skunks!

[firefly1957]

I did some research on the net without getting many answers except that I should not kill them? and that their droppings will draw other skunks.

Now what i am asking is if it is unusual to have a lot of skunks around the house in April I shot one in the back yard that is normal I usually get one or two a year in either the spring or fall. In mid July I started having the lawn dug up by them and I have killed 11 more as of this morning is it normal to have that many skunks in an area? Also in the last month the partridge are just about gone I had lots all summer none now? I did get two feral cats also one was stalking a rabbit which are also scarce this year. In 7 years I think I have only killed 5 or 6 skunks here as of now I am at twelve this year 11 of those in 4 months!

[Jim]

We have a lot of problems with them around here. These ol' boys up here in these hills will tell ya', every one that's left alive will produce 5 or 6 more.

Show no mercy and take no prisoners. Shoot to kill on sight.

[firefly1957]

I have been burying them and burning them I am starting to think they are like a cat with 9 lives. One websight states that skunks do not like the skunk smell largest number I have got is while they are digging up previously buried stinky skunk! I am getting a new respect for the conibear type traps then I do not need to shoot them. All of them are spraying at death no matter how they die.

[1911sw45]

Last year we killed at least 10 skunks this time of year. The neighbor killed at least 12 and he live a quarter mile away. It was the worst year we had them. They are not that bad this year. I kill them on the spot! Around Feb is breeding season for them here and I wonder if they have a fall breeding season too, since there was so many this time of year too. Just remember peroxide, baking soda, and dawn works wonders of the smell.

Adam

[scrapcan]

this was on NPR a couple days ago. Seems that there are large numbers of skunks appearing in some areas.

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/29/140915703/chicago-area-skunk-population-raises-a-stink

[kodiak1]

In the fall starting in September is when I catch and kill most of them around here.
Twenty One in one fall is the worst that i ever had and the least was eleven. I live in an area with acreage's and every one it seems has to have two or three dogs and umpteen cats.
A horse and they feed them year around sooooooooo that is what i atribute the skunks to be attracted to.
Live trap, exhaust haul away for disposal.
Shoot, Shovel and Shut up.

Ken.

[300winmag]

The little town of Brookville were I live there more skunks and cats than there are people, 22 cal air rifle helps.

[Gee_Wizz01]

If you can get them to run, they can't spray while they are running! Getting them to run is usually not to difficult, just keeping them going. My Dad use to throw a rock at them to get them running and then chase them down and break their backs with a stick! I usually just popped them with my .22. In a live trap I used just shoot them in the head and dump them out in the field and the buzzards make short work of them.

G

[trk]

I live in the mountains of Virgina.

So far this season I've trapped (8 feet from the house) 13 skunks, 3 'possums, on ferral cat, one neighbor's cat twice (hungry) and one of my cats (thoroughly embarrased that she was trapped).

Chicken bones work well for bait.

The last time rabies went through, 15 or so years ago, one of the 4 cases in town was at the end of my alley. I'm not taking chances this year.

[472x1B/A]

There's lots to learn about timber kittys. Every section of the country, they do strangest things. I've ran a trap line off and on for 35 years and still haven't seen it all. Have caught 2 at a time in 220's, 3 at a time in cage traps, at a water coon set, 3 traps, caught 2 right next to each other. Have used everything from carrots to dead mice, even sugar cubes. I've caught as few as 2 a year and as many as 39 a season. Your best advice has come from Jim and kodiak1. Get them away from the house and, well you know the rest. Good luck

[Beau Cassidy]

I have been seeing a lot of dead ones around lately as well. I wasn 't sure if it was just my observation or not. The only advice I have is don't shoot one in your garage. Don't ask me how I know that.

[jmsj]

Sounds like the skunks must be at the top of a population cycle.

I too have killed more this year than previous years at this point in the year. Normally I get most of them in the winter time. I have already killed more than most years and winter is not here yet.
jmsj

[Marine Sgt 2111]

I was out and about today, drove some 12 miles and counted 5 dead skunks along the road. I have seen a few coons but nothing like the past. I guess they go in cycles.

