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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 01, 2007, 09:18 AM:
 
I have a skunk traveling through my back yard every night. He comes into the yard through a small dig under the fence on the side yard (comes from the neighbor's side) and travels about 40 feet to a small dig under the back fence.

I've seen him several times in the last year when I've taken the dog out. I smell him at least once or twice a week.

I want to off the little vermin.

Before you knucklehead yahoos start telling me what size size howitzer to use, listen up: I live in a development with neighbors surrounding, except for the back fence which borders a natural area. Guns and anything noisy are out. Poison is out as there are dogs and cats around.

I have the infamous Hav-a-Hart chain link squirrel condo made famous during the Great Squirrel Wars of 2005.

How do I get this bugger and then get rid of him without getting sprayed? Can't stand skunks but I really don't want to catch him and just let him starve (actually my tree-hugger neighbor would probably clue in and call the cops).

Any ingenious ideas?
 

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Posted by tooslow (Member # 1063) on January 01, 2007, 09:23 AM:
 
call animal controll, that's why you pay taxes.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 01, 2007, 09:31 AM:
 
Animal control?

Unheard of.

Totally against the Pampass-know-it-all creed.

To do such a thing would discredit and bring great shame to the Huntmastersbbs family.

Any other suggestions?

(P.S. - welcome to the fray)
 

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Posted by Dan Carey (Member # 987) on January 01, 2007, 09:53 AM:
 
This works for me.
Take off all your clothes and cover your body in cooking oil, peanut or corn oil will work equally well. In your left hand hold a open can of pinto beans, in your right (if you are right handed) have a small baseball bat. Stand by the opening in the fence until the varmint shows up. Offer him the beans, as he is smelling them whack him squarely on the crown of his or her head. Be very careful you don't miss or your screwed.
Good luck.
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 01, 2007, 09:55 AM:
 
I read in T&PC about trapping skunks and retained almost nothing? I think they say to place the cage next to a wall and cover it with fabric?

Good hunting. LB

edit: Annimal Control in my city consists of borrowing a cage trap from the annimal shelter and wishing you good luck.

[ January 01, 2007, 09:56 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
 

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Posted by blakyote (Member # 1064) on January 01, 2007, 10:02 AM:
 
Use a hand post hole digger and dig a post hole straight down about 4ft.,then put sardines or jack mackeral down in the hole.The skunk will get in the hole but won't beable to get out,the just fill the hole back in.Or get a small cage trap with about 5x5 inch opening,and bait with the same.Then when he's caught put the whole thing in a container of water and drown it,he wont spray because he won't beable to lift his tail.

[ January 01, 2007, 10:07 AM: Message edited by: blakyote ]
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 01, 2007, 10:12 AM:
 
Welcome to the New Huntmasters, blakyote. Glad to have you on board.

Good hunting. LB
 

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Posted by blakyote (Member # 1064) on January 01, 2007, 10:17 AM:
 
Thanks Leonard.I'm usualy known as blakcoyote,but I changed providers,and couldn't remember my password,so I re-registered.My computer crashed a while back,and finally just found this board again.I really like the good solid info on here.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 01, 2007, 10:19 AM:
 
Dan,

Will olive oil work?

If so, what brand?
 

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Posted by blakyote (Member # 1064) on January 01, 2007, 10:24 AM:
 
I don't know about olive oil,but know that dill pickles are selective for skunks and will keep you from catching a neighbors cat.
 

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Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 01, 2007, 10:35 AM:
 
Blakyote brings up a good point, Skunks can't climb out of hole worth a damn. I've been paid to "Rescue" a number of them who have fallen in window well openings for basements.

Just use your cage trap that you already have. Stick a can of cat food in it, and the skunk should be waiting for you the next morning.

When you get him, just open an old bed sheet and hold it out in front of you so that the skunk can see it but not you. You can then walk slowly up to it, cover the cage and move it to where ever you want.

They make cool gifts for assholes. Just turn him loose in the back of someone's pick up. The skunk won't be able to climb out. If Nistetter's Sister-in-law is out for a visit, you can probably sell him to Jay for a good price!
 

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Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on January 01, 2007, 01:50 PM:
 
Fill in the cross unders and re-route the damned thing to your treehugger neighbor's yard. Then see how much she loves critters.

As far as the olive oil...... I would say extra virgin, but talking about virgin anything in that context just makes things even weirder than they already would have been. If you go with this option, post video. Please.
 

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Posted by Dan Carey (Member # 987) on January 01, 2007, 02:25 PM:
 
"As far as the olive oil...... I would say extra virgin, but talking about virgin anything in that context just makes things even weirder than they already would have been. If you go with this option, post video. Please."

Yeah, please do....
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 01, 2007, 02:35 PM:
 
Lance,

Every time I've seen the skunk it is coming under the dig from the tree-hugger's back yard. For all I know it's one of her pets. She had a pet goose for several years before someone swiped it. Used to let it run loose in the front yard where it bit a number of people (all men by the way).

For those of you who are not familiar with central Texas and the Hill Country -- the furthest I could possibly get with a post hole digger is maybe 8" and then I'd need a fair amount of dynamite for all the limestone I'd need to blast.

Something tells me to just trap the skunk, then throw water balloon full of Kingsford at it and then nail it with a flaming arrow.

Trouble is the trap would need to be up against the wooden fence (his runway) and it would just burn the damned thing down.

Another possibility is to sit on the back porch and nail him a few times with the pellet gun.

Any of these sound plausible?
 

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Posted by BigO (Member # 1062) on January 01, 2007, 03:20 PM:
 
Im a new guy, so I don't know much. But, I've heard that tomato juice gets out skunk smell. I'm thinking you better buy some!! If you see the skunk coming in your yard. Try this. Dig a shallow hole, put some poison bait in it. Then cover it with a piece of plywood or something heavy. Tie a string onto what ever you used. Run the string in your window or door and wait for Pepe' Le Pue to come tresspassing again. Pull the string "slowly" so you dont scare it. Uncover its final feast and watch it crawl back under the fence to die a horrible death. Gauranteed to work!!!
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 01, 2007, 03:41 PM:
 
Yeah.

I'll get right on that.

[ January 01, 2007, 03:43 PM: Message edited by: The Outdoor Tripp ]
 

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Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 01, 2007, 03:49 PM:
 
Tripp,

A good Heart-lung shot with that pellet gun should do it, just don't hit the shoulder bone.

The impact won't be enough to make him spray, and the pellet won't cause instant death. He might just crawl back under the fence and die.
 

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Posted by Dan Carey (Member # 987) on January 01, 2007, 03:57 PM:
 
Why not try making friends with him. After you gain his confidence, coax him into a plastic bag and tie a knot in it.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 01, 2007, 06:14 PM:
 
I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I'm beginning to like Dan more with every post.
 

