Nearly skunked.

Bob_Luken

So, there's these two things, there are a lot of skunks around this area for some reason and, I smoke in my garage with the door up. I have considered these two things combined before. What if?,.....what if a skunk comes waddling up to me with his head down and,.......  Oh God, I would hate to get sprayed.

Last night I was enjoying a cigar in the garage and a slight skunk odor wafted in through the open overhead door and I thought to myself, "I hope that smell doesn't get any stronger". It didn't. I forgot about it. Then about a half hour later, fifteen feet away and getting closer, a medium sized skunk waddling in my direction. He/she is oblivious to me and "Thank God" he soon turns and moves diagonally away from me and to the other side of my truck in the driveway. I notice my heart racing by now as I get up from my chair and deviate from my prearranged plan, (freeze in place and hope for the best), I swiftly, and quietly make my move for the garage door button on the wall and bring it down. I take a few more draws on my cigar with the door down. I hate smoking with the door down. Decisions decisions. I quit. I gave up the cigar and went inside. I left half a cigar un-smoked. Garage smells a little more smokey than usual this morning but it beats getting sprayed.  

peter4jc

How could a skunk be so mean as to spray someone like you?  ;-)

I haven't been that close to a skunk, and would think I could freeze 'til it leaves, but that would fall under the category of "easier said than done".  Doesn't it actually take a lot to provoke a skunk to spray, though?

Bob_Luken

I bet they aren't too aggressive but, he sprayed something earlier, so he may have been on edge already. LOL

I could have easily missed seeing him at all had my laptop's battery not gone low. My most likely bad scenario would be for me not to see it and then it gets right up under my feet and then I see it, or feel it, and flinch a little, because I'm startled and, he's startled to see me,.......ugh.   

raisindot

Jees. Growing up I'd see skunks all the time in my neighborhood and could get pretty close (intentionally or unintentionally) without getting sprayed. 

Where I've lived for the past 20 years I smell skunk spray outside the house at least once a month in spring and summer, but I've never actually seen one. Since I never hear the sounds of an encounter (like a dog or cat threatening it) before the smell I always assume the little mother is spraying the house just for the hell of it.

Generally, unless they're totally startled, skunks do several "warnings" with their feet and tails to give their targets time to flee before actually spraying. Which, from an evolutionary standpoint, is kind of useless because most of the animals that might confront a skunk are too stupid to understand what those warnings are and end up getting sprayed anyway. If they're dogs, they get sprayed over and over and over because they never learn. 

jgibv

raisindot said:

....... If they're dogs, they get sprayed over and over and over because they never learn. 

yep. this.

get yourself a dog, @Bob_Luken , I guarantee you it will find any skunks long before you do ROFL!!



had a skunk terrorizing the neighborhood last summer --- ol' pepe le pew got at least 3 dogs (ours & 2 of the neighbors) within about a week of each other last year.....whheeewww stttiiinnkkkyyyy. 

and it seems the mr le pew is back again this year.....
and guess who's dog came upon the damn thing in our backyard a couple weeks ago.  (i'll give you a hint it was our dog)

our pup tried to be nice & "play-bow" that black-and-white over-sized rodent, thinking it was a friend to play with but oh nooo. 

mr. le pew is a little a$$hole and wasn't keen to our pup's hospitality.
he turned his rear, lifted the tail, and released that oh-so-pungent cloud of death upon our dog and the backyard. 
dog still has a slight odor behind her ear, despite multiple baths and a plethora of vinegar, baby shampoo, and lavendar oil to get the smell away.
and i had to mow the grass 3 times before the smell finally seemed to disappear.

now whenever dog goes out wife or i have been turning on the lights, going outside first, shining the flashlight all over the yard, & clapping/banging on the deck to scare off any furry intruders in the yard before the dog goes out.
needless to say it's getting pretty old.

god damn skunk. pretty sure it's living under 1 of the neighbor's sheds. need to set out a live trap and figure out a way to get rid of it.

jarubla

Bob, in order to fully quantify this near miss, inquiring minds need to know which stick was left half finished. 

If it was a DPG, I vote we honorarily call it the Legado de Pepe le Pew, lol

-Jay

raisindot

jarubla said:

Bob, in order to fully quantify this near miss, inquiring minds need to know which stick was left half finished. 

If it was a DPG, I vote we honorarily call it the Legado de Pepe le Pew, lol

-Jay

LOL!!!!

Although based on Bob's slinking back into the house to avoid a confrontation*, I hope the stogie wasn't a Man O' War, although if said skunk had fired a shot it could have been a MOW Ruination. 

*Although, honestly, is there anyone else who wouldn't have done the same thing? I sure as hell would've fled the premisis. 

First_Warrior

My dad was a small animal vet and for a time we had a desented skunk as a pet. Dad liked to turn the skunk loose when my mother had house guests and freak everybody out. Dam- thing bit the hell out of me one day. I guess I shouldn't have messed with it when the skunk was eating. Dad called it Stinky the Skunk.
Local yay hoo's around here say if you can grab one by the tail and get it's back legs off the ground it won't be able to spray. Haven't tried it and don't want to.