[MT Gianni]

The only method I ever found to keep a skunk from spraying at death is to break it's spine. It worked for me when they were in a trap and i was shooting down for a heart shot right between the shoulder blades.

[CLAYPOOL]

10 - 4 on the downward short threw the front sholders....New thing around here is to open a can of cheap sardines and sprinkle(cover) it in "Marlin" fly dope granels(SP). supposedly they will be lieing dead in a few feet...Unfortantly(SP) any other mamuals , warm blooded will be dead also.. I.E. cats - dogs - coons - you get the piucture...we are still @ 60 and holding for 4 years..

[firefly1957]

manleyjt That article had better information than I found on the WWW. (World Wide Web)
Thank you all for the information I do use lethal methods to control them as I have no neighbor, zoning, or hunting restrictions to cause me any grief. I have found that burying them seems just to attract more of them . One piece of information on the WWW is obviously wrong from what I am seeing and is posted here, that skunks are loners, It is obvious that is wrong.

[44man]

If you can get them to run, they can't spray while they are running! Getting them to run is usually not to difficult, just keeping them going. My Dad use to throw a rock at them to get them running and then chase them down and break their backs with a stick! I usually just popped them with my .22. In a live trap I used just shoot them in the head and dump them out in the field and the buzzards make short work of them.

G
I wanted a skin to tan long ago, found one in a field at night so we chased it with a big light. You could see the huge droplets in the light.
I would not trust that running thing too much.

[redneckdan]

This is my go to skunk blaster.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/redneckdan/IMGP4194.jpg

400gr wide flat nose at 2400 FPS from a 375 H&H. Never had one spray. Usually leaves a black and red skid mark with a green mist hovering over the smear.

[Echo]

Anybody trap and skin them? I understand the fur is luxurious...

[Hardcast416taylor]

10 - 4 on the downward short threw the front sholders....New thing around here is to open a can of cheap sardines and sprinkle(cover) it in "Marlin" fly dope granels(SP). supposedly they will be lieing dead in a few feet...Unfortantly(SP) any other mamuals , warm blooded will be dead also.. I.E. cats - dogs - coons - you get the piucture...we are still @ 60 and holding for 4 years..



The grounds keepers at Michigan State University use the fly dope mixed in a shallow dish with Coca-Cola in it. They go around early in the A.M. to gather up the dead coons and skunks that usually don`t get 10 feet from the dish, it fries their brain somehow causing rapid death.Robert

[Charley]

The grounds keepers at Michigan State University use the fly dope mixed in a shallow dish with Coca-Cola in it. They go around early in the A.M. to gather up the dead coons and skunks that usually don`t get 10 feet from the dish, it fries their brain somehow causing rapid death.Robert
When they get caught by their state regulators (and they will, sooner or later), somebody is gonna have a huge assed fine, and likely some jail time for applying off label. If they end up killing somebody's pet or a child, the civil suite will devastate everybody involved. Good luck to them.

[firefly1957]

Redneck Dan I can top that I have Sharps 50-3 1/4 I can easily kick 450gr bullets out at over 2400f/s but I do think that is overkill for a skunk. Well I really do not believe you can have to much gun or fun.

Charley if the college is doing it I am sure they are doing it legally lawyer always have first say there.

After a walk around the property today and setting some more traps poison is looking better all the time. I found several places they have been digging up lawn/trails and a large yellow jacket nest they dug up.

[Stick_man]

I used to live in a small rural community in SE Utah and my wife loved to feed all the neighborhood cats. Unfortunately, a byproduct of that "act of kindness" was it attracted a lot of skunks too. I talked with a local LEO I was friends with and he suggested borrowing a live trap from the city. Well, I tried it using a little peanut butter for bait and it worked. It worked VERY well. With solid sides, the skunks can't see out of it and won't spray in an enclosed area like that. I was able to pick the trap up, put it in the back of my pickup, and hauled it over to the friends place where he had a big water trough for his cattle. Turning the trap into a submarine for about 5 minutes does the trick and they don't spray upon passing. I caught about 30 skunks that summer (never a cat though) and gave most of them swimming lessons in a local river. Must not be a very good teacher though cuz none of them survived. :) I was told that you can tell if you have a cat or a skunk without looking into the trap. If, when submerged, the animal fights for it's life, it is a cat. Skunks go peacefully, without a fuss. This was the case with every skunk I caught. Also, the peanut butter worked better than tunafish, which does not attract cats.

