with the food container in my hand and there's a skunk staring at me from 2 feet away. Quick, back inside, grab the gun, cock it, ease open the inner door, ease open the screen door, flip on the outside light and the skunk finally decides to make a run for it. Got it on the run. At least two skunks down, but the stench level is back up to at least a 9 out of 10.

Cleaned that one up the next day and buried it, but there's still a weird smell. Yeah, there's the skunk stench (a lot fainter already) but there's another smell too. I mentioned it to Maye and while I took the truck to the dealership for the all-day emissions recall work, she removed all of the scrap lumber from the porch. One of the three I'd hit the time before had died behind the pile. Three skunks down!

You'd think they'd have gotten the hint by now and moved out. Especially since Maye had completely removed their hiding place, cleared out the dead one and put it all back again making it harder for them to get behind there.

The new gun got here finally but I hadn't had a chance to figure it all out and sight it in yet. Then, last night I had the inner door open to get some cool air in here and I hear something scratching and bumping around out there and go to investigate with a flashlight and the single-shot. Sure enough, Mama skunk climbing the half-wall. As soon as the inner door opened, she bolted. At least she's learned not to be so cocky now.

She ducked into the scrap pile somehow so I turned out the light and waited in the dark until I heard her working her way back out. Flip on the flashlight and nailed her. Got one more shot loaded and think I hit her again, but she managed to make a run to the woods. The good news is she didn't spray much and I didn't have to clean up another stinking carcass. The bad news is I don't know if she's actually dead.

At least now I've got the new gun figured out and ready to go. Well, almost. I decided holding the flashlight is way too awkward so I ordered one of these for future use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087YTGG7P/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Guess I'll also have to lug all of that scrap lumber up to my shop above the garage until I'm ready to use it. That's going to suck.

Living in the sticks is great, until the sticks decide to move in with you. There's also a very fat raccoon hanging around so we can't leave food out for the cats. Hopefully, it learns from the skunks that this ain't a bed & breakfast.
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Socially distancing since 1970.

[goobee]

Wow, is all I can say. The only animals we get around here are possums and raccoons. Each night coyotes run through the wash that leads from the foothills and make a big racket with their yelping. They kills small cats and dogs, not a lot you can do about that.

I like that co2 pellet gun. It's sold out on Amazon, you must have gotten the last one.
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[lonewolfz28]

Maye saw it for the first time today. She loves it too. It's very realistic except for the magazine well of course and the lack of an ejection port for the spent casings. It even has a charging handle that you have to pull and release after installing the magazine. The accessory rails are all standard sized so you can use any sights, flashlights, lasers, bipods, etc that fit the Sig Sauer MP5 or any other real gun.

We've got a few coyotes around here too. But, we hear them more than see them. There are also a bunch of turkeys and deer and at least one black bear down back. They like the pond/swamp for water and very few people go down there so they're able to do their own thing without anybody messing with them.

Although, I have been hearing people yelling down there every now and then so I think my neighbor has been letting his grandkids climb over the old stone wall and play down there. I'm not going to stop them though. Let them explore and play. I did the same a lot as a kid and there are damn few people that will let kids explore on their property these days.

They get hurt and I'll just claim ignorance since they're actually trespassing in an area that isn't visible from the house. I spend most of my time inside and can honestly say I haven't been down in there in a couple of years at least.
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Socially distancing since 1970.

[lonewolfz28]

I guess skunks have their purpose:

https://i.chzbgr.com/full/9529909504/hFF04891C/skunk-just-picked-up-my-social-distance-support-animal
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Socially distancing since 1970.

[goobee]

In CA, even trespassers have rights. If you leave a dangerous situation unattended, for example there's an old well on your property and someone falls into it, you can be held responsible. Never mind the fact that the person is trespassing, you have the duty to safeguard your property so that dangerous situations do not exist.

Lawmakers are stupid in California.
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[lonewolfz28]

There's no way I could afford to secure the borders of 26 acres, especially when the border cuts through a swamp and up and down some steep hills. Even if I repaired the rock wall, they could still climb over it (and probably be more apt to hurt themselves that way) or go around the end of it to the south.

But, yes, we have some of the same laws here in liberal NY. The people that own the land across the river from one of the best swimming holes around here were always fighting a losing battle to run people out of there. They claimed they were liable. But, I think that was B.S. since they only owned the side away from where everyone entered and sat. The railroad actually owned the land where we snuck in. As a matter of fact, we had to walk along the tracks for about 100' to get to the swimming area.

It's part of why so few people let people hunt, fish, or hike on their property around here anymore. At least that's what they claim anyway. More likely, it's because they're selfish or just don't want people around.

I don't mind as long as they stay out of sight of the house, don't throw any drunken parties and don't start shooting guns down there. Until then, I'm happy to turn a blind eye and pretend I don't know they're going down there.

Besides, I know the neighbor from working at the mill and two of his sons from working at Maple Landmark. The neighbor is an old, former Navy and very no-nonsense guy. His sons are a couple of rednecks that frown on people trying to get something for nothing. They all love their guns and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if a bunch of those guns are now illegal in NYS. They wouldn't get the cops or courts involved unless absolutely necessary.
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Socially distancing since 1970.

