Skunks

[jeepyj]

Alright I've got a dog who takes off like a jet when he see something in "His back yard" well twice sprayed this year I started to trap these little critters. Long story short in my backyard I have trapped 8 so far this season 6 of them in two or three weeks and some nights I don't even set the trap. Seems like a never ending supply plus it's like playing Russian roulette every time I get one.
Thank you I just had to vent
Jeepyj

[beagle]

I have the same problem with my dog. He got it twice. Then, I started dusk and evening patrols with the M870 loaded with #4 Remington Express loads and the remaining intruders have moved out of the immediate area. You have to keep an eye on them./beagle

[unclogum bill]

Good idea to have your dog up on his shots. Rabies and them critters are a possible. I don't know if dogs ever learn to keep off them . Mine never seemed to and they had a good kill ratio on them . The porcupines are even worst. Watched my dog work one as it hugged a tree and swung its tail. Sooner or later the quill connects and the dog goes at them. Big mistake, then again ,they never learn.

[CLAYPOOL]

We use the sewage lagoon for disposal. Shoot threw the shoulders from above for freeze affect. Watch them very closely as you walk up. Head bobbing, is good + bad. If calmly done by them. O.K. watch for agitation. Have bulk (cheap) tomato juice on hand. Do NOT allow people to agate them. Shoot threw the Humane trap wire. No body shoots or head if possible. If things aren't going your way back off. Once they are in the trap they most of the time are calm. Use plenty of caliber. Use ear protection in Pole Sheds! We are @ # 69. No disasters YET..!

[CLAYPOOL]

Marsh Mellows, Cat Food, etc. Don't throw out peelings, etc. as that is just a attractant for them to invegestate. (sp)

[runfiverun]

the thing with dog's and skunks is once a dog get's into it with a skunk they learn to either avoid them completely.
or they hate them so badly you can't keep them away from them.
there's no way I know of to break them from going after them once they start.

[w5pv]

Powdered moth balls will keep them out of places you don't want them to be,I am going to try this trick around my pecan trees to keep the squirrels out.If anyone tries this on squirrels and it works please post.I think it will work because it will stick to their feet after running through the wet grass and like skunks they will not like the taste and will try to avoid it.

[jeepyj]

Well I was hoping 8 was going to be the end but I woke up to another surprise... ole #9. I guess I'm going to hit double digits.
jeepyj

[starmac]

The dog I had for years killed everything big enough to die. For some odd reason he was proud of skunk kills, and would always bring them and leave them on the perch, he wouldn't do this with anything else.

He decided after two times that porcupines were not fun to mess with and never tackled another one.

[grumman581]

"All dogs are stupid -- some just more so than others"

Still, I'll take even the dumbest dog over a cat ANYDAY.

I have found that after you shoot the skunk, the muscles will loosen up over the next day and their "spray" will leak out, so you need to dispose of the body quickly. What I usually do is just grab a post hole digger and dig a hole right next to them that is 2 ft or so deep, roll them over into it, and then pack the dirt back in the hole. Even with 2 ft of dirt packed down over the top of them, the smell might still be noticeable for a couple of days, but it's not as bad as if you just dumped the body 100 yds away from your house. I have an electric fence surrounding my yard to "encourage" my dogs to not try to tunnel out. It also is effective in keeping may small to medium size ground level pests from ever making it *into* my backyard.

[reloaderman1]

Just a thought, but if you have a tree with a low crouch, a small cup nailed to the crouch and filled with anti-freeze, will keep it away from the dog yet still available to the skunks.



just sayin'

[William Yanda]

The skunks may be checking your lawn for grubs. No grubs=no attraction for skunks.

[jeepyj]

The skunks may be checking your lawn for grubs. No grubs=no attraction for skunks.
No question that they are feasting on a small area thet has some grubs. I have treated twice and thought that I had conquered the grubs. The lawn is still green and the crows are gone but I must have not gotten them all. I'll stay the course and keep trapping. Right now I've got it down to about fifteen minutes start to finish and I'm quite positive they aren't coming back.
Jeepyj

[contender1]

I'm an Animal Damage Control Agent for NC. It is illegal to poison wildlife,,, and I know that the fine folks here do not condone illegal activity. Do not put out antifreeze etc.

Tomato juice doesn't work for removing skunk scent. But, a quart of peroxide, a quarter cup of baking soda, and 2-3 tea spoons of Dawn dish detergent, all mixed together & used right away will cut the smell. (It has no shelf life once mixed.)

Keep up the grub & earthworm treatment & soon the skunks will look for better places to feed.

[unclogum bill]

Well the fella who says Tomato juice, (I used what ever Tomato I had) doesn't work is pretty much right. It doe's mask it some, so if your desperate , do it. his recipe is more effective.

[GaryN]

Tomato juice doesn't work for removing skunk scent. But, a quart of peroxide, a quarter cup of baking soda, and 2-3 tea spoons of Dawn dish detergent, all mixed together & used right away will cut the smell. (It has no shelf life once mixed.)


I've used this recipe. It is the only thing I have found that works. It doesn't work 100% but helps a lot.

[phonejack]

Be careful, I learned on my news yesterday that a rabid skunk was found close to me. Probably like snakes, where there is one, there are two. Or more !

[willie_pete]

I used to date a girl that had a pet skunk; Lilac was her name. Skunks are very near-sighted and she would slap her front paws on the ground as way of warning if she didn't recognize you. She would also fold herself into a U shape so you were looking at both ends as she tried to spray, even though she was de-scented. Cute little thing; ate cat food.

WP