ALL YOU NIGHT HUNTERS GATHER ROUND--

[GatorGunner]

Sure fire way to get rid of all female skunks is to hire Pepe Lepew....errrr...maybe that's female cats....oh well.

[ray1377]

I'd say no to the gut shot.
If you shoot them and they don't drop dead, THEY SPRAY!!!!!
I shot at one 3 times with a Beeman springer late one nite from quite a distance.
I was having a hard time hitting it because I was trying to hold a big flashlight and the gun up at the same time without a rest.
Anyway, everytime I shot, I got close and the skunk would jump or flench and spray.
I could see the spray coming out its rear with the flashlight shining one it.
It looked like a small green fog.
I also read that if one sprays, that it will draw other skunks in from a few miles looking for the other skunk.
Might explain why you always see more than one dead in the road pretty close to each other.
Also found out they can spray from 10 to 15 feet away and can usually only spray on average 6 times.
Then it takes them up to 10 days to replenise their stink before being able to spray again.
And if it gets in you eyes, you can go blind for up to 15 minutes.
So if you can't drop them dead in there tracks I wouldn't suggest shooting one to wound it.
I'm trying to find me some scrap 6in pvc pipe and build my own sent proof trap.
Maybe I can catch them and haul them off.
I

[airiscool]

This was covered with alot of info about best ways to trap Skunks back last November

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.com/airguns/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=22342&posts=24&highlight=skunk trapping&highlightmode=1#M177895

There was some other threads in the past year on trapping them, but covered pretty much the same methods.

Paul.

[ray1377]

yeah, I read that one, but didn't get alot of info from it.
Ray

[only1harry]

Only with a couple of skunks but it was too much fun too, hehe.  

Because I have a big skunk problem too at my bait site too, just 3-4wks ago I decided to start shooting their tail with my .22 & .25 Condors.  

They don't even flinch and keep on eating!  I shoot the end of their tail until the pellet cuts some part of it off or they feel some pain.  One skunk kept eating and I could see blood all over the snow!  One more shot to the tail and it took off.  I took 5 shots total at its tail and I knew it was a hit every time as my Condors are precision instruments.. and it was only 18-19yds out.  I have not seen that one return and maybe it died from infection or attracted a coyote with its blood trail and became dinner for a bigger critter.  The only other skunk I shot its "tail off", took off after the 2nd shot hit its tail.  If they don't see the threat, they don't spray.  They 'll sit there and keep eating while being shot at.  They will move their tail a little as each pellet cuts some of their tail hair off, or even when it hits the bone in the tail.  I honestly don't think these 2 have returned becaue I 've only seen the little one, and these 2 where the bigger ones.  Maybe they associate my place now with getting hurt or stung, which was my intention so they would not return.  Give them a good sting to a non-vital area and make them leave and think twice about coming back.  My intention was not to kill them or have them die later, which is why I did not shoot their foot or leg, etc. because this could have crippled them and could eventually kill them or make them not survive "in the wild", I have seen a few crippled skunks visit my bait site.  It was an experiment and their tail is the least vital area to shoot.  I must admit it was fun

[ray1377]

Boy, that right there is using your noggin for something besides a hat rack!!! ha ha ha
Shooting their tails off never even came to my mind.
I wish you would have posted this earlier.
I've just come in from the garage and I'm 3/4 of the way through building a spray proof skunk trap, just like those you see in the catalogs.
And so far I have less than $2 in it.
I'll post some pics when I'm done.
You should have got some pics of those new species of skunk----BOBTAIL !!!! ha ha ha

Ray

[only1harry]

Ray,
I never seperated any part of their tail.  I probably missed the center bone a couple of times.  It was dark and I was using my gun light which is a very soft blue light and does not light up the target all that well.  It works well though because the critters barely know it's there and it doesn't scare them away.  I was probably just shooting hair most of the time.  They have very large/thick tails.  But once you bit bone or "meat", they feel it and take off, except for that one that continued eating with blood on the ground around its tail.  They did feel the pellet touch the hair on their tail though, because they would flinch their tail or raise it a little everytime the pellet went through it.  So my guess is they have pretty good nerve endings on that tail to feel something that small touching a couple of hairs on it.

[Wade.S]

I have no help for you but that's funny! I made my wife come read the story I thought it was so good.

[atchman2]

Whenever they were at my bait site, I'd shoot them with the Daisy pump gun.  I never pumped it high enough to pierce the skin, maybe three or four pumps and I was shooting at 30 plus yards. I'd just keep lobbing them until one connected.  After a few days of that they would hear me pumping it up and skeedaddle big time.  

Truthfully they are pretty smart and once I started stinging them I didn't see them very often.  After that it was mostly raccoons, with a few possums here and there.  I think once the raccoons start to dominate a bait site they become the alpha critter.

[DoubleDiamond]

Ray,

Tie a 30" rope to your trap when you get it finished. Set your trap next to a ditch, creek, or pit. (lined and filled with water) When you catch the little bugger, gently pull him trap and all into the ditch. They will drown without spraying most of the time, and if they spray, it is under the water and does not stink bad at all.

I use this method often. It seems every so often, I have a rapid rise in skunk population and have to take matters into my own hands or deal with the dog causing skunks to spray and stink up the yard. A couple years ago, I dispatched 12 skunks with this method.