Skunk!!!

[Bill Grumbine]

Greetings all

I have a question out there for those who might be a little more experienced than I in these matters, although I have had more than I care to in some instances.

SWMBO and I were working on our pool deck this afternoon, and from time to time we got almost overwhelming whiffs of Mr. Skunk, letting us know he was close by - how close we were soon to discover! At one point when the smell was at its worst, I looked over towards the house, and there he was, sniffing around the foundation like he was trying to find a way in!

Fortunately Rowdy our small backup dog was inside, but Bubba, the golden with the empty thought bubble not only smelled our invader, he saw him! SWMBO grabbed him and drug him off out of sight before things escalated, and I went for the .357 which was close by. I thought better of that though, and made a circuitous route into the house to retrieve a .22 rifle. By the time I re-emerged, the skunk had made his getaway.

But I do have some questions. I was always given to understand that it was not normal for skunks to be running around loose during the day. The lady at the game warden office told me that is not true, that daytime activity is normal for these beasties. I also thought it unusual that he would be lurking around the house with two dogs on patrol (ha!). Again, she told me that was not unusual. She did go on to say though, that if there was someone on site that could "put him down", it was permissible. I asked, "You mean shoot him?" Yes, she replied. "Then there is someone who can put him down", I told her.

So, is this true? I thought if they were running around in the sun and not afraid of anything, that was a real sign of rabies. I have also heard stories of catching them in box traps and they can't squirt, but I'm not going there. For now, I am like the ancient Israelites who rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. I am working on the deck rail with one hand, and my .22 rifle in the other, in case Mr. Skunk reappears to cause us grief. If anyone has some answers to my questions about rabies, I would be glad to read about them.

Thanks.

Bill

[Kent Parker]

Bill,

The last place I lived we had skunks sometimes. I'd place cans or shallow pans filled with either bleach or ammonia around the yard. They don't like the smell and leave.

Worked for me.

Cheers,

Kent

[Karl Laustrup]

I've never seen one during the day [other than not moving in the middle of the road]. One trying to get in under your house in the middle of the day is, I think, very unusual.

I do have a friend that puts out traps for skunks and coons. Once he catches one in the trap he shoots it with a .22 and then goes and dumps it. He's been lucky I guess cause he's not had one spray him before he plunks it.

Karl

[Doug Jones from Oregon]

I don't know about the rabies and such, but I do know that we have had skunks living out behind our building, under a abandoned portable office building for years.

Last year, I had a number of occassions to witness Momma kitty and two babies roaming around the property with no apparant fears. I have not seen what I guessed to be a growing family yet this year, but I have smelled them a couple of mornings.

Doug

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bill...........as a kid in Craig CO my friends and I caught one walking around the local cattle sale barn during the day. We had a b-b guns and asailed him. It retreated between a wooden water trough and a wooden fence where we made the final assault. We won the war but lost the battle! That skunk got his last revenge! I'll never forget the embarassment at age 12, we lived in an apartment house with 4 other families. I came to the back door.....Mom made me strip off there.......While I was taking multiple showers using vinegar and tomato juice as showering condiments.....Mom took my clothes on a shovel.........and buried them out back of the building.

[Doug Shepard]

When I was a kid on a camping trip I sat down on a log while walking some trails around the lake during the middle of the day. A few minutes later I catch some motion out of the corner of my eye and look over to discover a skunk walking the log about 4-5 ft from me. I froze and tried not to breathe too loudly. He or she gave me a good lookover but didn't sense any danger from the inanimate object nearby. After about 2 minutes or so, it hopped off the log and walked off down the trail. I counted myself real lucky that day.

[Joe Pelonio]

The risk of the dog getting into it with him is too great to let him stay. They do sometimes move around during the day but are shy, so if it's in an area where people and dogs are around it may indeed be ill. The trap may or may not work without a spraying, if you try it do plunk him before getting too close. Last time we had a dog run into one it took 3 huge cans of tomato juice and 2 months to get rid of the smell completely.

