Trappers and the Skunks

I live on a small farm and besides the fox, I really don't have much wildlife come visit (thankfully) probably because the dogs keep most of the wild critters away. But our home in the city (Cumberland) has a big skunk problem. Last week we saw three babies march right across the front yard and while we were sitting enjoying the summer evening in the back yard, a big, furry skunk walked right out of my garage door (we suddenly got very quiet and gave a communal gasp!), she/he took a look at us and slowly wandered to the gate and exited. Hubba bubba, no trubba. But my neighbors and I soon tired of the skunky smell around our homes and one of my neighbors, Ken, called a trapper.
Butch and his apprentice, Mason, came to our call of distress. They didn't have on capes with a "T" on them but I had imagined that they would.


Mason fell in love with my little Trapper. Trapper meet Trapper.


They did come with three traps though and soon set them between our houses. Mason, the little 5-year trapper in training, was carrying two packages of white sugar coated donuts and grabbed two for his own consumption. Butch, the main trapper said, "Hey Mason, don't eat the bait!" Well, what 5-year old could resist a donut?! The traps were set with little pieces of donuts leading up to the trap with a couple donuts way inside to entice them in for the main meal.
Butch said that this time of year, the babies start the "shuffle", when the young start to roam and look to make their own dens. Sounds like a dance to me... OK, everyone do the "Skunk Shuffle!"


So this morning I get up and look at the traps and we got three for three! Yipee! One was this cute white one, but I'd rather have it gone than being cute in my yard. So Butch and Mason come back and slowly loaded up the full skunk traps (with narry a spray) and will soon bring the traps back for more. The three they caught were babies so we're still hoping for mama to take the bait. Hopefully no more skunks, no more skunk smell and no more trash digging. Bwy bwy skunks!
Update: Five more caught last night! Had no idea our neighborhood was that skunky.