# Skunks!



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I had no idea where to put this so I put it here.......

For the last several years we've had a problem with skunks moving in under our
house each fall when the weather starts to turn cool. Each year I set a trap,
catch one and have thought all along that that was the end of it - until this 
year.

Back in the summer I had to install security cameras because of new neighbors
causing problems, I have a full 360 of the house/yard and about 4 or 5 weeks ago the
skunks came in for the winter. We started smelling them in the evening so I 
started watching for them on the monitor and saw more than I thought could live 
in a small area, I started trapping and shooting them.

Over a month and 15 skunks later, I think I may have only one left that 
seems to pass through every few nights. The last one I got rid of was a smart
one, it was living under the house, would dig new holes under each time I would
fill one in, would not use the same spot twice and would not go into the live 
catch trap no matter how well I baited it.

I finally caught it with a leg trap and finished it off tonight......

The point to this post is that there are likely more "critters" around your property 
than you realize and many of them can carry disease(rabies), parasites
and other nasties that could harm your family or animals. That last skunk I just 
got rid of sprayed my youngest daughter about a week ago when she was coming 
into the house from taking the grandson to the school bus, fortunately it was just 
on the foot and it wasn't too hard to clean up.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

You have to do what you have to do! Modern, bleeding heart “don’t hurt the animals” city folk have no clue as to what is necessary to deal with pests. They represent real, life threatening risks. Ssshss… (don’t tell peta)… shssss…. They’d just want them all to silicone implants…


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## Gians (Nov 8, 2012)

Been here 30+ yrs and have had skunks at night off and on most summers. They(I assume it's not the possums or *****) try to get under the house via the crawl space entrance. Had to beef up the screen that covers the entrance so they wouldn't pull it off. Also tried blocking access to back yard along bottom of gate and fence. If it gets bad, I'll put Ammonia on some old socks and strategically place them around, seems to keep them away for a time. Our garden is fenced off, and I keep bricks on top of the compost bin to keep critters out, so far so good. Really need to get a camera and see what else is lurking around.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I used the ammonia trick to "guide" that last skunk to the area I wanted him to come out from under the house at.

Seems those little buggers dont like their own trick used against them.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I've gotta ask. A skunk? In a live trap? That sounds like a whole lot of problem.


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## Oomingmak (Feb 26, 2015)

We have always had skunk problems from May to October.
I also never realized how bad it was until I set up game cams in the yard and got an eye opener as to what all was going through the yard at night. Skunks, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, fishers, lynx, deer, bear......... and the occasional moose. 

We have always had bear problems during the same time period and so I eventually decided to put up a yard fence that is 60 inches high...... treated posts and woven high tensile wire......... with additional hot wires on the outside, one near the top and one about a foot off the ground. (We disconnect the bottom hot wire for the winter).

This fence pretty much eliminated the bear problem in the yard, it stopped the coyotes and slowed down the raccoons to a trickle, but the skunks and one fox soon learned to just slide under the metal gates. Surprisingly the few raccoons that visited tended to just muck around the grain bins, but have generally not been a problem. 

We left the fox alone as well because we discovered it didn't go near the chicken coop, was not causing any trouble.............. aside from occasionally packing the metal grill brush from our BBQ on the back deck out onto the lawn to lick the grease off.  In fact it was helping us by hunting in our garden, killing snowshoe hares that were crawling through the fence and helping themselves.

The skunks, well they continued to be bold at night, trying to set up shop in out-buildings and our doberman would get blasted about once a month. He was not deterred by a blast........... no, instead he developed an intense hatred for the black and white kitties and would attack. This required further attention.

The solution has been a series of live traps that we have set up circling our yard site outside the fence and operate them from May through till the snow flies. Now we seem to catch them all before they get into the yard. When they hit the fence the follow the fence and find the bait in the traps before finding a way under the gates. I can release the ***** and occasional fisher that get caught and just euthanize the skunks. 

Caribou that is most peoples response about live trapping skunks, but in the right size live trap a skunk cannot get its tail up. They can release a bit, but without elevating the tail they cannot take aim and blast you. 