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Posted by Melvin (Member # 634) on January 01, 2007, 07:03 PM:
 
Tripp,be carefull.That little gizmo under the tail is directional.Even if you stand off to one side he can still nail you.I found this out a long time ago.I got perfumed two times before i dispatched the bugger.Rotates like a turret on a 50 caliber machine gun and it's just as powerfull!
 

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Posted by Edge (Member # 426) on January 01, 2007, 10:00 PM:
 
**I have a skunk traveling through my back yard every night. He comes into the yard through a small dig under the fence on the side yard (comes from the neighbor's side)**

Every day that skunk lives increases the chances your neighbors dog,cat or house gets a stench deposit.

I'd say its live value is immeasurable.

Edge
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 01, 2007, 10:15 PM:
 
And unfortunately, every day old stripeback lives increases the odds of my dog, cat, house and self getting a stench deposit.

I'd say it's death value is immeasurable.

R.I.P. le Pew

[ January 01, 2007, 10:16 PM: Message edited by: The Outdoor Tripp ]
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 01, 2007, 10:23 PM:
 
Okay gang, here's what's up.

About 10:00 pm tonight I set the Hav-a-Hart up against the fence between the two digs the skunk enters and exits my yard from each night.

On the trap pan sets a freshly opened can of Chicken of the Sea chunk tuna in oil.

If Pepe' checks into the chainlink Hilton I plan on sitting in a lawn chair on the back porch 40' away and taunting him.

After I've insulted his loved ones, friends, dog and football team, I'm gonna kung fu his ass .177 style.

Will keep ya'll posted.

Bonzai!!
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 01, 2007, 11:49 PM:
 
Not his ass, that's for girly men. Head shots on skunks. Good hunting. LB
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 02, 2007, 12:39 AM:
 
So about an hour after I open the doors of the chainlink Hilton for business I get curious, flip on the back floodlight and spy a black cat sitting next to the trap. Looking more closely I notice the trap has been sprung.

I then flicked the light on and off a few times to scare off the cat and decided to reset the trap before going to bed.

Upon getting ready for bed I walk out on the back porch to see le Pew scurrying away from the sprung trap and under the fence through the dig to the neighbor's yard.

I could hear the odiferous bastard rummaging in the leaves across the fence as I reset the trap.

Checked the trap about 30 minutes later and found nothing. However trap was still set.

I'm thinking the odds are pretty good I'll have a polecat trapped by morning.

Pray for me.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 02, 2007, 12:52 AM:
 
Just in case, anyone know just how far these little bastards can spray?

Melvin?
 

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Posted by Dusty Hunter (Member # 1031) on January 02, 2007, 04:10 AM:
 
The furthest distance I have witnessed was about 15-20 feet. Talk about nasty, This stuff is floating in the air for some time afterwards. I shot him with my 12ga before he could hit me. That ended my Quail hunting in that area.

[ January 02, 2007, 04:31 AM: Message edited by: Dusty Hunter ]
 

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Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on January 02, 2007, 05:02 AM:
 
Tripp,

Have you identified where the skunk is denning? This is vital in your future relations with the tree hugging neighbor which is best illustrated by a little story I recall.

I was in college and working for my dad's company. One of the big wheels there was a genuine ******* . In fact, I think he taught "******* " to grad students at the local college.

Anyway, the big wheel had a mini-home camper that he kept in one of the storage buildings on company property. No one liked him, nor did they like the fact that he got all these perks.

One hot day, myself and another guy whose mother worked there were clearing some brush piles on the grounds when a skunk ran out and made his way right to the building housing the mini-home, slipping under the door and inside.

I looked at Mike. Mike looked at me. And, we both got the same idea at the same time. Grabbing old fence posts off the pile of rubbish we were working over, we ran to the shed and began pounding the hell out of the tin siding covering it. It took a decent amount of swinging and more than a few minutes, but eventually, that skunk had had enough and he let loose, filling that mobile home with fresh Kansas air.

We returned back to the main plant where we found our supervisor. He asked us why we weren't down there hard at work and we told him what had happened. Unsure if he would drop the bomb on us for doing it, he looked at us in disbelief then busted up laughing. Bought us a pop and gave us jobs indoors where there was air conditioning for the remainder of the day. He hated the guy, too.

Catch him. Piss him off, then turn him loose under her house.
 

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Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 02, 2007, 06:48 AM:
 
Never shoot a skunk in the head

Unless you want him to spray.

Anything connected to his central nervous system will cause muscles to contract when he dies. You don't want some of his muscles to contract.

Shoot him in the heart/lung area for a no stink quiet death.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 02, 2007, 07:27 AM:
 
Woke up this morning, looked out window.

Trap sprung, nothing inside.
 

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Posted by Joel Hughes (Member # 384) on January 02, 2007, 12:33 PM:
 
Good luck! I thought this video was interesting. In case the link doesn't work, it's video of a trapper dispatching a skunk without it spraying.

http://coyotesrus.proboards35.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=1166666785
 

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Posted by varmit hunter (Member # 37) on January 02, 2007, 12:45 PM:
 
Final solution. Order 1 oz of Skunk pee from a trapping supply. Procure a large syringe with a small needle. Draw five CC's from the bottle. Insert the needle trough the weather stripping and the window of his car. Empty the syringe.

After the tree hugger has paid someone to haul off the vehicle he will purchase a 10 gauge automatic, and soon join us on this always helpful board.
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 02, 2007, 12:51 PM:
 
Well, it's a good thing Tim is around to counter my bogus info....I thought I had read otherwise somewhere, but, of course, I'm getting on in years, and my mem....what were we talking about? Never mind.

Good hunting. LB
 

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Posted by Kelly Jackson (Member # 977) on January 02, 2007, 01:23 PM:
 
Tripp - use your bow and arrow with a field tip.......shoot him in the lungs and let him leave under his own power....or a 22 CB cap will do the trick as well...it makes little noise...
 

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Posted by Dan Carey (Member # 987) on January 02, 2007, 02:45 PM:
 
I'll bet the thing dies of old age before you killers figure a way to kill it.
 

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Posted by Kelly Jackson (Member # 977) on January 02, 2007, 05:26 PM:
 
hehehehheheheh
 

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Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on January 02, 2007, 06:15 PM:
 
Tripp, is your bait springing your trap?? Are you using cat food or canned tuna?? cat food seems to work better....

your best best is to put a sheet or canvas tarp over that trap after you catch the varmit... then carry him away and either let him go, or dispatch of him....

you can shoot it anywhere... there is a very high likelyhood that it will disperse some amount of yellow mist into the air... if you do shoot it... stand down wind and make sure you have lots of tomato juice to take a shower in
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 02, 2007, 08:11 PM:
 
Took the night off... from managing the Chainlink Hilton that is.

This being a family show, we'll just say I had other urgent managing to attend to.

