We have a little bear problem. A little cub black bear is hanging around our farm and despite assurances he won't go away. DNR has caught him in their trap and released him twice. the first time they said the night in the can should scare him away. It didn't he just came back looking for more 'lassy bread. (They bait the traps with molasses soaked bread which black bears apparently can't resist.) The second time they were pretty sure it is orphaned and the biologist assured them it would be dead within 48 hours since it can't nurse.
Well he was back today eyeing our meat king chickens. Because SCIENCE!
Anyways After numerous visits and conversations with the DNR crew I have read between the lines come to the conclusion they would rather I just shoot the little guy than them driving him off into the wilderness to die because he is going to die if they drive him off to the wilderness. To that end I decided to take a few minutes this evening to do some target practice with "old hair trigger", the .22 my grandfather left me. I know a .22 is rather small for a bear (it is a really little bear - about the size of a fox) but it's all I have so I figure I better aim well and shoot straight if it has to be done.
At 20 yards I hit the can five out of six shots. At 30 yards I hit the can less than five out of six shots. Luckily I can usually get to within 20 yards of the cub because apparently I have to. Satisfied that I had established my current effective range I was about to leave when I head a rustling in the bushes behind me. I wondered, "now what kind of animal wanders up on a man shooting a rifle?" So I turned around and lo and behold there was the other current threat to my flock, old Mr. Skunk. Or maybe Ms. Skunk I wasn't about to get up close and find out. It was bad enough that the skunk had me at a disadvantage - I was downwind!
Willy old veteran that I am I skedaddled to the upwind position and using the horrendous reek of our fresh pile of chicken manure as cover put and end to the skunk threat with a single shot.
Not surprisingly there are no recipes for skunk in my better half's wild game cookbook (I guess I'm not the only one who would have to be desperately hungry to gut and clean around that stink sac.) so I will just go bury it in the morning.
Assuming the bear cub hasn't made a stinky meal out of it by then.
