What to do about skunks?

[spikerS]

Alright, here is the situation...

about 6 weeks ago, my neighbor tells me of a encounter he had with a skunk. He came out of his back yard, through his gate, to be confronted by a Skunk! he high tails it out of there, and gets in his house.

About 2 weeks later, I go out on my front steps to have a smoke. I get to the bottom step, light my smoke, and am about to sit down when I hear a rustling sound. I turn around in time to see the skunk raise it's tail, I turn away and book it back in the house. Thankfully, only my jeans got hit, and I had them off and in the black bin fast enough that they didn't soak through and make me stink.

I didn't see, or hear any reports of it for the past month.

Fast forward to tonight.

I go out to have a smoke again, and at the end of my lawn is that fucking skunk again!

I go in the house, call 311, and let them know I have a skunk problem here. Their response to me is that they consider skunks and porcupines a pest, and don't respond for them. Tell me to make sure there are no food sources and crap and yadda yadda yadda.

I asked if bylaw still provided traps for cats and such. Great news! they do, but suspend the program for the winter months...

I really don't want to buy a trap that I will only probably use once, and I have no clue as to what neighbors may be leaving food out.

anyone have any options that I can try?

[corsvette]

My bro in law had a Skunk problem under his back deck, it would hang out with his cat of all things. he put mothballs under the deck, advice he got from an old farmer we know, he has not seen it for months now.

Also call a local exterminator, he may have advice.

[Supa Dexta]

Yeah moth balls is what I've always heard...
Dogs and guns always kept em away from my place though.
<old farmer.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by spikers


anyone have any options that I can try?

Stop going outside to smoke your *cigarette*.. then the skunk hallucinations will probably die down.

[Thaco]

I noticed i have a skunk in my garbage occasionally, but the only time it ever comes in to my yard is when my outside motion light is turned off, they have never been here when the switch is on... might be worth a try

[codetrap]

spikers, maybe pick up a slingshot and some gumballs? That's what my mom uses to control the cats trespassing on her property. She's pretty possessive about the robin's nest..

Also, if you get hit.. hydrogen peroxide baking sode and soap mixture works great for neutralizing the stink. My father in law's dog got nailed in our yard one night, and we had to bathe it in that stuff... gack.. makes me nauseous thinking about it..

[Kloubek]

Pellet gun. Not a firearm, and will make the skunk think twice about stepping on your turf.

Sounds a little cruel, and I'm not sure I'd do it myself - but it *is* an option...

[spikerS]

Originally posted by Kloubek
Pellet gun. Not a firearm, and will make the skunk think twice about stepping on your turf.

Sounds a little cruel, and I'm not sure I'd do it myself - but it *is* an option...

or, I could shoot gum balls packed with C4 from a painball gun...that's an option too!

all kidding aside, I think I am just going to try to build a home made trap from some scrap wood I have around. I mean, I was a boy scout and survivalist for the longest time...lol this should be easy enough. I already have an Idea how to build it.

now the question is...can they chew through 1/2 inch ply, and how will I get the damn thing out...

[Kloubek]

Originally posted by spikers
I think I am just going to try to build a home made trap from some scrap wood I have around. I mean, I was a boy scout and survivalist for the longest time...

... yeah, because they do teach you a lot about building traps out of plywood in Boy Scouts. You know... just in case you get lost in the wilderness and happen upon random sheets of wood.

You're a smart guy though - I'm sure you can figure it out if that is the route you take. But then, I'm wondering how to get even the trap off the property. They'll just spray through that... no?

[GTS4tw]

Hook the trap up to your car exhaust, run for 10 mins, bam, problem solved.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by Kloubek


... yeah, because they do teach you a lot about building traps out of plywood in Boy Scouts. You know... just in case you get lost in the wilderness and happen upon random sheets of wood.

You're a smart guy though - I'm sure you can figure it out if that is the route you take. But then, I'm wondering how to get even the trap off the property. They'll just spray through that... no?

LOL, yeah, I made the boy scout reference, because in my mind i was thinking making a snare.

found this online which is almost identical to what i was thinking of making, just a different spring mechanism.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/sanders64.html

[davidI]

We had this problem - the skunks dug under our driveway slab. Obviously there were pockets that had settled so they had a bit of a cave under there or something. Who knows.

Call the city. They sent out an Animal Control guy to our place with traps...we ended up catching something like 21 skunks over a few months. Once they were gone, we tore up all kinds of earth, laid chicken wire around the driveway and basically did everything we could to ensure they didn't come back.

Don't listen to the pellet gun idea. A skunk sprayed our teenage neighbour so he came out with his air rifle and guess who got hosed next....

[project240]

Originally posted by Kloubek
They'll just spray through that... no?

Skunks can only spray if they can lift their tail, so as long as he trap isn't too large, he should be able to walk over and just carry it off.

To be honest though, I think building a makeshift trap out of plywood is a ridiculous idea for catching a skunk unless you spend the time/money to actually make a good trap, in which case it would probably just be cheaper to buy a proper trap or call an exterminator.

[USED1]

Fish and wildlife may have traps that you can borrow.

[ExtraSlow]

What are you planning on doing with it once it's trapped?

IMO, it's better to make your yard inhospitible to the little bastard, then he'll wander way on his own.

[Seth1968]

I went through the same situation about a month ago, and was a loaned a trap from Fish and Wildlife (Lethbridge).

Even if your able to scare it off, or catch and release it in the country somewhere, it's going to become someone else's problem. If you do plan on releasing it somewhere, you run the risk of it spraying during transportation.

In other words, you might have to kill it.

[msommers]

Spikers what area in town do you live? I've see a skunk in the yard a few times - by Nose Hill.

[JfuckinC]

Lol I posted a video a while ago of me removing a skunk from my garage.. But honestlY just trap it. At our resort in invy this one guy traps them all and relocates them cause they get up to no good a lot. No need to kill it.

[spikerS]

I am not planning on killing it. I will probably take it out to big hill springs provincial park to release it.

As for making my yard inhospitable, it already is. the problem is I can't control what my neigbors do or don't. So I still have the problem. Thankfully, I think it is only 1 skunk, and I have checked my property for burrows, and none found.

and this in in Taradale.

[Graham_A_M]

Use Sardines as bait, then use a trap such as this.


I was going to suggest checking out UFA (the farm supply store) in Calgary, but after checking out their website it doesn't seem to stock them. I dont know who you'd call. You can try UFA down in High River, that wouldn't hurt at all.
http://www.ufa.com/
Thats the same trap we used, as we've caught and eliminated the skunks at my dads farm using just this. If it were summer I'd bring it back with me since its not being used anymore, but that wont happen until the spring so.... but call around and see where people direct you. Im kind of out of suggestions as to who else would have it, but call a few exterminator type companies and see if they'd sell you one. While looking for the actual traps, I found these guys. Seem to be based in Calgary's SE.

http://www.absolutepestcontrolinc.ca/?ms_dist=GoGeo

Once you catch it, (we just shot it while in the cage) you can release it, but make damn good and sure you have an open bed pickup if you plan on doing that obviously.

If you do want to release it; I'd head down deep into Kananaskis, or the next best thing. Best to release it in an area very far away from people. Otherwise; as what was said it'll become someone elses problem.