What do you guys do to get rid of nuisance Skunks?

Got a Biggin hangin around!

Hava-hart trap... cover with tarp and sit it in a tub of water big enough to cover the trap for a couple minutes....

12ga with either 4 or 5 shot. Check the wind.

Or cover the live trap with a tarp, then haul it out into a large open area, get down wind, open trap, and use 12 ga.

"...get down wind..."??? you sure about that?

Live trap is pretty easy - but the trap needs to be small enough that the skunk can't raise the tail - not totally fool proof to prevent a spray, but pretty close.

Contractor plastic bag around the back and sides of the trap, and a dumped can of sardines in the back for bait.

I had seven skunks trapped out from under my front porch in the past month - momma, and six babies - only one baby got a shot off as the trap was too big to stop them from getting the tail up.

Opening the trap door is fun, but the animal is usually backed up in the back corner watching - the plastic bag around the back only gives it one direction to look in, and stops (most) of the spray if they get one off.

YMMV...

Risky business in any case🦨

Whoops, my stupid stinky mistake.
Up wind.
I’ve done it, up wind.

HAHAHA!

Appreciate the pretty good suggestions!

I was told that, a .22 to the head, and they can't/Won't spray?
Don't know!

Thanks Guy's were on the same page!

More likely to get a spray with any head shot, rather than a 22 short thru the lungs......

17M2 in a live trap...upwind 'bout 50' away....bang

Dump it in the neighbors field next day......

I tried that. If they don't spray they will leak after they are shot and you will still have to contend with the scent. The live trap is the best option especially around homes.

I had a skunk up north that needed to go. Dog food at about 20 feet at night for a completely broadside shot presentation. I knew exactly where a .22 hollow point hit at that range, so at the shot to the brain the skunk just rolled over stone dead and didn't smell at all.

I'll keep you's posted!
Thanks

DO NOT try and get them with a crossbow ,,,, https://cnycentral.com/news/local/c...in-crossbow-accident-while-hunting-skunk

I guess you just can't make this stuff up!

In the open:

1. Shotgun with 4 shot

2. Body shot (frontal or rear) with 22-250 or the like.

Well, since I started this post, I haven't seen this Skunk since.
Go Figure!
I know I could entice him to show up, by placing some Scrap tomatoes from the garden out for them,
But I think I'm Gonna pass, and Leave Sleeping Dogs Lie!

i chased one off today from the house then shot the dang thing with a 22 LR ,1st skunk this year and hope the last one !!

Shoot them in the ribs or guts, from a distance, while they’re unaware, with a 22 or even air gun….the milder, the better. If they die slow, and aren’t sure what got them, they don’t spray. That’s how the trappers when I was younger did it, without them spraying. I’ve taken their heads clean off with 12ga #4s even….and that doesn’t work. LOL
I also trapped a few in 55gal drums with holes in them, snapped the lid on, and rolled them into the pond without a spray.

Funny thing this should come up! I just bought a Hav-a-Hart trap for a skunk (or family of same) that have tagged my Brittany Spaniel 3X in the past month, most memorably last evening. Yeah, I know, I know... Brittany's ain't the sharpest tools in the shed, but she is hell on quail and pheasant, so I guess I'm gonna keep her.

Anyways, I was wondering what the best bait might be, and had figured a .22 to the guts would be the best option for keeping the overspray minimized...

I, too, will keep y'all posted.

Cat food will catch them….but it’ll catch possums, raccoons, and your neighbor’s cat. LOL

They loved my cattle sweet feed…..why I used to catch them in a barrel. I’d prop a board on it and scatter some sweet feed in there. I’d give it a cautious peek in the morning. The raccoons could jump out, but not the possums or skunks.

I haven't seen that rascal since!

HunterShooter58: I have a "hole" pre-dug at all times for Skunks that make the mistake of nearing Casa de la Varminto!
In fact my Varminting friend and I saw one just this past week nearing my place as we returned from dinner (no guns onboard!).
We looked for it next day and since but it must have moved on.
Unlike Huntsman22 I use enough gun (my preference is the 17 HMR) and I shoot them in the head - haven't had a spray situation since I began using this method back when the 17 HMR came out (2,002) and I got my ultra accurate Ruger 77/17 HMR heavy barrel.
I shoot two or three of these stinking nest robbing invaders every year.
Again, have a burial hole ready before you take action.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VarmintGuy,

Good Info Thanks! I'M Tempted!

