Need to trap and dispatch a skunk

What's the best way? Somehow one has gotten into my attic. I don't want to trap him up there, but would rather trap him outside.
what's the best way to keep from getting sprayed? Does using a Havahart that is small enough to not allow him to raise his tail the best way? Put a blanket over it?

Or build a wood box

Use a conibear trap. Instant death.

Failed to mention. I've got a couple of barn cats and my dogs roam outside so I need to trap it alive.
BIL--,Please elaborate on the wooden box. Do you mean put the Havahart inside?

Look up a skunk dispatch pole

I assume somehow he is getting out

Set a live trap outside but you'll probably catch your cats..

If you trap it in the attic you might be able to get it out without spraying but I doubt it. I would keep trying to catch him outside or wait till the middle of the night when he's gone and plug the hole so he can't get back in.

Prayers up.

Good luck. Everyone I have trapped has sprayed while being dispatched.

Figure out where it is getting in and put the trap near there. Trap him outside and hit it with a pellet gun.

Cover the trap with a box or tarp

I’ll ask one of my animal control guys, they get them out without spray

A family of skunks dug under my Granddad’s house once when I was a kid and you could smell them every time you were there. He threw a bunch of moth balls up in the tunnel they dug out and they left that night. Maybe you could put them all over your attic and it would leave. Not sure if that would work for you or not, but they sure don’t like them I can tell you that.

It will spray in a live trap no matter what you do. Your best bet is to shotgun it with a turkey load while it's outside at night, providing you live in the country.

Every Spring I have skunks under our little guest cottage. What finally worked for me was bright light. They hate bright light, so I put some big powerful lights under there and the skunks leave. I suppose it’ll work in the attic if you can get the lights up there without getting sprayed.

X2.........I have heard if you shoot them in a certain spot on their neck that they won't spray....I have yet to find that spot!

Chicken meat with gopher bait in it or some antifreeze.

https://m.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200394116_200394116

I've heard these work. Don't know about dispatch. Guy that told me they work goes down into the bottom and slings them out the trap.

set up those pest foggers in the attick and see if them sum brithces leave on their own. You best bet is to repel them out and away and then cover what ever way they are getting in.

We had one under the cabin, we threw a bunch of mothballs under it, waited a few days and closed the entrance.

waterboard it

Put a feed sack over the live trap, small enough trap so it can't raise it's tail. The spouse would then drown the skunks we caught in the back yard, no spray and no smell. We fill out recycling bin with water to drown them, put the trap in the water.

Get one of these and send him up after it....

^^^^ I've got one of these. She's 17 and won't help with anything. I call her a teenager.

Bait?

I have caught and moved many (over 10) a skunk in a live trap and covered it with a dark towel or burlap sack without having one spray. Always approach them from the door end as it reduces their sight picture of you. Also watch their demeanor as some are docile while others are skittish or just plain mean. The mean ones got a bullet in the trap.
If you place the trap in your attic I would wrap as much of the trap with black plastic to limit the skunks vision. Just make sure the trap will still function properly. Once the trap in sprung, cover it with the towel or sack and move it by the top handle very gently. Best wishes.

A definite time in a person's life they do not want to be a 1 percenter

LoL man I know all there is to know about catching a skunk. Just don’t do it. Trust me.

We need a full story or pictures please. I agree with you, shoot is outside if at all possible. My neighbor that caught them in her live traps moved last year so I home my relocation of them is over.

I posted all about it awhile back. Lemme see if I can find it.

i had a coworker tell me that they caught skunks in live traps all the time. To dispatch them he and his wife used an old shower curtain and would hold it up in front of them to walk up on the skunk. Then point the .22 rifle around the corner within a few inches of the skunk and pop it in head. He said the skunks never sprayed. Later I asked his wife and she confirmed the routine. When I asked if the shower curtain was for defense in the event that they got sprayed, she said it was what they had, and that an old blanket would do, the skunk just didn't see it as a threat.
I have never tried this

I can 1,000,000,000 % say a skunk will spray with a perfect head shot. I can highly recommend not doing it in your sleeping quarters

Found it. Had to blow the dust off.

SO I DECIDED TO SNARE A SKUNK

You learn a lot about skunks when you decide to snare a skunk.

Last summer the girls let the dogs out for their morning duty and the dogs had their first encounter with a skunk. It didn't go so well so I decided to snare a skunk. Couldn't help but notice how bad the beds and gardens were tore up. You learn that when you decided to snare a skunk. Ah ha; found a hole going under the outdoor shed so I filled it in and the skunk filled it out. Covered it with bricks so he just made a longer deeper tunnel. So I decided to snare a skunk.