[goobee]

They're probably not the litigious types that sue for stupid reasons.

Over here, if someone tripped and cracked their skull, they would find someone to blame. Accepting responsibility and owning up is something folks just don't/won't/can't do here.
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[lonewolfz28]

Well, there's still one skunk hanging around. But, it's gotten smarter and learned to take off whenever the back porch light comes on. I've hit it a few times on the run with the new gun, but it doesn't seem to be powerful enough to do enough damage to put it down. At least not at the distances I've had to take shots at it now.

I did get the laser/flashlight combo this evening and got it mounted on the gun. Tomorrow, I'll get it sighted in, and then I won't have to turn on the back porch light. Maybe I'll be able to finally get a clean enough and close enough shot to finally put it out of my misery or at least convince it to stay the hell away from my back porch.

I'm probably going to have to swap out the CO2 cartridge pretty soon too. At least I have 3 spares now. It's a big cartridge (90gram vs 12 for the pistols and cheaper rifles). But it's still usually only good for 100-120 shots before it starts falling off so fast that accuracy and power are so bad it's basically worthless. Hopefully, it lasts until I get it sighted in, then swap to a new cartridge, and then verify that it's still hitting the same point of aim. Then it's time to wait until that stinky bastard tries sneaking in.
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Socially distancing since 1970.

[goobee]

Maybe you need something like this but for BBs?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzNnBF6LNfA
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[lonewolfz28]

Naw, I got it sighted in, changed the CO2, resighted it because the extra power made it shoot a bit higher and left the inside door open since it's a nice cool 59° tonight.

I left a broken plate that the little stinker knocked off the 1/2 wall a few days ago so I could hear it when it came snooping around. Sure enough, about 11:30 I heard the pieces clinking around. As soon as I opened the screen door it was off and running. Hit it twice before it cleared the far end of the porch and a few more times as it ran across the lawn. Not sure how much penetration the pellets got, but it definitely felt them. Every time I hit it, it would jump, twist, or roll. It still made it to the woods, but it certainly wasn't happy. Stunk the yard up for an hour or so, but better than stinking up the porch for a couple of days.

Hopefully, that's the last I see of that one.

I did order some new pellets just in case:

What I've been using: https://www.amazon.com/Crosman-Premier-Hollow-Point-Pellet/dp/B006O74XQ0/ref=rtpb_3/136-9906217-3776720?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B006O74XQ0&pd_rd_r=d676bd95-4dc8-4bde-931a-a78281566b12&pd_rd_w=vLYT0&pd_rd_wg=L7Gq2&pf_rd_p=4bb1b919-4965-4800-908a-a3498aab016b&pf_rd_r=1X8R8K55S21Q8RGFNQGD&psc=1&refRID=1X8R8K55S21Q8RGFNQGD

What I ordered: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024XEXDQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And if they don't work: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015N6I70/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Socially distancing since 1970.

[goobee]

Damn, they've got some nasty pellets out now. I'm surprised Amazon can sell those in pellets in CA (it loads into my cart) as they have lead. Did you know that CA legislature banned using lead ammunition for certain hunting activities? So if the shot doesn't kill the animal, they're worried that lead poisoning will?
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[lonewolfz28]

Supposedly, they're worried about lead from missed shots and target practice leaching into the groundwater or getting eaten by other animals that feed on the carcass if the hunter doesn't find the kill.

To me, it's another case of CA overreacting to something negligible and trying to control peoples' lives.

However, there are now alternatives that do alright (bismuth shot, plastic jacketed steel sabots) but aren't quite as effective as lead for quick kills (less expansion and terminal energy).

So, they've basically traded a negligible chance of lead-induced problems in non-game species for a slower kill, more suffering, and greater chance of the game animal being lost by the hunter.

Next, they'll be complaining about that until they succeed in banning all hunting. Then, in a few years, they'll be complaining about an overabundance of animals (prey and predator) causing disease, accidents, denuding of foliage, starving to death, and/or attacking people or otherwise being pests.

We're already seeing it up here. There are far fewer hunters these days as people are too lazy or too "animal-conscientious" to hunt poor Bambi. There are so many of them that people around here call them white-tailed rats. I've hit or been hit by (damn thing ran into the passenger side quarter panel) several of them in the last 5 years. It's been such a problem that my resale on my truck is now trashed and I've bought a huge bumper with grill and headlight guards to try to protect my only source of winter transportation.

Then there are the wild turkeys and feral hogs that are quickly multiplying and become just as big of a nuisance as the deer. We're seeing more and more accidents due to people trying to avoid them or hitting them and getting their grills or windshields broken.
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Socially distancing since 1970.

[goobee]

They've wiped out the predatory animals so of course populations of deer and other animals are going to explode if left unchecked. Wild hogs are dangerous from what I've heard. Definitely need to keep their populations in control.
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[lonewolfz28]

They've talked about reintroducing wolves to the Adirondacks. There's a lot of opposition from farmers and even hikers. We've had a couple migrate in over the past few decades, but there aren't any known packs.

We do have a bunch of coyotes and foxes but they don't seem to be making a dent in the turkey population.
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Socially distancing since 1970.

[goobee]

They rather kill wolves than help them survive. Man builds houses in their environments and then blame them for being around.
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