Skunks....

[drake]

How does a trapper target skunks? I don't have any spots with sign. Is there a way to blind set for them? Are they always "around"? Is there a particular type of habitat I should target?

[HunterDave]

I caught one this Spring, Drake. I used a sized 18" tire attached to an F150.

Not kidding, I ran over the head so I salvaged the pelt and extracted the essence. I have a bit of work to do in the shed and I'll take a picture and post it up later on. There's a few tips that I can pass on about skinning and extracting the essence that I learned.

[6mm rem]

A live trap and a can of tuna

[Bushmaster]

Here's one I caught some years ago....still hangs in my shed.



This time of year they are looking for a place to hole up for the winter....farm yards, culverts, old buildings, etc.

[FlyTrapper]

Caught both of these in the same set last year, 220 with a little cubby around it with some bird parts in the back. Worked pretty well twice in a row, I see them all around the place in the foothills, hope this helps!

[Lefty-Canuck]

Saw a good sized one tonight leaving the farm yard at the place I was hunting.

LC

[HunterDave]

Here's the adult male skunk that I ran over the head of this Spring. I'm going to put him in to get tanned along with a few other things once that mink on the board beside him is ready to go. $60 per skunk and $30 per mink to get tanned through the ATA. The beaver on the board is one I just tanned and I'll be taking a wire wheel in my drill tomorrow to thin it out a bit before taking it off the board. Someone wanted a smaller one to make a wall hanger from it.

That beaver board is 4 feet tall. Is it just me or is that skunk one big bugger?

[novatradesmen]

i live in the city and my neighbor has a skunk living under his step i thought abouta live trap with tuna or cat food but what do you do in the morning when there is a skunk in it? will i get sprayed moving the cage ?

[Bushmaster]

Throw/place an old blanket over the trap and you can move it gently wherever you want. I usually have a rope tied to mine and just drop it in some water.

[FlyTrapper]

Originally Posted by novatradesmen

i live in the city and my neighbor has a skunk living under his step i thought abouta live trap with tuna or cat food but what do you do in the morning when there is a skunk in it? will i get sprayed moving the cage ?

I know guys that will cover the cage with a blanket or something, the skunk is afraid to spray in an enclosed space, and then the skunk is secure. A little note, in the city do not use cat food or tuna as you will catch cats, the next best bait is marshmallows. Never used live traps for skunk but have talked to people that have given me these pointers. Hope this helps

EDIT: Bushmaster beat me too it by 1 minute

[novatradesmen]

Originally Posted by FlyTrapper

I know guys that will cover the cage with a blanket or something, the skunk is afraid to spray in an enclosed space, and then the skunk is secure. A little note, in the city do not use cat food or tuna as you will catch cats, the next best bait is marshmallows. Never used live traps for skunk but have talked to people that have given me these pointers. Hope this helps

EDIT: Bushmaster beat me too it by 1 minute

thanks

[Marty S]

Buy the $100 Plasticatch plastic box trap and carry the skunk anywhere you like, ideally straight to the garden hose and fill up the trap with water. Beats dealing with animals in wire cages. Neighbours see nothing. I would imagine many folks set the thing in the creek too. No spray, no fuss, and you might not go to jail if your trapping in the city!
If you want skunks, set close to towns, farmyards with abandoned buildings. Always a proliferation of skunks in and around towns.
Cowboy Art sez you'll only catch a cat once in a box trap... Not sure I believe him fully but he claims this to be true. He is the wisest of all cowboys that ever roamed the lands!

[Red Bullets]

When I used to get skunks on the farm I took a 4 inch diameter PVC pipe 4 to 6 feet long and made a wire that dangled from the top at each end (when the pipe is laid down.). The skunks could go in but couldn't back out. Even caught 2 young ones at a time more than once. Sardine bait.
Then I'd take the pipe and submerge it to drown the skunks.

The beauty of this trap is that the skunks can't see anything to get excited when I was approaching the trap. And if the skunks can't raise their tails they really can't spray effectively. And they hate their own stink just like we do so they don't like to spray in close quarters.

I checked this trap daily.

[Bowhunter1964]

I was talking to a guy earlier this year and he has either shot or caught 45 I told him he must be on a migration route lol he got them as they came for his cat food

[Hydro1]

In the past 4 months I have killed just under my target of 100.
They will eat damn near anything, table scraps, cat food, dog food.
The majority without traps, a few with small rabbit snares, a few in live traps.
It's a smelly job no matter how they are dispatched, they aren't a pleasant animal to skin either.
This time of year they aren't as active as they were say, a month ago. "Prime" skunk trapping season is during the summer months imho.