[Eddie Watkins]

We have been doing battle for about six weeks with several skunks. So far my dog has been sprayed three times and they are still coming back. We have 2 different batches within easy walking distance of our house and they have been visiting regularly, always late of an evening or at night. I have never seen them out before about 8:30 in the evening. My "patrols" start about 8:30 until around midnight. I have on occasion seen skunks (not this group which I am watching closely) moving around a little during the day but couldn't confirm whether they were rabid or not. I have been patrolling these dens and trying to catch them coming out but so far have not caught all of them. They don't seem to let anything bother them, however. I can walk up within 30 feet of them and they just make sure they keep their butt pointed toward me. My dog has been sprayed three times and she is a Scottish terrior ( very aggressive hunter). They are not afraid of her and keep coming back. SHe gets close enough to be sprayed so I don't think they are afraid of her. I used a 12 guage shotgun the first time I found the den and was able to kill three but the gun was very loud. I have since gone to a pellet gun with a CO2 cartridge and sharp points and it works fine, I just have to be more accurate and a little closer but it doesn't scare them off. I know they hear the shotgun even though they are supposed to be hard hearing. THey have areas they roam but not necessarily patterns so their appearances seem hard to predict.
The traps they use are very short in height. As I understand it, if they can't raise their tail they can't spray. If they spray the dog or you, the best remedy we have found is a quart of hydrogen peroxide with a box of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of Dawn dish detergent mixed together then rubbed on liberally avoiding the eyes. Let it dry then wash it out.
LOML keeps making references to Bill Murray and Caddyshack.
Sorry to vent but they are driving me crazy. We have never had any skunks before and now I can't get rid of them.
Eddie

[David Wilson]

Bill,
If I may, a word of caution. As a kid growing up on a farm I shot quite a few skunks. If you use a .22, shoot for the head and be sure you are upwind when you shoot.

[Cecil Arnold]

Bill, yes they roam during the day, just not as much as night. There is always the possibility of rabies, but unless the skunk is acting aggressive, or sick, it is probably just making a short daytime junket. They do like to take up residence under a house, just like armadillos and field mice, so if your house is off the ground be sure your skirting is in good shape.

[Mike Cutler]

Bill.

Trap him in a havahart trap, and take him to the forest a long way off.

Shooting is a bad idea, unless you can get it away from the house. While in the Navy, one of my shipmates shot a skunk in his driveway. It spun around in circles and flopped around, and while dying sprayed everything, including his car, and the side of the house. It was a mess.

[tod evans]

bill, a trick i learned as a kid to keep skunk/dear/rabbits/ect. away from the garden was go to the zoo and get lion poop. a few piles around the permiter and pests find elseware to play...02 tod

[Bill Grumbine]

Thanks guys, for the stories, ideas, etc. We have a live and let live policy here, as long as the critter in question does not interfere with our life. We have lots of rabbits and groundhogs, but only those who ate the garden were assasinated. Skunks, like other animals, come and go. It is a part of country life. But, when they start hanging around the house, that earns them a one way trip to the hereafter.

I will be leaving for Cabela's shortly. We have one of their stores only 16 miles away. At least I get to turn this into an opportunity to buy a toy - uhhh, tool. SWMBO has given me the go ahead for a laser sight for the Remington .22 rifle. Once I spend some time at the range sighting the thing in, I should be able to pop him right in the head. It also means I get to look at some fancy schmancy lasers for my shorter irons.

Tod, your solution has got to be the most original one I have ever heard, but the closest zoo is in Philly, and I can't imagine getting down there with a request for lion poop and actually getting it, much less hauling it back home. Besides, this particular perimeter is well over three acres on this side of the road! That could end up being a lot of poop!

Bill

[Bob Weisner]

Bill:

I have been a trapper for 26 years and with any animal that is suspected of having Rabies, it is best to shoot it in the chest. If you suspect Rabies, don't shoot in the head or the spine. Rabies is in the Nervous System. If you can't shoot it, set out some traps baited with Marshmellows. Trap size for Skunks are 1 1/2 coilspring, 160 and 220 Conibear, and if you have any concerns about catching pets, they have dog proof coon traps that will catch skunks, but not a dog.

[Frank Fusco]

bill, a trick i learned as a kid to keep skunk/dear/rabbits/ect. away from the garden was go to the zoo and get lion poop. a few piles around the permiter and pests find elseware to play...02 tod

So, your'e the guy who's been getting all the lion poop from the Mountain Home zoo.