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THANKSGIVING!
by Mike Kapcia

My first year of trapping was one of little knowledge, a few traps, a few catches and a lot of excitement every time I went to check my traps.  I learned many things that first year but few as important as the one I learned on Thanksgiving day.  I had a half dozen connibears set in culverts for coons.  I had not had catch in almost a week.  I decided that I should check them on the way to my parents for Thanksgiving dinner in my going to church clothes, after all there had been nothing in my traps for a week.  As luck would have it the first set held a large coon.  So down through the brush and mud in my good clothes.  My son is laughing and my wife is crying.  After I stashed the catch in the back of the family van, it was off the thee next set.  You guessed it, there was another large coon.  This also was the case at the next set.  So now I have the family van loaded with the family and three large wet smelly coons.  If you remember I had six sets.  After two empty sets I breathed a sigh of relief as the last set had not trapped anything all season.  I pulled up to the last set and there was an odor that is unmistakable.  I had caught my first skunk.  I was not sure what I was going to do with the skunk as there was not a chance that he was going to Grandmothers house for dinner.  I walked down to the culvert and all that I could see was the tail of the skunk sticking out of the culvert.  I never considered that an animal caught in a connibear may still be alive.  I reached down and grabbed the wire and pulled the skunk from the culvert.  You guessed he was still alive.  The tail came up and I turned my head expecting the worst.  THE OLD BOY WAS EMPTY!  This was my lucky day!!  I had a day to express my great thanksgiving.  I had a great family to be thankful for, three raccoons and a whole lot of luck.