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Well our business had a skunk in the area and that was trapped and taken away... but now there's one at the house. ( which is still 5 miles or so away )eek
It's been coming up on our deck and it got spooked then sprayed.
The deck is fine, but the oder is lingering in the door way.
<As I layed in bed last night, I could smell it really strong. (We thought our youngest let it in the house. ~ strong smell)
Why? What happened? What's different? All this time (knocked on wood) we have been blessed with out this situation and now. Poof~ over run.
Any tips on avoiding this ( I didn't want to be using "Maine Writers" husband trap every other week.
p.s. We don't even leave our trash outside, when we are full, we take the bag to the restaurant dumpster.
Skunk population explosions just happen. Down here the town of Edison had a an unprecedented skunk population explosion that last for a season and a half. Guess all the favorable factors have to line up as skunk populations don't seem to be on a cycle like grouse or even oak trees. Squirrel populations sometimes explode and even rare migrations have been noted.
Skunks, like rats, typically require food and shelter to thrive in an area. Grubs in the lawn, insects in an old woodpile, mice, access to groundhog dens would make an area desirable, old apples or berries would be cherished.
I'd guess just hang on and they will eventually go away. Skunks are supposed to be a favorite food of great horned owls so maybe you'll hear more of them hooting at night than normal.
Your problem could be the outcome of one prolific pregnancy rather than an invasion of critters from all points east. The young of the year will be about the same size and that's what your probably seeing. If you see a good mix of large and small skunks then you are being invaded. They are a peaceful lot, take a lot of photos and enjoy them.
If not there is a market for skunk skins and their pelts should be prime in your area.
Sometimes during the very early spring and once or twice during the late fall it seems as if a memo is sent to roust all the denned up skunks to suddenly scamper across the nearest road, as evidenced by sudden widespread skunk carnage appearing overnight.
Enjoy the skunk odor! My rating system includes 5+ levels. The lowest is the faint smell of fresh brewed coffee and the last is 5+. 5+ actually doesn't smell anything like the skunk odor you smell while driving down the road. Level 5+ can only be experienced when you actually skin a skunk and find that the scent is not just perceived by your nose. Whatever comes out of a skunk penetrates deeply into every cell in your body.
We had a skunk go off one night that was so powerful I jumped out of bed and started picking up the cats to sniff them to find who had the run in with the skunk. Then I wondered if I left the garage door open and the skunk came in the house. My daughter's room got hit so bad that two days later when she came home from school you could smell her walk in the door.
Bro in law in VT had a skunk come in the cat door, scrounge around and eventually leave. Hung out for about an hour. No one dared confront the skunk in the house.
Not sure about Maine but many states have a law against trapping and releasing a 'game animal'. Has to do with spreading disease and potential animal bites that must be treated as if the animal had rabies. Not too many folks adhere to these laws especially when it comes to squirrels.
They are amusing critters(from a distance). My guess is that the relative youth of your local skunk caused him to be more skittish than usual. My husband likes to tell a story about when they were kids and a skunk wandered undetected into the garage while they were working on a boat. Brother felt the hairy critter brush his leg and reached down to pat what he thought was the cat. Despite the big surprise the little guy never sprayed; just ambled off like nothing ever happened.
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Short of getting coyote urine or some other repellent and putting it around the yard, it sounds like you have the most of it under control. They dig in the yards after the grubs. Not sure where you can buy the repellent. Moth balls don't work as far as I'm concerned. Good luck, Lady.
Well our business had a skunk in the area and that was trapped and taken away... but now there's one at the house. ( which is still 5 miles or so away )eek
It's been coming up on our deck and it got spooked then sprayed.
The deck is fine, but the oder is lingering in the door way.
<As I layed in bed last night, I could smell it really strong. (We thought our youngest let it in the house. ~ strong smell)
Why? What happened? What's different? All this time (knocked on wood) we have been blessed with out this situation and now. Poof~ over run.
Any tips on avoiding this ( I didn't want to be using "Maine Writers" husband trap every other week.
p.s. We don't even leave our trash outside, when we are full, we take the bag to the restaurant dumpster.
tell steve to sit on the deck with his rifle and when he see's a skunk shoot it.
Any tips on avoiding this ( I didn't want to be using "Maine Writers" husband trap every other week.
I used the husband trap only once! We've been married so long now he wouldn't know what to do without me so I won't need it again.
We have two live traps. Want to borrow one again? I'm not going out your way til I take T to work Sunday but I'm sure Steve would drop it off at the Nook.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tcrackly
Brother felt the hairy critter brush his leg and reached down to pat what he thought was the cat. Despite the big surprise the little guy never sprayed; just ambled off like nothing ever happened.
We hade a skunk that used to come in and eat the dog and cat food out of the dishes in the garage. We always left one of the garage doors open a bit for the dog and cat but the skunk caught on that he could come in too for a free dinner. Moving the feeding station to the cellar solved the problem.
We have dogs, we let the dogs out loose a few times each night and the skunks stay away. Of course that also means that every now and again, our dogs stink. Or they get quills stuck in their noses.
Try dumping some strong perfume, the cheaper the better, on cotton balls and scattering the cotton balls around the area. A skunk has a sensitive nose and will often avoid strong smell. I know, sounds nuts, but it works.
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p.s. We don't even leave our trash outside, when we are full, we take the bag to the restaurant dumpster.
Skunks are an odd lot
