Do you have a reservation? Are you planning an extended stay at the May Coop Hotel? Let me introduce you to just a few of the guests that have frequented the den that some critter made inside my chicken coop. An encampment of wildlife was inevitable with the loss of both my faithful beagle Homer and the death of our best farm cat Sadie Sue. Without the presence of my farm guardians, the flood of unwanted guests had become a dilemma. I love making space on our homestead for all God’s creatures. But really, a family of skunks! Not baby opossums! What else is in that den? Adding injury to insult, the wildlife pitched back out of the den hole the brick of rat killer I put down it in the hopes of eliminating them. It would have been funny if it wasn’t so serious.
I stayed outside at dusk to see what would pop out of that den and to my amazement not only skunks but baby oppusums were cohabitating together in the same nest! I have since researched it and found that it was not uncommon for different species to share a den.
What was I to do with five baby skunks? Their mother lay on the road dead so I took a chance at trying to relocate them. I was able to trap three over a week’s time using a small animal trap available at Buchheit. Never have I been so glad to run to the closest Buchheit in Sparta and pick up a much needed piece of equipment. I was able to release them deep into the woods near a water source. The rest have been lost to perdition, thank goodness.
Skunks are great hunters of small rodents and bugs but when they lift their tails watch out. I know they are carriers of rabies but I watched these for several days and they showed no signs of disease so I felt it was alright to relocate them miles away so that they will not come back to this area to mate and raise more kits.
After the incident with these unexpected guests, and knowing that there are many more larger predators at our new homestead, I finally decided it was time to start learning how to use a 22 rifle. My son, Noah came out and patiently gave me my first lesson. Breathe in and gently squeeze the trigger. I will keep practicing. This fall, I will be purchasing several handguns from my local Buchheits store. I plan on taking you along on my journey into self-defense against upcoming encounters with future predators. I am breathing a sigh of relief that for the present, there are no unwanted guests at the May Coop Motel! Make a memory with your family and friends. Life is too short not to invest time in relationships. Be richly blessed today. Anne May