I usually throw a towel or old blanket over the trap to cover it and it helps relax the 'prisoner' somewhat. We then drown the skunk by dropping the trap in a small stock tank filled with water that we keep filled for that purpose. They expire very quickly and it beats trying to get a .22 in the right spot through the mesh of the older live traps. The newer live traps have moulded plastic shells and shooting them inside isn't even an option. We learned the drowning method from a fish and wildlife officer.


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## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

Experience.....

Hope you never have this happen...

A skunk gets underneath your outside gas pack heat source..
Evertime the unit turns on the skunk lets go.

The fumes invade the entire house thru the ducts . Pure.

Professsionals called in to eliminate the skunk.

Professionals had to treat each room in the house ( house sealed), one room at a time, (sealed off).carpet, drapes, closets, etc.

Everybody was removed from house for 2 weeks during decontamination process.

Even then , after extensive use of their special equipment, we could still detect a little odor for about a year. 

Lots of clothing had to be replaced. Homeowners insurance ....helped.

That prompted us to fortify the base of the heating unit.


Jim


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## JackDanielGarrett (Sep 27, 2010)

Dang Davarm, 15 skunks is a lot!
So I have to ask. Did you dehydrate, sugar cure or can the meat? I have my notepad ready.


Jack


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## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Dang Davarm, 15 skunks is a lot!
> So I have to ask. Did you dehydrate, sugar cure or can the meat? I have my notepad ready.
> 
> 
> Jack


I caught a skunk this summer in a trap I had set for another creature eating my tomatoes...

I didn't kill it because I didn't think it was my pest, but also because I don't like killing what I won't eat. Wondering if anyo e has any experience with actually using a skunk you have shot or trapped?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

JackDanielGarrett said:


> Dang Davarm, 15 skunks is a lot!
> So I have to ask. Did you dehydrate, sugar cure or can the meat? I have my notepad ready.
> 
> 
> Jack


So far we've just eaten them fresh, gonna try sugar curing maybe with some rosemary and sage........ I also have some ocean front property in Oklahoma I'm selling - CHEAP if you're interested. lol

I fixed a big pork roast last night and had the grandson believing it was that last skunk we killed just hours before, now he wants to go skunk hunting with his "BB Gun". If I weren't such a loving and caring grandfather, I'd let that little 6yo boy go hunting! lol

Yea, 15 skunks! It surprised the heck out of me. Its nice being able to walk out of the house at night again without having to worry about chemical warfare. I knew we had a lot of em around here but had no idea how many until I put up the security cameras, a big eye opener!

Caught 4 or 5 possums also but I just took them a few miles away to the river and turned them loose.

Oh, the neighbor on the adjoining property also shot 2 during the time I was trapping them and he says they're still a few more around his house(about 300 yards away).



Caribou said:


> I've gotta ask. A skunk? In a live trap? That sounds like a whole lot of problem.


It's not as much trouble as one may think, skunks are really pretty laid back critters, when you pack an arsenal like that you dont have to be very mean or agressive. If you're careful you can put the barrel of a gun right up to the cage and pull the trigger, a good shot and they dont stink too much.

I've heard it said, and have to agree, that skunks would make really bad poker players, they give you plenty of warning, tell you exactly whats on their mind and and plenty of warning as to when they're going to do it.

Sometimes I feel kinda bad shooting a skunk just for being a skunk, that is until they start kicking up a stink and especially not when I saw just how many there were playing around on our 2 acres. AND any final bad feelings left when the daughter got sprayed walking on the front porch sidewalk!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Padre said:


> Wondering if anyo e has any experience with actually using a skunk you have shot or trapped?


When I was a kid, we did sometimes catch them in traps and we did skin them, their pelts are really nice. No one ever wanted to buy them so we just hung them on our walls after the smell wore off.

About the only thing I use them for now is fertilizer.


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## JackDanielGarrett (Sep 27, 2010)

Davarm, now a possum in another story. They are good cut up and fried. I asked a guy once, "Can you eat a buzzard?" He said, "YOU can if YOU want to."

That is a large amount of skunks in one area. I smell one a couple of times a year wandering through my woods is all.

Let me get back to you on buying that property, I am rebuilding my teardrop camper now so my funds are tight. 

Jack


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Once or twice a year a **** would get too friendly and have to be recycled.

Wife would put 40 pounds (I might be exaggerating a bit) of cat food out for the outside strays. Next morning all of the cat food is gone?!

