Chronicles of the Skunk Apocalypse - # 9 In the Bag

[bearsnoreson]

So gassing them is okay? From what I could find on-line it is approved, but I wasn't sure. I know it says that drowning is approved, but I figured gassing was less stressful.

[Zip-in-Z]

For those following the thread, I added some baked ham fat to help with enticing #8, but got blanked last night, just another stray sniffing around.

It's snowing again, everything is white not sure if skunks roam around much under these conditions, we'll see tonight.

D.

[35 whelen]

Originally Posted by 220 Swift

I just read last week that a gas engine works best not diesel. Never tried either one but thought i would pass it on.

When I was in the Exterminator back in Winnipeg in the 70s we used to take them out to the flood way hook up the hose to the car and done.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[barbless]

Bunch of them in Calgary most I here of is SE NE and seen em (up close), if they're there, they gotta be in the other 2 corners of city. Just keep your dogs inside after sundown and don't think it's a ground squirrel, tree rat or a feral cat. Not a great time after the 3 seconds of phssssst sound. Your neighbors 4 blocks away might think different ha ha too funny big

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by bearsnoreson

So gassing them is okay? From what I could find on-line it is approved, but I wasn't sure. I know it says that drowning is approved, but I figured gassing was less stressful.

How would you prefer to die? Being suffocated slowly and painfully or instantly?

Any I have ever dispatched got a 30-06 or similar speed projectile in the head.

I have released lots in fields miles out of town, seeing any animal suffer does not work for me.

[Trochu]

I've seen a lot on the side of the road this year. Went to FSJ last week and probably saw about 15.

[Zip-in-Z]

October 01st -#8 got him!

He has a thick fur coat, would of made a nice Davey Crockett hat!

Trap needs a cleaning, so I just put the camera back out, see if there's a #9!

D.

[Zip-in-Z]

Looks like # 9 is next, the apocalypse is never ending !

[SHEDHEAD]

This is great!

[Zip-in-Z]

Oct 14th.

Trap loaded up with peanut butter has been sitting out for the past week, last night #9 showed up, wife said it woke her about 5:00 am hammering the steel door on the trap. Didn't have my trail cam out, but got a pic, it's a big male, not the Mother of all Skunks size but the largest I caught this fall.

Trap will be refilled with fresh bait & out again tonight .... lookin for #10.

Sent Marty a P/M I noticed he's looking for some.

Cheers

D.

[amosfella]

Have you been skinning them?? Skunk is sold on the fur market as sable, and it's a member of the weasel family, like mink and otter.

We haven't had problems with them on the yard since I got a livestock guardian dog. Both the previous one, and the new year old pup have killed a fair number of them. I've seen how the dogs kill them. The dog runs up really fast, like it's in race mode, and goes on a high jump into the air, and lands front paws on the back, and immediately grabs the head with the mouth and crushes it.

I skinned one that the pup had killed just after I got him at 7 months old. I wish I had taken pictures of the damage. The back was shattered (3 breaks, iirc), and the skull would have had to be pieced together like a puzzle. I believe that damage like that would be considered catastrophic failure... lol

My previous dog did that to a coon that weighed about 35-40 pounds. No fight. And she killed a few porcupines as well... I only had to pull quills out of her once. I'm guessing that the broken back thing happened to porky before he could get his armor up...

[Johnnyg313]

Since getting my trap I’ve caught 2, good times checking the trap line in the mornings.

[dodger]

This has been entertaining enough it should be a sticky

Dodger

[Zip-in-Z]

Originally Posted by dodger

This has been entertaining enough it should be a sticky

Dodger

Wish it was entertaining but it's a lot of work getting rid of them, hopefully next year will be quiet, with that big male gone.

I mentioned I posted in the Trapping Skunk Juice thread, no takers, will be disposing of him today.

No action last night, just a feral cat sniffin around, when it gets colder and the skunks are sleeping I'll get this one. Fortunately, the town's Animal Control staff come & pick them up and they get adopted under the local Barn Cat Program.

D.

