Help getting rid of a skunk

[Granny]

This morning I noticed a skunk has started making a home in a dirt pile near my house. Its too close to my house to shoot it right there. I remember a successful ground wasp mission that was set up on this site, so maybe you guys could help me out with a skunk. I live out in the sticks so any and all suggestions are welcome!

Ebass, I expect some input.

Thanks,

Granny

[tadpole]

I'm not sure about the regs. in Minnesota but I have dispatched many a skunk with 220 conibear in front of the hole. If there is another exit hole fill it in with some debris to force it to come out of the hole. Lay some additional type of cover over the trap to make the hole look as if it contiues on out passed the trap. Probably won't be long until you have little skunks.

Good Luck & make sure this is legal up there!
Tad

[widetrack]

Go get yourself a small livetrap.

I duct taped mine all up, and taped in a aluminum cloths dryer vent onto it.

Fry up a couple strips of bacon, toss them in the trap. You will have him by morning.

Drive your truck up slip dryer vent over the exhaust pipe, and toss a tarp over the trap.
Make sure he is done before disposal!

I've taken care of several in this manner, One that decided he didn't want to leave my garage for the winter.

Never been sprayed.

[This message has been edited by widetrack (edited 04-30-2004).]

[Fisher Dave]

trapping it would probably be best... I couldnt tell you the best way to do it... but I would advise to have the trap a reasonable distance from your house so if/when you do catch it... you can take care of it from a distance and not have the hassle of being sprayed at.

[icehousebob]

I read a recent article about skunk removal. It said if they're not in a position where you can gas them with engine exhaust, to soak down the area with a hose. Then keep it wet for a couple of days. Since skunks don't like to sleep in a wet area, they will leave on their own.

[Granny]

If I trap it won't it still spray? I thought that even if you shoot them their muscles relax and they leak the smell anyway. I like the gas out option. The ideal situation would be that I get it out of the hole and shoot it a couple hundred yards from the house. Anyone use M-80's to get the skunk out?

Granny

[widetrack]

They have never sprayed using the livetrap method. I use one just big enough for them to fit in.

[lawman]

If you use a live trap that will not allow the skunk to plant his rear legs and raise his tail you will not be sprayed. Bait a small live trap and you will have him. Works all the time.

[minnesota mac]

Well I would not recomend this but, I know a gut that beat one to death with a stick. Yes a stick! Him and his brother were out in the woods when they came on one, the older brother said wait here and watch it, I will go get a gun. So the younger brother thought it was taking to long and took a stick after it. Got sprayed when the older brother came back, all he could smell is skunk, well he got a bath his clothes were barried. This story was quit a hit at the deer camp. The only question did he learn anything? I could tell you the story of the paper wasp nest last year, and know I do not think he learned his lesson.

[Finlander]

Smoke it to death by using an insect smoke bomb that you ignite then throw it in the hole then plug the hole with dirt!
Problem solved! Dead and buried in one shot!

[Ruttin' Buck]

I gotta drop a good skunk story in to prove the fact that if a skunk can't plant it's rear legs it can't spray. I swear that my family members and I are skunk magnets. I have so many stories of getting rid of these rascals that I could drone on forever.

Here's the one in particular that I'll never forget. We were at my parents lake place and dad had set one of my conibers next to a hole by his shed as he claimed to have another ground hog raising h***.

Well, Saturday morning came and we were having breakfast and coffee. I peak out the window to see a critter next to the old man's shed...alive. I went to the door and looked out...I'll be d***ed if that coniber didn't catch that a skunk across the skull...not the neck! There he stood on all fours looking at me like nothing was wrong, when really he had this trap clamped on his melon!

I shut the door and told dad..."well, this should be an interesting morning"...he asked why and after showing him we both laughed as we planned the next step.

Dad says, "well, you know they can't spray if they don't have their feet on the ground". To which I replied, "and how are YOU going to prove this theory?" After he had instilled a little bit of curiousity in me we started the battle. We used a pivot system (dad in the middle) by taking a long pole saw and hooking the trap. Sure enough, we lifted him up and no spray.

We shot this skunk taking careful aim not to hit the nervous system...this WILL cause them to spray so I've been told...and proved..but that's another story!

Note..even if you live trap these animals please destroy them if you have the heart. Skunks, coons, mink, fox, coyote, etc. are all nest robbers and claim the lives of many ducks, pheasants, etc.