So I moved the trail cam to watch the cat food. 4:30 AM five full grown *****, walking in Indian fashion, heading towards the cat food.

Like Oomingmak said. There's more going on out there then what we might think.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

Many years ago I learned that it was best not to go outside after dark without a flashlight and a firearm. A number of years back I started making a habit of shining a flashlight up hill, one time I saw a large cat and taking a better look at it I noticed that it had a rather long tail and realized it was a young cougar, size perception after dark can be a bit misleading, at first sight it just looked like a large house cat. For skunks, I like a shotgun, one shot and it's done, tried using a .22 pistol but skunks are a lot like cats, they seem large but like a cat that's soaking wet, they are really skinny under their hair so there isn't much mass to hit.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

TheLazyL said:


> Once or twice a year a **** would get too friendly and have to be recycled.
> 
> Wife would put 40 pounds (I might be exaggerating a bit) of cat food out for the outside strays. Next morning all of the cat food is gone?!
> 
> ...


Years ago I lived in Vista in the hills. (Same town Dakine lives in.) I shared a house with 2 other ladies and all three of us had cats. Mine was the oldest and stayed in my room 24/7. The other 4 in the house were indoor outdoor cats and there were cat holes cut in all the window screens and the back door was set up to allow the cats in and out at night.

Since I worked the graveyard shift at the sheriff's dispatch I was the one to double check locks and the cat bowls in the shared living areas before I left for work. My roommate left a dish of canned catfood on the kitchen counter for her semi feral tomcat (Bellboy). In the dark I saw Bellboy eating and started petting him before I made my lunch. It wasn't until I turned on the lights that I realized it was a skunk eating the catfood on the counter! He didn't seem to mind being pet though. Scared me so bad I screamed so loud I woke up both roommates and the neighbors. Food was never left out for the cats again.

And don't get me started on the number of ***** trying to get in the house for the food!


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## Marcus (May 13, 2012)

http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-create-natural-skunk-repellent.htm

If you're worried about getting sprayed while getting rid of a skunk, a Tyvek suit is an effective barrier to prevent the scent from getting on your clothing. You can get one at a home improvement store.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

I have a slab house so no worry of skunks getting under it. I have live trapped several that took up residence under my shop. I have found them to be very docile (much like Grimm's). I don't kill them but just move them instead though I have no problem with other people who do kill them. I have since hauled many big rocks here from the desert and now skunks can not get under my shop (I do let the squirrels stay under there).


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

When I was a teenager our German Shepard killed a momma skunk, my older brother and I put the 8 babies(with a long handled shovel) into a 5 gallon bucket and took them home.

They grew up under our shed(ate CATFOOD!) and were pretty good little pets, they left one by one as they got older, they really did make pretty fair pets and they never sprayed us or the dog that killed their mother.

When I first started trapping them after we moved here I would spray blaze orange on them and let them go, if I had a return customer he would get shot. I'm not putting up with the nonsense now, if I see/catch one they're fertilizer.

Not going to let another one have a litter under the house and go through all this again.

Several years ago I had a problem with people stealing gas cans, put four or five around a live catch trap with a skunk in it(in view of the road), the theft stopped and I let the skunk go for his stellar performance in the sting. lol


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

:bump:

Its started again, 3 skunks so far this fall/winter and one is in the trap now - gonna deal with him in the morning.

The grandson headed out to catch the bus yesterday and as soon as he opened the front door he was back in slamming it yelling "stunk", it was up on the porch pokeing around. 

Aint gonna have that again this year, last years total was 19.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Was watching the security monitor and saw another skunk nosing around the trap above, counting the one in the trap, up to 5 for the year(fall/winter).


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

Dave, how are you disposing of them? Shooting? I'm trying to figure out where to shoot them to keep them from spraying. Head shot?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I dont often get out of it completely stink free but a shot square through the back of the head works best for me.

If you move slowly you can get right up to the trap without getting them stirred up then a quick clean shot is easy.

I usually have a hole dug before hand and just dump them after they air out for an hour or two.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Shoot them through the spinal column (or the lower part of the brain). If you don't muscles spasms will still make it spray.


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

Glad I don't live in your area. Your a skunk magnet.


