SKUNK

[Chuck52]

Where have you seen plans for making a PVC skunk trap?
I've looked on the internet and can't find any. I see the ready made trap for $59.00.
Thanks for your time!

These are not the plans I found, though the first one looks like a really fancy version:

Rabbit Traps

Animal Traps - Sprayless Enclosed Skunk Trap - trap does not allow the skunk to raise his tail and spray, an affordable animal trap plus a full line of animal control and management equipment including restraint poles, catch poles, animal handling gl

Chuck

P.S. the first one has the old fashioned rabbit trap-type trigger that I saw plans for....somewhere, except that the usual notched trip stick is replaced by a trip wire that goes through the top t-post. In the plans I saw there was a notched trip stick attached to a lever holding the trap door up.

 

[JB4310]

I've carried a dozen of them with no tarp at all over a catch alive trap.
Put them in the back of a truck and relocate them. even put them in the trunk of my car with out trouble.

Recently at my old timer farmer friends, I drowned one by throwing the trap in a pond with a rope tied to it, I was trying to impress him in that it didn't bother me, but it did, and it did spray under water. Stunk the area up.

Afterwards he tells me "I don't like killing trapped animals" Nice time to tell me after I did the dirty work.

There's no reason to be afraid of them, I've had them literally walk between my legs, they will give you all kinds of warning before spraying, first they start thumping their front feet, then they will lift their tails and flick it and swing their hips around.
If they lift their tails and start backing up in your direction, then you gotta worry

Of course they'll spray a harassing dog every time, but I've rarely heard about them spraying people, though my brother did get sprayed once, bringing the trash out in the dark, he must of startled or stepped on it

JB.

 

[Chuck52]

They do seem pretty calm most of the time. The last time I was near one was in my barn. I was in a tight spot trying to get to some bricks I had done a poor job of stacking when I saw Pepe looking at me. I did a pretty good job of levitating over all kinds of junk to get out of there, but he really never seemed much interested in me. I think he had been denned up under the pallet I had some of those bricks on and was disturbed when I started shifting them around.

Animal pests are kinda like weeds. Weeds are any plant that's growing where you don't want it and an animal pest is just some animal in the wrong place. I never would have trapped the two I did if they hadn't been trying to make a den under my stoop.

Chuck

 

[kyspartan]

drowning in a trap is about cruellist thing i have heard, if you must kill it use a .22 and be on target, i would rather stink a little and sleep soundly, than have that on my conscience, i am even a hunter and that made me cringe

 

[JB4310]

drowning in a trap is about cruellist thing i have heard, if you must kill it use a .22 and be on target, i would rather stink a little and sleep soundly, than have that on my conscience, i am even a hunter and that made me cringe

Yeah I wasn't to proud of myself, but from what I've seen/heard, seems to be common practice.
Never did it before and wont again.

Shooting is not an option in this area of town, but relocating is.

JB.

 

[Ford850]

In many areas it it illegal to relocate a trapped skunk or raccoon. They are the both very dangerous due to rabies, and by relocating a nuisance animal you could be speading the disease to a new area.

 

[JB4310]

In many areas it it illegal to relocate a trapped skunk or raccoon. They are the both very dangerous due to rabies, and by relocating a nuisance animal you could be speading the disease to a new area.

Yup I heard that also, the old timer I was with when we "baptized" this one said exactly that, don't know if it applies to our area, but that was his reasoning for not having me relocate it. I had previously relocated several Woodchucks for him.

JB.

 

[kyspartan]

if you just throw it in a pond you could contaminate the whole pond, and give everything that drinks from it, rabies. puts a whole new meaning on water boarding, a .22 short right in back of the head, and no one, including the offending animal would know what happened.

mountian mans rule, if you kill it, you hafta eat it. Bon Appétit ;p

side note, if your in town call animal control they will take of it after you have trapped it.

 

[N80]

Throwing a rabid skunk in the pond will not give any thing else rabies. But, I agree, that would not be my prefered humane way of dsipatching one.

In my experience skunks are very fickle when it comes to spraying. They appear tame for several reasons. Fist, they are blind as a bat. Very poor eyesight. Second, they aren't afraid of anything. I've never been sprayed but they will do it and they won't necessarily give you warning. The other problem with their tame behavior is that it makes it hard to tell when one is rabid. If a fox or racoon walk right up to you then you have a good idea it is sick with rabies or distemper.

On Dirty Jobs recently Mike Rowe worked with a private animal control guy. He appraoched the trapped skunks up wind with a tarp and laid it over the trap. Several of the skunks sprayed the tarp. Big stink. I would never put one in my car, maybe in the back of my trunk. The moronic thing about the Dirty Jobs episode was that it was somewhere in California in a suburban area and the guy could not take the skunks anywhere or kill them. So people paid him to trap them and then let them go in their yard! Talk about job security!

Anyway, my neighbor has a German Shepherd and some sort of fat Austrailian cow dog (???) on his farm. Neither of these dogs is bothered by skunk smell and they kill them constantly. And they get sprayed every time. Not only do the dogs stink for weeks at a time, it stinks up the house and the barn for days. You can smell it when you head up the driveway.

Which brings up a point. Skunks seem like roaches, flys and coyotes: killing them, trapping them, whatever, seems to have almost no impact on the population. Despite these two canine skunk killing machines, we are still covered with skunks.

 

[beenthere]

If I have a skunk, and it is in the trap, sorry but it will die. Otherwise, I wouldn't have put a trap out to catch it (if I wanted a skunk living around my place). And I don't think they catch mice. And dragging the trap off to a shooting place where the smell wasn't close to the house didn't cause the skunk to spray.

