How Many Skunks Under The House

[45workhorse]

I learned where to, and where not to shoot skunks, only on Cast Boolits!

[contender1]

"Moth Balls... Trust me...Critters hate 'em... Especially Skunks....'

I'm a State certified Animal Damage Control Agent. I deal with all kinds of animals daily. Including skunks. Moth balls do not work. I know many who may argue with me on this,, but I have dealt with this often. Skunks will just scratch or dig them out of a hole if they really want to get in or out of a hole. And a caution for homes is to make sure that if moth balls are used inside,,, to have proper ventilation.

I'm currently trapping skunks at a home. I use live traps, and I do not shoot them. And I can not relocate them either. I have to kill them. I use a chamber. I've never been sprayed, and hopefully never will be.
But as noted above,, tomato juice doesn't work.
Something that does work fairly well, is the following;
(1) qt hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
2-3 teaspoons of Dawn dish detergent

Mix all 3, then use immediately. It has no real shelf life.

All kinds of animals get under houses. They can dig holes in some spots. Or they find damaged vents, rotten wood in doors, old dryer vents, mobile home skirts not secure, & in general,, ANY small place they can use as an access point.

BTW; In my business,, I have a saying; "Skunks smell just like money to me!"

[racepres]

^^^ Tell the Skunks that Quit living under my Addition on the Pole Barn...
also... keeps Mice outta my Boat..
No Data here... Not a Professional...Just do what Works for Me...Someone who has No Agenda...should go ahead and try It...

[Gator 45/70]

We have no skunks this far south, we do have something called a pole-cat?

[contender1]

"No Data here... Not a Professional...Just do what Works for Me...Someone who has No Agenda...should go ahead and try It."

I knew you'd disagree with me. I was NOT trying to start an argument, just pointing out facts.

I've been certified by the State for about 20 years. And spent most of my life dealing with wildlife. I've seen mothballs fail a lot. AND, I've had people get physically sick from trying to use mothballs to "control" an animal. I just wanted to offer my professional opinion, AND hopefully prevent people from getting sick, or frustrated when it doesn't work for them. Putting out mothballs is something that's done often because "that's what I heard" when people finally call me.

[waksupi]

"No Data here... Not a Professional...Just do what Works for Me...Someone who has No Agenda...should go ahead and try It."

I knew you'd disagree with me. I was NOT trying to start an argument, just pointing out facts.

I've been certified by the State for about 20 years. And spent most of my life dealing with wildlife. I've seen mothballs fail a lot. AND, I've had people get physically sick from trying to use mothballs to "control" an animal. I just wanted to offer my professional opinion, AND hopefully prevent people from getting sick, or frustrated when it doesn't work for them. Putting out mothballs is something that's done often because "that's what I heard" when people finally call me.

I agree that mothballs don't always work, and the camphor is not a good thing to be breathing.

Something I was taught years ago when learning to be a farrier, was for a sore footed horse, when shoeing them, put a leather pad with oakum between shoe and hoof, then melt moth balls and pour into the back of the shoe. Takes the soreness away pretty much immediately.

[popper]

Caster oil.

[rbuck351]

When I shoot them, I quickly move them with a shovel to the field. I shot one in the top of the head and it didn't even twitch but I made the mistake of leaving it where it dropped. It leaked out over night. Another one I shot with a 20ga at about 10 yds, left it over night and it leaked out as well. Now I quickly move them to the burial site. When I plant them the next day I use the back hoe to dig a 3 ft hole then scoop the skunk and 6in of dirt under the skunk to place in the bottom of the hole.

[gwpercle]

Can't stop laughing. Deal with a lot of skunks growing up on the farm. They are an adventure.

Yes ... when you're young and adventurous ... they are an adventure !

I've got a couple stories that will put a grin on your face .

But when you get too old to go crawling around under the house ... the crwal space must have shrunk ...

Danged skunks are just a Stinking Nuisance ... at least with squirrels , possum or coons I have the option of shooting , cooking and eating them .

Gary

[MaryB]

I have eaten skunk... once... it was meh... edible but not something I want as a steady diet! Guy brought it to our annual wild game feed contest. Most unusual and still tasty dish wins. Have to bring enough to feed 12 people 4 big spoon/forkfuls(just a tasting, we always make a huge pot of venison stew to actually eat).

I probably have one under my shed or front porch... smelled one right before hibernation so the skunk may have argued with a rabbit fr the hole... judging by the bunny tracks in the snow coming from under the porch I am guess skunk won the shed hole. If he moves n this spring I let them be. He tries to take up residence he dies!

