I found the weapons of mass destruction, and they are cute, furry and lived in my barn.

How can something so cute and fuzzy smell so horrifically bad?




You may have been told that it is safe to trap a skunk in a humane Live Trap because they can not spray you if they can't lift their tail.


This is a LIE.

Why have governments not used the toxic funk skunks produce for chemical warfare?

I was delighted when I saw that the trap had been sprung, then I saw what was in it. An adorable fluffy ball of black and white fur. I groaned. I sighed. I slapped my forehead. The skunks are a slight problem here but really only because of the risk to the other animals with getting sprayed. The trap is out there to catch opossums and woodchucks. The woodchucks may not chuck wood but they do dig and tunnel and chew and destroy anything they can get their paws into. Opossums carry diseases that can infect horses. They gotta go. The skunks are a nuisance but not one severe enough to warrant trapping and "disposing" of them.

But, you know, once the skunk is in the trap what can you do with it? I put a lot of effort into trap placement in order to avoid catching skunks. I try to bait with things that won't attract them if I bait at all. But this moron just had to decide to come in to the barn and check out the trap.

I didn't take a direct spray. But that didn't stop the stench from being strong enough to trigger my gag reflex and make my eyes water.

Once the skunk was removed (I was very careful to never actually touch the thing or anything it had come into contact with) I stripped off my snow suit and left it on the porch along with my hat and went into the house. I'd had to breath through my mouth to keep from vomiting and I can still taste the bitter garlic and burning rubber taste. *gag*

So I dug out my dish soap, baking soda and some vinegar (since i don't have any peroxide) and headed to the shower. Tsu wandered out of our room, looking groggy, and said, "Man, I don't know where it is coming from but you might not want to let the dogs outside there is a skunk REALLY close!!!"

I pointed at myself. "It's right here."

"Oh. Oh god!" that was when the stench hit him. I stripped down and sent him to toss the rest of my clothes outside then hopped into the shower and lathered up with one concoction after another. I used the baking soda and dish soap, pet "skunk out" shampoo, rubbing alcohol, and body wash with a liberal dash of tea tree oil. Tsu says I got the smell off of myself but the reek in the rest of the house just from me walking through is so bad that he was unable to go back to sleep.

Seriously, how can something so cute and small reek so freakin' bad?