Devildog1

jgibv said:

raisindot said:

....... If they're dogs, they get sprayed over and over and over because they never learn. 

yep. this.

get yourself a dog, @Bob_Luken , I guarantee you it will find any skunks long before you do ROFL!!



had a skunk terrorizing the neighborhood last summer --- ol' pepe le pew got at least 3 dogs (ours & 2 of the neighbors) within about a week of each other last year.....whheeewww stttiiinnkkkyyyy. 

and it seems the mr le pew is back again this year.....
and guess who's dog came upon the damn thing in our backyard a couple weeks ago.  (i'll give you a hint it was our dog)

our pup tried to be nice & "play-bow" that black-and-white over-sized rodent, thinking it was a friend to play with but oh nooo. 

mr. le pew is a little a$$hole and wasn't keen to our pup's hospitality.
he turned his rear, lifted the tail, and released that oh-so-pungent cloud of death upon our dog and the backyard. 
dog still has a slight odor behind her ear, despite multiple baths and a plethora of vinegar, baby shampoo, and lavendar oil to get the smell away.
and i had to mow the grass 3 times before the smell finally seemed to disappear.

now whenever dog goes out wife or i have been turning on the lights, going outside first, shining the flashlight all over the yard, & clapping/banging on the deck to scare off any furry intruders in the yard before the dog goes out.
needless to say it's getting pretty old.

god damn skunk. pretty sure it's living under 1 of the neighbor's sheds. need to set out a live trap and figure out a way to get rid of it.

Give the dog a bath in tomato juice, that's what I have heard takes the smell off.  

Dark_Roast

Dogs will definitely find a skunk before you do. I grew up with Daschounds (sp) and every summer each one would come home completely covered in skunk spray. Into the tub wIth Tomato juice they would go! 

dr_frankenstein56

my wife and son got hosed by a skunk while irrigating the field at night. it was flat hilarious. lets say that was probably the best birth control ever.

avengethis

.22 would be a nice way to get rid of the skunk

Gray4lines

You just need to garage sit with your cigar/beer in one hand a a pistol in the other!  Then you can have a unique hat.

I would've guessed the closing garage door would scare him away.  I don't know that I've ever seen a skunk up close before....

Dark_Roast

The only skunk I have ever seen is the one in the middle of the road. I think there is a song refering to that.

The3Stogies

Don't corner them, leave an escape route for both of you, lol.  Encountered a few, they usually just waddle off.  Just had one living under my shed had to evict last week, with extreme prejudice.  Be careful shooting them in your yard, if you hit the sack you'll know pretty quickly.  

Here you go Dark_Roast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6qMTiNmakw

Dark_Roast

That's the song 3stogies. I loved it! Thanks.

jlmarta

The3Stogies said:

Don't corner them, leave an escape route for both of you, lol.  Encountered a few, they usually just waddle off.  Just had one living under my shed had to evict last week, with extreme prejudice.  Be careful shooting them in your yard, if you hit the sack you'll know pretty quickly.  

Here you go Dark_Roast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6qMTiNmakw

PPheeewwwwww!!  I don't know which is worse - actually being skunked or this video. Hooo, Doagies...

Dark_Roast

Come on jmarta I know you remember and at least I would think kinda sort of liked the song when it first came out. Everyone did. Or at least I thought. Yee Hawwww!

The3Stogies

Keep drinking it gets better jlmarta, lol.  Good drinking campfire song though.

First_Warrior

Knew a guy who had a skunk living under his mobile home. He got a Havaheart and live trapped the skunk. The skunk then sprayed on his heat pump. His wife called him at work and when he got home the whole trailer reeked. His wife was packing her nose with TP to try and cut the smell. They got the skunk out and had to move in with the guys sister for two weeks while deskunking their home. 

jlmarta

Dark_Roast said:

Come on jmarta I know you remember and at least I would think kinda sort of liked the song when it first came out. Everyone did. Or at least I thought. Yee Hawwww!

To be honest, I don't think I've ever heard it before. But I was referring to the quality of the video more than anything. I mean, I can't take offense at the inanity of the lyrics because a good many country songs have lyrics much worse than these. 

Bob_Luken

It happened again, same scenario except by the time I saw him he was all the way up to the door, only about seven feet away. I stayed perfectly still while adrenaline surged through me. He waddled off. I finished my cigar this time.   

CharlieHeis

Third time's a charm. 

peter4jc

Way to hold your ground, Bob.

BKDog

Reminds me of the time I went into the attic to get something and a squirrel jumped on top of me, totally harmless and kind of just bounced away. The problem was, I yelled like I was being dragged by my hair, stomping and dancing in a circle for at least 15 seconds. Realizing it was just a squirrel, I shook my head afterward, laughed at being so stupid, and plugged the tiny hole it came in through. I'm sure glad it wasn't a skunk, it would have been pissed at me for screaming.

Yakster

Nice necromancy, Bob. I hope you don't have to remove this thread again.

I sometimes smell skunk when I'm in back smoking. I'm more concerned about what my dogs will do then. Two have been sprayed, the other send to know better and stays in the house.

Stubble

I think I'd take a skunk over a buzz worm (rattle snake) most any day.  

Yakster

Imagine a skunk encounter on vHerf. You've already given us the buzz worm experience.

ShawnOL

There were 3 or 4 of us on the outdoor pistol range one day.  We stopped shooting for a few minutes and this skunk comes along and starts eating grass, or whatever, about 5 feet from me.  He didn't care a single bit that we were standing there talking.  Those critters know no fear.  You can train them to come eat treats out of your hand in a couple weeks, if you're so inclined.

Bob_Luken

ShawnOL said:

You can train them to come eat treats out of your hand in a couple weeks, if you're so inclined.

ShawnOL

I'm curious if they're mentally capable of recognizing and remembering people by sight and sound like some birds can.