Getting rid of skunks

[Rash]

Unless you meet up with a totally freaked out animal intent on attacking you, attitude counts around critters.

Stand tall and let them know that you do not fear them. Tell them they are handsome and majestic, they like that.

Go on your way.

You know how I know you love sheep?  Handsome?   Not that there's anything wrong with that.  I usually call them gorgeous.

[Rich52]

Skunks are on my shoot on sight list. At least where legal.

No skunk that ever sprayed any of my hunting dogs ever lived long enough to brag to his Pals about it.

[saggs]

Why all the hatred towards skunks?

I've lived in skunk country my whole life, and had dogs my whole life, and I've only had dogs sprayed twice in 30yrs.  My experience is that skunks will usually flee before they spray, and that they only spray when cornered with nowhere to go (eg, the dog is digging into their den).  Maybe your dog just needs to learn to leave them alone.

Honestly the biggest problem we've ever had with skunks has nothing to do with smell, it's when they get into the garden and eat the watermelon, strawberries, tomatoes etc.  But we learned to put up some chicken wire around the garden and that seems to work to keep them out.

FWIW I used to have a neighbor with a pet skunk, and I like that skunk better then my mother's cats.

[Rash]

Nothing wrong with skunks.  My cousin had one when I was young.  They do put out a...
smell.

[gyrene81]

to hell with the .22

grab a pellet gun and pop him one right in the head. that will take care of your problem for ya.

ok, it's official...you really are a

times 3 with other "suggestions" you made.


it's not illegal to trap and relocate wild animals in most states, if you live in suburban areas. best thing to do is call your state wildlife and fisheries department and ask for recommendations in removing the skunk without killing it. if you don't want to bother with the hassle of trapping and relocating or killing then disposing of the skunk, look for a skunk repellent or make your own. i've seen people use mothballs in various ways to repel skunks and i've heard of some sort of hot pepper concoction that got sprayed around the den and along the property line every couple of days.

[opposum]

Freeze the paintballs......

  WIN

[MiloMorai]

Skunks don't always spray.

Dad let the dog (beagle/collie mix) out about 11:00 one night and it wasn't back at the door 5 minutes later wanting in so he walked out to the back of the properly and found it playing with a BIG male skunk. He didn't want to call her as it might of changed from play to attack. Got lucky as she saw him and went to him. Into the house reeaal quick.

[mtnman]

it's not illegal to trap and relocate wild animals in most states, if you live in suburban areas.

I've never seen that in writing, and I've been told by the Wisconsin DNR that that is not true.  Do you know of any printed regulations stating that you can trap and relocate nuisance animals in suburban areas?

In WI, it's legal to trap nuisance animals (as long as they're unprotected, which applies to skunks) without a license or permit. 

However, it's illegal to keep them alive after capture or to possess them live without special permits.  Your options are to either kill or release them immediately.  You can probably get away with moving them from one end of your property to another, but to leave your property with them would be illegal (without a permit). 

The example given by the warden was trapping a rabbit in your garden, and then driving down to road to release it in a nearby park or outside of town.  According to the warden, that was illegal.  A lot of this discussion was based on the idea that some of us would be doing nuisance animal removal.

Also, when they say "immediately" they mean it.  I got into a "discussion" with a warden over whether I had tagged a legally trapped otter "immediately", or whether I had first "transported" it from the point where I'd trapped it.  I had dragged it from the water onto the stream edge before tagging it.  It almost resulted in a fine.  Had I taken it another 20 feet, he would have argued I had no intention of tagging it "immediately".

That said, I've been told opposite "stories" by different wardens when it comes to regulations.  I've been told ( by a warden) that if I take my redtail hawk out hunting for rabbits, that if my wife walks with me she'd need a small game license.  She has no weapon, and I'm the only one handling the bird...  I've been told by a different warden that she didn't need a license.  A third said she did, but that it was unlikely that a warden would enforce that law...

I cannot find any regulations allowing transport and release of nuisance animals, so I'm interested if you know of any. 

In my searches for WI regulations I just keep coming up with the general trapping regulations which make transporting a live animal look illegal.  When we trap raptors we have to abide by parts of those regulations as well, and when they remove nuisance deer they need to jump through hurdles to get the necessary permits.  When it comes to local (town or city) ordinances, they need to be at least as restrictive as the general state laws, they cannot be less, which is why I doubt the "in suburban areas" part applies.

