removing skunks

danno · January 04, 2008, 09:14:34 AM

I was reading ABC XYZ last night and got to the section on skunks. Heres a link to one of the suppliers that sell the trap that I have used for years for no hassle, no odor skunk removal. I prefer the smaller model for skunks and oppossums and the larger for coons. They dont spray what they cant see. All you have to do is pick it up and carry it away. If you want to kill them, just stand it on end, fill a 5 gal pail with water and leave the hose running. Pour the pail in fast to get them floating and finish filling with the hose leaveing it run in the door for 15 minutes. Dont cut this time short. They will usually spray when you dump the pail but it wont be arrowmatic and will float away with the water. You can also just tie a rope to the handle and toss it in a pond but they will paint the trap and the smell will take awile to air out

http://www.critterridders.com/traps.htm#skunk
Dura-Poly Plastic-catch, solid walled, box trap is available in white-only and is made in Canada. This trap measures 9" x 9" x 24" and is very heavily constructed. This is the preferred skunk trap of many. I would suggest drilling some holes for ventilation near the rear of the trap.
Used for trapping raccoons, skunk,
woodchuck, & cats.
IN STOCK !!
924W

JP · January 04, 2008, 10:52:37 AM

I hardly know anything about skunks, but they must be good for something. Perhaps there are agencies that will pick them up after they have been trapped, so you don't have to resort to killing them.

Sincerely, JP

Cindi · January 04, 2008, 11:26:59 AM

JP, skunks stink. If you have ever come into contact with a skunk, you will know why they should not be around the human being territory. Up in the bush, maybe they have some useful part of the wildlife. It would be nice if they could go back to their natural habitat. But, if other places are like we are. Try and get someone to come out and remove these critters. Ain't gonna happen for eons.

When I was a young woman, raising two daughters on my own and living in a pretty run down house, the kitchen floor in the corner had separated from the wall. Don't ask me how, 'cause I have never figured this one out, but a skunk had made its way into my house. I think it got through a wall or something, came up through the separation of the floor and wall. It was one of those smaller ones with the multiple stripes, civic cat maybe? I don't know. But this damnable thing let loose in my home. It had entered the laundry room and was behind the wringer washer (yes, in those days I had a wringer washer, eeeks!!!!). Something had disturbed it (probably me) and what a stench..... I will say no more.

Anyways, skunks are a wretched nuisance and need to be up in the bush, high up on a mountain plain, where the streets have no name. Have a wonderful day, Cindi

bassman1977 · January 04, 2008, 12:03:34 PM

I've heard of people keeping them as pets if their stink sack is removed. A lot of the wild ones are rabies carriers.

Moonshae · January 04, 2008, 02:36:42 PM

Dog + skunk Ã— 10 minutes before bed = not fun.

On a related note, tomato juice really does work, and pretty quickly, too.

Scadsobees · January 04, 2008, 05:18:07 PM

Quote from: Moonshae on January 04, 2008, 02:36:42 PM
Dog + skunk Ã— 10 minutes before bed = not fun.

On a related note, tomato juice really does work, and pretty quickly, too.

(Dog + skunk + 10 minutes before bed ) x 10 feet from the kitchen = not fun and funny tasting food for a week. :shock:

We didn't have tomato juice so we tried tomato paste and we had a black and red husky who smelled bad.

Skunks like the city.
Rick

wayne · January 04, 2008, 07:05:27 PM

Skunks eat alot of grubs and bugs around the property. They also eat frogs, mice and anything they can catch or get to.
They are easy to catch and I re-locate hundreds every year. Any covered trap is good, and I use the uncovered ones as often or not with a piece of open stove pipe for a cover or a rubber mat over the top.
As long as you have it covered and don't startle it they won't spray. Talk softly and move slowly is all I need to do. There is a good market for that smell. It brings $10 an ounce or more, and a big skunk is good for that much.
For those with the knack the old wooden box type rabbit trap is great for these and other garden pests. Easy to make and handy to have.

daniel · January 04, 2008, 07:26:30 PM

I had trouble with skunks and racoon a couple years ago. I had a trapper try to help with not much luck. So I but lots of long staples in a piece of plywood with my air stapler and put this in front of the hives. I have seen where they have scratched the grass away from these pads but to not get to the hives. I have not had a problem with them since. Now ants thats another problem here. Dan

Jerrymac · January 04, 2008, 07:29:10 PM

But Cindi. The skunks were there before people. You are the intruder.

This past Spring my mom's dog got into a fight with a skunk. The animal control people told her that if a skunk is out during the day it is probably rabid. It was. The dog lost.

annette · January 04, 2008, 08:07:25 PM

A couple of winters ago a skunk got under our house and sprayed in the middle of the night. It must have been right under our bedroom, because it woke me up at 3:00 in the morning and I thought someone was trying to kill us. I could not connect the odor with that of skunk. It is unbelievable at ground zero!!!