[Grizzly Adams]

Picked this print up the other day, cause I can relate. So could Charlie Russell.



Man's weapons are useless when Nature goes Armed

It is in the public domain.

Grizz

[Zip-in-Z]

Skunk Trivia, I was surprised the number of interesting tidbits that I didn’t know about skunks … eating chocolate or smokin skunk!

Read on ….


Do skunks have one stripe or two?

Although the most common fur color is black and white, some skunks are brown or grey and a few are cream-colored. All skunks are striped, even from birth. They may have a single thick stripe across back and tail, two thinner stripes, or a series of white spots and broken stripes (in the case of the spotted skunk).


Why is skunk smell so strong?

Sulfur has that classic rotten egg smell, and it's what gives thiol its gag-inducing power. For detection purposes, thiols are added to otherwise smell-free natural gas, so that it will have a noticeable odor. In the case of skunk spray, the thiol is so potent that it can be smelled a half-mile away.


What is the largest skunk?

American hog-nosed skunk. The American hog-nosed skunk is a species of hog-nosed skunk from Central and North America, and is one of the largest skunks in the world, growing to lengths of up to 2.7 feet (82 cm). Skunk species vary in size from about 15.6 to 37 in (40 to 94 cm) long and in weight from about 1.1 lb (0.50 kg) (spotted skunks) to 18 lb (8.2 kg) (hog-nosed skunks).

The striped skunk is a stoutly-built, short-limbed animal with a small, conical head and a long, heavily furred tail. Adult males are 10% larger than females, with both sexes measuring between 52–77 cm in total body length and usually weighing 1.8–4.5 kg (4.0–9.9 lb), though some may weigh 5.5 kg (12 lb).


What is a skunks favorite food?

Best Skunk Baits. Although skunks are known to eat opportunistically, they are most attracted to oily, meat-based baits like fish and chicken. They have a strong sense of smell, so anything particularly smelly works best - even peanut butter has been proven to lure in skunks.


What is the range of a skunk?

A skunk's spray is an oily liquid produced by glands under its large tail. To employ this scent bomb, a skunk turns around and blasts its foe with a foul mist that can travel as far as ten feet. Skunk spray causes no real damage to its victims, but it sure makes them uncomfortable.


Can skunks climb?

Skunks have sharp teeth and long claws for digging. They are nearsighted, but have a keen sense of smell and hearing. The striped skunk is not a good climber. Although it can climb up wire mesh, fences, and boards, it seldom climbs trees - the long nails are a definite handicap in climbing.


How dangerous are skunks?

However, in some cases, if the intruder gets too close for comfort, skunks bite too and this bite has the potential to carry the rabies virus. ... These animals are carriers of the Baylisascaris Columnaris, a dangerous type of roundworm, which can enter a pet if it happens to feed on the feces of a skunk.


Do skunks come out during the day?

Skunks might come out during the day if there is a food source available at a particular time, if they have been frightened out of their daytime sleeping spot, or if there is high competition in the area at night from other nocturnal animals. Baby skunks are also commonly seen outside during the day.


Do female skunks spray?

During this time large numbers of male skunks are killed on roads and highways. Males fighting over females are extremely aggressive but do not use their spray as a weapon in these encounters. ... The defensive spraying of musk from its anal scent glands is one of the best known behaviors of the skunk.


Can skunks spray more than once?

The spray is an oily liquid produced by glands underneath the skunk's tail. A skunk's spray can go almost 10 feet and the skunk can spray up to six times in succession. After a full discharge, it can take a skunk up to 10 days to resupply.


Can skunks see?

Although skunks have very poor eyesight, they have excellent senses of smell and hearing.


What is the name of a female skunk?

A female skunk is called a sow. Skunks (sometimes referred to as polecats) are mammals best known for their ability to excrete a strong, foul-smelling odour.


What's the difference between a male and a female skunk?

How to Tell a Female From a Male Skunk. ... However, as skunks are not sexually dimorphic, meaning they do not have physical difference between the two sexes of the species, these markings cannot be used to determine a particular skunk's gender. Differences between male and female skunks are mostly behavioral


Can skunks run out of spray?

