RE: Skunk encounter
Went spring gobbler hunting one morning, real foggy morning. Did my usual calling and walking bit. Started walking to a new spot, and saw a big gray squirrel on the ground. Kept walking, and thought to myself, damn, that squirrel is BIG! Nice big fluffy tail. It was so foggy that I coudn't tell it was a skunk, until I was close enough so that there was absolutely no hope of even thinking about running away. He was standing statue still, with his tail up and his back end pointed directly at me. I remember thinking Oh My God I am in point blank range of a skunk, loaded and aiming right at me. I almost pissed myself, has to be without a doubt the most I have ever been scared in the woods, and I've seen rattlesnakes, copperheads, a black widow spider, been chased up a tree by a blank angus cow fishing, have had wild dogs track after me, seen a dozen bears out in the wild, nothing scared me like this.
There we both stood not moving, him aiming at me, and I had my shotgunaimed at him, not sure what to do. From my trapping days I knew if I shot, spray was coming out for sure. So in the end, I slowly backed away from him, praying up a storm, and he slowly lowered his tail. Never got sprayed, lady luck was on my side that day. Boy was I shaky once I backed up enough to get safe.
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