Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping skunk

I'm looking for a little help trying to trap a skunk I've got some 220,330 conibear traps also I have some foot hold traps. He's been coming in my yard and when my dogs get after him he sprays and its rough at the house and he's gotta go please tell me what I need to do to get rid of him

First, check the regulations in your area regarding body grippers. 220 sized and up aren't legal to set out in the open in many areas. I would make a dirt hole with a 1.5 coilspring. You are bound to get it in that set.

Why not keep the dogs in the house? Skunks, like many other animals, love cat food. Cover your trap and salt the area well with said cat or dog food and wait for the smell.

Happy huntin.'

Dogs can't come in the house there great Danes would tear my house apart

Understandable.

Live traps work well with cat food. Cover the trap carefully with a pillow case sized cloth and toss in a pond or tank. Dont forget to attach a 15-20 foot line prior to placing trap out . Safe easy and effective

Do a search for bucket sets for coon. You can use a 220 effectively that way. Basically you cut notches into the bucket to hold the springs. Bait with fishy cat food.

Live trap with cat food works great!

After trapped walk in slowly, because they won't spray until agitated. I've even carried one in a live trap covered with a small tarp and it didn't spray. (Had to carry it off the back porch.) Poke a .22 through the wire and that's all. Coveralls and gloves are still recommended.

I would avoid conibear traps with dogs running loose, I know I caught a dozen skunks in cage traps this year while trying not to catch skunks. Set out your cage with cat food in the back and you will have him pretty quick!

They have spray proof skunk traps now

Or you can do it the old fashion way, put out a have-a-heart trap, dig a hole on one side of it, tie a rope to it (long one) and leave the end of a garden hose in the hole.

Put sardines in it, when you get the skunk, turn on the hose, fill the hole with water, then very slowly drag him in the water and drown him. He won't spray.

Well....I am in a different boat. My wife was outside this am with her terriers and startled a skunk.
We all know what happens when a skunk is startled.

Yep....they all got sprayed....(it's the gift that keeps on giving)


Any ideas and / suggestions on how to clean this horrid funk out of the house ????

Thanks,
Burt2506

Skunk Deodorizer

http://home.earthlink.net/~skunkremedy/home/


The Skunk Remedy Recipe
In a plastic bucket, mix well the following ingredients:
1 quart of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
1/4 cup of baking soda
1 to 2 teaspoons liquid soap
for very large pets one quart of tepid tap water may be added to enable complete coverage.
Wash pet promptly and thoroughly, work the solution deep into the fur. Let your nose guide you, leave the solution on about 5 minutes or until the odor is gone. Some heavily oiled areas may require a "rinse and repeat" washing.
Skunks usually aim for the face, but try to keep the solution out of the eyes - it stings. If you have any cuts on your hands you might want to wear latex gloves for the same reason.
After treatment, thoroughly rinse your pet with tepid tap water.
Pour the spent solution down the drain with running water.
NEVER, ever, store mixed solution in a closed bottle, sprayer,etc. Pressure will build up until the container bursts. This can cause severe injury.
**********Notes**************
1) Clean plastic mixing containers and utensils are preferred. Metals encourage auto-decomposition of the peroxide.
2) Hydrogen Peroxide 3% solution is usually sold in pint (500ml) bottles, so you'll need two. The 3% grade is often marked "U.S.P.", meaning that it meets the standards for medical use and purity as set forth in the United States Pharmacopoeia.
The use of other strengths/grades is not recommended unless you're a chemist, and even then a trip to the 24-hour drugstore is much better than a trip to the emergency room.
3) Use baking soda, not baking powder. "Arm and Hammer" is one popular brand. Baking soda is also called: Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate, U.S.P., Bicarbonate of Soda, and Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate. Do not confuse any of the above with Washing Soda, which is Sodium Carbonate. Washing Soda is about 100 times more alkaline than Baking Soda and can cause skin burns to both you and your pet.
4) Two preferred brands are "Softsoap" and "Ivory Liquid". As far as auto-decomposition of the peroxide is concerned, the surfactant package in these two is fairly inert. Heavy-duty grease-cutting brands such as "Dawn" are less inert, and hair shampoo is probably the worst.
5) Once mixed, the peroxide slowly breaks down into water and oxygen gas. Thus it gets weaker with time and so it should be used promptly. The exact rate depends on temperature, pH, and catalysts such as trace amounts of metals (iron,etc.) in the soap and/or tap water.
How much pressure will the complete decomposition of 3% hydrogen peroxide produce in a closed container ??? It depends on how full the container is. Assuming negligible solubility of Oxygen in water, a bottle half-full of peroxide will develop about 140 psi. A bottle 3/4 full would develop 420 psi. This can do a lot of damage.
Highly pure hydrogen peroxide decomposes very slowly if kept cool and in a dark place, a few percent a year. The more dilute solutions usually decompose faster (due to impurities in the dilution water) and have a trace of stabilizer added. So why aren't the bottles in the store bloated or bursting ? Look carefully inside the cap... you'll see some very tiny holes in the cap liner to let the oxygen gas escape. A good reason to always store bottles upright.
Look for an expiration date on your peroxide. If you're using stuff which has been sitting around in your medicine cabinet for years, buy fresh peroxide.

I'm trapping skunks intentionally, what i found works best is a 160 conibear in a small square bucket, wire mesh at the back baited with minnows or an uncooked shrimp.

After you make a catch, you can transfer to another location safely. I have placed an old blanket over the trap and carried it in my explorer a couple miles and released them. Just raise the door and stand back. My Dad learned this from an old gent while visiting relatives in Silver City, N,M. He did this nearly every day.