[ccarlson]

We had the same situation when I was a kid. My dad set a live trap and caught it. Then he somehow convinced me to help pick up the trap and carry it to the lake, the whole time this skunk has his hind end staring at me. I was thinking to myself, "how stupid am I to be doing this?" Then we dropped it quickly in the water where it drowned.

We never got sprayed but as soon as it hit the water, the water turned all greasy like an oil slick.

I like the car exhaust idea better than carrying a skunk 300 feet and down a stair way and out onto a dock. Just hope he doesn't spray and stink up your vehicle.

ccarlson

[can it be luck?]

Widetrack, that's a cool idea! I never thought of making a "gas chamber" for rodent disposal, neat.
Now it's off to the hardware store for supplys, then it's time to find some rodents!
Granny, how were you able to lure in your skunk?

------------------
http://groups.msn.com/canitbeluck

[McGurk]

Not a solution, but a good laugh.

Up at an uncle's cabin we have a Outdoor Survival Guide which has an answer to many a question. The answer to killing a skunk for the sake of eating it seemed a little far-fetched, but here goes.

Approach it head on. If it tries to turn, turn with it making sure to stay face to face. get close enough to grab it by the tail _quickly_ picking it up. When the back legs are not on the ground it cannot spray. Commence spinning the skunk around over you head and slam its head against a tree repeatedly until dead. Soak it in the coldest water available to close and shrink the stink gland. Gut while cold and cook as you would cook any other varmint out in the woods.

That is the jist of it anyway. Some crazy stuff in that book. It also says to kill a beaver by hand by picking it up by the tail and drop-kicking it in the gut like a football. I'm not kidding. Makes for a good laugh over and over again at the cabin. just picture it for yourself.

Good Luck, Granny!

McGurk

[Granny]

Thank you all for the info. It should be an interesting battle. Operation skunk removal has begun.

Granny

[trollingforeyes]

Granny: Try throwing some moth balls around the area. Your skunk will leave. Good luck catching all them moths also!

[Granny]

I thought about shooting it and hoping it went back in the hole so I could just bury it right away.
Has anyone raised baby skunks? Maybe I will let it have babies and take them to a vet and have their "sprayer" removed.

Thanks again,

Granny

[Fisher Dave]

If all else fails and you end up in close quarters with the skunk and it does the *hand stand* ... pretend the 2 pine trees in the distance are field goal post.

[Uncle Grump]

I've a wild game cookbook w/ a reciepe for
skunk. Any one want it?

UG

[The Grebe]

I don't know much about getting rid of skunks under houses, but if you can reach them, the water trick sounds like it might work.

I ran a trapline every fall for about 20 years and I have caught alot of skunks! Fox lines are notorious for bagging skunks and now we have the Oppossum to deal with, but, I digress. I know about skunks! I have skun out my share, been sprayed numerous times and never ever found a way to kill a skunk and not have it spray!

I heard so many stories on how to do it this way, or that...you mess around with those things you are going to get blasted, sooner, or later. Even if you just handle them, you are going to pick up the smell!

If you make the wrong choice and the skunk sprays, or dies under your house, you are going to have to deal with a very pungent odor, for quite awhile! (Call me goofy, but I don't find the smell of skunk unpleasant in small quanities...part of the outdoor smells.)

My nephew walked up to a big fat skunk we had gotten in a fox set, up by Little Falls where he lived. I told him to be carefull and he tells me that they can't spray you if you are in front of them...he walks up to the skunk with the .22, puts the barrel point blank and touches off...at the same time, that skunk rolled over, back to front and shot my nephew right square in the face at about 4 feet! He took the full charge square in the mush! He let out a yell, dropped the rifle, grabbed for his eyes, stumbled around for a second and blacked out!

He had a full beard and he had that nasty yellowish green essense just a dripping from his face! He came to, we did what we could for him, we went into Pierz, cleared out the gas station, got him washed up, was told we had to leave, and continued on the trapline...his face got burned, his vision was goofed up for a couple of weeks, he got blisters on his lips, smelled for a couple of weeks, but otherwise came out of it okay. Watch what you do with those skunks buddy! Once it is done, it takes awhile to undo it!

[chunkytrout]

Had my encounters. None of them good. You got dogs? They won't freak (spray) unless prompted to. Whatever you do granny, make it quick and simple. We'll have "you know who" all over our behind on this subject if it keeps up. Maybe try the Trap forum. I'll bet them folks got some good anti-skunk remedies. By the way, ran over a dead one in Two Harbors today. When I got out of the car in ELY it still stank. P U !

chunk