While trying to take care of a rodent population in my chicken coop and chicken run, I was also having issues with a Skunk problem. I decided the varmints had to go.
For the difficult to see mice and rats in the chicken run, I set up an Electronic Rodent Trap baited with some peanut butter and a small piece of raw smokey bacon. First night the trap was sprung, but the rodent got away. But I suspect it learned a valuable lesson, as I heard it squeal several times. Since it got away I suspect that it was a rat as opposed to a mouse. The larger rats sometimes survive. Next night I got a mouse, and it was deader than a door nail. I have seen both critters at night but they are skittish enough to make it difficult or almost impossible to get in the crosshairs of the 350 Magnum.
The Skunk
Twice in the last year our yappy American Eskimo Dog has gotten zapped by a skunk. The stench is ever lasting, especially if the dog gets in the house right after getting sprayed. She did, and it took a couple months for that smell to leave the house. And every time she got wet, the smell on her came back.
We think my neighbor is feeding the “critters”. She’s as much said so. The critters include a large flock of pigeons who show up several times a day, possums, raccoons, squirrels and skunks. The Possums, Raccoons and Skunks are all active at night and here is the main problem. They constantly wake us up with the noise of fussing and fighting and fornicating. Along the way, the skunk or skunks get annoyed or too happy and release their stench. It’s twenty or thirty feet away from our bedroom window, and the stench is horrible. Old skunk smell from roadkill smells a bit like some coffee or like someone smoking pot. Not too bad. But fresh skunk up close and personal is like getting surrounded by a mound of burning tires. It burns your eyes, and can make it damn near impossible to breath and impossible to sleep smelling that stench.
Neighbor is going to continue feeding the critters, but I am resolved to thin the skunk population.
Strong Medicine:
I looked around at high power air rifles for almost a year before finally deciding on an RWS / Diana Model 34 .22 cal. Went looking for a deal, and instead found a refurb RWS / Diana Model 350 Magnum Feuerkraft Compact Pro .22 cal, with a scope. Fantastic deal at half of the going retail rate. Rifle is beautiful and has one small dent in the stock, but appears to function perfectly.
In the meantime, should you or your dog get sprayed by a skunk here’s how to get rid of that smell.
Skunk Remedy #1:
Take one quart of fresh unopened hydrogen peroxide, add to it one half cup of baking soda, and a teaspoon of liquid dish washing soap, such as Dawn. Apply liberally several times to the Dog. Rinse. Shampoo the Dog.
While your wife is bathing the dog, get set up with Skunk Remedy #2
Load your Diana 350 Magnum, take aim, and place a .22 lead pellet between the ear and eye of the skunk. Hopefully the skunk falls over dead, and does not release it’s stench bomb.
But before we actually get to remedy #2, you need to take that new RWS air rifle out of it’s box, install the scope mount, rings and scope and get busy sighting the rifle in.
Diana RWS 350 Feuerkraft Pro Compact by RWS Review and Impressions
Initial impressions of the RWS – Diana Feuerkraft Compact Pro .22 cal air rifle is that this thing is an absolute beast. It’s a beast because it is a large Adult air rifle, that is as heavy as a full blown hunting rifle weighing in at 8.5lbs, and has a required cocking force of 42lbs. My six year old is not going to be cocking, holding and firing the Diana Feuerkraft. It’s just too large and heavy.
Opening the shipping box from Umarex, the RWS -Diana air rifle distributor for North America, I found one RWS Diana Feuerkraft .22 cal Compact Pro Air Rifle, one boxed RWS 3-9×40 air gun scope, one two piece scope mount and one Air Rifle owners manual.
Caliber Action Power Capacity Total Length Barrel Length Weight Velocity Trigger Pull Cocking Effort
.22 pellet break barrel spring 1-shot 44.625 15.75 8.5 1000 3.3 42
RWS Diana RWS 350 Feuerkraft Pro Compact Review
Diana 350 Magnum Review
Diana 350 Magnum
RWS Diana 350 Magnum
RWS Diana RWS 350 Feuerkraft Pro Compact
RWS Diana RWS 350 Feuerkraft Pro Compact Review
RWS Diana RWS 350 .22 cal Feuerkraft Pro Compact Review
rws feuerkraft pro compact