skunk

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I was hoping you'd try the flashlight or dirt thing.

If you decide to try that please get video of it

[pete501]

There is a Skunk Specific Trap that is like a drain pipe that doesn't allow the tail to be raised. Find it by google-ing "skunk trap".

Personally I don't mind the smell. I trap all the time. The only time I had one not spray was Death by Exhaust. Head shots, body shots all let loose.

I tell the wife: The only thing that doesn't help the smell is You Complaining About It!

If you want to lessen the smell already present you can place Bleach in open plastic tubs, like cottage cheese containers.

[MT Gianni]

If you break the spine they will not spray. A 38 from straight down will do it but they have to be facing you in a leg hold trap.

[GL49]

Live catch trap with a blanket over it, baited with cat food. You should then gently and quietly pickup the trap without disturbing it too much to make it spray. Then stick a hose from your running cars tailpipe under the blanket and gas it.

The "blanket over the trap" trick, then "gently and quietly pick up the trap", works almost all of the time. Notice that I said "almost all of the time". You'll regret the one time you aren't gentle enough, or quiet enough, and well within range. Do not, under any circumstances, peek under the blanket to see what you've caught. Trust me on that one.
I think that skunk came from Krypton, 'cause oh-boy, he was surely special. My wife loves telling that story.

[rbuck351]

I set up a skunk bait station 40 yds from the bedroom window. The bait basket hangs from a post with a string that runs to the house with a cow bell tied to the end. When the bell rings in the middle of the night I blast them with my 22kh with a night vision scope mounted on it. I immediately go pick them up with a shovel and take them about 50 yds into the field. Next morning I fire up the backhoe and put them about 3 ft under dirt and put a sprinkler over the kill area. If you are going to deal with skunks you might as well have some fun getting rid of them. Only got 5 or 6 this year.

[AllanD]

My personal close encounter with a skunk does not involve getting sprayed...

and so far as I know the skunk lived a long and happy life.

One night I though I saw my black cat stretching against a gate post as I was walking back from my neighbors house and I casually reached down to scratch his head. I realized instantly something wasn't right because it's hair was finer textured, but whatever it was, it seemed it was into what I was doing, because it turned it's head to control where I was scratching.

Then the breeze shifted! and some tree branch triggered the motion sensitive light

I seem to have teleported about 40feet and I have a lingering impression the skunk was dissapointed

[Idaho45guy]

A neighbor of mine in AZ was an official animal rescue sort and had a skunk that was de-scented and brought into the state illegally by it's former owner.

Her name was Chloe and it was fascinating to be able to hold and pet a skunk. Like a big lethargic house cat, she was. He also had some domesticated ravens, owls, and other birds. But the skunk was the coolest.

[kbstenberg]

I was in my teens. Out jump shooting ducks. I came out of a watery marsh. Into HEAVY tagalders. I looked to my right and at about 2' there was a skunk, i got him without being sprayed. I turned straight ahead there was another one also about 2' away, that one also was shot. I looked to my right #U$@ there was a third one again not more than 2' away. That one also was shot. I never got a drop of spray on me. But the area just reeked for a long time.
It all happened just as fast as my reflexes could react. To this day i don't know why i didn't get sprayed. Kevin
I know i have never shot my shotgun as fast as i did that day.

[richhodg66]

My personal close encounter with a skunk does not involve getting sprayed...

and so far as I know the skunk lived a long and happy life.

One night I though I saw my black cat stretching against a gate post as I was walking back from my neighbors house and I casually reached down to scratch his head. I realized instantly something wasn't right because it's hair was finer textured, but whatever it was, it seemed it was into what I was doing, because it turned it's head to control where I was scratching.

Then the breeze shifted! and some tree branch triggered the motion sensitive light

I seem to have teleported about 40feet and I have a lingering impression the skunk was dissapointed

Now that's funny.

When we lived in the little town we used to, there were a couple of years we had a skunk invasion, they were everywhere. At the time, we had a young basset hound who was dumb as a post. He woke me up one morning about 4:00 AM wanting to go out, since we had a fenced backyard in a quiet town where everybody knows everybody, I just let him out in the backyard and went back to bed knowing the alarm was gonna go off in an hour or so. When it did, we could smell skunk even inside, and I thought "Oh, &*%$! Shiloh messed with a skunk!" Went to the back kitchen window and looked out, there he was rubbing his nose in the dirt. I opened the back door just an inch or so and called him, he came to the door and I took a big sniff, no, nothing, opened it further and checked him over and was sure he hadn't been sprayed. The next door neighbors had two dogs that got hold of one, thankfully, a chain link fence kept my little knucklehead away from the whole affair, but those folks were outside scrubbing down those two dogs who were sick from it with various concoctions most of the day.