[morfiend]

 Place a live trap in a large industrial garbage bag,place cat food inside and wait! Like Mntman said they rarely spary unless threatened and will feel secure in a dark small space.You can easily close the bag around the trap and you'll have the animal secured and be safe from any spray. How you deal with it is up to you but be advised as Mntman said also they carry rabies at a high rate and shouldnt be trusted for that reason,if you see a skunk out and about during daylight chances are it's rabid.

 The large container of water,like a garbage pail is a humane and easy approach,this is suggested by the animal control people in my area,they will deliver you a trap,large green garbage bag and suggest some baits,they will them come pick up the trap after you've disposed of the animal,firearms are not permitted in the city so they suggest the water route and leave you to it. BTW,they wont deal with the animal unless it's a daylight sighting,if it's a night time problem they only drop off the equipment and say good luck!......





   


 PS: I buried some wire fencing below my wooden bondary fence,this has all but stopped them from entering my yard,well atleast were my dogs are!

[Babalonian]

A friend of mine has a skunk problem.  His dog has been sprayed 3 times in the last couple weeks.  Over his back fence is a nice golf course.  He doesn't want to use a gun, considering the area.  Anyone with a good idea of getting rid of it?

Not gonna lie (and don't want to come straight off as offencive), and I've owned some pretty stupid dogs, but never one stupid enough to mess with a skunk twice or more than once in its lifetime.  Between the experience and begrudgingly recieving a bath at 3am imediatley afterwards, they get the hint.

You're best bets are with trapping and then releasing it in some remote place, although as others point out, most places if it's not illegal to trap them then it's illegal to release them anywhere but on the same parcel of property.  Also, skunks are critters/varmits, chances are extremely high that another skunk or varmit of undesirable nature will just imediatley move in and take its place if everything is still there the way it was (minus the old skunk). 

I'd first though talk to the golf cource manager, especialy if it's a private club (with some $), but also if its public.  If the skunk(s) are living on their property and visiting yours for food.  Most golf cources keep a constant contract going with a local pest exterminator, so simpley informing them that "hey, you got this skunk living there, he keeps comming over here and wrecking up my yard and spraying my dog" can get the problem resolved easier than you might think.  Now, some managers are snobs and jerks (I worked at a cource for a few years), but even they have to report to their board member overlords (who you can write letters to).  Also of equal rank in most cources to the club and cource manager is the grounds department manager, these guys can be a lot easier to talk to and tend to be more considerate and apreciative to the cource's neighbors, if for no other reason than scoring a brownie point to cash in later when a tree limb falls down on your fence.

[F22RaptorDude]

Air soft rules, I shot a rabbit that kept poopin in my driveway, I shot it in the face from my roof with my AEG air soft rifle

[Tupac]

Air soft rules, I shot a rabbit that kept poopin in my driveway, I shot it in the face from my roof with my AEG air soft rifle

Rabbit poop isnt exactly instrusive.........It's not like it stinks or anything

[F22RaptorDude]

Rabbit poop isnt exactly instrusive.........It's not like it stinks or anything

It is generally annoying, plus its the same rabbit I shot a few months ago, has the same black spot on its belly, I think its targeting me 

[mtnman]

I'd first though talk to the golf cource manager, especialy if it's a private club (with some $), but also if its public.  If the skunk(s) are living on their property and visiting yours for food.  Most golf cources keep a constant contract going with a local pest exterminator...

Good point...  I used to do that for a few golf courses around here, mostly trapping beaver and muskrats but also anything else I was asked for.

Release...  Looking into it, it's legal here in WI to release the critter on private property as long as you have written permission from the landowner.  You cannot release them on public property though.  You also run into problems transporting them from one property to another without a DNR permit.

[skorpion]

Air soft rules, I shot a rabbit that kept poopin in my driveway, I shot it in the face from my roof with my AEG air soft rifle

you do realize, that you dont just go shoot animals willy nilly for fun right?

if he kept poopin in your driveway then just avoid it. how about you poop in my driveway (your a bunny) and i shoot you with a airsoft gun, i have a fully automatic one. how about i use that?