When I was about 14 years old, my dad and I home taught an elderly single mom in our ward. One Friday she called us and said she had some squirrels moving in her attic. My dad told her to put a light up there and play some loud music and we would be over in the morning to take care of them.

The next morning we went over and this sweet woman had put a radio up in her attic playing the tabernacle choir. Not quite the “loud music” we had anticipated.

I got up in the attic and started banging on things and yelling. Her son was outside and saw two squirrels run out. So we got to work on patching the hole. It wasn’t very big, about the size of a softball. After cutting out a piece of wood that fit and painting it to match the rest of the home we called it a job well done. We were both pretty proud of ourselves having given up a Saturday for serve.

The next day, we were out picking up fast offerings around the ward. We decided to stop by this woman’s house and marvel at our work. As we turned around in the cul-de-sac to where we could see our pride and joy what we actually saw made our jaws hit the floor of the car. There where there was once our wonderfully crafted patch was now a massive hole bigger than a basketball. The squirrels had come back and they came with a vengeance! I looked my dad in total shock. And he smiled at me and said I guess we know what we’re doing this Saturday.

We went back and this time covered the hole in mesh wiring. After a few days of them not being able to get back in we figured they had given up. We went back and sealed it up and didn’t have any issues after that.


Years later, my wife and I have a nice home. My favorite part of this home was the great shed in the back yard. As I was mowing I started finding these big long turds. Bigger than any squirrel turd and definitely not bunny. My FIL was coming to town so I asked him to bring his live trap. I had put some chicken wire around the shed as there was a gap between the shed floor and the grass and I didn’t want anything moving in. But I noticed something had chewed through it.

We put it out one night and not more than an hour later caught a big ole opossum. We covered him in an old towel and toted him off to a forest preserve several miles away.


My FIL left the trap for me in case I needed it later. I patched the wire and thought we were all good. But sure enough I found a few turds while mowing a couple months later so I decide to set the live trap back out. I couldn’t believe that this thing had found it was back.

The next morning I walk to the back of the shed to see if I got him and I’m met with a flash of black and white. I jump back to the front of the shed and my brain catches up that I have caught a skunk. Of course my FIL isn’t answering his phone so I took matters into my own hands.


I read online that skunks only spray what they can see so as to not waste their spray. So I carried a big towel in front of me and walked toward it. I threw the towel over it and gently lifted the cage tucking the towel underneath. I then placed that all in a large garbage bag and put it in the back of my car.

I drove to the same forest preserve and if you know it’s not easy to keep a live trap door open especially when the animal is sitting on the trigger! So I quickly lifted the door and clipped it open with a food bag clip and ran! I looked back and the skunk slowly walks out and jumps into the bushes. After giving it a few mins to clear the area I grabbed the cage again.

My FIL calls me back on my way home and exclaims “You put that thing in your car?!” Luckily no harm done and I never saw either the skunk nor opossum ever again.