[billyb]

If you can get them to run, they can't spray while they are running! Getting them to run is usually not to difficult, just keeping them going. My Dad use to throw a rock at them to get them running and then chase them down and break their backs with a stick! I usually just popped them with my .22. In a live trap I used just shoot them in the head and dump them out in the field and the buzzards make short work of them.

G

I have personal experience that can most definatly spray on the run. They can spray upto 10 times before the run out of juice.

Bill

[Suo Gan]

I think you nailed it, the yellow jackets this year have been incredible. Lots of skunks too.

[shotman]

Guy up the road used the fly bait and peanut butter. he put it on little shelf on fence posts . Dogs cant get to it and cats didnt bother it . a skunk can climb but they wont go up any higher than can jump down. what he said
I had a few but had a dog that would track and kill everyone he could find . He got a double shot when he was young. and he never forgot it. The spine thing must work cause he rarely got hit. When he did it was to the pond and roll in red clay.
Oh the peanut butter and fly bait will kill birds too
most are the ones you want rid of but cardinals will eat it too

[firefly1957]

I accidently found out about birds liking peanut butter many years ago I saw a couple mice running on my shed roof so I put mouse traps up there with peanut butter in them 6 sparrows later I gave up.

My experience with these skunks is different then some of you some of these skunks have sprayed at seeing me and I was not even close most have sprayed at death a weak stream but the yard still stinks.

The conibear trap I put across hole dug into yellow jacket den was gone today the stake was dug out and 15 feet away and 3 feet from path of exit? There were three size tracks I think they were all either skunk or possum the possum tracks were small 3/8 of an inch? Tracks and drag marks went into neighboring land I will talk to him before looking further than I have. I set some foot holds maybe it will make it back tonight . Also set some with cooked meat for bait all the meat was gone except what was under trap. Partridge hunting on state land today on the sandy roads I saw a lot of cat tracks house cat size not bob cat size got one shot missed. was 78 here today!!!!

[Charley]

Nope, the label is the law. Unless they have an EUP (experimental use permit) which isn't very likely given that carbamates have been around since the 1960s, they are in violation of the label and the state regulatory agency will go after them. I doubt the university or its attorneys have any idea of the s**tstorm they could end up in.

[firefly1957]

Charley have you ever had a problem with or do you work for an agency that would enforce this type of rule?

[Charley]

Charley have you ever had a problem with or do you work for an agency that would enforce this type of rule?

Nope. I'm an entomologist, and been in the pest managment industry for almost 30 years. I've seen regulators do things you wouldn't believe. Just suggesting they cover their collective butts.
I've seen people go to prison, lose licenses and businesses, and get sued into oblivion.

[DLCTEX]

My great Grandfather told me when I was a kid that if you can pick a skunk up by it's tail he won't spray. Finally got a chance to try it out and it's true. I have since done it many times and no spray.

[gray wolf]

This is Wise Owl.

I trapped a pair of skunks back in Michigan after they sprayed my dog twice. They had hung around for a couple years but after deciding Candy dog was fair game, they had to go bye bye.
I called a pest control guy who was busy as heck getting rid of other critters for people but he did loan me a couple of those traps that are covered. Told me to use grape jelly in them.
Worked like a charm. Got both in one night.

Put them in the back of our pickup and took em for a ride to state land. Turned them both loose up there. Never even though about spraying me. Just took off away from the truck and me into the woods.

I didn't want to kill them as they kept the mice down around the house. They are good mousers in that regard.

But I didn't cotton to them spraying my dog in the face and I figure if she got nailed twice then she was NOT going to learn to stay away from black and white night kitties...