Do skunks run out of spray? The skunks may spray up to six sprays without stopping. They have two glands in the shape of a walnut, and they are being refilled whenever it is needed. A skunk can alternate between the two while spraying.


Do skunks spray when they die?

Canine distemper is a leading cause of death in young dogs. Extermination of skunks is tricky due to the potential for a skunk to spray if it feels threatened. ... A skunk will still smell even when dead, and the gland which creates the foul odor can release if the body is moved postmortem.


How long do pet skunks live?

Wild skunks only have a lifespan of about three years, but pet skunks have been known to live up to 10 years.


How many babies do skunks have?

Skunks are polygamous animals that breed in late winter, usually in February and March. On average, the female will carry the babies for about 60 to 75 days before giving birth to a litter of four to six baby skunks, known as kits.


Is it illegal to kill a skunk?

A year-round hunting season allows people who have problems with skunks (killing poultry or causing other damage) to remove them without a special permit. (Note: Shooting skunks in urban areas is usually illegal because of laws that prohibit the discharge of firearms within city limits.)


Can I shoot a skunk?

This is why a lot of people opt to shoot, but by all means, do this only if it is safe to. Lethal body grip traps may also work for spray avoidance on your person, but the stink will then hang around your property. The best method still remains to live trap the skunk and relocate it somewhere else


Can skunks spray in a trap?

Once You've Caught a Skunk in a Live Trap, Calmness Is Key. Understandably, a trapped skunk will be frightened, which increases the risk of spraying. The best way to calm the animal is to cover the cage, as the darkness will have a soothing effect.


How far do skunks travel?

The age potential for a skunk is about 10 years, but few live beyond 3 years in the wild. The normal home range of the skunk is l/2 to 2 miles (2 to 5 km) in diameter. During the breeding season, a male may travel 4 to 5 miles (6.4 to 8 km) each night.


Are skunks good swimmers?

A striped skunk is a good swimmer, but it does not like to enter into the water. ... When the skunks swim, they use their webbed feet, but they do it slowly and they are not counted as aquatic animals. They do not have a good sense of smell, sight or hearing, but their sense of touch is well developed.


How long does a skunk smell last?

It permeates clothes, skin and fur, making it last for weeks. Research shows that a skunk's odor will last 14-21 days if left untreated. And the longer you wait to wash it off, the harder it will to be free of that nasty odor. The stink of skunk spray is caused by thiols which are made from sulfur.


When can baby skunks spray?

By the time the young skunks are 8 days old they can emit musk, but they are unable to defend themselves by spraying musk spray until they are about a month old. Once skunks become adults they have little to fear from other animals.


Do mothballs keep skunks away?

It may seem ironic, but skunks hate certain odors (as if they have room to judge). Citrus, ammonia, mothballs and predator urine (dog, coyote, etc) are three smells that can scare off skunks. If you use mothballs or ammonia-soaked cotton balls, be sure to keep them far away from children.


Can a dead skunk spray?

The glands are like little balloons on either side of the anus. There are muscles surrounding the glands and the skunk needs to be alive to squeeze those muscles. However the spray liquid is still in the glands of a dead skunk so, if you squeeze a dead skunk in the bum (or squash it with a car) then it will spray.


What animal will eat a skunk?

Most predators of the Americas, such as wolves, foxes and badgers, seldom attack skunks, presumably out of fear of being sprayed. The exceptions are reckless predators whose attacks fail once they are sprayed, dogs, and the great horned owl, which is the skunk's only regular predator.


Will chocolate kill skunks?

If you set out a chocolate bar or pieces of chocolate around your yard, house, garage, or anywhere skunks seem to be, it might make them sick once they eat it. Chocolate contains theobromine will kill a skunk if they get enough of it. ... Once the skunk eats it, it most likely will get sick and vomit.


What kind of drug is skunk?

Skunk is very high in THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) which is the active ingredient of cannabis. Other traditional strains of cannabis also contain CBD (Cannabidiol). The two chemicals give opposing effects.


