Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-04-07
CURE FOR SKUNK PEST.
A Peculiarly OF the Malodorous An
imals shown When Caught
I'm Box Traps.

Having read with much interest in
the Sun two articles concerning skunks,
without finding in either of them any
intimation of the merits of one excel
lent method of capturing and dispos-
irg of these offensive animals, think
may perhaps render useful service
TO some of your readers in briefly set
ting forth the details of my recent -ex-
perience in this line of operations,
writes correspondents
During the past summer the neigh
borhood in which 1 live in Massachu-
sets was infested with skunks. Almost
every day they became a nuisance.
They invaded the cellar ana woodshed
CT my house, and one, on an otherwise
pleasant evening, joined the family on
the piazza, suddenly stampeding all the
company who had been sitting there.
Their frequent visits and intimate re-
lations became at last intOlerahle. and
we began to devise measures for get
ting rid of them. Two ordinary box
traps were set, one in the woodshed
and one just outside the kitchen door.
Early in the evening the outside trap
was sprung. and investigation showed
Immediately that an animal OF conS1d-
cradle size was in it. The captive, low
ever, made no sound, and there was
absolutely no perceptible smell Indlcat-
ing the presence of a skunk.
II raised suddenly first one and then
the other end of the box, fitting 1T up
and down, so that the animal within
fell violently from one end to the other;
but the creature remained perfectly
silent and inodorous, evidently seek
ing, L think, TO conceal its presence.
| had read and have been told that
skunks thus trapped are usually dis
posed Of by shooting. We adopted a
much simpler process. Having at hand
tank of water large enough to con-
tain the trap, we simply submerged the
trap and it's contents, piEng bricks on
the top of the trap to insure its instant
and complete submersion. Not sound
proceeded from the trap, and only a
faint odor became perceptible fer a
moment, as the bubbling water quickly
filled the box. which we left submerged
TIL next morning, when our eXpecta-
tons were fully realized by finding a
large skunk inside.
1.-The traps were set again the EeNt
evening as before, and on the following
| morning both were occupied by cap
tured skunl1s. The same experiences
were again repeated in both instances,
without any odor or unpleasantness of
any sort. A few nights later, about
two a. m, I heard the closing of the
trap near my window, and, shortly aft
er, violent scratching and gnawing
could be heard within. ] went out to
place some bricks on the trap to keep
it closed till morning. The moment l
touched the box the animal within be-
came perfectly quiet, and it was impos-
sible to perceive any odor whatever.
The next morning the box was sub
merged in the immersion tank, and on
being opened little later was found
to contain, as before, fine specimen.
altogether we have caught five or six,
and have laid them where the violets
blow out in the garden. We have not
since perceived the smell of a skunk
in the neighborhood. They seem. at
least for the present, to have disap-
peared entirely. This experience goes
tic show that skunks cannot only be
trapped by this simple method, but
may also be most easily disposed CT in
ii tub of water on the 'hardshell' plan of
total immersion. N. Y. Sun.