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## oldasrocks (Jun 30, 2012)

The safe way to get a skunk out of a live trap is to throw an old sheet over it. Spray it down with starting fluid (ether). After he goes to sleep dump him out and shoot him. Asleep he will not spray you. If you get skunk odor on a trap pour lime over it and let it sit awhile.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

oldasrocks said:


> The safe way to get a skunk out of a live trap is to throw an old sheet over it. Spray it down with starting fluid (ether). After he goes to sleep dump him out and shoot him. Asleep he will not spray you. If you get skunk odor on a trap pour lime over it and let it sit awhile.


It also helps to turn the trap on the side before you dump the critter so it won't hang up on the trigger mechanism. I learned that the hard way with a possum. It seems as soon as you shoot them they manage to hook a foot around the trap's trigger.


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## OBCYUNO (Jan 5, 2017)

When I've had a problem with skunks...
My best method of handling this is with a live trap, old dark color bed sheet, and short length of rope...

A somewhat medium size trap works best, they can't move around too much.. Once the skunk is in the trap.. Cut a 1" hole about 2/3 the way up the sheet so you can see through it and not be seen.. Hold sheet in front of you, slowly approach the trap, wrap the trap snugly in the sheet creating a dark place for the skunk. Tie the rope to the trap handle through the hole in the sheet.. Float test skunk, sheet, trap in the nearest swamp for 20 - 30 minutes or so... 

Very important step depending if you have PETA neighbors.. Keep silent about your mission..

DO NOT -- NEVER release a skunk alive.. In doing this you have just created a trap savvy problem that will come back to haunt you or someone else..

Good luck


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Country Living said:


> ... Shooting? I'm trying to figure out where to shoot them to keep them from spraying. Head shot?


You shoot them from up wind!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

OBCYUNO said:


> When I've had a problem with skunks...
> My best method of handling this is with a live trap, old dark color bed sheet, and short length of rope...
> 
> A somewhat medium size trap works best, they can't move around too much.. Once the skunk is in the trap.. Cut a 1" hole about 2/3 the way up the sheet so you can see through it and not be seen.. Hold sheet in front of you, slowly approach the trap, wrap the trap snugly in the sheet creating a dark place for the skunk. Tie the rope to the trap handle through the hole in the sheet.. Float test skunk, sheet, trap in the nearest swamp for 20 - 30 minutes or so...
> ...


That may work but for me its too complicated.

Just dig a hole before hand, shoot the critter, let rigor set in then dump and bury him.

If PETA peeps come around, just repeat the above! lol


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## Flight1630 (Jan 4, 2017)

When I was growing up in the 80's we had a skunk problem. The would eat the barn cats food at the same time as the card lol. Well my dad put rat poison in with the cat food. The cats would smell there was something wrong with the food and leave it alone. Well the skunks thought well more for us and have a feast lol. But within 20 feet we would have dead skunks and no smell. So dad picked them up with a pitchfork and disposed of them in a prelight burning barrel and no smell from what I can remember.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I'm not a cat person but if one of the wifes cats got into the rat poison she'd likely make me eat a serving myself! lol


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## Flight1630 (Jan 4, 2017)

Davarm said:


> I'm not a cat person but if one of the wifes cats got into the rat poison she'd likely make me eat a serving myself! lol


Lol maybe. But can smell that there is something wrong with the food and will leave it alone


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

Flight1630 said:


> Lol maybe. But can smell that there is something wrong with the food and will leave it alone


Not all of them. Neighbors lost a cat to rat poison last year and we had one that ate. Mouse who was dying from rat poison a few years ago. Well more like 12 or so. She lived but it was expensive.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Been keeping the trap set, got a tufer last night.

Went out and shot the critter last night and was going to wait till this morning when he got good and stiff to dump and bury it.

Surprise, I saw him still moving around and after looking closer saw it was a second one in there with him.

Up to 6 this year.


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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

a neighbour was coming across a field from hunting wild pig,one night..in which he ran over a few skunk out of 14-15 of them..and yes,that stunk up the vehicle..and needless to say.we now have fewer skunks around here,seeing how he went out n dealt with the rest of them,one night..


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Last week I was talking to a friend/cousin that lives about half a mile down the road and we started talking about skunks.

He said that last year he killed 29, another friend that has adjoining property said he shot 3.

Between all of us that comes to 51 within about a 1 mile radius, still too many for me so will keep the trap set - up to 6 for this year.


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