What does skunk do to your brain?

Smoking super-strength skunk cannabis can cause "significant" brain damage, research has suggested. The new study by researchers at King's College London found the strong "skunk" variant of the plant damaged the corpus callosum - the part of the brain which carries signals between the brain's left and right sides.


What do you think some interesting facts about skunks ?

Never thought about smokin one maybe something to try later in the week now that it's legal.

[Zip-in-Z]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

Picked this print up the other day, cause I can relate. So could Charlie Russell.

Man's weapons are useless when Nature goes Armed

It is in the public domain.

Grizz

Grizz ... really like the print, very unique!

D.

[El Carnicero]

This topic has become increasingly interesting to me as last week i watched 3 huge skunks in succession waddle across my street in SE Calgary. about a month ago I crossed paths with one at 5AM as I went out to my car for work. it waddled off no trouble happened.

So, here I sit reading this thread and I have some questions.
First, to the OP, That trap you have in the pictures, where did you get it?

I have seen some traps like that but they are wire cages and I do not wish to be sprayed when I catch one.

Secondly. When I do trap one how do I kill it??

As I live in the city a pellet gun or real gun is not an option and if I have a cage type trap I'm not going near it till its dead.
I thought about poisoning the bate, but if I accidentally kill a neighbors cat....well we know how that will go.

[Zip-in-Z]

This guy is about to spray!

Hope this helps ....

D.

Originally Posted by El Carnicero

So, here I sit reading this thread and I have some questions.

First, to the OP, That trap you have in the pictures, where did you get it?

Peavy Mart sell them SKU # 217913 $89.99



I have seen some traps like that but they are wire cages and I do not wish to be sprayed when I catch one.

Review Post 46 .... Can skunks spray in a trap? Once you've Caught a Skunk in a Live Trap, Calmness Is Key. Understandably, a trapped skunk will be frightened, which increases the risk of spraying. The best way to calm the animal is to cover the cage, as the darkness will have a soothing effect. If you don't it will spray you.



When I do trap one how do I kill it??

Shoot or drown would be the most humane way, but you'll have skunk smell for more than a few days .... if that's a problem just let it go.

If you buy the Peavy Mart trap pick up a large plastic bin with locking lid then put the trap/skunk inside and live release preferably on Crown land or river bank area with some tall grass/bush and not in an open field on a bright sunny day, they won't leave the open trap. I've released a number of them, they quiet right down in the dark in the back of my vehicle no smell & no issues, they like rock & roll tunes.

Release them at dusk they throttle right out of the trap leaving a trail of dust behind them.

[El Carnicero]

Thank you for the above. I will follow as directed.

Last night I opened my back door to take the trash bag out that had been placed on the back step less than an hour before. As I went to swing the screen door open in the dark I caught a shimmer of 2 white stripes sitting directly on my door step. I slammed the screen door closed and through the main door shut as I could see I scared the skunk.

I turned and walked a few feet away and stopped to look around. Then waddled away through the yard and under the fence into the alley.

So I'm very glad I saw this post here yesterday. I will be picking up a trap on the way home tonight. I guess I now know that skunks like to eat raw porkloin fat too.

[Zip-in-Z]

Originally Posted by El Carnicero

Thank you for the above. I will follow as directed.

Last night I opened my back door to take the trash bag out that had been placed on the back step less than an hour before. As I went to swing the screen door open in the dark I caught a shimmer of 2 white stripes sitting directly on my door step. I slammed the screen door closed and through the main door shut as I could see I scared the skunk.

I turned and walked a few feet away and stopped to look around. Then waddled away through the yard and under the fence into the alley.

So I'm very glad I saw this post here yesterday. I will be picking up a trap on the way home tonight. I guess I now know that skunks like to eat raw porkloin fat too.

Pleased to read the info was helpful, it appears they like you/your place, they'll be looking for a place to hibernate soon, it needs to go other wish 1 + 1 makes 6-8 next spring.

All the best!

D.