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Skunk living under my house

amauri

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We have a Skunk or maybe more than one under our house.
I found that the metal screen covering the outside entry point was damaged and I saw one going in there.

I've never had to deal with a Skunk, I could set a trap and catch it but then how to I take it away without getting sprayed?
I don't want to provek it and have it spraying under my house and I don't know if there is a family of them under there. Maybe some babies.

Any Skunk experts here that can offer advise?

Thanks
 

RTillery

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I had a two-year period when I battled it out with the black and white stink bombs under the slab of my front porch. I tried smoke bombs, flooding the holes, wire mesh, pouring concrete down the holes, even putting a short cup of antifreeze in the holes to poison them. Nothing worked to discourage their digging in. The division of wildlife was no help. They told me that if I live trapped them, I could not transport them and release anywhere. Animal control said if I live trapped them, they would pick them up, and that turned into a disaster. I caught this big male in a Havahart trap and this guy came out to remove the creature. He told me if he was just calm, the skunk would let him pick up the cage and carry him away and he'd bring my trap back. After getting sprayed the guy chokingly said he was going to leave and get his "bang stick" and be back to put the animal down. They guy never came back and would not return my calls. I wound up levering the trap into my utility trailer and hauling it off to a remote area, and with a long pvc pipe, releasing the critter. Last time I was going to try that.

Not too long after the first episode, another skunk moved in. I decided as with most things involving the Govt., I was better off on my own. I set a leg trap with a hot dog as bait and had my 22 ready. When the wife gave me the elbow in the middle of the night and the smell was obvious, I walked out the front porch and put one in his head at close range. If you hit them right, they "may" not squirt. Single low velocity shot out of a 22, and the neighbors (I asked) never heard a thing. I then put my arm in a garbage bag, bagged the skunk in another garbage bag, and took off for an isolated spot in the boonies holding the bagged skunk out the driver's side window and made a deposit in the dark of night. I don't know what I'd have done if a cop had pulled me over?

This went on for a couple of years and I'd often see a dead skunk in the middle of the road after a rainy night around this area. I wound up trapping and whacking 13 skunks burrowing under my porch, and the digging finally quit. I haven't had a problem here for over 30 years and I always think I knocked off the breeding population in the local area. I never even see one hit in the road anymore.

The bottom line for me was, catchem, killem, get rid of the body. This would probably solve a lot of other issues troubling us today?
 
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Brutal_HO

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I had a two-year period when I battled it out with the black and white stink bombs under the slab of my front porch. I tried smoke bombs, flooding the holes, wire mesh, pouring concrete down the holes, even putting a short cup of antifreeze in the holes to poison them. Nothing worked to discourage their digging in. The division of wildlife was no help. They told me that if I live trapped them, I could not transport them and release anywhere. Animal control said if I live trapped them, they would pick them up, and that turned into a disaster. I caught this big male in a Havahart trap and this guy came out to remove the creature. He told me if he was just calm, the skunk would let him pick up the cage and carry him away and he'd bring my trap back. After getting sprayed the guy chokingly said he was going to leave and get his "bang stick" and be back to put the animal down. They guy never came back and would not return my calls. I wound up levering the trap into my utility trailer and hauling it off to a remote area, and with a long pvc pipe, releasing the critter. Last time I was going to try that.

Not too long after the first episode, another skunk moved in. I decided as with most things involving the Govt., I was better off on my own. I set a leg trap with a hot dog as bait and had my 22 ready. When the wife gave me the elbow in the middle of the night and the smell was obvious, I walked out the front porch and put one in his head at close range. If you hit them right, they "may" not squirt. Single low velocity shot out of a 22, and the neighbors (I asked) never heard a thing. I then put my arm in a garbage bag, bagged the skunk in another garbage bag, and took off for an isolated spot in the boonies holding the bagged skunk out the driver's side window and made a deposit in the dark of night. I don't know what I'd have done if a cop had pulled me over?

This went on for a couple of years and I'd often see a dead skunk in the middle of the road after a rainy night around this area. I wound up trapping and whacking 13 skunks borrowing under my porch, and the digging finally quit. I haven't had a problem here for over 30 years and I always think I knocked off the breeding population in the local area. I never even see one hit in the road anymore.

The bottom line for me was, catchem, killem, get rid of the body. This would probably solve a lot of other issues troubling us today?

I had to do something similar with a mangy coyote that wouldn't leave after getting shot with my pellet gun more than once. With a 3 year old GS playing in the back yard, the 'yote's days were numbered.

2nd floor snipe with a silenced 10/22 with subs and he was dispatched. Easy enough to dispose of out in a rural county (we live on the edge of town.)

Technically no firearms discharge where we are, but it was a safe shot downhill with a hill backstop and I don't miss.

 

amauri

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Thanks for the suggestions.

