Redirecting

Saturday, October 16, 2010

SKUNK! What to do?

Perhaps solving my skunk problem will be easier than solving ForeClosure Gate.  Here's the problem:  there's a skunk in my 'hood. And by my 'hood, I mean, he has made my yard his domain.  This wouldn't generally be a huge deal - he keeps to himself during the day, and wanders away when we see him at night - but I have two small dogs, and I really don't want them to have a skunk encounter.  Oscar has "found" the skunk twice now in the last week on our nighttime walks, but fortunately has responded when called back instead of attacking the skunk.  

I worry that it's inevitable that an Oscar-skunk confrontation will eventually occur if I don't take action here.  Note - the skunk doesn't appear to be eating my garbage or anything - he may be snacking on my garden, although I've seen no evidence.

So, the questions:  Oscar and Griffey are off leash when we go outside during the day - what are the chances that they find the skunk during the day?  Where do skunks chill out?  I think he lives in a drainage pipe/ditch along my property - Oscar has been sniffing over there relentlessly.   Oscar runs over to one of the pipes every morning first thing when we go outside.   Does it make any sense to try to catch the skunk in a have-a-heart trap or something?    Sounds like a really bad idea.

Last week, when I spotted the skunk for the first time, he shrugged and waddled toward the street.  I pursued him from about 30 yards, and he turned to look at me, and raised his tail (while facing me) as if to say "Hey jackass - I'm a f'n SKUNK - you do NOT want any of this," and then turned and went on his way.  Last night, we encountered him as soon as we walked out the door - and he ambled into our forsythia bush.   Oscar goes BEZERK when he picks up the skunk's scent - running back and forth like a hunting dog who has locked onto his prey...

-KD

16 comments:

rjs said...

skunks are omnivorous...but mostly insects, small animals, and bird eggs...but as a beekeeper, they're enemy #1...

if its living in the pipe, you should be able smell it yourself...

yes, havahart is a bad idea...wtf you do if you catch it? borrow a gun if you dont have one...

i dont have a solution if your dog runs into it...for mine, they're outdoors for a week...

TenMile said...

Skunks are opportunistic eaters with a varied diet. They are nocturnal foragers who eat fruit and plants, insects, larvae, worms, eggs, reptiles, small mammals, and even fish

http://www.ehow.com/how_4392975_create-natural-skunk-repellent.html

There are lots of others out there also.Just google skunk repellent. It will take a while to gather commerical stuff.

If you'd rather not shoot him, or wait for a car to run over him. Keep the pup on a leash unti you're successful or let him do the work for you and reward him with out door time for . . Ah, a time.

Anonymous said...

I worry that it's inevitable that an Oscar-skunk confrontation will eventually occur

Sure, but only once.

Kid Dynamite said...

Nemo - do you have dogs? I'm told that they don't get the hang of it after only once... same with porcupines - dogs will end up on the wrong end of a face full of porcupine quills more than once. they are not purely rational thinkers!

rjs said...

mine (doberman & black lab) are that dumb, KD...they seem to find a skunk once a month...

btw, nemo's first article applies to the other post...

hammer said...

I had some skunks living next door and they'd come under the fence leading to many close calls with my dog (who has been sprayed 4 times now, just never in the yard). I put a border of crushed cayenne pepper powder along the fence and never saw them again.

do you know where the other end of the pipe leads? maybe dump a punch of ceyenne powder at your end and see what happens.

if it is a young skunk that hasn't sprayed anything yet it wont smell as bad, could be why you are not sure of its location. otherwise you'd smell it before you see it.

Anonymous said...

Get a gun...
Mrs. Big Show

EconomicDisconnect said...

peppermint oil will keep it away for a bit, but skunks are persistent. You may need to figure out where it is living and seal that area so they move along. I hate skunks!

Anonymous said...

Trap the skunk with a Havahart, speak softly to it, cover it with a tarp, walk it over to a full garbage can and drown it.

I've done it, and this was the first creature I killed.

Anonymous said...

Heads up, Felix Salmon is saying you wrongly claimed Claymore due diligence reports were not NPMI. He links directly to your comment, where of course it is clear you were not saying that. Underwriters have tons of NMPI that does not get disclosed like these reports, and that is not insider trading.

Unknown said...

Advice from a wise old man I know. Use the havahart trap. Once the skunk is caught cover the trap with a blanket. He said that once the trap is covered the skunk will go to sleep and will not spray. Take it somewhere and reach over the top to open the door. The skunk will run instead of spray. He said he catches one every few years and has never had a problem.

Pat said...

Until you find a solution, keep this skunk odor-removal recipe handy:
# 1 Quart of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
# 1/4 cup of Baking Soda
# 1 teaspoon of Liquid Soap
# wash, rinse, repeat

Nature's Miracle also makes a skunk odor removal liquid. No idea if it works.

Kid Dynamite said...

anon re: felix: yes, I know, i've been in communication with him all weekend.

Unknown said...

Red pepper works passably well, provided the area you're trying to border isn't too large. Save $ by using non-food grade capsaicin, as is sold to coat birdseed. Still, this doesn't help when walking the dogs off-property. Might be better to shoot the critter. Your neighbors are country folks (i.e., slaughter and butcher their own cows), so a gunshot shouldn't raise eyebrows provided it's not so late at night as to wake 'em up.

Anonymous said...

first you should not have your dogs off leash in the country in the evening. They are tidbit size for coyotes etc.
As to the skunk if the skunk just decides to spray your dog you are off easy.

Anonymous said...

I have heard that invisible fences work both ways... Put one up and jsut hope the sound keeps the skunk out?