Skunks

I have a family of skunks living under my house and they keep gasing the sh*t out of me,its nauseating. I smelled up the ED yesterday,couldn't help it, wasn't my fault.

So I set a have a heart trap(although it was really gonna be a have a bullet trap). I placed a piece of toast and peanut butter towards the back of the trap and set it where I knew they were coming and going from. Got up this morning and the trap was gone? What the heck.

I walk further around the barn and there it is upside down with a huge and pissed off racoon in it. I placed the trap in the back of the truck and on the way to work my plan was to pull over by a wet land I knew off and release the beast.

I get down the road,pull the trap out and there is a major flaw in the design. The racoon is so big that he is sitting on the release plate so I cannot set the trp for open. And he wasn't coming out with me near the exit. So I put on my leather gloves,held the trap open and shook it upside down until the critter fell out. I forgot to think if it had rabies as he would attack me when he came out. It was to late. Luckily when he hit the ground he hit the ground running.

Hopefully now that mr racoon is gone the skunks will settle down. In the mean time I will wash and reset the trap again. If I get a skunk he does not get the option of freedom as I cannot take the chance of getting gassed while shaking him out the trap.

Country living...............

Country living, indeed! Not laughing at your mishaps, but I couldn't help but smile all the way thru your story. I hope you get those smelly critters!

How'bout some chickin wire or such around crawl space ?

I'm all about live and let live but damn those skunks are causing major havoc, they got to go.

Every spring and by every winter its breeched. I noticed that something even pushed a good sized boulder out of its spot on the rock foundation. This is a typical old and added on to New England farm house converted partially to a house in 1952. The 2 story house,garage,2 story barn and workshopare all under the same roof.

I don't mind sharing with the animals as long as they would quite shatting where they eat. I imagine the racoon I caught was causing them to spray.

I heard skunks like dark places. They don't like lighted places.
Put a light on a pole so you can put it down under the house.

I have used moth balls to keep wild (domestic) cats from under our house. It worked for them, and no other animals came around either, but like cowboy says, every 3 or 4 months you gotta put out more.

Go under there like FLHT does, take yer BB Gun and run them out dude.:rant:

I knew when I came back, I`d see a bunch of suggestions...
I was gonna suggest Gas them!!! They don`t like that smell either, BUT... No Smoking!!!
I run armadillos outta the hole thattaway, with gasoline...
Too many fools out there to suggest this though,
Dennis

Right. Head shot won't do it. Been there,,, done that. You gotta "spine em".
They won't spray then. But that's the only way.
Vet here sells "Skunk Off". Gets rid of the smell on humans or animals. Basically I think it's main ingredient is tomato juice.

Just in case you get a bit toooo close uke:

I love all these suggestions...especially Crankshaft's gas bomb. Yea, they're gone, but so is the house!

Go back to the Have-a-heart trap. Use hamburger for bait inside--they love it. Tie a long (20') rope to the trap and string it out. When skunk is inside, he can't lift his tail to spray. Drag the trap over to the river/stream and sink him for a few minutes. Pull trap out of water. Dead skunk--no smell.

Now fill the hole under the house with wet cement so no more get in (make sure all are out first).

Really appreciate the tips especially the cat food and hamburger. I been using toast and peanut butter..did real good catching the coon with it.

Will stick with the have a heart trap but since its a sh*tty one with no rear exit I will shoot skunk once in the cage. I don't have the best varmmit rifle, its a AR15 with a .22 bolt conversion in it. Does have a killer elcan scope though.