Hilton to resume normal operation tomorrow evening.
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 02, 2007, 08:27 PM:
 
Shit, do we need a skunk forum, or what? You're getting a lot of input, this could go four or five pages before it's over?

Good hunting. LB
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 02, 2007, 08:41 PM:
 
Actually I'm thinking maybe a whole site. How about Skunkmastersbbs?
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 02, 2007, 08:43 PM:
 
Seriously I'm thinking it could last until I've ridded northern Bexar County of everything that favors canned tuna.
 

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Posted by Dsmith7136 (Member # 732) on January 03, 2007, 02:51 PM:
 
Okay Tripp, a clever friend of mine had the same problem. He built a "little wooden box" that enclosed his Hav-a-hart cage (except for the entrance door), and fitted it with a length of 2-inch pvc pipe at the back end. When the skunk tripped the pan, he approached the cage from the rear (unseen) and dropped another board in front of the trap thereby sealing it off completely - well, almost.

He then ran a length of 3-inch corrugated hose from the exhaust pipe on his truck to the pvc fitting on the cage, started up the engine and gassed the little sucker. It worked. Neat, quiet, efficient.

Of course, you'll need to get your truck within reasonable range of the cage for this to work. Either that or buy a mile-and-a-half of hose.

Good luck.
Dennis
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 03, 2007, 04:30 PM:
 
I'm surfing the net now.

Where'd they put those mile-long hoses?


 

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Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on January 03, 2007, 06:23 PM:
 
where did the put the hoses??? you gotta catch the darn thing first...

Krusty, would you mind giving Tripp some trapping tips....
 

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Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on January 03, 2007, 06:26 PM:
 
... and with Norm's post, a surreal world has come full circle.
 

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Posted by Dan Carey (Member # 987) on January 03, 2007, 06:34 PM:
 
I'm giving 2 to 1 odds on the skunk.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 03, 2007, 06:50 PM:
 
Ahhh it's a great day to be a pampass know-it-all.
 

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Posted by Cal Taylor (Member # 199) on January 03, 2007, 07:10 PM:
 
I've spent years and countless dollars learning how to NOT trap a skunk. Now you guys are actually trying to catch one. What is the world coming to. It is really simple as hell. All you have to do is try to catch something else. No matter what kind of trap you use or it's size, just claim that you are out to catch a bobcat or a coyote and I will GUARANTEE that the next day you will have either a skunk, badger, or porcupine. God help your yard if you catch the badger.
 

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Posted by Dusty Hunter (Member # 1031) on January 03, 2007, 07:27 PM:
 
Cal, That's a funny one! LOL Tripp - if you don't have all that corrigated pipe, here's something I've used in the past on gophers and it worked great. www.undergroundexterminator.com Nice thing about this is that you use water hoses that you probably already have to transfer the gas. One thing I've read is that it is illegal to use these in CA, but what isn't illegal there ?!? Oh and by the way, if you get too much back pressure try attaching a Y valve and run two hoses.

[ January 03, 2007, 07:39 PM: Message edited by: Dusty Hunter ]
 

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Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 03, 2007, 08:38 PM:
 
The only thing easier to catch than a skunk, would be a possum. You can avoid both by increasing your pan tension.

If you have a day or so to make some bait, go buy a dozen night crawlers and set them out in the sun to rot for the day. Then put the entire container in the back of the cage. Best skunk bait that money can buy, works great on coons too.

Young skunks in the summer are the only one's that you really need to fear spraying. That stink gun is still new to them, and they will spray just for the hell of it. The older skunks have used it a few times, and they don't like the smell any better than you do.

Skunks can't see much better than an armadillo, just keep an open sheet in front of you until you can drape it over the cage, you can then haul the covered cage darn near anywhere.

Stay calm, talk slow and nice, and you won't have a problem. When a skunk stamps his feet, just stop and talk calm to him, and he will calm right down.

Learn to get good at trapping skunks, and you can make a ton of money by advertising odorless skunk removal in town.

Sometimes shit happens, a stray dog comes around the corner at the wrong time, or worse yet, a teenaged boy. If the skunk sprays you, mix two bottles of Hydrogen peroxide, with a quarter cup of baking soda and a squirt of dish soap. The smell washes right off.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 05, 2007, 04:24 PM:
 
Okay fellow manly mountainman-like studly accomplished hard core trappers, the Chainlink Hilton reopens tonight with fresh Chicken-of-the-Sea chunk tuna in oil featured in the main dining room.

Krusty -- got any polecat stretchers?

[ January 05, 2007, 04:25 PM: Message edited by: The Outdoor Tripp ]
 

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Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 05, 2007, 04:26 PM:
 
If he doesn't, I do.

But I want you to catch him before I go dig it out of the shed!
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 05, 2007, 04:46 PM:
 
Okay Huntmastersbbs quizlings, riddle me this:

Went out back to open the Chainlink Hilton. When I got there, the 5x5" mouthed Hav-a-Hart was sprung (it's been there sprung for a couple days now).

Inside is the can of tuna... completely empty.

I can only think of one explanation, but it doesn't seem quite logical. Maybe you guys have some theeories.

My thinking is the skunk (trap too small for neighborhood cats) came partway in the trap, the can slid off the pan, the trap sprung and one door lay half-open over the skunk's back or tail while he consumed the oh-so-delicious Chicken-of-the-Sea chunk tuna in oil. When done emptying the can, he simply backed out of the trap as the door hadn't locked not being all the way down.

BUT... I would think ol' Pepe, once the trap noisily sprung with one door falling shut and the other whacking his back or tail, would hit the roof and spray to high heaven. There was no essence d' polecat in the vicinity.

Theories?
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 05, 2007, 04:47 PM:
 
Thought I'd add...

Trap is now set but with tuna out of can and setting on piece of foil setting on trap pan.
 

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Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 05, 2007, 04:56 PM:
 
If it is a two door trap, then one door is the "Master" and one the "Slave" Leave the Slave door closed, and put the bait close to it. So that the skunk has to travel past the pan to get to it.

Empty, sprung two door traps are generally due to a critter reaching in to pull out the bait. The door trips and hits him on the back, allowing him to just back out before it locks. By closing one door, you force him to commit himself to the trap, by having to go further in to reach the bait.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 05, 2007, 05:02 PM:
 
Damned. Now why didn't I think of that? Sometimes the most obvious...

You PAKMEN amaze me.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 05, 2007, 05:11 PM:
 
Tim,

Took your suggestion and reset trap accordingly.

I'm feeling lucky. Krusty -- may have a job for you any time now.

What's overnight postage on a skunk to Seattle?
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 05, 2007, 10:01 PM:
 
Tim,

Same thing happened again. Midnight Friday night I go out to check trap before turning in. Trap was set as you suggested with just one door open and bait to far end of trap.