I also trapped 16 coons and took them all for rides. LONG rides. Luckily we lived near state land and I could take them 10 miles back in the woods and turn them loose.
I love to hunt and have zero problems with a deer for meat or birds for the table but to just blast away critters "unless" they are really a problem (like a nasty wild cat we had up here that Gray Wolf put down) I would rather just relocate to somewhere that they are not going to be a problem for anyone.

This is nothing against you guys. If you feel rabies is a viable threat, have at it. Decent target practice but make sure you are upwind from them night kitties..

[Stick_man]

My great Grandfather told me when I was a kid that if you can pick a skunk up by it's tail he won't spray. Finally got a chance to try it out and it's true. I have since done it many times and no spray.

Problem exists when you let go of that tail.



Wise Owl, I tried taking the skunks for a long ride, but was asked not to do that by a local wildlife officer. He said they have some kind of natural homing device and will return within a very short time. Skunks can be tough on pheasant populations (and other ground-nesting birds) because they love to get into the eggs. I, too, would rather not kill something just for the sake of killing, but would also much rather see a healthy pheasant population than skunk population around here. With all the urban sprawl, the local game birds are under extreme stress and populations are dwindling rapidly. With each new house or office being built, their habitat is shrinking that much more. Pheasants will soon only be found on pheasant farms in Utah. They used to be found across most of the state pretty abundantly.

[300winmag]

The grounds keepers at Michigan State University use the fly dope mixed in a shallow dish with Coca-Cola in it. They go around early in the A.M. to gather up the dead coons and skunks that usually don`t get 10 feet from the dish, it fries their brain somehow causing rapid death.Robert
Tuna and decon works good, give's them time to run off and croke that way you don't have to mess with them.
:redneck:

[bootsnthejeep]

I thought I'd posted about my skunks experience here once before, but I can't find it if I did.

Stick Man's on it as far as my theory is concerned. I got a havahart trap, left it out in the open with some kind of smelly bait in it (my father swears marshmallows work great. I dunno. I think they'll eat anything).

After a few false starts (one red squirrel and the neighbors cat. That thing was PISSED.), finally got down to the business of removing skunks. I couldn't believe how many there were. I figured after the first few that that either had to be it, or the rest would get the message. I transported and ventilated 7 of em just out of that property.

Calmly approach the trap holding a blanket or a tarp in front of you. Speak in soothing tones. Get up to the trap and throw the tarp over it. Now contained, they won't spray. Well, let's put it this way. I'VE never been sprayed. One squirted a little bit, but he was an ornery sucker anyway. That was also the only one that took two shots of #4 to finally settle down.

I'd transport them to a pit near the house. Lots of coyotes, crows and buzzards about, so they never lasted long. Set the trap down. The skunk will usually be wedged all the way in one end of the trap (mine had a double door). Set the heavy end down, and pull the tarp away from the light end. Pull the door up, and secure with a squeeze clamp. (Now is not the time to be fumbling with the stupid latch!)

Usually it will take them quite a while to venture out of the trap, giving you plenty of time to retire to the truck for the shootin iron. Once they do clear the trap, they start motivating. 12 gauge, and lead appropriately.

The first two I caught I handled the traps like they were nuclear bombs. The last one I disposed of was hesitant to come out of the trap and I was actually holding the trap up and shaking him out. He didn't like it, but I was late for work, and this had to get happening.

I've also heard the throw the trap in the stream method, I've just never done it. My buddy Pete, however, has a version of his mouse trap that he uses for skunks. Its the tried and true five gallon bucket half full of water and antifreeze, ramp up both sides, string with a spindle and bait. He leaves it in his camp to collect mice, the trap that never needs resetting. Only the skunk version is scaled up to a 55 gallon drum. Plank up each side, wire spindle and bait, or just a plank up one side and bait on the other. (Direct quote from Pete: "Pile lettuce on the far rim of the barrel. Skunks LOVE lettuce!" He was swaying a bit at the time. But he seemed confident.)

Anyway, fill barrel half full of water, and leave it. That was it. But I didn't get it.

"But Pete, can't skunks swim?"
"Well, yeah, but... they can't swim all NIGHT."

