the hunt is on

We've known for awhile that something dug under the concrete and was living under our front porch. We've known this for a few reasons:

1. There is a hole, so something obviously dug
2. Our dog is constantly sniffing in the hole and trying to get to something
3. We have had some horrific skunk smells over the last few months and couldn't ever figure out if it was just something dead somewhere under the porch or if a skunk sprayed outside (but yet it would last for so long) or WORST case if something somehow got into the walls or floors of our house and died (if that is possible).

Last night we finally borrowed a live trap from Uncle Jim.
He told us to use bacon and he guaranteed we'd have something by morning.

Dave set it before bed. I was up late and came up from the basement to go to bed around midnight and Anni (our chocolate lab) was sitting at the front door (very unusual for her).
And THEN I heard something. Something not very pleasant at all....weird screeching sounds, not high pitched, but more of a low pitched hissing type screech.

I knew something was in the cage, but wasn't about to find out for myself, even though it was just a matter of turning on the porch light and looking (the cage was set right by the front door, off the porch)

I ran to get Dave.

"Honey, you caught something already!"

We went to look together, and when we turned the porch light on, we gasped....

Not only did we have something IN the cage, but the rest of the family was surrounding the cage....SKUNKS!!!!

(this picture was actually taken in the morning)

I could not stop watching them. I was totally freaked out, my stomach even hurt by the end of the night because of all this. I didn't WANT to watch....but it was pretty interesting. AND the thought of just laying my head on my pillow and falling fast sleep while these skunks did who knows what outside the window of Taylor's room....was not very comforting.

Dave kept saying "there's nothing we can do tonight."
I kept saying "how can you sleep!?!?!?"
I just wanted to call someone and have them come take care of it for us.

I finally went to bed, not easily though. The mom was still trying to make the big escape happen. Still wondering WHAT in the world we were going to do. You can't really approach a cage of skunks. Especially when the mom, who could be hidden anywhere is in "protective mode". I had no idea how Dave was going to get to the car in the morning AND I didn't want him leaving the house till these skunks were gone.

We woke up at the crack of dawn and found the mom STILL trying to get her babies out. And now we could see there were 4 babies in the cage! We were told on the phone that the animal control person doesn't come in till 8 or 9...it was 6:30.

So Dave was determined to get this mom himself.


If only you could have seen us! We'll have to share more of this story in person if anyone cares, as to not bore everyone reading this. But it was quite the hunt!

After hitting him, he staggered off and Dave thinks he saw it go under the neighbor's backporch. She didn't come back after this. But I HATE not knowing where it is now. Or if it's dead or not.

Animal control finally came and took the cage with the babies to release them hopefully far far away. The warned us that they will not release anymore if they are caught in our personal cages. I asked her if they could set a trap....but there are 2 people ahead of us, with skunk problems too. So we'll just continue to set ours the next few nights, to make sure the entire family is gone. We were told to put wire fencing about a foot down in the dirt from our porch because they WILL come back, if not the mom, the babies will come back, even next year. OH MY....please just leave us alone.

Of course, now I'm freaked out about being outside, opening the garage door, getting the kids loaded into the truck, etc. I just keep thinking that mad mom, now raging with pain from the pellet gun, is lurking to attack!!!

I just don't know if I can relax until I know that the mom is either dead somewhere or we end up catching her and the rest of her babies!! We'll see what the next nights bring.

For your viewing pleasure, here's a short video from this morning (note: this is looking through the window at our front door, no way was I going outside).
I wish I had thought to take video last night when the whole family was there, but it probably wouldn't have worked in the dark and through the window anyway.