SKUNK Removal

dullpain · Sep 4, 2006

Bob Reeves post Skunk OH. got me thinking --

If one was to catch/trap a skunk how would one remove it???? Seriously! I currently have a trap set near my garden in hopes of catching squirrels that are destroying my tomato crop. Well if I catch a skunk how could I remove it without getting a stink bath?

I have heard of people having skunks take up residence in a crawl space , or porch underneath a house and they set traps to catch them - what do you do after you catch em?? Anybody know?

LMTC · Sep 4, 2006

Approach the trap slowly with a blanket in front of you (so you can't be seen--it also acts as a shield in case of a too-nervous skunk). Drop the blanket slowly over the the trap. Plan your route, set the trap where you want the skunk released, LEAVE the blanket over the trap. The livetrap I have uses a rod to reach through the cage and pull the door to the locked open position. Do this cautiously. Now back away 20' and use the string you tied earlier to a corner of the blanket to slowly pull the blanket back to reveal the open door. I have done this several times safely. I leave plenty of clearing in front of the door and each time they have come out and kept going.

Warden years ago told me they will not spray when covered like that....or when they are being sprayed.....I once ran a clan out of a chicken house using a sprayer. As long as I sprayed them with water they ran...if I stopped even briefly they seemed to want to take a defensive posture. I used a large backpack sprayer to run them 100' or so from the chicken house and then backed off and used a more permanent means to make sure they were unable to return to the chicken house.

Richard · Sep 4, 2006

Any idea just how close you need to be to a skunk before you're at risk?

Two feet?
Ten feet?

I know it might depend on size of skunk but surely there is some average they can spray?

BobReeves · Sep 5, 2006

Richard said:
Any idea just how close you need to be to a skunk before you're at risk?

Two feet?
Ten feet?

I know it might depend on size of skunk but surely there is some average they can spray?

Good question, hope someone with skunk expierence can answer it...

knute_m · Sep 5, 2006

Richard said:
Any idea just how close you need to be to a skunk before you're at risk?

Two feet?
Ten feet?

I know it might depend on size of skunk but surely there is some average they can spray?

Until I read your post, I'd forgotten how stupid we were as kids.

One of my cousins and I spent a lot of time at his grandmother's farm. There were lots of skunks out there for some reason. When we were probably about 12 to 14 years old, it gave us great enjoyment to get skunks to release their spray.

Twice over the years, we even "rescued" two newborn skunks that were raised by the grandmother's mother cat with kittens. Both skunks were "deoderized" when they were several months old. One made a real nice pet that was a lot like a cat, the other one never really lost its odor and it wasn't very friendly

It actually took a lot of doing to get most of them to spray. They'd plant their front paws with their tail high in the air and their butts aimed at us. But most of the time they were bluffing. We would nudge them with long sticks, and I remember once we had a long bamboo rod that some carpet came rolled around. I'd say it was about 10 foot long. We'd really have to aggravate them to get them to spray.

Their spray distance is certainly more than 2 feet, but I never saw one spray as much as 10 feet -- probably 6 to 8 feet maximum.

One other thing, once they spray, it is a while before they will spray again -- at least that has been my experience.

We recently had an almost all white skunk down by our pond. Only its paws were black. I was able to get pretty close to it and take pictures, and it never did spray. It actually acted like I wasn't there.

Here is a link to a pretty good description of skunks:

Skunk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jagmandave · Sep 6, 2006

Skunks are very nearsighted, they can only see accurately about 2 feet ahead of them.......surprisingly, they have really good sense of smell tho....

Tom_H · Sep 6, 2006

Sheesh, I prefer meeting a black bear to a skunk. That's one critter I really don't want to examine up close.

I was reading some trivia book about a commoner who got fairly wealthy back during the middle ages. He was born with no olfactory sensors in his nose. His job: catapaulting skunks over castle walls.

shepherd · Sep 6, 2006

4 feet is all skunks can reach with their spray stay at least 4 1/2 ft away you should be fine and dandy as far as releasing them take them to a local trapper lots like to skin and sell the hide or skin and tan it

Ductape · Sep 6, 2006

The blanket (or beach towel) trick is the answer. Skunks don't like their own odor, they won't spray in confined area. My approach would differ on the release though..... no sticks, strings or anything else. Just take the trap with the towel over it down to the river and baptize the skunk. End of problem !