Trap sprung, tuna gone.

The door that was left open had falled but the latch bar that is supposed to fall down and restrict the door from coming back up hadn't fallen completely, and I suspect had allowed him to escape. Thinking his long tail prevented the door from falling completely and he simply backed out. May need a bigger trap, but not looking to buy another.

Tricky little bastard. Going to keep at it with the same technique. It's got to work on him sooner or later. Only two cans of tuna left.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 06, 2007, 08:34 AM:
 
Fears confirmed.

Woke up this morning to undisturbed trap. Bastard was so full of tuna he did't come back.
 

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Posted by Norm (Member # 240) on January 06, 2007, 08:44 AM:
 
you got tuna eating squirells....
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 06, 2007, 11:32 AM:
 
Do you know how to rig a snare?
 

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Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on January 06, 2007, 02:34 PM:
 
Tripp,

Massachussetts trappers, relegated to live traps only, have mastered the art and science of catching stuff in them. One of their bits o' advice is to place the bait UNDER the trap in a small depression directly beneath where it would be in the trap otherwise. To keep it from digging, maybe place a board beneath it.

Now, quit chumming the damned thing and catch it already.
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 06, 2007, 02:53 PM:
 
Yeah, right! A million dollars worth of advice and you ain't got a sniff, besides rotten tuna.

Hey, maybe that's your problem? As with most bachelors, you probably got ***** on your mind?

Put on your game face and go out there and make us proud.

Good hunting. LB
 

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Posted by Dan Carey (Member # 987) on January 06, 2007, 06:11 PM:
 
I'm up to 4 to 1 on the critter.
 

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Posted by Buffalobob (Member # 825) on January 06, 2007, 06:17 PM:
 
Supplies and equipment needed

Chicken necks, 3 mil leaf bag, gallon of non-sudsey ammonia,string, two six packs of beer, large bag of cheetos, gallon of chlorox bleach.

Instructions

Put four or five chicken necks in a three mil leaf bag and prop open the end so the skunk goes in. Take the two six packs of beer and extra large bag of cheetos and sit and wait for the skunk to come along and go into the bag. Walk over slowly and grab up the open end of the bag and spin it a couple of times while holding it up in the air. Open up another beer, the chlorox and the ammonia. Open the top of the bag with one hand and pour in the chlorox and ammonia and then tie it with the string and drink the open beer until the resulting chloramine gas has killed the skunk.

If you should run low on Cheetos while waiting for the skunk, you can take some of the chicken necks out of the bag. The skunk will go on in even if there is only one left.

Surgeon General's Warning:
Now then, it will be dark when all of this happens so try not to make a mistake about which is the beer and which is the chlorox. The chlorox will taste better than the beer but is pretty rough on your sinuses. Ammonia and beer do not combine to make chloramine gas. However, if you have had three or four beers to drink and then drink the chlorox, it will form the gas and when you belch you will poison yourself. End result is that your skunk problem will be solved but not to your liking.

Should you fail to catch this skunk soon and should you have made a mistake on the results sexual identity of this skunk you will soon be blessed with a whole bunch of little skunks running around.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 06, 2007, 06:36 PM:
 
Ti-yi-yi-yime, is on my side. Yes it is.

Cause he'll keep comin' back, he'll keep comin back...

(Apologies to M. Jagger)

You knuckleheads think this part is entertaining? Just wait till I catch the little bastard and have to figure out what to do with him!
 

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Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on January 06, 2007, 06:46 PM:
 
I'm really beginning to side with Cal on this one. You need to go out and buy a dozen Bridger traps specifically for coyotes. Boil them, degrease them, rust them and then dip or dye/ wax. Use the utmost caution in keeping the traps odor free and uncontaminated.

Now, take a class on setting foothold traps for coyotes, then invest in trowel, stakes, lures, bait, pan covers, rubber boots, clean gloves and the like. Being very careful not to contaminate your backyard with human odor, set the trap for a bobcat. Not a cheap-ass no-spots bobcat. We're talking true blue baileyii type cat. If you can't or won't think bobcat, think Montana pale.

Blend set in so well that you won't be able to locate it until something is caught in it, and by morning, that something will be your skunk.

BTW, what do you plan on doing with it once you catch it?
 

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Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 06, 2007, 09:03 PM:
 
Lance,

Quit asking him such silly questions. Once he finally does, and asks us what to do with it, we are just all going to shut up and laugh.

The wind is out of the SW, only the Cajuns have anything to fear!
 

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Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on January 06, 2007, 09:12 PM:
 
Trip; put the bait at the far end and fasten the tuna can down and put some kind of screen over can. You want it so the animal will work the bait and hopefuly get in the trap all the way so the door will latch.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 06, 2007, 09:24 PM:
 
What to do once I've caught him?

Either full-body mount posed fighting off a neighbor cat, or a hat.
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 07, 2007, 01:11 AM:
 
Oh Yeah, sure. This is worse than watching grass grow.

Maybe we need to start another topic?

Need your two cents: help Trip think up his excuse of the day!
Good hunting. LB
 

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Posted by Kelly Jackson (Member # 977) on January 07, 2007, 09:27 AM:
 
Tripp - I think you have already caught pepe and want to see how long this thread will be.......

although all this does remide me of the time a rat (big as a young possom) moved in my house and I finaly killed him with a 44 mag loaded with rat shot........lost alot of sleep over that one......but thats another story...
 

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Posted by 22-250 (Member # 36) on January 07, 2007, 10:28 AM:
 
Try shooting him with a .22 CSI CB. It is quieter than a pellet gun. It will do a really good job with a head shot or a good job with a lung shot.
 

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Posted by Melvin (Member # 634) on January 07, 2007, 11:49 AM:
 
Tripp,Quit fa*ting around with that skunk and kill the darn thing.There is a saying-Once you get a past the smell you got her licked.
 

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Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on January 07, 2007, 12:43 PM:
 
This is kinda like reliving the whole Saddam Hussein thing. Some of us think he already has him. Others are sure he doesn't. Most of us wonder what he'll be allowed to do with it once he does have it and when will he announce the capture. I'm on pins and needles here. I say that when you get him, hang him!
 

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Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 07, 2007, 01:18 PM:
 
Piñata Party at Tripp's place!

Who gets to swing the stick first?
 

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Posted by Dsmith7136 (Member # 732) on January 08, 2007, 10:44 AM:
 
OK. So - now what ARE you going to do with him (it)? Or did you do it already? How? Was it bad? Let's hear it.
 

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Posted by Dsmith7136 (Member # 732) on January 08, 2007, 02:19 PM:
 
Oh - almost forgot - Congratulations!! (I think)
 

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Posted by JD (Member # 768) on January 08, 2007, 03:58 PM:
 
Jeeesus Tripp! Have you caught him yet? or are you engaged in some sort of epic battle with the skunk from hell?
 