[parrott1969]

The skunk population is on the rise due to the decrease in owl populations. Owl's are a skunks only predator. I am going to mess this up but its due to not having "olfactory sensors." In redneck ( my first language) it means they can not smell. A couple of years ago I did a lot of research on them and found this very interesting.

[MT Gianni]

Coyote, fox and wolves love to eat skunk as they are a rich source of fat in the winter. Skunk scent has been sold as a lure and a cover scent since they started selling trappping scents.

[Charley]

Guess I should let this go, but don't have the sense to. As I mentioned, I've been in and around the pest managment industry for 30 years. I've trapped skunks, armadillos, ringtails, racoons, snakes, and other stuff. I teach and train people to do it today, and some of the responses, I swear I can hear the Three Stooges theme song playing n the background. I make decent money trapping and teaching others to do it, so I'm not just "some guy who said"...

If you have animals around an area, the first thing you need to do is determine WHY they are there. All animals have three basic needs, you hunters out there know this. They need food, water, and shelter. Sad to say, an awful lot of the homes we trap at look like the movie set for Deliverence. Clean the area...get rid of windfall fruit from fruit trees, seal the crawlspace under outbuildings, decks, and any other structure that provides shelter. Don't leave piles of debris...ok, ****, lying around. Get rid of brushpiles. Stack firewood neatly, and off the ground. Don't leave dog and cat food outside and available for 24 hours a day. That is a guaranteed draw for skunks and racoons.

Repellants work well, you can train animals to avoid an area. Critter Ridder from Havahart works well, and will last about 30 days or so, depending on the rainfall. It is a product containing pepper oils and other extracts. Plain old para crystals (paradychlorobenzene), or moth flakes/mothballs are pretty repellent, but don't last as long. If you can push the animals away from the area, and train them to stay away, you don't need to trap the bloody things.

If you do need to trap, Havahart type box traps work fine. Cover the trap with black poly, and duct tape it down securly so the cover won't blow off. Skunks tend to like dark, shadowed areas, this makes the trap more effective, and keeps him from seeing you and spraying. Bootsnthejeep is right, hold a blanket or tarp in front of you, and sloooowly drape it over the trap. Keeps the animal calm, and you from getting sprayed, especially if the trap isn't covered. Don't trip on the tarp, a coworker did once, feel with his head about a foot from the trap, and got blasted in the face. He liked to never lived that one down.

If you are going to relocate/shoot the skunk, easiest to take a bungee cord, set the trap down, and slip the bungee onto the door and trap handle, and tie the door up. Walk away, and let the animal calm down. Usually, he'll come out in 2 to 3 minutes, unless he feels threatened. Don't let him see you. Let him walk, or ventilate him when he's clear of the trap.

Don't listen to those who tell you a skunk can't spray when being carried by the tail or when it can't raise his tail or other such nonsense. A skunk can spray anytime, in any body postition. Be warned and careful.

When /where rabies is a problem, skunks are often a primary vector. If the skunk is lethargic, aggressive, or behaves abnomaly, DON'T handle him in any way. You do NOT need to be bitten to contract the virus. Rabies shots are no fun.

Around here the most common predators of skunks are coyotes and cars.

[firefly1957]

Charlie thank you for the insight and explanations I know if the wrong agency gets involved like in misusing a product it can become serious that is why I asked.

It is illegal to transport animals live trapped animals in Michigan I have two legal choices release them at same place or destroy them. My little buddy passed (A Corgi dog) two years ago and the mice numbers have really climbed since, until early August I had a lot of partridge too but when the skunks and feral cats moved in they disappeared so I need to limit the numbers of "PESTS" to balance what I what in my yard . Coyotes are apparently smart enough after I shot three of them they no longer approach the house,I am sure they will start again. Since then I have also noticed the deer will gather near the house to avoid the coyotes , HOW DO DEER KNOW THAT? I have a live trap and use it when needed but with few rabbits and partridge in the yard now I have gone to leghold and body gripping traps as it is unlikely I will catch a untargeted species. Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions I had not thought about the high mouse numbers being a root cause to my problem this fall I will increase the number of mouse baits I use also.

