darn skunks!!!!

[GYPSY]

got a skunk hanging around somewhere in the back of my house!!! its freezing cold and it has no place to nest/hide that i can find anywhere but likes to come around and spray. there is no food sources that are due to me for it to hang around so whatever its eating i have no clue. it will spray/mark around the back of the house but the problem is. my high efficiency furnace in/exh is where this darn animal is marking so when the furnace starts up the cold air intake will suck this smell into the house causing the duct work to spread the smell everywhere throughout the house. thats the only explaination i have, its not so much localized, it is where the strongest smell is outside and where it is, is where the furnace plastic pipes are located. it happens every so often but when it does look out, what a smell. i know of many ways to deter them but with the winter no full tilt up north here, the options are slim. why would it always spray in the same spot all the time??? what a pi$$ off, its not like i can shut off the heat, ill be outside with the skunk if my wife has anything to say about it. frustrated!!!

 

[MotorSeven]

Bait it in a live trap, then a 22LR to the head. Only head shots will prevent a spray. Been there done that.

 

[whistlepig]

We used to have a lot of skunks here. Still do have some. If you have a yard and there are grubs in your yard that is food for skunks. If your yard has rabbits the skunks will dig up the rabbit nests and eat the baby rabbits. If you have any outbuildings with mice in them the skunks will hunt for the mice. Skunks don't scent mark. They only spray when they have a very good reason for doing so. A dog for instance. A horse. Or me.

They have to be thinned out. After eliminating about a dozen skunks things improved greatly here.

A head shot on a skunk guarantees nothing.

 

[farmgirl19]

And breeding season for skunks begins in another month or so. If you have one around, there will likely be more then. Live trap is best, but make sure you throw a blanket over it and move it away from the house before you shoot it, or you might end up with a full dose for your heater intake.

 

[Western]

FG is right, I have trapped many skunks and the only way to move the trap/w/skunk is a tarp or better soft cloth (no noise). Walk up slowly and place it over the trap, then carry away. I even used this method for skunks we wanted to remove the scent bags from, open the door to a 5 gallon bucket and let them go in, never had one spray.

 

[RalphVa]

Try pouring some ammonia where you think he might be crawling into or lingering around.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

If you're near Virginia, call the new wildlife hot line at 855-571-9003.

Ralph

 

[dave1949]

That seems like odd behavior for a skunk, if it's healthy. That's something to think about.

Are you sure it's a skunk? Probably stupid of me to ask, but intact male cats spray to mark territory and that's pretty stinky too.

 

[lockhaven]

I agree with Dave, I have had a skunk that stays off and on under my porch for several years now, maybe not the same skunk but never have had any odor at all. They keep the mice under control I see them once in a while late at night never had a problem.

 

[Western]

Ahh come on fellas, nothin better than the smell of onions in the morn'n:laughing: I have never heard of skunks using there "cologne" for more than defense.