Have a ghog under my porch...

[premarktech]

Here's the ghog this morning.  Not a very good photo, through two window panes and a screen door.  Did a walk around the yard, seems the ghog went after my wife's zinnias, last night, which was fenced with two foot chicken wire.  The ghog had pulled down some of the fencing by about 6" to attack one of the zinnia stems.  That would be tough to get a good shot there, much easier from the porch roof to the grass, like in the photo.  Or I guess I could lie on the roof and shoot straight down, but not so keen about that.

Now I don't have experience using an air rifle on the roof as I just recently got into air rifles in more depth than walmart guns.  BUT I do enjoy the late night early mornings half naked hunts on the roof with a 17 HMR and 6 pack of beer!  Try it out, its as freeing and riding a motorcycle.   Just can't say that your neighbors will enjoy the sight if they see you.... I'm lucky enough to have my house in the middle of nowhere with a curved drive that you can't really even see the house from the road that easily.

PS. Drink responsibly.  The 6-pack comment was a half joke.  I keep my hunting limit to about the same as my driving limit which is below the legal limit. If I have a 6 pack it's because I plan on being up there all night like when I'm waiting for coyotes or something.

[premarktech]

My wife loves the birds so we have a lot of activity from skunks, possums, and raccoons. I shot several possums and one skunk. Unfortunately, the skunk did a death crawl under my shed. Went home the next day and pulled her out with some grippers on a handle. That was a year and a half ago and the shed still smells bad! The next night, I had 5 skunks in the yard. We are in a state that requires you to have a license to live trap animals so we called a professional. They have a trap that is opaque so that when they catch a skunk, it doesn't see them coming toward the trap. Alternatively, you could put an old rug or blanket on it except for the opening. When they caught the skunks, they put a garbage bag over the trap, tied it up and poked a little hole in the bag. They squirted a little ether in the bag and covered the hole with masking tape, waited a few minutes and then sprayed quite a bit more ether into finish him off. That is how they keep them from spraying. I have a skunk in the yard every night and could easily shoot him with the Prod, but don't want to have the spraying again. From what I have read, there is no guarantee that a head shot or heart lung shot will keep them from spraying. Since you have the trap, might want to research the bag and ether method.I might have to apply for a license............................. Good Luck!

SO There is a trick with skunks.  You want to give them a heart and lung shot and they wont spray most of the time.  Head shots will cause them to spray nearly all the time.  If you keep the shot quiet enough the heart and lung shots seem more like they got stung to them so the start looking around and as long as they don't see anything that spooks them (aside from the shot) then they normally just waddle around for there last 15-30 seconds of life.  In the realm of firearms I use suppressed 22lr subsonics to keep it quiet and not shock them too much.  I haven't personally had a ton of personal experience with it but between me and neighbors that seems to do the trick quite well.

[premarktech]

My wife loves the birds so we have a lot of activity from skunks, possums, and raccoons. I shot several possums and one skunk. Unfortunately, the skunk did a death crawl under my shed. Went home the next day and pulled her out with some grippers on a handle. That was a year and a half ago and the shed still smells bad! The next night, I had 5 skunks in the yard. We are in a state that requires you to have a license to live trap animals so we called a professional. They have a trap that is opaque so that when they catch a skunk, it doesn't see them coming toward the trap. Alternatively, you could put an old rug or blanket on it except for the opening. When they caught the skunks, they put a garbage bag over the trap, tied it up and poked a little hole in the bag. They squirted a little ether in the bag and covered the hole with masking tape, waited a few minutes and then sprayed quite a bit more ether into finish him off. That is how they keep them from spraying. I have a skunk in the yard every night and could easily shoot him with the Prod, but don't want to have the spraying again. From what I have read, there is no guarantee that a head shot or heart lung shot will keep them from spraying. Since you have the trap, might want to research the bag and ether method.I might have to apply for a license............................. Good Luck!

I know very well the smell.  Dumped a triple bagged skunk carcass into our trash.  It's been nearly two years and it still smells.  But it's not as bad as it was 6 months ago.  I had accidentally caught it in a squirrel trap that I left out overnight.  Won't do that again.  It killed the skunk and it sprayed everywhere.  Fortunately it was away from the house.  Interesting idea about the ether.  Used to have some, but no more.  You need a really good container for it, as it readily escapes, even through a rubber stopper in a metal can.  Suppose I could find some starting fluid, think it is still ether.

That skunk I saw was pretty large, but it was well before dawn when it was out, so unless I had an IR scope, I wouldn't even attempt a shot as it would be wishful thinking.

Another quick tip from my knowledge from the... well the official side of dealing with death (lets leave it at that).  Helium works extremely well for dispatching pest.  In mammals it prevents the air hunger or having any chocking feelings. It causes a little dizziness and then its lights out.  Leave it in the bag with the helium for about 15 more min to be sure and its all done.  One of the most humaine and painless deaths.  Nitrogen can do the same thing but I have heard it is not as good as reducing the air hunger or anxiety. I think its something to due with eventualy making some sort of nitrous air mixtures that our bodies recognize rather than the helium which just removes the oxygen.

[WobblyHand]

Guess what, another one has moved in.

Looked out the kitchen door through the exterior screened in porch, and there sat a groundhog on my kitchen steps, like he belonged there.  He turned and saw me, and dove under the porch.  He was watching the rain come down.  Grr.  Same impossible situation.  Well it'll have to go down the same way, I guess, bait the sucker, etc.  At least I saw him to confirm - early in the season, rather than wonder who the pest was in our gardens all summer. 

You know, it was significantly colder in the basement last year - yeah, the old tunnels next to the foundation let in more cold air.  I'm going to get that ghog...  Thought I was done with them...

[WobblyHand]

Juvenile tore up a patch of earth looking for something, bulbs?  Anyways, a mess on the walkway.  Went to a side window to see the juvie running to the kitchen steps, where it sat for a while.  I banged the kitchen door window and it dove under the porch.  These are basically impossible shots, through multiple windows and screens.  Time to dig out the trap.  And boards and concrete and stone to block the over the stairs access to the area.  Then I can set the trap at the only access there.

[WobblyHand]

Came back later today to find him at work again.  Tore up all the stones I put by the fence, trying to excavate under the fence.  Due to the rain, he gets a pass for today.  When he saw us approaching he dove under the porch again.  Tomorrow his number is up.  Added some bricks by the bottom of the fence, expect they will be moved today or tonight.   Need to buy some canteloupe - it worked last time.