By William Bower Recently, I received a letter from Christine Bierly, of Avis, PA, stating that she has a problem with skunks living in her garage. Christine had previously called Pest Control, who came and caught one skunk and took it away; however, that visit was quite costly and did not solve her problem.Skunks will give you several warnings before spraying; however, when they get to the tail raising, back away. |
No matter where you live, whether it be in town or in the country, skunks can be a problem. Since skunks are mainly active at night it’s possible that they are not seen but their odor can be easily detected.
The best way to keep from having skunk problems is to remove their food source. Don’t feed your pets outside or leave garbage uncovered. If you have bushes with berries or nuts that fall to the ground, pick them up immediately. Being unable to climb, skunks will not bother fruit and nuts while on the trees.
Lastly, remove all water sources that skunks can easily access.
After all of these suggestions have been used and you still have skunks, the easiest way to get rid of them is by trapping. You will need a large cage trap (10”x 12”x 30”). Almost anything can be used as bait but be sure to use something that smells. I use peanut butter on a cracker (It would catch me!). Leave a trail of small pieces of bait leading into the trap, and then, place the larger portion of bait in the bait tray.
Skunks are easily trapped but then there is the problem of where to take the live skunk.
After the skunk is in the trap, walk up quietly and drape a sheet or a blanket over the trap. Wait a few minutes before picking up the trap, with the skunk inside, and transport it to an area at least ten miles away. If you have a natural barrier such as a mountain or river, move the skunk to the opposite side. To release the skunk, simply open the trap door and stand back. The skunk will leave on its own. Sometimes, I become impatient and shake the skunk out of the trap; however, I would not recommend doing this. Take the trap back home and re-set it to make sure you do not have another skunk (or two).
Since skunks are nocturnal, a bright light used outside at night could encourage skunks to leave your area, especially if they are living under your porch or another dark area. By placing moth balls in these confined areas, a skunk could leave on its own. Also, a repellent can be made by using chopped yellow onions, chopped jalapenos, cayenne pepper mixed with two quarts of water. Spray this mixture in closed areas. However, the repellent lasts for only three to five days before having to spray again.
There are also repellents that can be purchased at hardware stores.
If skunks are digging holes in your lawn, there are products sold that kill the insects and larva in lawns. Another item is a motion activated light that hooks up to your water system, which sprays the area with water when the light comes on. This works really well on skunks and kids.
Skunks can either den up alone or with other skunks. According to the Game News, the record number of skunks found in one Pennsylvania den was 18 females and one male. Only one male dens with the females, and he drives all other males away. A den can be in an abandoned woodchuck hole or under an uprooted tree. In our towns and cities, skunks often den under porches and outbuildings. Striped skunks suffer from poor vision at a distance of more than two or three feet. A keen sense of smell enables them to easily locate food, which varies with the season.
Skunks usually give ample warning before spraying, which is a mechanism and used only when the animal feels it is necessary to protect its life.
Warnings usually include lifting the tail; turning the back towards the danger and sometimes pounding the front feet in a drummer-like fashion.
The middle of February is the beginning of the skunks breeding season, which peaks about the middle of March. The gestation period is sixty-three days, with a litter size ranging from four to six young. The female will nurse the young for six to eight weeks. At this time, the young will emerge from the den and follow mom, in a single file, as she searches for food. The family unit breaks up as the young reach three months of age. The juvenile females could continue to share their mother's den; however, males are evicted, by the dominant male, and forced to find other suitable den locations.
Old timers used many remedies to remove the odor but the following is a safe, fast and cheap deodorizer: In a bucket, mix the following: 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide; 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 tsp. liquid dish detergent. DO NOT ADD WATER. Rub or dab on affected areas. This will
eliminate a skunk’s odor on clothing, humans and pets. Be careful not to get the solution in either the eyes, nose or mouth of humans or pets.