As for habitat in the Praries they are always within a mile or two of a steady water source. While scavenging they won't travel much more than a half mile or a mile from the den. This time of year they will be starting to group up for winter. In my experience it's rare for a single skunk to den by its self during the winter. So if you find one, chances are there are a few more nearby.
Barns or around hay tend to be a decent starting point. Shelter and abundant food.

That's a big Ole boy Dave!

[braggadoe]

seemed like when i had no/very light pan tension on the coyote traps. couldn't keep them out.

they are very useful, but i'm glad to have solved that problem.

[james dymond]

I have caught 22 skunks in live traps this year, they are digging in our grass for grubs. Cheetos make a great bait, cats seem to leave them alone. Make a trail leading to the trap because they don't give off much scent.

Jim

[HunterDave]

Do you extract the essence, Hydro? I've just been told that it sells for about $20/ounce! I got over 2 ounces from the one in the picture. This is something that I'm going to have to seriously consider looking at next Spring.

[drake]

Thanks guys. This turned into a very informative thread

[7mmstwguy]

Who buys the essence? I could catch them by the 100's..

[PCP_ECOM]

whole egg placed in trap will work as well,as they are prolific egg thieves

[Hydro1]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Do you extract the essence, Hydro? I've just been told that it sells for about $20/ounce! I got over 2 ounces from the one in the picture. This is something that I'm going to have to seriously consider looking at next Spring.

Not regularly.
I did not know that it sells for that much, might have to start stockpiling on needles for next season.
I have about 10 ounces sitting outside, I like using it at baits when the weather is going to be extra cold.

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by Hydro1

Not regularly.
I did not know that it sells for that much, might have to start stockpiling on needles for next season.
I have about 10 ounces sitting outside, I like using it at baits when the weather is going to be extra cold.

That's why I had extracted it and saved it, as well as the learning experience. I don't go out of my way for skunks but it now sounds like a new opportunity.

[kingrat]

i thought it sold for alot more than that actually pure essence that is, and yes dave thats a giant most of mine are half that long

[Marty S]

Pretty sure that Mr XXXXXX buys some. Look him up on his website. You could also phone most any lure maker.

Oh Oh... now the fish cops are going to get bent! Good thing I crossed out his name, eh?

If you get a skunk and it sprays, and you want to skin the thing, find some black muck water, the more liquid like black muck in the bottom the better and huck mr skunky in there for a few days. It does help. Then gasoline can help too. There might be some other chemicals that'll help do the job, maybe the secret stuff I have for the fur drum? (hey, everybody needs an edge, no?)

Fur people say you can never get rid of the stench, controlled yes, eliminated 100%, no. Get nice smelling mr skunky wet, supposedley, and he becomes mr stinky again??? I don't know this from experience but thats what fur people tell me. In fact, the Canada Goose strip maker guy sez that some of these coyotes, when wetted down for blocking, stink like (terrible), and the poor guy working on it gets a terrible headache from working them! That'd be the ole pig pile coyotes. See what you pig pile guys are doing? Yuck. That wouldnt be the end of it either, hopefully miss priss dont get her brand new pretty canada goose coat wet now huh?

[HunterDave]

One litre of hydrogen peroxide, half cup of baking soda and a squirt of dishsoap takes the stink right out. Thoroughly wash the skunk with it working in the mix followed by a good rinse. It works.

[special_fred]

Originally Posted by drake

How does a trapper target skunks? I don't have any spots with sign. Is there a way to blind set for them? Are they always "around"? Is there a particular type of habitat I should target?

skunks like cabbage and beetles. what i do is i make a cabbage and beetle medley by rotting the cabbage and then beetles eat it, then i tie a rope to an overhead branch with a inverted bucket over top and wait for the skunk to appear then i drop the bucket on it, they dont spray in confined areas like that.

[FlyTrapper]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

One litre of hydrogen peroxide, half cup of baking soda and a squirt of dishsoap takes the stink right out. Thoroughly wash the skunk with it working in the mix followed by a good rinse. It works.

Used this on both mine as well, they smell like nothing now.

[Zip-in-Z]

Best Skunk trap ever made, got it at UFA in Red Deer, add sardines a trail cam and you get the prize.

It barely fit into the trap, weighed close to 20 lbs. They don't ever spray just squirt a bit at the end then it's ..... RIP.

Z-z



Mother of all Skunks.

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by Zip-in-Z

Best Skunk trap ever made, got it at UFA in Red Deer, add sardines a trail cam and you get the prize.

I couldn't find that trap online at the UFA. How much do they cost?

This one is $90 at Peavey Mart.

http://peaveymartonline.com/index.ph...product_id=586