We've had a disaster, please read

dodge man · Feb 10, 2014

I've shot a few skunks around my house. I walked outside one evening early and I will never forget the look on that skunks face from about 10 feet away, it didn't look afraid at all. I carefully backed inside the house and came out with a 12 gauge full of OO buck. I slowly chased it away from the house, they don't really hurry anywhere. It got tired of me following, even though I kept my distance. When it turned around to spray me I was ready and pulled my trigger. Lets just say I pulled mine before he pulled his. Picking them up with a shovel held at arms length is still enough to gag you.

BTW, owls don't have a sense of smell so that is why the kill and east skunks. They say when you smell a skunk it is often an owl that has been sprayed that you smell.

cointoss · Feb 10, 2014

We get a lot of skunks in the UP of Michigan and just about every year one or the other of my bird dogs will get sprayed and usually it is around 11:00 p.m. before we go to bed. Anyhow, I shoot skunks whenever I see them and find it is best just to let them lay for a day before you move them. They don't seem to smell as bad when I go to grab them with a shovel.

Shooty220 · Feb 10, 2014

I'll second the dishsoap and peroxide again, having had our dogs get nailed twice. Follow up with Kids&Pets if you can get it. Use lots of everything. Never bothered with spray bottles; just poured it on the dog while scrubbing.

Looking4new · Feb 10, 2014

A skunk will not spray you if it is looking at you. Also If you hold its' tail down, it wont spray.

RSKY · Feb 10, 2014

This has become a little more involved than cleaning one animal. Talked to our insurance agent today and he said to get whatever we needed just keep receipts to turn in. He said to be sure and get the plastic under the house changed before we tried to move back in. We have bowls of vinegar at each vent and the house smells like vinegar while the fan is blowing, when the fan is off the skunk smell comes back.

The agent also warned us that we would get used to a minor smell but that others would smell it on us.

He is really trying to help, my wife was his favorite teacher, and has eased our minds a lot.

RSKY

MoKelly · Feb 10, 2014

Looking4new said:
A skunk will not spray you if it is looking at you. Also If you hold its' tail down, it wont spray.

How does someone know this? Did someone actually catch a skunk, hold its tail down and wait?

If so, they are much more brave than anyone I know.

MoKelly

teejk · Feb 10, 2014

MoKelly said:
How does someone know this? Did someone actually catch a skunk, hold its tail down and wait?

If so, they are much more brave than anyone I know.

MoKelly

They have to lift the tail to "squirt" and can only spray from the back. From what I've read they are good for about 15' but like people it decreases with age. If they shoot the entire supply, it takes a week or two to recharge. But I'll agree with you...my luck would be that I have the tail down and then have to sneeze.

teejk · Feb 10, 2014

Vinegar? I wonder if chlorine bleach might be better to neutralize odor. Neither is pleasant but I'd take that over vinegar. My dad had a grocery store in a small town. The town opened up the long abandoned (50 years???) landfill across the street to build senior housing. Then we started seeing rats in the produce aisle. The terminator came in (ground beef with poison wrapped in cheese cloth) but then the dead carcasses started to stink behind the walls. Advice was to pour bleach where ever we could.

RSKY · Feb 10, 2014

We are following the advice of a guy who catches a couple hundred a year. He is the one that said vinegar. Also said that if you get sprayed to forget tomato juice, it only masks the smell for a short time. A bath of half hot water and half lemon juice will remove the oil from your skin. Have not had to try this, only told.

The main thing, if your house is sprayed, is to get an oxygen depleting ozone machine running ASAP. ServPro and Servicemaster told us that. Also the skunk catcher, insurance adjuster, and our insurance agent said the same thing. With the entire house and it's contents smelling that is the only solution. The agent told me to throw away my shoes that I had worn outside when I shot the second skunk yesterday.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that info. I went to the house after church yesterday and had another skunk in the big trap. This fellow was twice the size of the first one. He had ripped the trash bag off from around the trap so when I started toward him he would turn away. Couldn't shoot because the trap was against central unit. Had to climb on top and shoot down.

And yes he sprayed.

So Sunday afternoon we are back to square one. The smell in and outside the house is gagging.

I hate skunks.

RSKY