trap/kill a skunk

[maryboland]

When we came home the other night a skunk was in our driveway. We have discussed trying to trap it, but of course that would result in a horrendous stink! And now it occurs to us we won't be able to set the trap for raccoons while a skunk is about for fear of catching the skunk. We don't have a gun and don't know how to shoot. Any ideas?

 

[aprophet]

I use cage traps and a 20-25' rope I just drown them I stretch the rope out as I am setting the trap. depending on where I am working I also shoot them a .22 short will kill them from about 10-15 ft away I shoot them behind their shoulder heart/lung shot. depending on where you are bodygrip traps work good too they need to have a box built for the so the trap is recessed into the box

hth

every one I have ever caught with a bodygrip trap had not sprayed and they were dispatched when I had gotten to them.

 

[CMV]

As long as you have secure housing for your birds at night then your best course of action is to leave it alone. Skunks can be trapped and moved without spraying by covering your trap with a tarp and moving them slowly and carefully (Skunks hate their smell too, and won't spray in a confined area generally.), but why bother? They are a nuisance, but they are not overly ambitious and will not actively seek out to harm your birds. They are opportunists that are probably attracted to your feed, so removing your feed from the run at night and minimizing wastage is generally enough to discourage them from hanging around too closely. I had skunks living around us for years with no losses. I became concerned about them last year when they moved in under my deck, but a motion sensing spotlight trained on their den was enough to get them to move on in less than a week. They also tend to discourage more persistent predators from residing in the same area as them because nobody can stand the smell of skunks, including predators. I looked at them as part of the natural defense system I have cultivated over the years.

 

[rrgrassi]

Skunks and racoons also can carry rabies. Luckily I live in an are where I can shoot them if needed.

 

[whogroomer]

I was laying in a hammock on my porch the other day when a skunk came and joined me. At first it freaked me out, but it was kind of cute and just waddled off, probably into my garden. I spotted him the other day in my tomatoes with my daughter. Should I be more afraid of the skunk eating my garden than my chickens? I also have a family of ground hogs that took residence under my shed. This year it's like my yard is a nature preserve. I kind of like it that way, that is if they didn't eat my cucumbers, sweet peas, and sweet potatoes. Hopefully no one will eat my chickens.

 

[one shot]

I got advice from a farmer......I know you don't have a gun but the advice was, use a shotgun and shoot the skunk in the rear quarters. This disables the muscles that shot out the stink. Believe it, it works! There is still some skunk smell, but nothing like a full spray.

 

[Thamnophis]

Quote:
Good Lord.

Please listen to CMV and others here. Skunks generally do not spray when trapped and can be relocated with a blanket, towel, whatever thrown over the trap. They do not forage during the day so keep your birds in a secure coop at night.

For those of you who hate snakes, skunks are great snake predators. But great horned owls eat skunks. But they also eat chickens. So should you shoot the owls and leave the skunks? Or kill the snakes and trap the skunks?

So what do you want to deal with? Snakes, skunks, owls?

The point is: protect your birds - stop trying to kill every thing that may see them as a meal!
Chickens are the Big Macs of the natural world - they look good to everybody.

Build secure structures.

 

[maryboland]

Thanks everybody. I guess I will leave it alone and see what happens. My chickens are secure in their coop at night.