Sylvilagus Aquaticus
Member
Greetings:
As I was leaving work this evening a little after 1900 I noticed a something out of the ordinary hop over the curb across the side street from my building's parking lot. I work west of Dallas, sort of in the suburbs toward DFW Airport on Beltline about a mile north of 635. Seems there was a large skunk shuffling at curbside on the edge of the large, undeveloped field next door. Ex-biologist that I am, I pulled a U-turn and watched as the skunk hobbled a few feet, then collapsed for maybe 20-30 seconds, got to his feet and went a few more feet, collapsed, and repeated.
We've been having a lot of rabid skunk problems in the area. In fact, my cousins a few miles away had a confirmed rabid skunk on their property a few months ago. I got out of the truck with my 'purse' as my wife calls it (a fanny pack that conceals my P229) and walked closer...at one time within 5 feet, always being cautious...to observer for confirmation of my suspicions.
At one point the striped weasel turned to me and looked...didn't hiss...didn't show any signs of caring I was there. I saw at that time he had several lacerations around his head. Dog, bobcat, maybe? Or car? I kept watching from a discreet distance of maybe 10 to 15 feet as he continued his stagger and dive routine. He wasn't foraging. He was struggling. I let him get to a point maye 30 feet north of the street into the field where there is a path made by trucks driving through and the grass is thin. I got close enough behind him and gave him a single shot through the spine, angled down sharply, at an angle into where his breastbone should be. One was enough. I checked him and observed for a few minutes, then got back in the truck and drove across to my building and had a brief chat with the security guard in case anyone had heard the shot and was alarmed by it. No problem...he knew there were skunks about- we have Hav-A-Hart traps around the building for the less cautious ones. The guard knows I have my TxCHL and was more curious in my Sig than in the skunk, as it turned out.
One less health hazard to worry about in DFW. The skunk's suffering was stopped, and noone's kid or dog gets an unpleasant encounter.
Regards,
Rabbit.
As I was leaving work this evening a little after 1900 I noticed a something out of the ordinary hop over the curb across the side street from my building's parking lot. I work west of Dallas, sort of in the suburbs toward DFW Airport on Beltline about a mile north of 635. Seems there was a large skunk shuffling at curbside on the edge of the large, undeveloped field next door. Ex-biologist that I am, I pulled a U-turn and watched as the skunk hobbled a few feet, then collapsed for maybe 20-30 seconds, got to his feet and went a few more feet, collapsed, and repeated.
We've been having a lot of rabid skunk problems in the area. In fact, my cousins a few miles away had a confirmed rabid skunk on their property a few months ago. I got out of the truck with my 'purse' as my wife calls it (a fanny pack that conceals my P229) and walked closer...at one time within 5 feet, always being cautious...to observer for confirmation of my suspicions.
At one point the striped weasel turned to me and looked...didn't hiss...didn't show any signs of caring I was there. I saw at that time he had several lacerations around his head. Dog, bobcat, maybe? Or car? I kept watching from a discreet distance of maybe 10 to 15 feet as he continued his stagger and dive routine. He wasn't foraging. He was struggling. I let him get to a point maye 30 feet north of the street into the field where there is a path made by trucks driving through and the grass is thin. I got close enough behind him and gave him a single shot through the spine, angled down sharply, at an angle into where his breastbone should be. One was enough. I checked him and observed for a few minutes, then got back in the truck and drove across to my building and had a brief chat with the security guard in case anyone had heard the shot and was alarmed by it. No problem...he knew there were skunks about- we have Hav-A-Hart traps around the building for the less cautious ones. The guard knows I have my TxCHL and was more curious in my Sig than in the skunk, as it turned out.
One less health hazard to worry about in DFW. The skunk's suffering was stopped, and noone's kid or dog gets an unpleasant encounter.
Regards,
Rabbit.