Predators 14, Steve 9

I came home from working a stretch.  Annmarie and I cleaned out boxes and threw a bunch of stuff out.  All in an attempt to get things clean before our company comes in 2 weeks.  Now, we all know that it needs to be done anyway, but this lights a fire under me and things get done.  I am very much a deadline kinda guy.  As in, I like to wait until the deadline is near before I do anything!  I work better under pressure.  Kinda explains my career choice.  But I digress.  

I was readying the car for the five boxes from the house and I noticed the 50# bag of chicken food.  Sarah had just gotten home so I asked her if the chickens needed feeding.  She said yes, so being the naive parent, I asked why the chicken food was in the car if the chickens needed it?  So I lugged it to the coop and ranted to the child about the state of the chicken's water and food when I smelled it, skunk.  Annmarie had told me that the dog had found a skunk over the weekend.  I had set the live trap last week, but had not put any food in it.  I checked it every day, telling myself I should throw some bait (dog food) in it all week long.  I looked up and sure enough there was a black and white stinky kitty in the trap (skunk).  I also had to catch my little tiny showgirl hen baby.  She had gotten out of her enclosure.

So I went back inside and grabbed the P-22 pistol.  Now when shooting skunks I stand about 20 feet away from the trap.  I had to shoot the skunk three times before I smelt the tell tail waft of dead skunk.  I went back into the chicken run to work on some holes in the fence I made last year with the metal weed whacker blades.  Sarah had pointed them out to me.  So I was down on the ground trying to sew metal mesh together with metal wire, when Sarah points out that the skunk was still alive!  It was standing up and had turned around in the cage. So I went back over and shot it three more times using my laser, then turned said laser off, and put three more rounds in its head with the sights only.  I did not want to move a live skunk.  Not to mention it is like shooting a small ping pong ball at 20 feet.  Skunks have small brains.  It was overkill.  Even I realize that, but I did not want a third resurrection.

I scooped the top four inches off of my deep litter in the coop under the roosts.  I also turned it all and then wet it down with the hose, I am hoping that keeps some of the dust down.  I need to get the shop vac out there and clean up the coop and spider webs.  Sarah threw away 10 empty bags of feed.  I turned the sprinklers on as I was leaving.

I got to drive up to the bone yard and dispose of the skunk.  Some predator likes the taste of skunk!  The last skunk carcass had been moved about ten feet and picked over.  I dumped that one out onto the ground and drove back to the house.  I counted over 20 deer on the 1/2 mile drive to the house.  Of course, the back of the pickup reeks like skunk again.  Not sure what to do about this.  If the mule (small four wheel drive utility vehicle) was still working I would use it, but it is broken.  I sure hope the predators stop coming around soon.  I did set the trap and bait it again tonight.

Here is a picture of our house at night.