A Safe Skunk Trap

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Any tasty tidbit, such as a piece of raw chicken can be used as a lure ... or softer bait, like cooked egg can be first enclosed in a mesh bag and then fastened to the line. When a polecat enters and pulls at the tempting morsel, the wire yanks the peg from the slot and the door drops-like the blade of a guillotine—to imprison the intruder.

SWEET SUCCESS

It's perhaps indicative of the effrontery of our resident polecat that we netted him on the very first night our new trap was set near the compost box.

"I've never known a skunk to spray while in a dark trap,'' the helpful technician had said, so—draping a piece of canvas over the closed can, to insure the complete darkness that (he hoped) would prevent a "scenting"—my husband carried the apparatus and its occupant to his pickup, and drove to a distant undeveloped area that adjoined a large pine woods.

Fearing that the prisoner would dart to freedom as soon as the door was lifted (and be fightin' mad, too'), my cautious spouse put a board—attached to a long rope—against the entry, then gingerly raised the trapdoor and fastened it open with the peg, Nimbly, he ran to the end of the rope and jerked the board away from the opening ... but nothing happened.

Next, my husband tossed pine branches at the trap—hoping to startle the skunk in to flight—but the little animal did no more than poke a cautious nose out the door and then retreat into its safe dark shelter.

Finally, again using the margin of safety provided by the rope, my spouse positioned the board so he could rock the polecat's new den from a distance, and at last our skunk emerged and padded all around the barrel, studying it closely (That beast'll know a trap the next time it sees one!) Its curiosity satisfied, the pole cat headed—still leisurely—for the trees.

We hope the critter'll be as happy in its new home as we are to have it away from ours!

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