[owejia]

Couple years ago had one to raise a litter under my front porch. Porch is concrete and the ground underneath had settled making a very small tunnel underneath the concrete. Did not realize a grown skunk could get into such a small space. Every morning as I check in on castboolits and drink my coffee can see my driveway and orchard, one morning saw a skunk in my orchard, grabbed my 10/22 and shot it. A couple of days later was going to mailbox and just as I got to the end of my porch there were six little skunks in wife's flowers running every direction. Took about a week to dispose of all of them, usually one at a time. Shot some in daylight and had to shoot some at night with my 38 revolver and 22 pistol. Try to dispose of all of them around here.

[alfadan]

I read somewhere skunks will share burrows with other critters like possums. Ive smelled faint skunk stink in the area after a possum went through.

[Gewehr-Guy]

If they would stay out of the chicken nests and not destroy pheasant nests I would leave them be, but I think they are one reason we have few pheasants any more. Now a good tame pet skunk might be kind of interesting, especially if they rode well in the truck !

[375RUGER]

About 20 years ago I lived in a Sears Roebuck #303 kit home. Had a skunk family and a family of half wildcat/half domestic cat living underneath. Most of the time things were pretty peaceful until one evening the 2 families had a disagreement. It sounded as though this happened directly beneath the couch I was sitting on. It ended just as abruptly as it started and Ode de Pepe emanated through the floor into the house.

My Grandpa had a lot of wild pets growing up. He liked skunks for some reason and told of many he had. He would cut the scent glands out himself and make them his pets.

[15meter]

My best skunk story dates from right about 40 years ago. I was renting an 80 acre farm from an older woman. A bit of a character kind of woman. She was a contemporary and friend of my Grandmother. My grandmother allowed that she was one of the more unusual people in the neighborhood.

It was time to pay the rent on the Geiman Rd. farm, so I went done with check in hand. With Catherine it was never "Hi, here's your check, everything is fine, I'll see you next year." It's "come on in and sit a spell, I need to catch up on how you and your family's doing".

So, as I was sitting at her kitchen table, I could hear this scratching. Took awhile to locate it. The noise was coming from the wall behind the kitchen sink. Catherine picked up on the fact that I had heard the scratching, she, as calmly as could be, told me there was a family of skunks living in the wall behind the sink. There were little ones in there and when they got bigger and left she'd patch the hole in the wood siding. Now this woman was closer to 90 than 80 when this occurred and I have absolutely no doubt that when the skunks left, she went out with a chunk of wood and nailed it over the hole.

And I think the free spirit is genetic. Catherine has been gone probably 25 years, she made close to 100.

Her son move in with her in her later years, complete with his '49 Plymouth that he painted purple with a roller. That was his daily driver up until he died a half dozen years ago.

How does it go? Growing old is mandatory, growing up isn't.

[MT Gianni]

The best thing to do with skunks in a live trap is to put it in a garbage can full of water for 20 minutes or so. They can then be safely released in the wild.

[foesgth]

When I ran sled dogs, that was Favrot food, right up there with cats, for them dogs... Just remember, if you are going to try and take one away from any one of the dogs, never and I say never, grab the skunk by the tail...

Oh please!!!
Tell us how you know this.

[jonp]

"Moth Balls... Trust me...Critters hate 'em... Especially Skunks....'

I'm a State certified Animal Damage Control Agent. I deal with all kinds of animals daily. Including skunks. Moth balls do not work. I know many who may argue with me on this,, but I have dealt with this often. Skunks will just scratch or dig them out of a hole if they really want to get in or out of a hole. And a caution for homes is to make sure that if moth balls are used inside,,, to have proper ventilation.

I'm currently trapping skunks at a home. I use live traps, and I do not shoot them. And I can not relocate them either. I have to kill them. I use a chamber. I've never been sprayed, and hopefully never will be.
But as noted above,, tomato juice doesn't work.
Something that does work fairly well, is the following;
(1) qt hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
2-3 teaspoons of Dawn dish detergent

Mix all 3, then use immediately. It has no real shelf life.

All kinds of animals get under houses. They can dig holes in some spots. Or they find damaged vents, rotten wood in doors, old dryer vents, mobile home skirts not secure, & in general,, ANY small place they can use as an access point.

BTW; In my business,, I have a saying; "Skunks smell just like money to me!"

As a former Wildlife Biologist for both the Feds and 3 different States I agree

[Texas by God]

After losing my sense of smell to a concussion a few years back; skunk( from a distance) is one of the most missed aromas. Strange, I know.
It reminds me of fall - like wood fire smoke does.
Did.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Minerat]

But, My Bitter half likes Eagles...and Only Possum draw more Eagles than a Skunk...

Freudian slip I hope.

We only get them passing thru the neighborhood. But the neighbors dog got one, one night. I have nothing they can hid in or under. Knock on wood.