Hate them.

Annette

JP · January 04, 2008, 08:50:48 PM

Whenever I pass a dead skunk on the road I think of coffee, and I smell coffee. Never seen one up close. I don't believe we should just kill something that's hungry unless its a rat. Like Jerry pointed out, we are the intruders.

skunkadoodle doo, JP

SteveSC · January 04, 2008, 08:54:48 PM

We had a skunk get under our trash can stand 2 summers ago. I caught a glimpse of a tail one day after the dogs were barking at it. I put the dogs up. I got the water hose and pulled the stand away from the house. The skunk started climbing the rock on the house going around toward the garage ( at the time we had no garage doors installed ). I kept spraying the critter with water - right in the head. He kept coming but didn't spray us - I guess they don't spray when getting drown..lol

Anyway the wife finally had to knock him off the side of the house with a long pool net while I continued to spray him - the last thing I wanted was that skunk somehow getting in the garage under the truck or car. After he hit the ground he came right back at the garage. The only thing I could get a hold of quickly was a trash can lid - a big plastic one. I captured him under the lid in the yard. An important note here is that skunks DO spray under plastic trash can lids. I thought I was going to gag while holding lid down - wife was laughing her head off.. :-D She had to go get a piece of plywood ( I was hoping she wouldn't get a 4X8 sheet ) so I could slip it under the skunk and sandwich it in between the lid. The whole time the wife was telling me not the hurt " his little feet " with the plywood.

Finally Mr. Skunk was released in the woods and hasn't been seen since. I stunk for two days - the wife laughed for two days. The reason I stunk so bad was that a plastic trash can lid isn't deep enough for a grown male skunk to get under so the sides of the lids weren't flat against the ground - you can imagine..! So goes my rescue of a skunk.

If interested you can remove skunks with a trash can lid and a piece of plywood - a wife with a sick sense of humor helps also.. :)

Brian D. Bray · January 04, 2008, 09:41:39 PM

About 20 years ago I had a family of skunks take up residence under my house, they weren't a problem unless the kids got too roudy jumping around the house, especially near the back porch. When I was a kid, my Dad had to fill in a well he was digging when a skunk decided to take up residence in it. The skunk fed daily without having to leave its new home as frogs, mice, small birds, snakes, etc fell down the well on a daily basis. It ruined things for my brother and I, we had been in the habit of climbing down into the well and capturing a new playmate every day.

Kimbrell · January 04, 2008, 10:14:23 PM

I have a problem with skunks. (We live in the sticks.) My outside dogs are sprayed at least once a month (slow learning curve!). My house dogs have even been sprayed when the skunks managed to get into my fenced backyard. Anyway I have been told that the skunks are looking for Japanese Beetle larvae and that the remedy for this is Milky Spore to kill the larvae. No grubs means no skunks. It sounds like a great idea if someone would come up with an efficient way to spread the spores over a large acreage. Also I might consider it if it was a whole lot cheaper!

Michael Bush · January 04, 2008, 10:19:00 PM

The problem I have is that getting rid of one skunk isn't enough. There is always a family of them. I just went to top entrances and my skunk problems dissapeared and I didn't have to fight the skunks anymore...

http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm#topentrance

Sean Kelly · January 05, 2008, 09:23:01 AM

Take a small piece of plywood and put a bunch of nails in it and put it on the landing board in front of the hive. The skunks scratch at the landing board to get the bees to come out, so by putting something unpleasent on the landing board keeps them away. So far it's been working for me. I've also seen pictures of a small coil of barbwire on the landing board. Bees can get through with no problems and discourages skunks from getting an easy snack. :-)

Sean Kelly

NWIN Beekeeper · January 05, 2008, 11:21:13 AM

Skunks and 'possums like eggs.

Aspirin makes their tummies bleed.

A couple eggs and a bottle of aspirin is a sure way to remove them permanently.

[CAUTION: DO NOT DO THIS AROUND DOGS OR CATS!!]

Michael Bush · January 05, 2008, 12:10:41 PM

>A couple eggs and a bottle of aspirin is a sure way to remove them permanently.

One egg. Three crushed asprins. But why not just remove the temptation for them?

tig · January 05, 2008, 06:44:21 PM

after reading all the horror stories, i'm glad we don't have skunks here! LOL

Sean Kelly · January 06, 2008, 04:40:47 AM

Quote from: Michael Bush on January 05, 2008, 12:10:41 PM
One egg. Three crushed asprins. But why not just remove the temptation for them?

Exactly!
Skunks smell a little but they're great pest control. No need to kill them. I don't kill anything unless I'm gunna eat it or if there is no other option. But with most animals (including skunks), take away the treat or make it difficult for them and they will go forage elsewhere.

Sean Kelly