Skunk in the yard at supper time

[CalG]

It's the same old lady that brought her children to supper in our corn patch last year. Easy to tell, She is all white on top, hardly a suggestion of stripe.

But, now she needs to go, I can't abide needing to tip toe around the place.

Does the smell after the shot go away more rapidly in a rain? or in dry weather?

This is important! I've got neighbors to consider ;-)

 

[Einthewoods]

I believe a head shot resolves the issue of smell no matter the weather. At least I have never had issues with smell.

 

[oosik]

Smell - H E L L. Shoot the thing, bury and be done with it. If it stinks - it stinks. Last thing I would be worrying about is - HOW MUCH DO THE NEIGHBORS STINK.

 

[dodge man]

I’ve shot them with a shot gun, I didn’t want to miss. One of them I kind of chased away from the house and I could tell it was going to spray me or let me get close enough to spray me. I blasted it right away. I don’t remember the smell staying around long afterwards but it can. I’ve shot maybe 6 over the years but maybe I thinned them out, it’s been about 10 years since I’ve shot one. I walked out the front door once and there was one about twenty feet away, that will send chills down you spine.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

If the neighbors are far enough away that you can safely shoot a gun, then they're far enough away to not worry about the smell. Dig a hole, shoot the skunk, use the FEL on your tractor to pick up the dead skunk(s), and drop them in the hole, then back drag the dirt pile over the hole with the FEL.

Done and done.

P.S.-- I normally use a 12 ga shotgun loaded with 3" #5's. Don't have to be very close, and just anchors them to the ground.

 

[oosik]

Def of a hopeless feeling - - come around the corner of one of your outbuildings and come face to face with a skunk and you only have a shovel in your hands. I didn't get sprayed - he sprayed the entire side of the building - I couldn't get in the house and get the shotgun in time to dispatch him.

He was "Gone with the Wind" - - his odor remained for a couple days.

Over the 36+ years out here I've probably shot half a dozen skunks - same number of porcupines. The first two I buried. They were promptly dug up, dragged off and eaten??? by coyotes. Thereafter, I took them to a remote location on the property - just left them lying there - they were gone the following day. No sense wasting time/energy burying them.

I haven't had a skunk around the house in over ten years. That's the same time I quit feeding the dog outside. I think the dog was "sharing". I feed the dog inside now.

 

[Kentuckyfarmer]

In my years I have had to kill lots of skunks. I tried head shots but they almost all sprayed like crazy. It's something to do with the nerves going crazy. Only one skunk I ever seen killed didn't spray and it was one my cousin shot with a 410 slug and severed its spine right in front of the back legs and went at a angle down thru it chest. I have lately had skunks coming around here and don't want to put up with the smell from shooting them. Been trying different methods. I had one coming from a old building across the road just before sunset and would make noise when I'd saw it coming down the drive and when it would be crossing the road on its way back drop the hammer on some bird shot at his butt, but twice he sprayed each time. Was far enough away it would just pepper his butt a little but that didn't stop him from coming. I tried a water hose and would spray him. They don't like that at all and would run. Trick is don't over do and just enough to make them leave. Just remember the tail comes up means their going to shoot the juice. After a couple times was at least a week or so no skunk. But then here it comes again. So now I have a good squirt bottle and have it so it squirts a stream and use apple cider vinegar. I ran him back across the road and that's been over a month ago and no sign of him since. Further down the road I have a culvert that goes under the road and another one a few days ago came under it before sunset and I got my squirt bottle and ran that one back across the road. A few minutes later the fool crossed the road about fifty yards further down and was in a field I keep cut with a bush hog and the grass was probably 10 inches tall. I ran out there with out my bottle but it just hunkered down and didn't move. So I got my squirt bottle and just a couple squirts and he was across the road. Haven't seen that one again either. You can spray around your garden, in the barn or where ever you don't want the critters and they will stay away. I started using it around the chicken coop and garden and barn and I haven't seen any mice lately. So far I am impressed with it. I would rather smell apple cider vinegar than skunk pee.

 

[D2Cat]

If you're close to neighbors you can use a live trap. Then cover the trap with an old sheet or other fabric, pick up the trap and move it where ever you choose.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I had a buddy that had a big old mutt-hound-dog mix that used to dig the skunks up after they were shot and buried, and bring them behind the house to eat them. Holy H*ll, I thought they stunk when "fresh", but after a few days in the ground to "age", man alive the whole back of his house reeked for weeks. Pretty funny (to me), but not at all to buddy's wife. Last I talked to him, he still had that old mutt dog, and he occasionally missed his ex-wife.

I guess it worked out ok?

:laughing:

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

In my years I have had to kill lots of skunks. I tried head shots but they almost all sprayed like crazy. It's something to do with the nerves going crazy. Only one skunk I ever seen killed didn't spray and it was one my cousin shot with a 410 slug and severed its spine right in front of the back legs and went at a angle down thru it chest. I have lately had skunks coming around here and don't want to put up with the smell from shooting them. Been trying different methods. I had one coming from a old building across the road just before sunset and would make noise when I'd saw it coming down the drive and when it would be crossing the road on its way back drop the hammer on some bird shot at his butt, but twice he sprayed each time. Was far enough away it would just pepper his butt a little but that didn't stop him from coming. I tried a water hose and would spray him. They don't like that at all and would run. Trick is don't over do and just enough to make them leave. Just remember the tail comes up means their going to shoot the juice. After a couple times was at least a week or so no skunk. But then here it comes again. So now I have a good squirt bottle and have it so it squirts a stream and use apple cider vinegar. I ran him back across the road and that's been over a month ago and no sign of him since. Further down the road I have a culvert that goes under the road and another one a few days ago came under it before sunset and I got my squirt bottle and ran that one back across the road. A few minutes later the fool crossed the road about fifty yards further down and was in a field I keep cut with a bush hog and the grass was probably 10 inches tall. I ran out there with out my bottle but it just hunkered down and didn't move. So I got my squirt bottle and just a couple squirts and he was across the road. Haven't seen that one again either. You can spray around your garden, in the barn or where ever you don't want the critters and they will stay away. I started using it around the chicken coop and garden and barn and I haven't seen any mice lately. So far I am impressed with it. I would rather smell apple cider vinegar than skunk pee.

Dude! You're a bada$$! You just out skunked a skunk?! LoL.