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Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on January 08, 2007, 05:17 PM:
 
Damned if that sumbitch didn't catch it and turn it loose in my neighborhood. What kinda man catches a skunk and transports it 1500 miles to my yard just to make it my problem?!?

Matt was waiting for me to get out there yesterday morning and he saw a skunk waddle from my house, past his truck and around the neighbor's house across the street. Soon as I heard about it, my first thought was,... "TRIPP!!!!!!!!!!!" (Shake fist while screaming)
 

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Posted by Edge (Member # 426) on January 09, 2007, 08:33 PM:
 
So what happened..skunk?no skunk?out of tuna?*CHASING* tuna?
Status report.OT,the sooner the better
 

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Posted by Wiley E (Member # 108) on January 10, 2007, 06:38 AM:
 
Throw the blanket over the trap before you set it leaving the ends open. When/IF you catch the skunk, flip the blanket ends over the end of the trap so you can carry the trap off. A skunk USUALLY won't spray what they can't see especially if you move slowly.

Another problem you might be encountering is using catfood (Chicken of the Sea) for skunk bait. Use cheetos and you won't have the problems with cats springing your trap. Skunks love cheetos and cats don't. If you insist on using Chicken of the Sea, punch nail holes in the can and throw the whole can in instead of allowing small mice and pack rats to clean your bait out or critters to reach in and scrape it out.

I've had to trap literally thousands of skunks
on complaints and many in urban areas.

Good advise on locking one side of the trap. Obvious who the trappers are here.

After you catch the skunk and flip the blankets over the trap ends, you can carry it to wherever you want. Use a gas hose from an old gasoline vehicle and give them 15 minutes of gas and subtract him/her from Schindler's list.

~SH~
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 11, 2007, 02:09 PM:
 
Howdy Homies!

Back from several days out at the lease. Saw a few deer but nothing I was willing to pull the trigger on... and a bobcat (story to come later).

And now for the news you've been waiting for...

"Saddam" is still alive and well. Set the havahart for him one more time and this time put several bricks on top to keep the trap in place and several rocks on the drop-door to ensure it locked shut after falling (skunk's tail keeping the door from shutting all the way0.

Results? Trap sprung, tuna can picked clean. No saddam.

Although the trap is perfect in width and height, it's obvious it's just too damned short to get the job done.

Raccoons love corn and they have a habit of screwing with feeder spinner plates and varmit guards. As such, I keep a good-sized box trap out at my lease. I catch a number of coons each year with it and the trap works great. This afternoon I brought the trap back in the truck and will bait the sucker up tonight. We'll see if Saddam works his way out of this baby.

I like the idea of using Cheetos for bait. Going to try that tonight. Besides, I'm out of Chicken of the Sea and Cheetos are cheaper.

Not sure if I'm going to employ the blanket over the trap trick, I'm just too worried about Saddam and a potential gas attack for obvious reasons as well as the fact I have 10' between my house and each of the neighbors'.

My thinking is to whack the bastard with a 22 short. But I must ask two things of the expert panel:

1) Just how loud is a 22 short compared to a pellet rifle of 22 LR?

2) Will a skunk release its happy juice when shot?

3) Where do I shoot the cuddly 'lil dictator? I've gotten conflicting direction: some say shoot for the head and some say avoid the head and shoot at the body. Some say the skunk will spray doing one and not the other, and some say vice versa.

Arming for battle...

[ January 11, 2007, 02:24 PM: Message edited by: The Outdoor Tripp ]
 

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Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on January 11, 2007, 02:47 PM:
 
1) I still say gas him. It's quieter than the options you asked about.

2) Those bastards will always spray when you shoot them. I've found no guaranteed spot on their little carcasses that won't make them squirt.

3) The only way I found to shoot them that didn't stick was one I caught in a coyote set and all I had was a Mini-14 and 40-grain Vmaxes. from thirty feet upwind, I let him have it being careful not to hit my good trap. He exploded into tiny skunk fragments all over the hillside and I'll damned if there wasn't any stink. Don't know I managed that, but it worked. LOL
 

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Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on January 11, 2007, 02:57 PM:
 
I say shoot the skunk in the chest or just behind the shoulder. If it sprays just hose the area down with water and move on with youre day to day life. If shooting the skunk and haveing him spray is a big problem then quit feeding him and clean-up the back yard, sooner or later it well move on...
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 11, 2007, 03:34 PM:
 
There is absolutely nothing in my back yard to clean up. Grass, trees, and nothing more. Spotless other than a few dried dog turds.

The skunk just passes through my back yard. Cleaning up will accomplish nothing.

The skunk lives in the neighbor's back yard which is loaded with shrubs, ferns, bird feeders, cat food, a sunken plastic koi pond, a few compost piles, etc., etc. The chick is a tree-hugging fruit loop.

The key question is: How loud are 22 shorts?

[ January 11, 2007, 03:38 PM: Message edited by: The Outdoor Tripp ]
 

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Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on January 11, 2007, 03:46 PM:
 
the 22 shorts are a bit louder than a pellet gun. If you only shoot once or twice no-one is going to know...
What i ment by cleaning up youre yard is get rid of the tuna can and stop feeding the skunk in youre trap. Its clear that the trap is not working and by continueing this practice you are just inviteing the skunk back and proably some of his relatives. I live in town and if i get a skunk or raccoon in the back yard i just shoot them and put a end to it.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 11, 2007, 04:21 PM:
 
Tuna or no tuna, Saddam ain't gonna leave unless he's stiff. His been around for the better part of a year and lives next door.

I'm going to try the 22 short route. The larger trap is now set and swimming with Cheetos.

[ January 11, 2007, 04:28 PM: Message edited by: The Outdoor Tripp ]
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 11, 2007, 05:11 PM:
 
There's a lot riding on this, Trip. No mistakes. I can't believe you tried to trap a skunk in a cage that wasn't long enough to include his tail ?

Good hunting. LB
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 11, 2007, 05:35 PM:
 
Shame I didn't just happen to have a skunk trap lying around. What the heck was I thinking?

Tripp

[ January 11, 2007, 05:41 PM: Message edited by: The Outdoor Tripp ]
 

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Posted by Dan Carey (Member # 987) on January 11, 2007, 06:41 PM:
 
Tripp,
I'm rooting for you, but betting on the skunk. What an enchanting creature it is.

[ January 11, 2007, 06:43 PM: Message edited by: Dan Carey ]
 

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Posted by Buffalobob (Member # 825) on January 11, 2007, 06:56 PM:
 
The noise of the shot will travel in the direction of the bullet. It will also bounce. Shrubs and bushes will absorb and muffle the sound. At one time in my life I knew how to make a disposable silencer for a 22. It seems like it involved a roll of paper towels and duct tape. IIRC paper flies everywhere but it is good for 3 or 4 shots.