Though I'd be up for shooting it with my .22 rifle, I would get in big trouble for it.
We live in a densely populated area of Southern California, our houses are less than 20' apart and I'm sure at least one of my neighbors would call the cops on me.

You'd think that wild critters would stay away from us humans here in the crowded city, but in the past few months we've had Coyotes roaming the streets in plain daylight. We get Opossums and now Skunks coming into our backyard at night looking for food.
My wife has an herb garden but we don't have any fruit trees nor do we leave garbage bags out.

I've heard that Cayenne pepper keeps them away, I will also try the moth balls.
There is a feed store in the county that rents cage type traps (I've used them several times to catch stray Cats and Opossums).

If the pepper and moth balls don't do the trick, I am going to try to trap it and release in the woods far from here.
 

Great White North Eh

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Dog got sprayed here for the umteenth time here on the farm. So I have no advice ………but I do have a dog…free to good home.
 

Great White North Eh

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Thanks for the suggestions.

Though I'd be up for shooting it with my .22 rifle, I would get in big trouble for it.
We live in a densely populated area of Southern California, our houses are less than 20' apart and I'm sure at least one of my neighbors would call the cops on me.

You'd think that wild critters would stay away from us humans here in the crowded city, but in the past few months we've had Coyotes roaming the streets in plain daylight. We get Opossums and now Skunks coming into our backyard at night looking for food.
My wife has an herb garden but we don't have any fruit trees nor do we leave garbage bags out.

I've heard that Cayenne pepper keeps them away, I will also try the moth balls.
There is a feed store in the county that rents cage type traps (I've used them several times to catch stray Cats and Opossums).

If the pepper and moth balls don't do the trick, I am going to try to trap it and release in the woods far from here.
Or if you have any one your not to fond of you will have an alternate drop location. :eek:
 

H3LZSN1P3R

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If you can keep the tail down they can not spray…. Use that advise cautiously! I had to “save” a skunk that fell in to a pit we had dug. We made sure it never lifted the tail and no one got sprayed
 

jadmt

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the old hit them with baseball bat trick was not a good idea......buddy had a skunk crawl under his house and he called a professional who came out with a 5 gallon bucket and a baseball bat. He was able to get the skunk into the bucket and then used the bat to kill it. it sprayed and my buddy said his house stunk for a good long time. I also know a guy who used to skin them and tan their pelts. he said a perfect shot between the eyes and they would not spray but if the shot was not perfect they sprayed all over while they were dying...
 

LateToTheParty

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I'm far from an expert, but I did help my neighbor evacuate a family who'd moved in under his front porch. We observed them for about a week where they came and went at almost the exact same time every morning and evening. Once we had the pattern down, we knew our timing window for mitigation. Luckily by simply filling in the hole with concrete pavers and covering with some chicken wire for good measure, they were forced to relocate.

I did stand watch every evening just in case they were going to try and move toward my house, but after the second day they stopped trying to get back in and must have found a new home. It's been about 3 years and they haven't returned.
 

gimmie11s

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Thanks for the suggestions.

Though I'd be up for shooting it with my .22 rifle, I would get in big trouble for it.
We live in a densely populated area of Southern California, our houses are less than 20' apart and I'm sure at least one of my neighbors would call the cops on me.

You'd think that wild critters would stay away from us humans here in the crowded city, but in the past few months we've had Coyotes roaming the streets in plain daylight. We get Opossums and now Skunks coming into our backyard at night looking for food.
My wife has an herb garden but we don't have any fruit trees nor do we leave garbage bags out.

I've heard that Cayenne pepper keeps them away, I will also try the moth balls.
There is a feed store in the county that rents cage type traps (I've used them several times to catch stray Cats and Opossums).

If the pepper and moth balls don't do the trick, I am going to try to trap it and release in the woods far from here.

What part of SoCal? Maybe try a high powered pellet gun.

I get possums and raccoons on my cameras around the house every night, but never a skunk (knock on wood). We are in the Inland Empire 10 min east of San Bernardino.
 

Poolmonkey

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best to shoot them behind the shoulder for a chance of not spraying.
The surest way is live trapping and injecting with turpentine, a hypo on the end of a pole/PVC pipe…they go to sleep quietly and permanently.
Carbon Monoxide/Dioxide will usually do them without spraying.
 
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@JC

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If the pepper and moth balls don't do the trick, I am going to try to trap it and release in the woods far from here.
Drop them off along the border, maybe that would help slow down the invasion... ;)
 

amauri

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What part of SoCal? Maybe try a high powered pellet gun.

I'm in central OC.
I don't practice shooting enough to be able to hit it just right for a quick kill.
Last thing I want to do is get it all pissed off and have it run around spraying all over the place.
 

gimmie11s

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I'm in central OC.
I don't practice shooting enough to be able to hit it just right for a quick kill.
Last thing I want to do is get it all pissed off and have it run around spraying all over the place.

Hahaha no doubt!

Time to start practicing I guess lol
 

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