The very last thing I would do would be to drop it off on someone else. Sorry, I'd consider myself to be cowardly if I did that.

And as far as drowning, I think it is more humane than a bullet. With drowning, it is "lights out" when the air is gone. Maybe some panic, but not pain.

 

[oldnslo]

Having been around rabid skunks and having my farm quarantined twice due to live stock dieing from rabies I would be very careful around them. I have had one that followed me like a dog at 5:00 AM when I went out to do chores. He was also rabid but not in the aggressive stage yet.

Usual rule of thumb used to be: If you see a skunk during day light be cautious. They are a nocturnal animal and rarely travel by day unless disturbed or sick.

Roy

 

[20 20]

And I don't think they catch mice. .

Beeeeep wrong answer for you today, sorry no cookie. Mice and moles are part of their main diet.

 

[beenthere]

20_20
Not a problem here. But I googled it, and says the striped skunk (one I am most familiar with) is not fast enough.

Species food patterns do vary. Hognose Skunks root for insects and grubs, thus earning their nickname as 'rooter' skunk. Spotted skunks consume more rodents, small rabbits, and other invertebrates than the larger species. The larger-sized Striped Skunk's diet is made up mainly of insects including bees, and various larvae. They are not fast enough to pursue prey; therefore, they usually stalk or hunt by lying in wait. Skunks do not cache food, but they will raid the caches of other mammals especially weasels.

Now, going to get that cookie.

 

[20 20]

beenthere; you get a cookie I have seen striped skunks with moles. More of an ambush hunt then a chase. As far as mice go I've never seen a skunk chewing on one, just read about it. Around here in the winter the skunks go after the moles a lot, more or less just wait them out.

 

[N80]

Drowning is not humane. And don't mistake me for PETA VEGAN GREEN PIECE either. I've hunted all my life. Drowning causes fear, pain, struggle, and aspiration of water. I've got no problem with anyone who wants to kill a varmit or pest in a humane way, but not matter how hard anyone tries to convince themselves otherwise, drowning is cruel and uneccessary. Period.

As for diet, skunks are omnivors. They'll eat anything but rodents are known to be a major component of their diet.

 

[beenthere]

N80
I don't want to belabor the discussion, and I thought the same as you about drowning.
Until I put a trapped chipmunk in water. There was a brief swimming struggle, then some bubbles, then no struggle. Just a lifeless form in the water. Didn't see anything like the jerking motions that an arrow or bullet will cause to an animal (or the thrashing that a shot cat goes through). So my take is that drowning is more peacefull and humane than a bullet.
Watching the drowning wasn't something that I did with glee. But it was bloodless, as well as quick and appeared to be painless. Can't say I can describe more accurately as I have not experienced it. The closest thing to this death was when I worked at a vet and we euthanized animals with a shot. Little to no struggle, and they just went lifeless (limp). I suspect that letting blood out (thinking similar to when one gives blood at the Red Cross) where the result would be no pain, just passing out when the blood finally left the brain. Drowning may cause the same "passing out" when the lungs fill with water and cannot get oxygen to the brain.
Morbid subject...sorry.

 

[JB4310]

Drowning is not humane. And don't mistake me for PETA VEGAN GREEN PIECE either. I've hunted all my life. Drowning causes fear, pain, struggle, and aspiration of water. I've got no problem with anyone who wants to kill a varmit or pest in a humane way, but not matter how hard anyone tries to convince themselves otherwise, drowning is cruel and uneccessary. Period.

I agree, I would much rather get a bullet in the head than have to inhale water till unconscious. That's actually one of my greatest fears, of ways to die.

As far as dogs and skunks go, My brother had a hybrid timber shepherd that would kill anything smaller than him, cats, rabbits, squirrels even other dogs. was not a viscous dog with people at all, but I never would of left him with a baby. Anyway I was walking him one evening, no leash, he spotted a skunk and before I could even try and stop him he had it in his mouth. the skunk let out his last gasp from both ends.

The dog beat the skunk to death by whipping him back forth like I've never seen before.

JB.

 

[SARG]

N80
Drowning may cause the same "passing out" when the lungs fill with water and

Just a bit of rescue trivia ....... the lungs do not fill with water when a man or a skunk drowns .......

The stomach will fill with water but the body closes the airway off ...... which is how folks are resuscitated after a drowning.

The water that is forced out during CPR is from the stomach.

 

[N80]

Just a bit of rescue trivia ....... the lungs do not fill with water when a man or a skunk drowns .......

The stomach will fill with water but the body closes the airway off ...... which is how folks are resuscitated after a drowning.

The water that is forced out during CPR is from the stomach.

Not entirely true. The glottis can spasm (closed) preventing aspiration of water (and also air) resulting in death. However, aspiration of water into the lungs is just as likely. You are probably less likely to resuscitate someone that has lungs full of water than someone who has lost consciousness just to asphyxiation from spasm of the glottis. Water can enter the stomach in both cases.

The above is true for humans, I doubt there is much data on skunks.

Regardless, just hold your breath for a moment. When it feels like you need to take a breath, exhale what is left in your lungs and then don't inhale for a second. When you see what that feels like, multiply it by a hundred. (disclaimer: don't actually do that if you are sick, driving, on a ladder etc etc etc etc etc).

Whether you aspirate water or die from asphyxiation due to spasm of the glottis, it is awful. Ever heard of waterboarding?

A well placed bullet to the head is painless.

 

[jimmyj]

This thread is the greatest. Other than religion and politics, we have covered it all! LOL