[Charley]

High mouse populations can lead to attracting predators to the area, just about every North American carnivore will happily eat mice. I wouldn't bother with rodenticides, instead I'd pick up some Tin Cats, made by Victor. Multiple animal traps, don't need baiting if you set them in the runways, and the trapped mice become attractants for even more mice ...they are pretty curious animals. If they smell or hear other mice, they will investigate.
We all know whitetails learn quickly when it comes to survival. With the current drought in my part of the country, they've been climbing onto decks and front porches to eat potted plants, even when the homeowners are home.
The Tin Cats can easily be dumped into a water bucket to kill the catch, emptied out, then reset in position. Faster and easier than messing with other stuff. Ketchall traps work well also, but are more expensive, and you have to wind them up.


http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1T4SUNA_enUS258US268&q=tin+cats&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=12706207010364005135&sa=X&ei=YbiRTq6YLoK5twev0sWmDA&ved=0CE4Q8wIwAA#

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4SUNA_enUS258US268&q=ketchall+mousetrap#q=ketchall+mousetrap&hl=en&rlz=1T4SUNA_enUS258US268&prmd=imvns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=jrqRTpC4KNO1tgeZ9rmSDA&ved=0CGsQrQQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=f48f875a4ad97196&biw=1280&bih=797

[DCM]

+1 on the tin cats, I often find 2-3 mice in them.

[firefly1957]

Thanks for the tip on tin cats for mice I also have shrews which will not feed on mouse poison.

Now I am really perplexed! checking three traps I set, two were set off with a stick the third down the hole with the still active yellow jacket nest was well hidden and had skunk hair and skin in the jaws but it pulled out? I found no human tracks other than my own what is going on with the stick in the traps?

[edler7]

In mid July I started having the lawn dug up by them

That's the key, you got/had grub worms in the lawn. One of their favorite foods. They will tear your lawn to shreds getting at them. Had the same thing happen several years ago when we had a bad grub worm season.

The neighbor even had skunks nesting under his porch. It was so bad your eyes would water when you went in their house. Don't do what he did...he trapped the first one with one of those live trap cages, the wire ones. When he picked it up, the skunk planted his back feet and sprayed his leg from about 1 foot away. His wife made him strip naked, burn his clothes and then hosed him off outside before she would even let him in the house to shower. He called an exterminator to trap the rest of the nest.

Also, don't leave dry cat or dog food outside. They get pretty fond of eating it.

[firefly1957]

elder7 that is my time line as well grubs are bad this year I have to much lawn to poison them and if I use as little poison as possible trying to control the wildlife on property by other means. It is a learning curve I am learning slowly but still learning what works and what does not work. I have found deer repellents do not work and fences stop deer (garden) but not coons woodchucks and more and Mice and sparrows will do some serious damage to a garden .

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

When they get caught by their state regulators (and they will, sooner or later), somebody is gonna have a huge assed fine, and likely some jail time for applying off label. If they end up killing somebody's pet or a child, the civil suite will devastate everybody involved. Good luck to them.

often places suggest the grounds keeping staff deal with the issue , the illegal alien on the crew "deals with the issue " if they are caught anyone with a SS# doesn't know anything about it , the expendable person takes the fall for it.

disposable employees , hired to deal with the issues , that aren't cost effective to do any other way

isn't that the new American business model or perhaps i am mistaken and it only looks that way.

[Charley]

elder7 that is my time line as well grubs are bad this year I have to much lawn to poison them and if I use as little poison as possible trying to control the wildlife on property by other means. It is a learning curve I am learning slowly but still learning what works and what does not work. I have found deer repellents do not work and fences stop deer (garden) but not coons woodchucks and more and Mice and sparrows will do some serious damage to a garden .

Don't know how they would work up your way, but beneficial nematodes work very well against soil insects down here. You buy 'em on a sponge, soak it in water to release the freeze dried nematodes, and apply to your turf. No pesticides, but decent control. Used here primarily for June beetle grubs. You might do some research in your area.