Here is one but it is a lot of work.

If the feds catch U it will be 2 bad
 

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Posted by Melvin (Member # 634) on January 11, 2007, 07:11 PM:
 
Tripp,if you can kill him without him spraying,take a knife and cut the scarlet collored sacks from out of his behind.Squeeze the yellow mustard out into a 2oz.bottle.Put the cap on the bottle(very tight)and then dip it in hot wax.Put this in another(stink proof) container and wax it too.Then send it all to me.I will give you $20.00 plus shipping for all your troubles.
 

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Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 11, 2007, 08:09 PM:
 
"Obvious who the trappers are here."

While I may or may not be a "trapper" yet, I do know a thing or two about shooting in the city.

The CB shorts are not real loud, but not real quiet either.
Another slightly quieter, but still effective (at close range), round is the Super Collibri, made by Aguilla.

Both the short and the collibri will probably force you outside, to make the shot and be in range.

The best silencer I know of, is to shoot from indoors.
I used to shoot my .22lr through an open window (from ten feet or so away from the window), my neighbors didn't know, when asked, that I'd been doing it.
But the neighborhood I live in, is used to shooting, I dunno 'bout where you live?

Krusty

[ January 11, 2007, 08:10 PM: Message edited by: Krustyklimber ]
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 11, 2007, 08:16 PM:
 
So that's how Krusty does that damned little wavy thing.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 11, 2007, 08:18 PM:
 
Krusty,

Excellent idea. My downstairs bedroom window lines up perfectly with the trap. Gonna nail him from about 10' inside the house.

Let's just pray I remember to open the damned thing.

Thanks.

[ January 11, 2007, 09:06 PM: Message edited by: The Outdoor Tripp ]
 

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Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 11, 2007, 08:49 PM:
 
Tripp,

You only forget once.

Krusty
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 11, 2007, 09:05 PM:
 
Leonard! I'm tellin' MOM!
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 11, 2007, 09:08 PM:
 


[ January 11, 2007, 09:10 PM: Message edited by: The Outdoor Tripp ]
 

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Posted by Dsmith7136 (Member # 732) on January 11, 2007, 11:34 PM:
 
For the record, Tripp, I've used .22 CB caps to whack cage caught coons (five of them last fall) in my back yard, and never got so much as a raised eyebrow from the neighbors on either side of me. Our houses aren't 20 feet apart. You're probably too young to remember when these things (.22 caps) were commonly shot from real pump action rifles in public shooting galleries. 'course that was back in the day when - well, never mind.

Fired through an old single shot bolt action rifle, CB caps aren't much louder than a magnum-class fart. I suppose they'd be louder in a short barreled handgun. Clap your hands together one time and you've duplicated the sound of a CB cap. I really think my Benjamin air rifle makes more noise.

As I understand it, a CB cap (29 grain soft lead bullet in a .22 short case) is propelled by primer only; no powder charge. They're about as "neighborhood-friendly" a round as you could hope for.

I've also heard tell of guys duct taping an empty 2-liter plastic pop bottle over the end of a rifle bbl. for a makeshift silencer with excellent results. They cut a one inch hole in the "exit" end. It's a cumbersome, but effective, arrangement.

Still, I've found that shooting a skunk in the head will not prevent them from spraying the happy juice no matter how quiet your gun is. I've killed a couple of them that way with nasty results. Head shot coons are messy too; they don't spray, of course, but they do flop and thrash about slinging blood in all directions.

By far, the "quietest" coon I ever killed was heart/lung shot with a CB cap from a full-on frontal position. Actually, he was hanging upside down in a cage clinging to the top of it with all fours, growling and snarling like - well, like a caged animal. I put the rifle barrel against his chest between his two front legs, popped the cap and he just fell dead to the bottom of the cage. Same for another that was standing and facing me. Bang, flop, dead.

I'm not certain why, but that's been my experience, limited though it may be. Maybe the bullet strikes the spinal cord disrupting neuro functions long enough for the thing to bleed out internally? I dunno. I just know it's far less dramatic than braining them.

Now - the only 100% sure-fire way to dispatch a skunk without triggering the noxious release of happy juice is to administer an overdose of clinical anesthetic - sodium pentobarbital or euthenasia (available from a veteranian)- to the heart/lung area with a syringe mounted on the end of a five foot-long broomstick or some such.

I got this tidy bit of info from a book on fox trapping by Tom Krause. Two of his trapping buddies apparently did this routinely and made quite a bundle selling skunk fur without getting themselves all stunk up in the process.

They use a syringe charged with 3 cc's of Anesthesia fastened to the end of a stick with a pair of angle iron brackets, walk slowly and calmly up to the skunk while carefully watching for signs of aggrevation in the skunk (stamping feet and other tell tale posturing), let him smell the needle, then slowly push it against the skunk where its neck and chest meet. The needle slips easily into the chest cavity and another gentle push injects the deadly concoction. The skunk "falls asleep" quickly, painlessly and without stinking up the neighborhood. The guys say it can also be injected directly behind the front shoulder with equal effect. They claim it works every time. The title of the book is Dynamite Fox Trapping, copyright 1979.

I'm not sure it's practical for a one time occurrence, but it's something to consider.


Dennis

[ January 11, 2007, 11:40 PM: Message edited by: Dsmith7136 ]
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 11, 2007, 11:50 PM:
 
The above sounds like good advice.

Note; I am not a trapper!

However

I wonder why you couldn't submerge the (covered)cage in a trash barrel full of water?

Oh, I know why; the screems, the screems!

Not the skunk....... YOU , silly!

Good hunting. LB
 

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Posted by Dsmith7136 (Member # 732) on January 12, 2007, 12:43 AM:
 
Leonard,

Skunks, like humans, can fart underwater but the bubbles are much worse

Dennis
 

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Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 12, 2007, 12:52 AM:
 
An old trapper I met at the Rondy, named Blaine Nalder, specializes in (urban) skunks and has devloped a PVC pipe live trap.
After catching a skunk, he covers the ends of the trap with old t-shirts.

He drowns almost all of them, after removal and transportation from the catch site, and said they rarely spray in the process.
(*That way he's already at the river, washes the traps with skunk soap, and feeds the crawdads, all at the same time).

A syringe pole can be used with some more "household" like products too, but it's use is something better left to professionals (and something I was told "not to discuss openly"... I dunno if this qualifies as "open" or not).

Besides that, it seems like catching the skunk is THE big problem, not dispatching it.
I was just saving Tripp a step.

Oh yeah... Note to Tripp,

The scope is a couple inches higher than the path of the bullet, don't shoot the window sill/skirt after you remember to open it!

You only forget that once too. What? I fixed it.

Dennis,

You're right. The CB shorts (and the Colibris) are "powderless".