We live way out in the woods now and I've been seeing more of them lately. Even had one wandering through the backyard the other morning, fortunately, the current dog was inside. I considered shooting it, and I may regret not doing it, I've just become reluctant to killing things without a good reason lately. If they become a problem here, I guess I'll have to but so far, they have generally kept their distance from the house.

[Taylor]

Ya'll go right ahead and mess with that skunk.....

[abunaitoo]

I've heard the the glands can be removed, and the make good pets, if you get them young.
They are kind of cute.

[jonp]

Find out where it's denning and put a live trap with a bowl of peanut butter or sardines in the back of the trap up against the opening. Put an old blanket over the trap so it's dark. When it's caught leave the blanket on there and live release if that's your thing or put the trap up against a car exhaust to put the skunk asleep.

Minerat is right on with his post. I've done that on multiple occasions to rid peoples houses of skunks when they took up residence under the garage or porch. I didn't want to set a foothold and risk the skunk spraying something.

[richhodg66]

I've heard the the glands can be removed, and the make good pets, if you get them young.
They are kind of cute.

They're pretty laid back animals. When I was young and still big on PT, I'd do a three to four mile run most evenings around our little town wearing a walk man. I was running full bore down the street and literally, almost stepped on one crossing the road in the dark. Must have scared it out of three year's growth and I almost fell over trying to stop and avoid it. A real tense standoff ensued with me and him facing each other from a few feet frozen in place for several seconds and eventually we both slowly turned and walked away.

This past Spring, two ladies I attend church with came up on a road killed family of them a car had killed the mother and two babies, the third being scared and confused running from body to body of the others. They stopped and picked him up and wrapped him in a blanket or something and held him for over an hour petting and talking nice to him until they got the KDWP nature center to take him in. Never sprayed them. I was surprised as scared and excited it must have been.

[jsizemore]

If you decide to try that please get video of it

I'll second this.

[Winger Ed.]

I've heard the the glands can be removed, and the make good pets, if you get them young.
They are kind of cute.

True. But you might need to call a few vets. to find one who will do it.

[bdicki]

I've trapped a few, I have a friend that has trapped at least 60 of them. Put a havaheart, 8 inch or so size trap in the weeds inside of a trash bag, put some weeds all around it, like golden rod. Bait with peanut butter. the skunk will pull the trash bag and weeds into the trap so they won't be able to move much. Let it sit most of the day in the sun to slow it down some. Have a small tarp with a hole for the handle, approach the trap with the tarp up in front of you and cover the trap with it. Wrap the tarp around the trap and take it somewhere to release, relocating wild animals is illegal in some states. Friend transported all of the skunks inside of his 4runner with no incidents.

[firefly1957]

IF it is legal for you to shoot there I have found birdshot will often drop a skunk without it spraying (much) if not to much shot hits. I have shot skunks with .22 R.F. to 30-06 and had them spray hit one in the head with a full choke 1 5/8 oz. load of # 5 shot removing the head and it sprayed like a firetruck but if they are out say 35-50 yard they just drop?
I have hit one at 25 yards in the chest with a Nitro piston air rifle in .25 caliber it died quickly without stinking .
One thing is to let them lay before moving them it seems to help a lot 4 hours or more and if you bury then the area may still start to smell days down the road I have had okay luck burning them in a hot fire but that is a lot of work!

[M-Tecs]

I have had very good luck with using a 17 HMR with 17 grain ballistic tips and headshot. I have killed 5 or 6 with that combo and none sprayed.

[fcvan]

Dad's house had a small basement while the rest of the structure was a raised wood floor. While in the basement he could see the skunks eyes staring at him as the skunk was peering over a footing. He grabbed a 22 loaded with shorts and head shot the skunk which did not spray. Unfortunately, as the skunk relaxed in death it slid off the footing and it's tail flipped over, blasting the underside of the house. Needless to say, Dad and Mom loaded up in the RV and went camping for a few weeks. Once the smell was gone and the skunk had mostly dehydrated, he retrieved the carcass with a pole that had a loop of rope on the end. The next skunk under the house was met with a bug bomb and the skunk just left, never to return. One skunk was out in the planted field about 200 yards out. How my Grand Dad saw it I don't know as only the tail could be seen over the growing grain. Dad was handed Grand Dad's Browning A5 and I grabbed a post hole digger. One shot, one hole dug, no spray. I miss living on the farm, folks moved into town a few years back and are now both 80. They still own the farm which is leased to a family from their church. Good times, quiet nights, the only excitement was when the deer would come down from the oak trees, cross the property and pass right by the BBQ grill and picnic table in the garden. They didn't care that we were there.

[merlin101]

My dog handles skunks, kills them pretty quick. I think she does it out of revenge for getting sprayed, you'd think she'd learn!