[Blacksmith]

Firefly1957

You might want to try milky spore. It causes a disease in the grubs and is not harmfull to other animals, birds or beneficial insects. Over time it spreads as it kills the grubs.

Blacksmith

[firefly1957]

Thank you for the tips.

[firefly1957]

Looked that milky spore up $65 for a 1/4 acre I may have to keep shooting and trapping the skunks I would need to cover at least 3 acres to harm the grubs. It is bacteria I suppose I could put it in a growth medium and multiply it but if something went wrong there is homeland security again.

[Blacksmith]

Just spread the milky spore over a wider area, as the grubs eat it and the disease kills them it multiplies in the grub then the dead grub releases it back in the ground so over time it will spread. It may take years but eventully it will cover your ground and your neighbors too.

Blacksmith

[firefly1957]

Blacksmith Thanks I do not have neighbors with lawn though most of my land it wooded I have to work on dead falls too. That helps skunks with cover and dens this is the first year I have had this many skunks but am hearing the same across the state.

[phaessler]

I just happened to stumble upon this, and here in SW Virginia, we had about a week of "lawn digging". I blamed it on skunks initially, then after setting out in the yard with my treestand, I found a "herd" of opposum come thru, 8 of them. There meal of choice was earthworms, apparently the smell of the fresh soil from replanting a section of yard triggered their visit. I thought for sure it was grubs, until I was able to "investigate" ;) . The lot behind ours was clear cut two years ago, and lots of slash and tree tops left to provide shelter.
Needless to say it was interesting to read all this and see that I am not alone. But unfortunately while I have a large lot, I have a tree-huggin neighbor that feeds every wild animal on the planet, and refuses to believe there are coyotes and bear 100ft from their back door. They are anti-gun Obamaites, and they drive a Prius...
Good info here and good luck firefly.

[contender1]

I have to applaude Charley here. He has given excellent info. I will only add to his posting by saying this. Each & every state has LAWS about what you can & can't do with wildlife. I strongly suggest you do a search on the net or phone call YOUR state game commission. Some laws are state, and others are federal. In NC, due to disease concerns, we can not relocate mammals now. Release on site, or kill. Rabies vectors drive the list. Skunks, coons etc are chart toppers as vectors. Yet, the lowly possum is allowed to be relocated.
As Charley noted, critters live their entire lives around 3 things; Food, Shelter, & Reproduction. Break that chain, and they will go where they can do all three. But by all means folks, do it LEGALLY!!!!!!!!!

[firefly1957]

phaessler Thanks for the input I have had coons and opossums also the coons do a lot of damage and the possums are just plain nasty I have been keeping them under control mostly by shooting them on sight. This is the first in the seven years I have had skunks like this I hope I can break that cycle soon. There are coyotes and bear here I have not yet seen a bear but have shot three coyotes from my porch one was coming towards me at 40ft. Coyotes learn quick to stay away from the house but that causes a problem because deer will come near the house at night to keep safe from coyotes.

contender1 Yes it is important to know the rules there are some that can be serious if law enforcement gets involved. It is illegal to transport live wild life in Michigan unless licensed to do so and I do not care for some of the poisons because of other critters that get in it. Even using live traps I have found dog biscuits attract rabbits & partridge at least I can release them when they are caught.

[Rockydog]

I have been seeing a lot of dead ones around lately as well. I wasn 't sure if it was just my observation or not. The only advice I have is don't shoot one in your garage. Don't ask me how I know that.

And don't lean over the horizontal Air Compressor to see what the dog has trapped behind it. You'll never forget the impact of a spray 3 feet from your nose.....RD

[firefly1957]

Fortunately I have not been sprayed I have smelled of skunk from how strong it is but it did wash off. Some years ago I was going in the yard at night and small a black cat was running right towards me it was quite dark and motion was more seen than details I moved to the side and kicked the cat (It startled me and I had no idea what it was attempting to do) at that point I could smell that it was not a cat. I caught it under the belly and it went over the four foot fence into the neighbors yard. From then on I started carrying a flash light when I came home from work at night. The woman that lived across from me hired someone to remove 9 skunks that were living under her front porch.