The way it was explained to me, the regular colibris have the primer charge of a 22lr, where the super and the cb have the primer charge of a WMR.

The colibri's both share the same 20gr pointed projectile, that looks a lot like a 22 cal pointed hunting pellet.
With the super running about half again as fast as the regular (in the 650fps range ).
The cb uses a 29gr roundnosed bullet that looks more like the standard 22lr.

We've chronographed the colibris, but I didn't have any shorts to compare at the time.

Krusty
 

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Posted by Wiley E (Member # 108) on January 12, 2007, 07:33 AM:
 
I think whoever advised you to shoot them in the head was pulling your chain. Talk about a guarantee to get them to spray. If you shoot them behind the legs in the lungs, there is about a 33% chance they will spray a little, about a 33% chance they won't spray at all, and about a 33% chance they will unload. Each skunk is different.

I don't know why you are opting to shoot him when it's so damn easy to gas them or remove them to an area you can shoot them.

Trust me, I've done this a thousand times. Take a long stick and drive a nail in the end of it. Hook the loops in a tarp with the nail and slowly push that tarp over the cage. SLOWLY! Once the cage is completely covered, you can move the cage to where you want to gas them or shoot them. As long as you move slowly and steadily and stop moving when the skunk raises it's tail, you can get away with a lot. Hell, I've put them in the trunk of my car and hauled them off without odor. They don't spray what they can't see unless you really shake them up.

Take a hose from an old gasoline vehicle and run it under the tarp and give them 15 minutes. NO ODOR! If not, haul the covered cage out to the country, open the cage, and shoot the skunk when it runs out.

If you shoot him in the cage, how the hell can you guarantee that your bullet will miss the wire? You're crazy to shoot them unless you like the thought of skunk odor filling your lungs for the next week.

I've killed thousands with the syringe too and I wouldn't advise that. It works great but you need the right drugs (Sodium Pentobarbital) which you probably can't get and it takes a lot more patience, time, and equipment than covering the damn cage with a tarp and getting the skunk out of there or gassing them.

If you wrap the cage first creating a tunnel, all you have to do is flip the covers over the ends, pick the damn thing up, and carry that skunk wherever you want to gas it or shoot it. It's no big deal. If you shoot him, there is about a 75% chance that it's going to spray some.

DO IT RIGHT!

There is now cage traps available that are totally enclosed except along the doors. I just pick the skunk up, put it in the back of my truck, haul it to a bridge or steep sloped area, dump the skunk out, and shoot the damn thing.

You are crazy if you shoot that skunk in the trap unless you hate your neighbors.

~SH~

[ January 12, 2007, 07:35 AM: Message edited by: Wiley E ]
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 12, 2007, 09:36 AM:
 
Scott, as a "nontrapper" I admit it was I that suggested a head shot, the theory being kinda like the SWAT TEAM shooting the deranged maniac in the head, disconnecting his motor reflexes on the trigger finger?

Okay, so it doesn't work, but according to your 75% estimates, any other (lethal) point of aim is not a whole lot better.

The thing is, we need to TRAP this critter, first! Then we can get creative with the disposal.

How about placing the cage, in the middle of the night on neighbors front porch, rigging a rope to uncover the cage, and using a slingshot to get him real fired up, object being to spray neighbor's front door, in retaliation, and pure meanness. Keep bumping the cage with one of those radio controlled dune buggies.

Then tie free end of rope to rear bumper and drive/drag Saddam to a secure location (green zone)...maybe he will be out of "ammo" by that time? Do they run out of stuff to spray? I don't know? Anyway, take your time; no hurry.

Remotely open cage, let him get out a ways. (let him think he's escaping) Employ a 12 gauge shotgun; pump, fully loaded, plug removed. Be alert for the possibility that he will elect to hide under car....... or, if you failed to close the door; in the back seat? In that case; I have no solution?

So, got your "game face" on? (anyway) let's say he opts for the woods, dodging and feinting left and right, but you manage to score at least one hit! High fives all around!

Afterwards, get back in the car, gulp some strong spirits to calm your nerves, breathe deep, zone out for a few minutes, (upwind) and then sneak back home, undetected. Remove camo. (tip: try to act natural, very casual)

Normandy required far less planning and was far less monumental in scope.

Good luck, Amigo! LB
 

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Posted by TOM64 (Member # 561) on January 12, 2007, 10:19 AM:
 
If it takes as long to decide how to kill him as it takes to catch him, he will probably starve to death.

Unless of course he's been fed out on tuna and cheetos...

What does he weigh by now???
 

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Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on January 12, 2007, 10:46 AM:
 
Thank goodness we are all in seperate locations or this would look like the keystone cops or a monkey on a football.this is truly funny stuff.
 

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Posted by Crow Woman (Member # 157) on January 12, 2007, 10:51 AM:
 
Trip... at this point in the game... Open up your front door, make a nice comfy spot on your sofa, fire up a can of that stew that your were eating for game time and invite ole Pepe in. No need to take it out of the can cause you didn't when you were eating it. You might just find yourself a new watch pet and you won't have to worry about dispatching it
 

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Posted by Melvin (Member # 634) on January 12, 2007, 11:31 AM:
 
Tripp,one more bit of information: How to catch a skunk without getting perfumed...Run a string of cheetos to a burlap bag thats proped open and set your ass down on a lawn chair,beside it.When the skunk goes inside,simply close it,and tote him off to the nearest tree. Beat the sack aginst the tree,untill your sure there is no movement inside.Tote the sack over to the fence, and toss it into your neighbors yard.LOL
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 12, 2007, 11:40 AM:
 

quote:

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Beat the sack aginst the tree

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Yeah, right, in your Hazmat suit.
 

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Posted by The Outdoor Tripp (Member # 619) on January 12, 2007, 11:49 AM:
 
Saddam Execution Update

Checked trap this morning, trap was unsprung and all Cheetos eaten from the pan. I set the trap to spring pretty light, but it's a pretty big trap so I guess not!

After listening to 's advice (which I think makes a hell of a lot of sense, I'm toying with the thought of the tarp/removal/shoot elsewhere method as I've contacted 3 pretty comprehensive gun places all of which don't sell 22 shorts.

So to hell with it for a couple of days. Am headed out to the deer lease to do some camping and enjoy the last weekend of buck season.
 

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Posted by varmit hunter (Member # 37) on January 12, 2007, 12:12 PM:
 
Thank God we are not after bigfoot.
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 12, 2007, 12:23 PM:
 
Admit it, Trip. There is no shame. A lonely man takes in a stray, happens all the time.

Reading the tea leaves here, it's obvious that you have called a truce and reached out to one of God's creatures. Be honest, we can take it.

Now, as DR Laura would say; do the right thing, install a doggy door, and buy him a canopied wicker bed, with cedar chips and a blankee.

