03/31/08
I noticed Monday evening on a visit to my parents house that the skunks were after the grubs on their lawn.


04/02/08
I set a Have a Heart trap.


04/03/08
Got a call from Mom this morning that the door was down and the critter inside had a big furry tail. I got skunk #1.


Ready for transportation.


I tried taking a picture as I released it. I admit any skunk is like a loaded gun. I am always nervous. The pics didn't come out. I reset the trap tonight. I haven't met a skunk yet who could resist peanut butter and honey.

04/07/08
Got skunk #2 today. Another big one. Much more black backed. Pulled the trap and set it at my house. I got one of those pesky buggers out back. Doesn't help the neighbors on both sides of us lawns look like they got harrowed by skunks looking for grubs.

04/09/08
You never know what your going to catch these days.


It is face only a mother could love.


Possum's sure are ugly. They didn't exist up in NH when I was a kid. Caught my first one in a 1.75 fox set in the mid 80's. Didn't know what it was at first. I think they came north on the grain trains. They are now common road kill cafe. It is cool when they play dead.

Now that's a valuable skill to possess! You could waltz right into many new permissions with that particular one. Great job Coalman The Courageous!

Wow . . . as valuable as permission to hunt is, I'd have to think long & hard if trapping skunks was the way to get it . . .

Caught a skunk last night at the homestead. If it weren't for the holes in the lawn I could live in harmony. I practice T&T.
Trap and Transfer.

Any services a trapper can offer a land owner is a ticket back stage. Case in point.
I went to the "Farm" Saturday. After scouting the property we stopped into the milking parlor. During our visit the owner asked if I could trap some muskrats out of his retention pond. I was back Saturday afternoon. Trapping muskrats out of the dairy barns drainage is like working for Rotor Rooter. I pulled the sets Tuesday and returned the fence posts I "borrowed" to stabilize my cage traps.

I stopped into the farmhouse to report my success. It was as good a time to ask as any. One of the guys in our deer hunting "clan" has been bringing is daughter now for a few years. She is a trooper. Will hunt all day. She was on stand when I took my antlerless permit last fall.


On Youth Weekend for deer in 2007 the conversation turned to turkey hunting. She has tried for a couple years with her dad to take a turkey on Youth Day with limited success. Her eyes showed the addiction. I promised her I would ask permission for her to hunt the honey hole at the "Farm" in 2008.
And that is what I did. With a handshake the deal was done. I am now looking forward to the NH Youth Season 04/26 and 04/27. I can't wait to hear the "Tide Gate Tote Road" stories from father and daughter.
I took this picture Saturday. Did I mention the blind was on the wood line to the left 30 yards from these turkeys?

Coalman,

I have used Have a hearts for catching many things, opossum, groundhogs and coons, but don't know if I would use one for skunks. You are much braver than I. Over the last couple years I have caught two baby opossum. They are really cute, but nasty as they come. I think they would bite your finger off given a chance.

I have some farmers around here with good hunting. I hadn't thought about using trapping as an in. I have volunteered to whack ground hogs and such but not trapping. I might just have to pull that one to get in roads to good hunting.

Nice tip.

Vic

We had a skunk at my mothers last easter, it sprayed my 6 yr old nephew and was attacking all the dogs and cats, found out is was rabid. After the dogs were checked out, as a precaution we all had to get rabies shots. All last turkey season I got shots, not very fun. To this day I had to even smell a skunk, on the road or in the woods.

Skunks are bad critters to have around the house. The are the only mamal that can carry rabies and not show any signs of being infected. Any bite from a skunk needs to be treated as a rabid bite. Nasty creatures.