So when you decide to snare a skunk you will find that they have a territory they cover. Might take them 2-4 weeks to make the rounds before returning to pester your place some more. Last fall, something excited the skunk about 2:00 am so skunks do what excited skunks do. The "fog" permeated our closed sealed house and two neighbors for two days so I decided to snare a skunk.

Final straw, planted an early garden and all the strawberries disappeared as they set. You see when you decide to snare a skunk you learn that skunks like little strawberries.

You can't find snares anywhere inside a little town like Houston so you have to go to the smallest little feed store you can find at least 50 miles from Houston. Ask the clerk for a snare and sez sure what size? I dunno small I guess. "What are you trying to catch"? "Skunk huh". Country store clerks give ya a big ol grin when you ask for a skunk snare. That's something else i learned.

So I decide to snare this skunk you see; get rid of all my skunk problems. Two weeks checking that snare morning and evening rain or shine. You gotta be patient when you decide to snare a skunk. Yep I can be patient. I learned that too. Easter weekend and the girls and the dogs are going to their dads so momma and I are going to the hill country for the weekend. Had a great time too...until I decided to snare a skunk.

Gotta text from the 15 year old while driving back Sunday. THERE'S A SKUNK IN THE BACKYARD AND THE DOGS GOT SPRAYED. So their dad decides to drop by the house,leave the dogs pick up some stuff to go to Kema. Dogs were barking like hale jumping at the door so why not let them out. So when their dogs are howling and crying, young girls will immediately let their dogs back in the house. Skunk sprayed dogs will rub all over area rugs and furniture if they get sprayed by a skunk and you let them in the house. I learned that too.

Dogs gotta have a bath right? Why not put'm in the master shower. You see when you decide to snare a skunk you learn how a 15 year old National Honors Society young girl thinks; good to know. Since their dad doesn't like me anyway, I'm sure he was enjoying everything I was learning.

Price tag is up to about $800 now and the house still smells like skunk. I didn't know that the human nose can become desensitized over time even to skunk smell. Something else I learned when I decided to snare a skunk. Well I did snare that dang skunk.

I guess I know about all there is to know now about deciding to snare a skunk. If you ever decided to snare a skunk gimme a call. Be glad to share all my knowledge about snaring a skunk.

Thermal video in the varmint section showing a skunk getting popped with a high powered rifle. Not even a twitch and then you can see the heat image of the spray pour out.

I've shot several over the years with a shotgun using bird shot 7-9 at about 20-30 yards....aim for the neck...shot covers head to chest...instant death.


I have never had one spray using this method....I haven't been as lucky using other methods....

Do not trap it

Here comes the how ideas...trust me that blanket idea, shoot em in the head ideas are a coin flips

I’d guess a kill trap like listed above or poison

Let’s pray some snowflake from the fishing forum doesn’t read this🙏🏼

They’ll have you relocating it or making it a pet bs

Good luck

Thanks for the suggestions. This one is smarter than others I have dealt with. I've been able to shoot them in the past, but this one has stayed out of site. My dogs are good at getting them, but this guy has avoided them as well. Will probably try to trap with it with the trap well covered. Not looking forward to it. It will be my project next weekend.

I would try to catch him outside. Put game cameras around the house to find out where he goes. After that use a live trap with sardines. Like others said put a thick blanket over him once you catch it and slowly remove it from the area. I never put the blanket over the trap first. It may make it easier to approach the trap after he is caught.

Is it climbing a tree into your house????????????????


Cut back those branches if it is..................that thing is about to have babies and they will come back forever to that scent. GD skunks are worse than tree rats.

My wife works for a pest control co. in our area, they use the smaller live traps where they cant raise their tail as easily and when they catch one, they cover with sheet, pick up slowly and drop in barrel of water to drown.

"I need to catch it alive." When discussing skunks, that there is a spit out your coffee comment. Better to lose a couple of kitties than to catch a skunk alive.

Trust this man!

Don't know how I missed that old post, but it was hilarious. Kind of like roping a deer.

have you found how the skunk is getting into your attic? That jumped out at me immediately ... I've killed 14 zillion skunks and have yet to find a way to dispatch of them without them spraying or at least the toxic scent from being very noticeable when they expire. I would definitely try to trap it outside!!!