HS58

For whatever reason I see more skunks in September and March than any other months.I suppose they are staging for winter or looking for mates...ran into one a few mornings ago.

Yep. I agree. I have them around my place right now. Saw a momma and 3 'lil ones crossing my borrow ditch, but they caught me unprepared. Live trap, dog food and sardines always works.

Gsganzer: A close friend of mine (my insurance agent) and his adult son both own ranches they run "on the side", north of town.
They were being troubled by Skunks spraying their ranch dogs, children, grandchildren and buildings.
They decided to Hunt the Skunks at night with spotlights and their 17 HMR Gopher guns.
I do know they killed 35 of them over several nights and only a few sprayed after being shot - I do NOT know if they tried to head shoot them or body shots?
Next time I see him I'll ask him.
Reminds me of the situation the VarmintWife got into a few years back our beloved dog (Chocolate Lab AKC registered name Henry Aaron Gibbons - Hank for short) was let out to pee just before the VarmintWife was to head for her administrative job at the local school. The dog got in a fist fight with a Skunk and was sprayed.
We had on hand the product "Skunk-Off" and the VarmintWife took off most of her clothes and bathed Henry as best she could with it.
Eventually off she goes to work and the Principal of the school sent her home she smelled of Skunk so bad!
We had to re-bathe the VarmintWife in Skunk-Off and regular soaps several times to de-oderize her.
She went back to work the next day to some good natured ribbing.
Skunk spray is simply HORRIFIC as well as long lasting.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Come to find out that tomato juice doesn't work. MacGregor, my yellow lab, didn't respond to four letter words as he lit out after a skunk back in my youth. Mom was having a dinner party that night and the dog and I had to keep a very low profile. I've since learned that a way better recipe is some hydrogen peroxide, Dawn dish soap and water. Rinse and repeat.

My favorite skunk juice story was back when we put it out around or bow stands for a cover scent. I ordered a glass bottle of the stuff which was a whole bunch more than I needed. A buddy thought having some of his own skunk juice would be good, so he brought along a plastic bottle one Saturday afternoon when we were shooting our bows. He put his juice in the back seat of the car, a Cadillac of all things and forgot about it. It turns out that plastic is a permeable enough membrane to not contain skunk juice effluvia. He was not real popular with the wife the next morning when they were headed off to church.

Evnin, have had a few skunk episodes (dogs). Lived so far in the bush I had to come out to hunt, left dog smooth coat German pointer out side. Was headed to work and he was acting like he thought he was going for a car ride. I told him to get under the porch and stay. He obeyed really good but came back out with a semi dead skunk in his jaws. Had to stay home that day because we had real estate coming. When we trapped (not skunks) if we got one in a trap we'd make a snare on a long pole, loop it over there head and yank them of there feet carry them over to a beaver pond and dunk them in. Never got sprayed. This skunk was of the ground but I don't think he read the no spray instructions. We're we just lucky or does this off the ground thing really work???? Bill out. 🐾👣🐾👣🐾👣🇨🇦

Skunks are on the move here saw a HUGE one Saturday evening - didn't know they got that big .
Saw two ran over on the road Sunday , one more roadkill yesterday and a guy at the liquor store drive thru window said one was crossing the road in front of him right then .

It dawned on me - all the many hours I've spent outdoors I've never seen a skunk . I've trapped/hunted/fished a lot - never seen or caught one .

Had one in the garden at dads back in the 70s, grabbed the ol'270 and 110 Sierras thinking it might keep him from spraying. Ended up with a head on shot at about 30 yards. What was left kept things smelling bad for quite awhile.

Few people understand that having a dog, you have to maintain a special active lifestyle, walk it, especially feed it, train it. But for many people having a dog is a kind of a living shield from the world around them, something like a gun in your pocket, which no-no-no, but is drawn to use, well at least pull it out and show that you have it. On one site I (I'll report later, that one https://pestcontrolweekly.com/) found a means to scare away rodents and skunks. It was the best I could imagine. Those things [bleep] all over the place. How I want to get back at them so they don't come anywhere near my yard.

After a few years of terminating them in my yard/pasture, I learned the hard lesson that no matter where you shoot them or with what, sometimes they spray and sometimes they don’t. You can get as scientific as you want and get as much advice as you want, but rules 1 through 5 are “shoot them downwind of the house”.