Good hunting. LB

PS pictures, we want pictures!

PPS get his shots, maybe a rhinestone collar, too!

sudden thought: you mentioned there is nothing in your yard, except for a few dog turds? A reasonable man would conclude; you must have a dog? Where the hell has he been when all this thivery is going on?
 

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Posted by Melvin (Member # 634) on January 12, 2007, 12:28 PM:
 
Good point!,Leonard.

[ January 12, 2007, 12:31 PM: Message edited by: Melvin ]
 

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Posted by Kelly Jackson (Member # 977) on January 12, 2007, 12:31 PM:
 
5 pages and still no skunk.......man come on Tipp catch this thing already.....
 

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Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 12, 2007, 12:54 PM:
 
Scott,

My advice, related to shooting, was because I thought Tripp was going to forego the trapping process altogether.

It seemed like a shot of opportunity might present itself, before he could ever get it in the trap to stay.

Even if it doesn't spray, skunks stink.
Before I needed it, I'd make up a big jug of skunk soap, and be prepaired to clean up after myself.
I'm trying to skin every critter I can, so I'd wash the skunk up, and give it a try too.

I know Jim Champion, Champion Tannery, always said he'd buy skunks.

Tripp,

The pan of the trap is for catching critters, not for bait.
You've already been advised to "cubby" your bait under the cage, and this is durn good advice.

With the bait on or near the pan, anyone who tries to reach through the wire can set off the trap.
The other thing that can happen is the critter will only get his nose to the pan, and start eating, tripping the trap before he's all the way in, and possibly backing out.

For both of these reasons it's best to cover the trap, or block access to the sides and back, and place the bait as far inside as possible.
I use sticks (stuck into the ground, like little tank traps) and cover it with brush (being careful not to block or foul the trigger).

With the bait (in the tuna can) under the trap, and beyond the pan, the critter will be drawn all the way in, and inclined to linger trying to pull cheetos through the floor.
(*If your trap was extended, when his tail gets slammed he'd have somewhere to move forward, pulling his tail from the door, and locking it)

If he digs in from the side, use a piece of chicken wire to secure the can to the bottom of the trap.
Or some guys use a piece of wire off the roll (longer and wider than the cage) or a piece of plywood, when setting on lawns or gardens, to stop damage from diggers and animals caught in the cages.

One of the raccoons I caught pulled everything he could reach inside the trap, tore the cover to hell, and made a muddy mess out of himself and the cage.

I've been buying the Havahart 1089 single door raccoon cages at Home Depot, for $40.00.
This might be a better option than, or a great partner to, your double door cage.

Krusty
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 12, 2007, 01:17 PM:
 
Whoa! Did I miss something, here? He puts the tuna can on the pan? Truth? Yes, no?

So, assuming the pan is "preloaded" considering the weight of the can: AS THE CRITTER EATS THE CONTENTS, AT THIS POINT, IT WILL REQUIRE THAT MUCH MORE PRESSURE TO TRIP THE PAN?

Okay, I'm not a trapper, but this seems counterproductive?

I just checked. A can of tuna weighs 6 ounces, a can of Friskies cat food is 5.5 ounces.

You must be mistaken, K? He wouldn't have put the can on the pan....or would he?

That can't be right! Somebody look it up.

[ January 12, 2007, 01:18 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
 

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Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 12, 2007, 01:38 PM:
 

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About 10:00 pm tonight I set the Hav-a-Hart up against the fence between the two digs the skunk enters and exits my yard from each night.

On the trap pan sets a freshly opened can of Chicken of the Sea chunk tuna in oil.

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When I got there, the 5x5" mouthed Hav-a-Hart was sprung

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Trap is now set but with tuna out of can and setting on piece of foil setting on trap pan.

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Checked trap this morning, trap was unsprung and all Cheetos eaten from the pan. I set the trap to spring pretty light, but it's a pretty big trap so I guess not!

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I'm pretty sure, he said it.

Krusty

[ January 12, 2007, 01:40 PM: Message edited by: Krustyklimber ]
 

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Posted by Dan Carey (Member # 987) on January 12, 2007, 02:22 PM:
 
Plug up the hole under the fence! Throw a can of tuna and some cheetos over the fence into the greenies yard everyday. I'm not sure how long skunks live but he will die someday.

[ January 12, 2007, 02:23 PM: Message edited by: Dan Carey ]
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 12, 2007, 02:30 PM:
 
That's pretty callous, Dan. He's bonded, fer cripes sakes. She should have her babies out of the cold; like at the foot of Trip's bed, or in the closet?

I love happy endings. LB
 

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Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on January 12, 2007, 02:33 PM:
 
I'm froze in at home, and bored stiff...

Okay, I went to Havahart.com and looked at the Cage Trap Guide.

Tripp's 5x5 is probably their Model 1025, recommended for rats, rabbits, and flying squirrels.
The skunk is more than likely fouling the trap, because he just doesn't fit inside, at all.

My trappers ed book lists skunk size as;
Total lengths of 20 to 30 inches is the normal range for adults. The tail, included in the total length, is about 7 to 10 inches long. Adults usually weigh 3.5 to 10 pounds.

The Model 1025 is only a total of 18 inches in length, 25% shorter than the 24 inch long trap they list as their smallest recommended skunk trap.
The largest trap they recommend for skunks, the 1088, is considerably larger.

Because it's collaspable (and stores easily), big enough for armidillos and raccoons, which I am sure Tripp will want to catch one of next... and still small enough for stray cats or a skunk, I'm gonna stick with the model 1089 (properly set, and baited) as my recommendation.

Krusty

[ January 12, 2007, 02:38 PM: Message edited by: Krustyklimber ]
 

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Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on January 12, 2007, 03:42 PM:
 
Tripp,

Only a pussy would use a pole with a nail on the end of it to cover the trap. Be a man and walk up to the trap and cover it by hand!

But Scott does make a good point that you may not have caught. Many skunks shy away from entering a trap with open wire sides. It's kind of like they know that they are doing something stupid, and they don't want any of their friends to see them. If you cover everything but the door, many skunks will more readily enter the trap.

Just as a side note, this time of the year, skunks tend to congregate together. If you see one, there are probably a few more around that you haven't seen. When I was doing ADC for skunks, it wasn't uncommon to take a half a dozen or more skunks out of one location at this time of the year.
 

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Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 12, 2007, 04:25 PM:
 
(clears throat)

eleven days ago, 4th post on first page. But, of course, I'm not a trapper.

Leonard
Administrator
Member # 2

posted January 01, 2007 09:55 AM
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I read in T&PC about trapping skunks and retained almost nothing? I think they say to place the cage next to a wall and cover it with fabric?
Good hunting. LB

edit: Annimal Control in my city consists of borrowing a cage trap from the annimal shelter and wishing you good luck.

January 01, 2007

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