not2old

We have skunks around the property & would appreciate help from those that have tried & proven success with 'known' solutions of how to get rid of them?

Other than paying for a wildlife removal service,

I've already done the google, suggestions are Mothballs & leaving or putting strong lights on in areas & around the house

Thanks

tonrob

Fox pee.

Seriously.

Sold in the hunting section of big-box sports shops.

Wear gloves.

ottotheboar

We have had good results with live traps and releasing them a good distance away.
The trick is to throw a cloth over the trap when you pick it up .
I was told by a local that skunks have a homing instinct and will travel back so release them at least 5 miles away.

Steerpike

In our area (CA, East Bay) there is some local county authority that will come out and set traps and do the removal for free. However, I was told they would kill the animals so I wasn't comfortable with that.

I've been in the house for 21 years now, and we have a variety of critters visiting us / living under our deck, including raccoons, skunks, and even a family of foxes one year. Deer also congregate, and recently we've seen a family of wild Turkeys hanging around. Not once have we had any 'incidents' with the skunks ... although we don't have cats/dogs, and that may be a difference for you.


Skunks are very cool animals and I enjoy seeing them around. Raccoons are also super smart and can get into just about anything. I have learned to really appreciate all this wildlife, and feel that introducing a pet (cat/dog) into the mix would be asking for trouble.

mrken30

I haven't seen our skunk since the racoons moved in. I know the racoons killed the possum because I found the skeleton. So I'm not sure if getting rid of skunks would allow other vermin to move in. I think the facts that we have cats keeps a lot away from the house.

Pulaski

This. Get yourself an "outdoor" cat or two, from the local shelter. We call it "applied ecology". ...... It also works for snakes - because the cats remove or discourage the potential snake food.
Under CA law animal/pest services are not allowed to move live animals to a different location. I suspect that many/most states have a similar law. .... If you get your own traps you can, of course, just ignore the law. That said, I would be very wary about moving skunks even in the open bed of my truck - the stink of skunk spray is unbelievable.

mrken30

Cannabis aroma will help mask the skunk smell.

I hate driving over skunks on the road, the smell carries for miles

Pulaski

That might help in the PNW, but smelling of weed creates other problems in my neck of the woods.
I hear tomato pulp is good for removing / neutralizing the smell.

mrken30

I have heard tomato juice is good. My wife said they had to bathe their dog in tomato juice when he tried playing with a skunk.

Steerpike

Don't know how I did it, but I somehow learned to enjoy the skunk smell! I wouldn't want it on my clothing, but driving past a dead skunk on the road is now a positive experience . It's all in the mind ...

Pulaski

Some cannabis smells very similar to skunk spray - there is a reason that cannabis is sometimes known as "skunk". .... A studenty-looking youth has got on the bus I ride two or three times, and the stench about him is unreal!

mrken30

I hope you didn't spray him with essence of tomato

Pulaski

I wasn't carrying a bucket of tomato juice and pulp that day, .... though I wish I had been.

Dorothy

Me too.

Wintersong

Have you tried spraying around the property with pepper spray? Easily made at home - spray it on bushes etc. around the boundary.

How to Get Rid of Animal Pests With Hot Pepper Spray