Skunks in my yard! What to do

[yachties23]

So I just took my dog for a walk and very unusual for him he went to go run into a bush. I pulled him back only to see something scurry into the bush. Figuring it was a squirrel I thought nothing of it. As we walked out of the gate I noticed a white patch running in the yard, and than a very large white patch running along side it. Than saw a small skunk a few houses down.

I live in a small NYC suburb, not rural in the slightest, and I've never really had to deal with anything like this. Does anybody have experience with a skunk problem? Any Suggestions?

[TJarv]

BB gun

[JenksAnejo]

Remmington 870 express with 3 1/2 mags.

[Silound]

Contact animal control first. Some species of skunk are endangered, so killing one is a federal felony.

Skunks can be trapped and tranquilized (to prevent spraying) easily, and removed to another location more appropriate for their living. They don't really like pepper, mothballs, or ammonia, so there are tons of age old recipes you can cook up and spray around your yard to keep them away.

Considering the discharge of a firearm within a city, incorporated area, or residential area is typically a crime of some form, I would not recommend attempting to eliminate it yourself.

[Bill86]

Originally Posted by JenksAnejo

Remmington 870 express with 3 1/2 mags.

This.

It depends who you live around, we are in the city and took out a few skunks. No one said a word. It was probably 10PM and about 5-6 shotgun blasts went off, no one came or ever bothered us.

Our neighbors were happy to be rid of the pests. We just bagged them up in black garbage bags.

[rharris]

They are all over the place.They are not dangerous except for the stank of course.They will not generally spray unless they are seriously threatened.They are mostly nocturnal.They love cat and dog food,and people who feed cats and dogs outside inadvertantly call them in. They will also help themselves to garbage left where they can get into it. They like the worms and grubs that live on most peoples lawns.Most of the time they are all around us and we never even know that they are there. They can carry rabies (as can any mammal) although it is rare. Be careful walking your dog without a leash. If you encounter one,move slowly away and they will usually not bother you. The smell is super nasty if spayed at close range. If the dog gets sprayed,ther are commercially available products that can remove the smell. (Skunk-off)etc. Or the following recipe is very effective
1 quart hydogen peroxide (3%)
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid dish detergent.
Do not get mixture in animals eyes, Mix and apply mixture in a bucket and apply outside.Rinse with water and repeat.

[rharris]

Dont even bother with tomato juice,as it does nothing but cover the smell.
Skunks are cool animals and remove many pests like grubs and other bugs. It is very common to encounter them in urban areas espescially at night. They can be removed by trapping with a live catch type trap but it is tricky to not get sprayed. They often spray after being shot, so be careful. Probably a good idea to defer trapping or other removal to professionals.

[Bill86]

You have to shoot them before they spray. Even if they do it's only in the air so it goes away after a bit. It can be easier with 2 people and 2 shotguns so the skunks are pretty much instantly killed. That avoids the spray for sure.

Basically we had them trapped as they crawled into plastic piping underground so we covered it and at night tossed a light on it and once they crawled out they were hit with 2 different shotguns 2-3 times each. When they are dead they really don't smell that bad.

If you've got a 22 Walther rifle you can just go for a quick and clean headshot. We had a neighbor do that as well. Makes virtually no noise and no chance for spraying as it was from a distance of about 50+ feet. That you can do during the day too if you catch them out and about.

[RGD.]

Actually - skunks rank right at the top along with raccoons on the list for rabid animals here on the east coast to include New York City.

Several years ago had a rabid raccoon at my house here. The wife called animal control and they said it's probably just looking for food. I told her to tell them it was rabid (listless, hissing, slow moving, etc) and they said they would send someone out in about an hour. My wife said to them, "Take your time, my husband has his pistol out is going to take care it." Within two minutes I had two of Fairfax County's finest flying into the court. So I put my Sig away at let them baby sit it until Animal Control arrived.

Animal Control came back the next day to confirm it was rabid and tried to take my two dogs to quarantine them - which ended up with me losing my drivers license - but that's a story for a different day.

Ron

[Silound]

Originally Posted by RGD.

Animal Control came back the next day to confirm it was rabid and tried to take my two dogs to quarantine them - which ended up with me losing my drivers license - but that's a story for a different day.

Ron

Come down to LA one day with that story, drinks and sticks are on me

[MarkinAZ]

Originally Posted by Silound

Contact animal control first. Some species of skunk are endangered, so killing one is a federal felony.

Skunks can be trapped and tranquilized (to prevent spraying) easily, and removed to another location more appropriate for their living. They don't really like pepper, mothballs, or ammonia, so there are tons of age old recipes you can cook up and spray around your yard to keep them away.

Considering the discharge of a firearm within a city, incorporated area, or residential area is typically a crime of some form, I would not recommend attempting to eliminate it yourself.

I'm with Silound Chris. They can be easily trapped and transported to another area to be released. In our HOA community here in Valencia, we were having a dense concentration of skunks (and gas). HOA mgmt simply called a company with experience in trapping skunks, and the problem was resolved. A decent size cage is placed out in the area where skunks are seen with an open can of cat food. Next day, skunk is trapped inside and wisked away to another area. Issue resolved