How do you get rid of a SKUNK???

[fornesto]

My old man used to manage the local coyote population by serving coyote breakfast - a smooth combination of bacon, white bread and antifreeze. Shih tzus are now safe in the old neighborhood.

Seriously, my cousins lost their dachsund last week to a coyote out of their backyard in Laguna Hills - in the suburbs.

[gerry boucher]

We were told to put a child's pinwheel at the openings to the holes (2 in our case) and that did the trick. THey don't like the spinning action close to their home and moved away.

[48Rob]

John,

Pour a few cups of laundry detergent in the hole, then turn the garden hose on, slow to medium pressure (you aren't trying to drown them, just encourage them to move, the soap will make them understand this isn't rain...).

The idea is to make "home" no longer comfortable, may take a couple hours if the tunnels are large, or the soil is very dry.

Block the holes after they have left.
If they return after it dries, they'll be really clean but you'll need to repeat.

Breeding season is here...they want/need a safe dry place to raise their young.

Rob

PS. Shooting them will solve the problem, but more often than not, they "let loose" in their final moments, head shot or not.
In my experience with 15 of them...

[critter]

Hey Guys,
I never had an encounter with a skunk...4 legged anyway!We had a guy we used to lease land from that had a problem with ground hogs.We were shooting them when we saw one but that wasent quick enough for him.he came out and saw one in his garden and then it ran in its hole so he decided to pour in 5gals of gas and light it.worked good only fire came up out of the ground in 20 different places and he almost burnt down the whole farm!

[Podunkfla]

I remember reading about a guy that tried to gas his gophers out... with propane from his grill tank? He stuck the hose down the hole and let the gas flow for about 30 minutes. That prolly would have done the job. But, now he gets the bright idea of "what if I drop a patch down the hole?" For sure it had to be one of those "Hey ya'll watch this" moments in a rednecks life. It blew up his and his neighbors yard and singed him pretty good and knocked him on his arse. Neighbor called the fire department and police.

He said later, from the hospital "That wasn't one of my better ideas." He has a real way with words, huh?

[Donald]

Hi John
I have chased animals out of enclosed places in the past by throwing some mothballs in the holes.Aparently the smell is even more objectionable to them , with their more sensitve sense of smell then it is to us.I think I would leave myself even though my sense of smell is not that good. Good luck. Donald

[Sierrajack]

MOTH BALLS!!!!
Critters hate 'em.

[gerry boucher]

Hi
I just noticed this afternoon that the skunk is back under the front porch.
Also the pin wheels are gone. Gonna try the mothball idea.
Gerry

[tonyj]

Big speakers and rock & roll, huh? Didn't we do that in Panama? I wonder if playing rap would get them to leave quicker? I'll definitely try the speakers and moth ball ideas for one (only one--I hope) that has taken up residence in a wall in my barn.

A shotgun is very effective (don't fire it inside!), but I have also dispatched a couple with a BB gun and pellet gun. You don't necesarily need high power weaponry. I use the pellet gun in the barn and the shotgun outside. I chase them far enough away from the barn before killing them. It has been my experience that the squirt also happens in their death throe.

You can also coax them out from under a structure with a strong jet of water, but pick your battle ground carefully or you will be living with the smell for a long time.

[GaryfromCrocus]

I will try to avoid telling you my skunk story, but I may have some practical advice. First of all beware of skunk bites. They are the major vector for rabies here in Saskatchewan. If you are bitten, get to a doctor. Rabies is invariably fatal, unless you get the immunization shots. The medical health people will want the skunk's head to check for the virus, and this necessarily means killing the animal.

Dealing with your unwelcome guest depends on your location. In a rural area, the fastest solution would be to catch the Skunk away from its den and shoot it and wait a few months for the smell to go away. In a suburban location, the neighbors will probably get upset over shotgun blasts in the middle of the night, not to mention the smell, so this solution is probably out.

What I would do is live trap, then cover the trap with a blanket and haul the critter out of town. Gently open the trap, and leave. Come back the next day to retrieve the trap and blanket. If you don't have a wild area within easy distance, How about hauling it across town close to someone you don't like and releasing it there!

[Italia]

We just got back from camping with our teardrop and our 6 mos. old puppy. We let our pup out to go potty at 5:00 a.m. With in seconds she was nose to nose with a SKUNK and of coarse she would not come to me when I called her back to me. I walked up to the skunk and grabbed our pup. Luckily we did not get sprayed.


Italia and the pup Gina

[asianflava]

The medical health people will want the skunk's head to check for the virus, and this necessarily means killing the animal.

But don't shoot it in the head.

[Boodro]

MOTH BALLS!!!!
Critters hate 'em.

Have you ever smelled moth balls????

How did ya get his legs apart ??

Couldn't resist it! Sorry! Somebody had to say it!

[tonyj]

MOTH BALLS!!!!
Critters hate 'em.

Have you ever smelled moth balls????

How did ya get his legs apart ??

Couldn't resist it! Sorry! Somebody had to say it!

It's not the smell that get ya, it's the fuzzy powder that gets all over your nose!

Good one Boodro!

[elmo]

MOTH BALLS!!!!
Critters hate 'em.

Have you ever smelled moth balls????

How did ya get his legs apart ??

Couldn't resist it! Sorry! Somebody had to say it!

Thanks Boodro! I was drinking coffee when I read this....now I have to detail my keyboard!