Used to indirectly supervise (I supervised the animal control supervisor) a county wide animal control program. We dealt with skunks. One of the keys was a calm low key approach. Covering a live cage trap with an old tarp to relocate and then dumping entire thing in water works surprisingly well. If you cover the box trap with something, the skunk will try to pull it inside if it can and has time to do so. A lot of serious trappers used to inject skunks with syringe full of sodium .... can't remember to kill them in way they wouldn't spray and they could extract the scent for lures. Key for them to was slow and easy. Don't spook or excite them. Our most experienced animal control officer once responded to a cemetery. Crew had dug grave night before. They went the next day to set up tent right before the funeral to find a skunk in the grave. He was able to get the skunk out with a catchpole and get it completely out of cemetery without it spraying. They were very thankful and impressed. Of course it unloaded full blast on him when he tried to put it in the truck box though... ;-) and he came to my office to tell me about it!

LOL!
Interesting!
My little friend hasn't been back, at least I haven't seen him!

Great info, and Story!

Thanks!

Maybe he sensed your vibes.

DF

The recipe is
Hydrogen peroxide
Baking soda
A tablespoon of dawn

Mix immediately before using
Leave paste on 5 minutes
Rinse

Keep paste away from mouth, eyes, ears.

I think your right!
I did get a wiff, of one, when I came home in the Late afternoon, the other Day.
I mentioned it to my wife, and she said the same thing.
It's possible that he's stuck some where like a sewer Catch Basin, or maybe just sprayed, and is defending himself.

I got a feeling, were gonna have a show Down soon!
I'll keep ya posted! LOL!

HS58

Thankfully we don’t have any around my house

Years ago we had a skunk living in our feed room and I’d see her occasionally crawling out a hole in the evenings and wonder out across the pasture…. Well one evening she caught a vmax from my 17HMR and I just left her there for the buzzards. 2 days later my now ex wife asked about it. ( she loves animals! ALL Animals!). Anyway she informed me that she knew about the skunk but didn’t tell me because she knew I’d kill it and that she had a litter of young ones in there. Long story short, we raised them all. Fed them everyday and they became pretty tame. We’d pet them and they were actually pretty neat little creatures. They’d chirp at us and enjoyed being petted. Yes, they eventually developed their scent glands and we began distancing ourselves from them. Eventually they just wondered off but I’d occasionally see one of them out around an out building. I know I’ll probably get called a softy and y’all deal with them however you want but I seriously doubt I’ll ever kill another one.

Buddy caught a skunk, by accident in his medium sized live trap, and wanted to know how, and what to do with it. With a lot of learned knowledge here, I suggested to him, that as long as the Skunk couldn't raise his tail, he couldn't squirt, or spray, which is true. I suggested that he approach the trap cautiously, which he did, with a blanket, tarp, some sort of cover, and place the whole thing in a Wheelbarrow full of water, as he did, and drown it!

Mission accomplished!

I don't do ANYTHING.

The one in the foreground of the pic......... I've got 5 acres inside of invisible fence wire. He kills every skunk that attempts to venture inside. He just takes the spraying. Then tears the stinker in half. He's done it more times than I can count. I'm not sure if it's a special kind of mean or a special kind of stupid. EVERY ONE of the skunks was in two pieces. It's weird..........but the groundhogs, raccoons and possums are all left quite intact. I suspect the one in the back is responsible for a lot of those. But the skunks............ It's not pretty.

Raw egg for bait, works great.

That's what I have been using. Just Crack the egg,a small crack. Put it in the back end of the live trap. Have 3 traps out last week or so. The cheap wire mesh ones. I tie about 20 feet of 5-50 cord on the top of the door end. Drag them out in the open yard. Shoot them in the trap with a 410. Light load of 7 1/2 does the trick. Doesn't hurt the trap.

If they spray, deal with it, after a bit.

2 skunks and 5 coons this week. Some days, coon in one trap, skunk in the other. They have been playing together. And have been spraying around all night.

Local vet had a fellow that worked for him, and this man had several pet skunks that he kept in a cage. The skunks had all been operated on and had the scent glands removed. One day the door to the cage was left open, and the skunks got out. He went around the neighborhood catching his skunks, and when he got them all, he counted them and had one too many. He just opened the door to the cage and let them all go. No need in taking chances he said.

True story, I heard him tell it.

LOL.

That's about like a rancher I know. Got his crew together, rounded up his black Angus cows, herded them threw the brush, into a pen for sorting.

Then they saw they had a cow moose in the pen, with the cows. It started beating up on the cows.

You going to get it out, or me?

Nope, let them all out.