Skunk Removal

[aonghus]

Well I figure some of you guys on here being a bit more rural might have some advice. I've got some skunks living under my deck, I never would've thought they'd be able to get into the opening they did, maybe 3" tall, or through the 2.5" gap under the gate. (Entire property is gated/walled in)

So, any advice? so far I've tried spraying water under the deck from behind the entrance opening, just got a bunch of pleasant smells. I've done some searching on google and whatnot, but often I find half the information out there isn't realistic, or just doesn't work. So what has worked for you guys?

[dhardison]

You can use dry cat food to get them out and into a trap. Then call animal control to remove them.

[mpozzi]

Check with your local ag feed store or the SPCA. They have traps for rent or loan and the dry cat food will get them inside. After that, clothespins for your nose and a bandanna for around your mouth and face. If you don't scare 'em or piss 'em off, they shouldn't spray. However, if they do . . . it's hot, oily, and the scent is a bitch to get off.

Put the traps and cat food some ways from the house. Skunks are nocturnal (mostly active at night) so that's when they'll want to eat.

Good luck . . . and get them before they make more.

Cheers,
Mary Pozzi

[Boulder69]

They almost always spray when trapped like that from my experience. Figure out a pole system to pick up the trap and put it in the back of a truck. A long broomstick or shovel handle is usually enough to keep most of it off of you with a cover. A cover over the trap once you catch one will help a lot - they make the animal more calm and protect you from stink. Mostly.

Check and see if your county won't help. Mine has an animal control unit that does just this. They get stinky on the tax payers dime.

[eville]

my local animal control recommended a trapper. They tried to trap one living under my shed.
They don't like to climb, so look around your yard for holes under your fence. close the holes and cover them with a brick/rock.

[68sixspeed]

mothballs can help keep them out of decks/crawlspaces, I don't know if it would convince them to leave though.

Being nocturnal, I wonder if a light left under there for a while would make them move out?

Just remember, if you resort to the .22, make sure you get the dead critter out or it will stink!

[shmoov69]

spotlight and a .22 rifle! Then a long stick with a hook. They (supposidly) won't spray if they don't turn and lift thier tail. My dad has shot several and they did not stink anymore than just their own funk!
Or animal control.

[muthstryker]

haha i was going to suggest a .22 but saw you live in san diego. they do make special .22 shots that arnt loud so it would work great. you could even do it during the day if you see them. crank music run out and shoot the little critters

[mpozzi]

They (supposidly) won't spray if they don't turn and lift thier tail. My dad has shot several and they did not stink anymore than just their own funk!

Oh yes they will . . . ask me how I know this??? My experience involved a 20-gauge, Dave, and a skunk. And a lot of stink afterwards.

Anyways, the skunk got shot and died under an old structure we have on the property. Dave told me to go get it out and I reminded him that it was his property, his structure, and therefore, his SKUNK.

About ten minutes afterwards, my friend's kid Brian calls. Quick thinking, I told him I had a job for him and it was worth $20. Brian hauled ass down to our place and once there, asked me "This doesn't have anything to do with your horses, does it?? I'm scared of your horses." I kept saying "No, Brian . . . not the horses." and waving that $20 bill in front of his face. He got the hint of what the job entailed when he mentioned that he smelled skunk and I started smiling. Brian was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and by the time he was done extricating the body, he looked like that pic of the Unabomber. It was the funniest thing I ever saw and his mother was so pleased when she picked him up afterwards.

Cheers,
Mary Pozzi

[toxicz28]

Use peanut butter. It's the universal bait from fish to dogs, and almost all small fuzzies in between. If you are going for the .22 solution, sub-sonic rounds are availible, they sound more like a pellet gun going off. And if you go for the .22 solution, make sure it is a head shot, from behind or the side. You do not want to break the scent gland.

[LowBuckX]

See how many of them there are and where they are getting in at. Wait for them to leave one night and close off that area. and any other ways to get in. If that dont work .22 city rounds sound much like a cap gun and do the job. The stink only lasts a few weeks.

[aonghus]

Thanks a bunch for the suggestions guys. I live on a culdesac, at the top of a hill, of the 5 houses around me, only one person lives there permanently, Danish Professors, old lady that sadly just kicked the bucket and some people who live in Alabama half the year.

I'm going to try and trap the sucker first, if that doesnt work, I have until the 1st to shoot it.

Also, San Diego County Animal Control, only deals with 'illegal' animals. Maybe I should just tell them there is a baby panda under my deck that smells like crap.

