what to do with skunk after you catch it

[MROO]

Call a pro, get an estimate and go from there ... or do the safest long-term thing and predator-proof your run so the little bugger has to go elsewhere for a chicken & egg dinner.

 

[Chickassan]

Totally worth it, they are pros they might have tools that I don't and honestly better him than me.

Yup - but it'll cost and you'll still have to deal with the smell around your coop!

 

[bobbi-j]

yes i would fill soooo bad if it was drowning and i hope we dont have to shoot it

Then you probably shouldn't be trapping it. Seriously - as mentioned in your other thread by many people, it would be better if you could just reinforce your coop. If it can't get in and eat your eggs, it will go away. (You could try to collect your eggs several times a day, but then it may move on to killing your chickens.)

 

[mowin]

I've had the unfortunate luck to trap several skunks. Some were too close to the house to attempt a clean head shot through the tiny holes in the trap. I've never had a skunk spray when trapped. Not saying one won't, but I've never had one spray. The blanket trick I mentioned in your other thread has worked for me every time.

Some of These skunks were trapped before the invention of game cameras, and I quickly learned to make sure the trap was not near the house, so I could shoot it where it was trapped. And burry it quickly.

 

[MROO]

Has anyone tried the movement sensor light? or any light at all, for that matter. Apparently they don't like that. A couple of Dollar Store solars might discourage your smelly little hunter. They're a cheap option to try - and if they don't work, you can use 'em someplace else. I actually keep one in kitchen window so we can see to let my old dog out a night without waking chickens up. Otherwise, they start crowing when we open the back door and the big kitchen light is on. Works like a charm - and we have light if the power goes out, to boot.

 

[MROO]

Personally, I think I'd cut the grass really short around the run and run a line of electric wire about five inches off the ground and far enough away from the wire fencing to not short out. A good zap will discourage just about anything!

 

[BreanneRN]

I just kind of try to get along with skunks myself, though know it is not always possible. Still, they are diggers, not climbers, and my dogs always let me know when one is around. They are the reason why you bury wire around your run. They are athletic little fellows... I often walk the dogs at night in the summer, when it is cool, sometimes between 1am and 4am and see them once in awhile. They don't approach me and I don't approach them. But the dogs, one of which was a 5 month puppy, once took out after one , and the older dog who knew about skunks but didn't know this was one came running to help on the other side. I saw that skunk leap up in the air and twist like an acrobat and it managed to spray both dogs before he came back down on the ground and sauntered away, though the puppy got the worst of it, being closer.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

... i have a skunk getting in my coop.... i dont know if i should shoot it or relocate it...

There is only one right answer. Destroy all captured predators. Don't relocate them to potentially kill some other persons chickens and don't release them with a stern talking to. If you do you may as well join the American Skunk Breeders Association or something equally as ridiculous.

There is not a steep learning curve here. You must simply decide if you want to raise chickens or things that prey on chickens.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I guess it depends on the skunk and the person lol! But if OP does decide to shoot may I reccomend goggles and really, really keep your mouth closed...the distance on a skunk is amazeballs.

Uh, this would be a good time to use a rifle made for varmints to keep your distance. If that is not an option for the OP, sounds like they just trapped a new pet.

 

[mowin]

One has to remember, the trap is made of heavy wire. Some only have 1" squares. Any bullet coming into contact with that wire will deflect the bullet, altering the point of impact. Doesn't matter if it's a .22 LR, or
.22-250. In fact the faster then bullet, the more likely a deflection. Staying a good distance from the trap while shooting the critter, could result in a complete miss. Who knows where that bullet will end up. A safe backstop is a must.