Even though another snow storm had just begun, I had to get out of the house for just a few minutes. I stuck to the road for my walk because the snow was too deep in the woods.

About a hundred yards from home, I encountered a black and white stinker who apparently had the same idea. We spotted each other simultaneously. It raised its tail and stamped its front feet. I backed off and headed home.

Any prudent person would show similar respect. Though ultimately harmless, a striped skunk's chemical defense is accurate and effective against predators and humans alike.

Fortunately, however, skunks give plenty of warning before firing. When confronted, a skunk faces its adversary and raises and flares its tail. It may emit a variety of decidedly unexpected sounds including an ear shattering, high-pitched squeal.

When it starts stamping its front feet on the ground, however, it's getting serious. Finally, if not left alone, the skunk whips the rear half of its body around, so a U-shaped form faces the intruder. Then it fires. Delivered in fine mist or droplet form, skunk musk can accurately hit a target 10 feet away. A direct hit means clothes in the trash and a hydrogen peroxide bath to neutralize the odor. Here's the recipe: mix one quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda, and a teaspoon of liquid detergent. Bathe thoroughly, and repeat if necessary.

Another reason to avoid contact with skunks is that they, like raccoons and other mammals, can carry rabies. Getting too close, for any reason, is foolish.

But skunks aren't all bad. In my backyard, they often dig up yellow jacket nests. Skunks also eat mice, and farmers and gardeners should appreciate a skunk's voracious appetite for pests such as army worms, cutworms, potato beetles, June beetles, grasshoppers and squash bugs.

In fact, there isn't much skunks don't eat. That's why they're called "opportunistic omnivores." They eat just about anything -- insects of all sorts, chipmunks, bird eggs, baby rabbits, earthworms, snakes, crayfish, frogs, fruits, grass, corn, nuts, roots, carrion and, of course, garbage. Hungry skunks are another reason to avoid feeding dogs and cats on the back porch.

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