Spring adventures

[Chip Euliss]

Weather is on a roller coaster but I've been working when I can putting in MAQS.  Bees are bringing in Buffalo berry pollen like crazy even in the high 40's.  Have 500 queens coming in a couple of weeks so I'm getting everything ready.





Noticed I had a skunk problem the other day so set out a trap and caught him fairly soon.  Smelled bees on his breath, so after a very short trial, he was sentenced to live in a world without bees.





Had more skunk sign so I reset the trap and I wired a stinky old squirrel head to the pan.  The next day I caught this guy:




Buggar didn't have any stripes at all; buck private I guess!  Considering what I used for bait, maybe be thought he was visiting a relative?  Didn't smell bees on his breath, so I let him go.  Had the trap on the back of my flatbed when I opened the trap door.  Never thought a squirrel could jump so far

I reset the trap with a fresh egg.  Maybe I'll catch a chicken next time.  More fun than remodeling.

[Perry]

Always wondered about live trapping skunks. Don't they spray the bejeebers out of anyone and everything coming close?

[G3farms]

When I trap a skunk, just go real slow and cover the trap with a small tarp or sheet. If they do spray it will not bee all over you. They like the dark and think they are hidden.

[brooksbeefarm]

Hey perry, if you grab a skunk by the tail and get his feet off the ground they can't shake there tail to spray you. My grandpa and uncle's told me that when i was 8 or 9 years old. Jack

[Chip Euliss]

Just tie a length of small rope to one end of the trap and slowly pull the trap away.  The skunk will focus its attention on the ground moving past it and not you.  You can pull them to another place for dispatch.  There are several dispatch methods that can be used to keep the skunk from spraying.  Talking softly while moving the skunk or placing a tarp on top of the cage calms them too but I like the rope best because you can stay beyond their spray range.  Be sure to put the rope up high so the skunk doesn't drag it in the trap.

[G3farms]

best just to drag it to the lake for some swimming lessons 

[neillsayers]

wondering what "bee breath" smells like?

[Chip Euliss]

Swimming lessons work well if you have water nearby but my beeyard is up on a dry hill.  There were 2 turkey vultures having breakfast at my dispatch site this morning.  Had another critter in my trap too.  I was hoping for a chicken but caught a black and white one instead.  He had corporal stripes so my catch went up in rank.  Pretty sure he had 'bee breath' too and he looked guilty too.  Fed the 2 birds and came home.  Still had the fresh egg in the trap so maybe I'll get my chicken yet!!!

[Ray]

Hey perry, if you grab a skunk by the tail and get his feet off the ground they can't shake there tail to spray you. My grandpa and uncle's told me that when i was 8 or 9 years old. Jack

I had a trapper tell me that's all bologna. He claimed he caught a skunk in a fox set. He killed it, opened the trap, lifted the skunk out by the tail. He said he got a perfect view of the skunks orifice in discharge mode. 

[iddee]

That's an old prank, Perry. The truth is, if you can curl one's tail under it's belly, it cannot spray. I caught a baby once on the road when it's mama had been killed by a car. I had it's tail under it has I held it in my hand and walked in the house. My wife and I were petting it when she suddenly, before I could stop her, picked it up.  BAD IDEA !!