Low-Cost Skunk Trap

[EmeraldOaks]

Nowadays, many wild critters are wary of those fancy wire cage traps that worked so well in the past.
I guess they are just getting smarter! That being said I tried a trap I found online for the striped varmints that smell so wonderful.
It has worked without fail for me several times, and best of all, no smell! So here goes:

Taking a 30-gallon trash can with lid, I secure it to a tree or post with a bungee cord.
If you don't secure it, the critter can bounce against the can and knock it over and escape.

Next, I use some masking tape and newspaper to cover the can...

After the newspaper is secured to the can,
I take a sharp blade (an X-acto knife works good)
to slice the paper so that it makes a big "X".
Then I carefully raise the paper and tape it back together so it is barely holding itself up.

Then using a ramp I made out of scrap lumber,
I place the ramp onto the edge of the trash can.

Using my favorite bait (dry cat food) the skunk eats its way up the ramp,
and goes for the small pile I left on the other side of the newspaper.
Once trapped, the can is too tall to jump out of, and the skunk will not spray in a confined space (so far!).
I always know when I've caught one, they really make a racket!
On goes the lid, up in the pickup, and away about five miles to a new mountain home on BLM land!
I don't know if this will work for other critters, it depends on their climbing and jumping abilities.
It has worked faithfully for me on several occasions, and no spraying yet!
You might check with your local laws about relocating critters,
but what you do with Pepe Le Peu after you've caught him is up to you!

My happy skunkless flock!

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Great job! Hope the skunk lives a happy life FAR AWAY from any flocks!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

That's really neat! Thanks for sharing.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

It is neat! I'm sure many will benefit from these instructions and tips! Thank you!

 

[aart]

Nice!
Large scale modified 'bucket trap'.......half fill it with water and you won't need to relocate(and shouldn't anyway).

ETA:
Any trapped animal should be killed, no matter how you choose to do it.
Relocation makes no sense and is illegal for good reasons.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

In my opinion, drowning is cruel. If you must kill, using a gun is much kinder.

 

[EmeraldOaks]

No need to cause a controversy over what to do with the critter once it's been trapped. People are going to do what they want with it regardless. I catch and release in the forest far away because I can, and the critter was only trying to eat an easy meal. I agree that drowning it is a horrible way to die, swimming around until it's exhausted and can't swim any more. Pretty bad thoughts. That being said, some will treat the skunk as disease carrying vermin. I prefer to think of them as just being in the wrong place at the wrong time and give them a chance to live their lives out in the wild.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, an interesting take on the bucket trap. I use a different version for mice with some success. It helps keep their numbers down but sure won’t eliminate all of them. Pretty low-cost too.

You’re right to check with local laws and regulations. Releasing them may be illegal or you may be able to find a legal place to release them. In some jurisdictions, especially suburbia, local animal control might not only take them but loan you a trap. Might not. Killing them in any way or maybe specific ways could get you arrested for animal cruelty, depending in the local laws. Using a gun, especially in suburbia, can be illegal and unless you are in the right circumstances it can be dangerous to people or around here more likely livestock. That’s why I prefer my 12 gauge over my .22. Limited range. People need to make their own decisions but I at least like to know what the options and potential consequences are.

I’ve trapped a few, very few, skunks in my live trap and never had one spray. But I built a frame to go over the trap so the only way in is from the front. I think them being confined like that makes a lot of difference as far as spraying. I saw a Dirty Jobs episode with Mike Rowe where a professional trapper said about half the skunks they trap spray, and of course Mike claimed that the specific one they trapped sprayed, that makes for better ratings. My limited experience if they are contained is a lot less than 50%.

 

[enola]

Interesting trap! I have used the smaller version, it works like a charm! My hens love to eat mice after I have trapped them.

 

[123RedBeard]

Actually in CA ... Here are the regulations https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=45902

(1) Immediate Dispatch or Release. All furbearing and nongame mammals that are legal to trap must be immediately killed or released. Unless released, trapped animals shall be killed by shooting where local ordinances, landowners, and safety permit. This regulation does not prohibit employees of federal, state, or local government from using chemical euthanasia to dispatch trapped animals.

I've caught seven in these two traps in one summer ... Over the course of about two weeks.





ETA: none sprayed while inside the trap ... The smaller trap was only good at catching young or juvenile skunks, with only one door open ...