SKUNKS

Across the Fence 



By Arvord Abernethy 

The calendar, as we know it has gone through a lot of changes throughout the years. The Chinese still like to name their years after some animal such as, the Year of the Cow, the Year of the Deer, etc. I think we could call this the Year of the Skunk here in Hamilton. 

I thought that maybe it was because we live near the edge of town is why every few nights we could smell one that would come around, but we’ve found that they are everywhere. 

Our neighbor, Owen Drake, got to seeing some signs of an animal around his place, so he set a trap, and over the past few months has caught eight of those striped critters. Owen can tell a taller tale than his own skunk killing. He said that A. T. Jones killed 100 skunks in about as many days in his barn out Blue Ridge way a few years back. We made an overnight trip to Oklahoma recently and were amazed at the number of skunks we saw that had been run over. 

But not all skunks are limited to the rural area. An armadillo has been doing a lot of damage to the lawn at the First Baptist Church, so they got one of those cage “catch-em-alive” traps and set it along the side of the building. A few mornings later, the office staff came down and found a skunk in the trap. Bro. Tim Moody unloaded his six shooter into him to take care of that one. Then late last Saturday evening, Steve Thompson had to go down to the church for something, and he found another skunk in the trap. David Lengefeld took care of him with his deadly aim. The skunk was gone Sunday morning, but we knew he had been there. One might say, “That low down skunk finally went to church” and not be demeaning anyone. 

If you want to see something cute, just see an old mother skunk and her brood of four or five babies walking single file down the road. That reminds me of something I heard; you have probably heard it. The religious old mother skunk was out walking with her children when she saw a fierce dog approaching and sensed the danger. She quickly said, “Come together children and let us spray”. 

Regardless of what you think of these little two-toned animals, they do make good pets when their musk glands have been removed. Guests in the home may not always feel at ease around them. I have been in homes where they were pets, and I always kept my distance. 

May I add this caution, skunks often carry rabies, so be very careful around wild ones.

Shared by Roy Ables

ACROSS THE FENCE