One thing is right - that little critter is cute!

Maybe it's a good thing y'all headed back to town prior to the family member deciding to go against all odds.

Eric, we have a skunk story, too. Charles got it in the face. He and Barbie were loading hay and Barbie picked up a bale the skunk was under. Her dog grabbed it but let it loose pretty fast. Charles didn't want it to get away so he tried to hit it with a pipe. Found out they can shoot that spray pretty far!
I washed his face and head with catsup and that helped kill the odor after he got rid of the clothes but his eyes burned for a long time. Barbie had to ride home with a skunky dog in her pickup. Not sure what happened to the skunk as we didn't see it again.

Alice, that sounds pretty bad, but it could have been worse. We have some friends who live a few miles south of Midland and they have a neighbor who walked out of her house, heard a noise, went to investigate, was surprised by a skunk, and got a shot right in her open mouth! I'm not sure there's enough mouthwash in the world to help with something like that.

You need to ask your brother about his experience last Monday.

You see more skunks coming into town due to the drought conditions, and the big grass fires around Fort Stockton probably didn't help things any. Back in the late 90s here in Pecos, when the drought was really bad, a group on skunks decided to make their home in the shrubbery around the Reeves County Courthouse (Feel free to insert your own county commissioners joke here). Made for some interesting nighttime sightings downtown, not to mention some nighttime smells.

I don't know what the normal foraging range of a skunk is, but I'd be surprised if the wildfires are driving them into town. Those fires have stayed several miles away from the city limits (as far as I know). I suppose there could be a "domino effect," with animals fleeing the fires displacing others, and ultimately leading to an influx into civilization.

But, you're definitely on the money with the drought-related explanation. The lack of water brings all sorts of critters into view. A few years ago, I even spotted a badger along Highway 191, during a bike ride.

I just LOVE that 2nd photo! Good job, Eric!

I've had skunks on the porch, skunks in the back yard. Never was a good outcome. Oh the bird dog was the very devil when it came to skunks and porcupines.

I went thumping down my deck steps yesterday and four deer came clattering out. They looked at me with such reproach! Then two more came out from underneath my house. I yelled at them, and they left in a huff, showing me their white tails.

I told the smallest one that no one thinks twice about eating cabrito, but I don't think he believed me.

Eric, even though finding this "critter" entrapped in our backyard was a mildly distressing experience, your expertise in photography caught the enticing beauty of an animal that defies touching.

We caught a young skunk in a live trap too, but it apparently didn't learn its lesson and came back two more times to find whatever goodie was in the trap! We were advised by local animal experts (who refused to come out and remove the critter) to approach carefully and toss a piece of burlap over the cage so the skunk couldn't see what was going on and then open the door and step back. It waddled off and back to the spot under the fence where it had dug its way in. And you're right--they really are cuties as far as looks go.

Phyllis, he (or she?) was quite photogenic; all I did was point and shoot. From a distance, of course.

Deborah, I suspect that deer can be the equivalent of huge squirrels: fun to watch, but always just on the edge of becoming a terrible nuisance.

Mother, I know it's in your job description to say things like that, but I appreciate the compliment anyway. ;-)

Deb, that sack- (or blanket) over-the-cage trick seems to be the consensus suggestion for dealing with skunks. But I'm kind of confused about why you'd keep setting a live trap for a skunk when you just intended to release him. Is that some strange California variation on catch-and-release trout fishing? ;-)