Skunk .... the predator de jour.

[eggchel]

Oh my, we have been having a skunk problem. Lately a skunk has been digging into one coop after another and eating eggs. Of course I reprimanded my dd for leaving uncollected eggs, but then realized that it was better to have the skunk eating eggs than eating birds!
A couple nights ago, my dd had closed up the coops a little late, but then had to go back out to check something about an hour later and she heard scratching inside the Araucana coop. She opened the door and there was the skunk right inside the door.... just looking up at her! Apparently she had locked it in the coop! DD just stepped back, opened the door further, and let the skunk walk right past her toes on its way out!!!! I'd still be running and probably would have needed a dry pair of pants.

She immediately set the trap up right next to that coop and baited it with eggs and after a couple nights, caught the skunk. We had a good laugh when we realized that we had a skunk in a trap and no idea what we were going to do with it.

We arent allowed to fire guns within the city limits and the local animal control wont help out, so we are on our own. My dd has already got a tarp over most of the trap and my ex-bro-in-law will come and help us cover it the rest of the way so that he can pick it up and put it in the back of my El Camino. Then he will take it for a ride about 5 miles up the canyon.

Ex-bro-in-law has now gone out to dinner with a friend.... sort of a last meal before he takes on Mr Skunk tonight. LOL.

Wish us luck.

Chel

 

[BirdBrain]

I think I'd be running right along side you. ACK!!

 

[spiderman]

good luck

 

[Wolf-Kim]

LOL

Have fun...

-Kim

 

[spook]

Interestingly I had the pleasure to know a trapper that relocated skunks and coons in our area. He taught me to take care of my own preditors, trap them etc.
Skunks do not eat live chickens, if something kills one or a bird dies, they will clean up the left overs.
Eggs, another whole story, its a favorite amoung skunks. Also, if you put down Tuna fish, you will catch either coon or skunk, if you want to get a coon, place bails of hay around the trap or set it up securly with weights up high. Skunks do not climb the way coons do.
When relocating our pole cats, talk soothingly to them, AFTER you have covered them with a tarp or cloth to allow them to "Hide", and if they spray, they will get cloth.
Please make sure from your local game warden that it is legal to relocate skunks, here in Maine, rabies is carried by skunks as they consume dead animals that could have died from rabies.
It is a wives tale that when a skunk cant lift its tail he cant spray- trust me, they can and will.
If you talk to them each time you see them, they will never spray you and will respond with sniffing to make sure its you and that you do or don't have food. And if the latter, they walk off.
Also, if you shoot it in the head it cant spray, wrong again.
Lever 2000 will and does take the smell of skunk pee off your face if you get sprayed....I know that one personally too.
Use caution, these are wild animals- treat them with respect and they wont do anything to you.

 

[Beekissed]

If you can entice him out of the cage into a cardboard box and then close the flaps, I've heard they are reluctant to spray in enclosed spaces. I read an article where they relocated skunks in this manner...learned it from an old timer!

Now, I did say reluctant...not that they won't!

 

[Flyingbavarian]

My FIL had problems with skunks he used a hava-hart live trap and a trash can full of water to dispose of them. He trapped 17 skunks in 3 weeks and hasn't had a problem now for a year or so.

 

[LynneP]

Irish Spring is good too. I should know...

 

[eggchel]

The skunk has been successfully relocated! Successful meaning that neither my daughter, my ex-bro-in-law, nor my El Camino stink! We just wrapped a tarp around the trap and he was released in the canyon.
We'll set the trap again tomorrow night to see if this one had any friends or relatives.

Thanks everyone for sharing all the great information on trapping and skunks.
We very rarely (almost never) have rabies around here so we didnt have to worry about that, thank goodness.

Good to know about Lever 2000 and Irish Spring.

Chel