I'll get some pictures... and again, thanks everyone.

Cody

[68BNUT]

I would try the trap door method. build something so when they leave they cant get back in under your deck. I use it to get squirels and birds outta the attic and it works. Just rig up some kind of trap door that lets them come out but wont let them get back in. Then hopefully theyll just wonder off looking for some other deck to get under.

[TonyL]

use a trap door with a very soft spring. think carburetor spring, placed near the pivot point of a trap door, They'd be able to push it down to get out, but not back in. then they'd just leave. If you do decide to trap them, put the trap on top of a huge open bag with drawstrings. Use a hook and pole to pull the bag up and closed over it. then you're safe from spray. Cat food works good on them. They like meow mix dry. It smells good to them.

[68sixspeed]

If you go for the 22; the quite rounds are called "CB" rounds, not a lot of pop, but make it a head shot. The 22 short are also quieter than a 22lr; either case, make sure they are safe for the gun- most autoloaders only like 22lr; then we can get into making a silencer out of a plastic bottle, all sorts of fun things!

[Bandit]

I would not go for the .22 unless you get a chance to take a pop at one at least 20 ft. away from the building. I encountered this same type situation, a skunk was sneaking into our garage and eating the dogfood, well one night I waited up for him with my trusty .22 Winchester rifle. Shortly, the skunk came in came in for his nightly forage, and I aimed and fired. I had figured, like others here, that if I got him in the head on the first shot, he would not spray. Now I am a decent shot, and the skunk was only about 10 ft. away...and I did not miss. The bullet caught him squarely between the eyes. BUT...he did not just fall down dead as I had hoped...he did the floppy fish for about 5 seconds, spraying EVERYWHERE in the process! He was dead alright, but I guess his nerves reacted or something. Skunk spray was all over the garage. The smell alone woke up everyone in the house. It lingered for months!
Moral of the story is, while it may be fun to test your marksmanship skills and have an exciting story to tell, the .22 shot is not a guarantee, and you will not appreciate the results of a skunk (maybe 2 or 3!) spraying under your house. I would try the trap method (as far from the house as you can get it), the little critters will not be able to resist peanut butter or some other delicacy as others mentioned. Then be very careful about how you approach and remove them from the area once you have them trapped in the cage. If you aren't careful enough, there's always canned tomato juice, they say it does a great job of neutralizing the smell!

Good luck!

[toxicz28]

Another tip: Six years ago my neighbor shot a skunk(it was rabid). He ended up breaking the musk gland while it was on his lawn. Grass has not grown in that spot since.

[shmoov69]

BUT...he did not just fall down dead as I had hoped...he did the floppy fish for about 5 seconds, spraying EVERYWHERE in the process! He was dead alright, but I guess his nerves reacted or something. Skunk spray was all over the garage. The smell alone woke up everyone in the house. It lingered for months!

LMAO!! That sucks!! Well, I guess my pops got lucky, he has shot about 20 or so in the last 5 years and only one sprayed. They were digging up his yard looking for grubs and such. I guess there was a big population of them nearby or something!

[Kenova]

Also, San Diego County Animal Control, only deals with 'illegal' animals. Maybe I should just tell them there is a baby panda under my deck that smells like crap.

I'll get some pictures... and again, thanks everyone.

Cody

I say try it! And don't forget to tape the conversation for us.
I commute with a guy that used to trap critters in the Toronto area for a living. He has helped a couple of guys with their unwanted visiters. For skunks he uses carrots to bait a live trap. Once you have the skunk in the trap, approach it very slowly and quietly with a blanket. Don't use the wife's heirloom quilt, you know, just in case.... Slowly lay the blanket over the trap. When moving the trap be as gentle as possible, as previously mentioned they only spray when startled or pissed off.
You can then release them in some other neighborhood or find yourself a full rain barrel. I'm sure most can figure out what to do with the rain barrel.
Ken

[bmcph]

Love this thread. Not sure if this will work for skunks but, it cleared out racoons for me. I grabbed one of those bright $10 halogen work lights from Home Depot and a loud radio and fired them under the deck. The whole famn damily moved out first sign of darkness never to return. Might have been the station as a side note I thought I would give my wife a little grief so I tuned the radio into a rap station - incidentally it wasn't so loud that I had to hear it in the house. I was looking out the front window and saw a mother and her 3 little ones walk out the front yard and across the street. I've never posted before but, couldn't resist on this one.