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Several years ago, I had a woodchuck living under my porch. I called the local Critter Catcher and she came with a humane trap. First night - nothing. Second night - nothing. Third night - I heard something in the trap but couldn't see in the dark what it was. In the morning, there it was - the black kitty with the white stripe. I called the trapper and she came to my house with a white sheet. She slowly approached the trap, quickly and quietly dropped the sheet over the trap, picked it up and put it in the back of her SUV. Her young daughter was in the front, they were on the way to school.
Apparently, she does this all the time. Takes the animal away and drops it off in the woods somewhere. Cost me 50 bucks and I still had the woodchuck.
Many times what you catch depends on the bait you use and the time you set the trap. If you want to catch a woodchuck; you get up early in the morning and throw a quartered apple deep into your Havaheart trap (you could leave a couple pieces as a trail into the trap). If you want to catch a skunk, possum or raccoon; you bait the trap with canned fish or peanut butter and you set it as the sun goes down. When did your “pro” set her trap and what did she use for bait?
It surprises me that she threw it in the back of the SVU! Of course she might have been use to the smell. But I have to wonder if the kids in her daughter's class were use to the smell?
Knock on wood; I have never been spray. I still think the key is to approach a skunk slowly, stop if they start to turn and talk to them in a quite reassuring voice.
PS You might catch a squirrel with the apple in the woodchuck set. But woodchucks do love apples.
I wouldn't have killed the skunk, I've gotten them in traps before when I was breaking up feral cat colonies. I've even opened one side of the have a heart traps up and left it alone, he got out when he felt safe enough to do so. The younger ones seem to be more anxious. This great big old one just sat there looking at me, like get me out of here, idiot. The blanket was a good idea, but I'm opposed to killing when you don't have to.
well, obviously a little late but I would've just called the Game Commission.
A variation of passing the buck.
I think that you have the game commission mixed up with Live Action “Turtle Manâ€!
About five years ago my wife and I found a baby raccoon by our small pond. It was the middle of the day. The raccoon looked sick – it would take a step or two and fall. It's eyes were running it mouth was foaming. It also hissed at us . It wasn't going anyplace so we decided to call the game warden. I figured that they would rush out, collect the animal and test it for rabies. It could have been hit by a car, fallen out of a tree, had distemper or rabies. The warden asked me if I could shoot the animal – which I replied; yes. I asked him what I should do with it after I shot it and he told me to pour Clorox on it and wrap it in multiple plastic bags before putting in the the garbage. I told him that I did not have a current hunting license or furtaker's license and he told me not to worry – just take care of the problem. So much for thinking that government will come out to protect us!
Maybe your state works differently? But, especially with a skunk, I would not just hold my breath waiting for the Lone Ranger!
At my son's house one day and noticed something in the swale behind his house. He first thought it was a tree stump. I told him it looked more like an animal. He walked out and took a look and it was a deer. Dead.
He came inside and called the Fish and Game Commission. The woman who answered asked him if the animal was alive, He told her no it was dead. She asked him how long it had been dead!!? He told her he didn't know. She asked him if he had killed it. He told her that he was calling to report that there was a dead deer in the swale behind his house. Since it was deer season, he assumed it had been shot up on the mountain and made it that far and expired. She then asked him who shot it? He told her that he was reporting a dead deer and that someone needed to come and remove the carcass and after giving her the exact location, he hung up.
Please don't transfer the problem. I live in the country and we have skunks. We don't need any more. Do not catch skunks in town and bring them out here. We don't trap them here and bring them into town. Either deal with the problem, call somebody to deal with the problem, or ignore the problem, but don't bring the problem out here.
Please don't transfer the problem. I live in the country and we have skunks. We don't need any more. Do not catch skunks in town and bring them out here. We don't trap them here and bring them into town. Either deal with the problem, call somebody to deal with the problem, or ignore the problem, but don't bring the problem out here.
I did call someone to deal with the problem. But don't worry, I don't think the Critter Catcher took my Pennsylvania skunk to your neighborhood. Anyway, I don't think city skunks like living in the country. Too used to all the modern conveniences, doncha know.
For reference: Trap close to house with surprise! A skunk in it. The following process worked effectively. Gently approach with dry towel with slit cut into it to allow it to drape over trap (come from the side) and enable you to grab handle easily. Do not move trap yet. (I surmise a wet towel would work however, it would tend to be clingy to trap and my thought was skunk was more likely to sense it when enclosed by wet towel versus dry.
Let skunk get accoustomed to trap with covering over it. While that is occuring place a plastic tub large enough to accomodate the trap in total as close as possible. Reverse process preparation. In tub, add one box of baking soda, a 16 oz bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and empty a full bottle of liquid dishwashing detergent. Then fill with water making sure it fills high enough for a full sudsy submerging when ready.
After you determine skunk is accustomed to covered trap - little to no movement, etc... Gently while wearing gloves lift trap and transfer deftly into soda peroxide detergent solution filled tub. Go get newspaper, duct tape, a few construction grade plastic bags. After said skunk has expired swimming with the suds, remove and empty trap onto newpaper and wrap well place in refuse container.
Note, I called pest control and there was no solution less than $350. Our state requires animal be released or disposed of from a trap within 24 hours. This was my $18 'humane' solution for suburban area. No muss, no fuss done within an hour.
The skunk under the wet blanket didn't spray until I shot it.
A head shot and they will still spray.
The wet blanket was to contain the stink which it did but to also stop the skunk from spraying the house.
it worked well for both reasons.
It wasn't to calm the skunk so I could handle the cage as I was going to shot it.
Drowning is one way but it is a slow death.
call the game warden? It was the first weekend of deer hunting season I think I would still be waiting for them to show up.
The neighbor hood had a skunk problem 10 ac lots big yards and a few horses , goats, dogs, chickens and kids. The skunks will raid the chicken coop and stink up our dogs, The skunk gets the short end of the stick.
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