A set of appartments I help my dad maintain has a few new residence, a pair or possiablly more of skunks, and they are living right under the stuep of the apparment. I have a wide range of traps but was wondering how to trap and dispatch skunks without them spraying (Guns not allowed). I was thinking of a covered cage trap and when I catch them hooking a pipe to a tail pipe of the truck. Any and all help would be much appriciated. Thanks for your time.

Nix on the tail pipe, sonny! Skunk are very easily handled if done correctly. In fact I dispatched one this morning in front of a crowd with out any scent being released. Didn't like the crowd part but it was a bunch of "good ol' boys" who didn't think it could be done. Back to your question...Skunks are not "paired" as you put it but you could have a female with some little ones at this time of year. I like to use my squirrel traps 8X8 X 24's to start with. I can catch some pretty big skunks in those and with the lighter pan tention, they work great for the little ones too. Once a skunk is caught, I like to set the traps around it to catch the whole litter as quickly as possible. I give them fresh water and shade. Even skunks should be treated humanely. I am sure you are going to get some how to advice from these guys on the trappin' and handling part! What part of Ohio are you in ?

Minker, you're on the right track with the covered traps. The trick is getting them somewhere to dispose of them without them spraying, good luck. If this is only an occasional thing you can drown them - if legal. First get thier feet wet then submerge the trap completely. They shouldn't spray.

You know you should probobly hire this out. Someone near you probobly makes his living doing this. Let him assume the liability.

What LT said. Covered traps are a good idea, but just to make them comfortable. I would say that transporting them away from the tenants to dispatch them is a better idea than causing a lot of fumes on the front steps. Cage traps are certainly the way to go though. Syringe pole would work. Carbon monoxide might be legal, but I sure would not do it on the front steps of someone's residence.
LT- is it a prefered method in OH? I just read the KY rules to take their test and I know it is legal in KY.. I don't want to cornfuze my laws from state to state.

I trapped in Northern KY. for a number of years, all the way down to Union but gave up my licence when they started wanting the head of every raccoon caught for rabies testing. That and the paperwork...........what a nightmare!

Check on the legallity of administering a swimming test first. If legal, then procede. the best advice I can give you is not sudden movements, talk to them, do not sneak up on them. Think molasses in January.

I have been told by the president of a national ADC membership group in a presentation that every skunk that is drowned sprays.

That is not true. Skunks can be water logged without spraying. Shoot I knew that back in the '70's I am not sure what agenda he was serving during that presentaion but it certainly was not the truth.

Yeah, but I keep getting calls from there so I might as well try it for a year. If it is profitable I can deal with the paperwork.

Another option would be sealing and exclusion using a one-way door. Not trying to sound like the HSUS or a bunch of animal-friendly nonsense, but it may be a good option. First of all, any job concerning animals living under or in a structure is not complete unless you critter-proof the den area or eliminate the access point(s) after the animals are trapped or removed. You want to solve the problem, not treat the symptom. I have done several similar jobs with skunks or opossums living under decks, small outbuildings, patio slabs, gazeebos or other protected areas offering den sites. Sell them the exclusion job (welded-wire mesh fastened to structure and buried 12 to 18 inches deep with "L" outwards underground). Leave one opening that a one-way excluder will fit, allowing the animal(s) to exit but prevents re-entry. Leave in place several days, then return, remove one-way, and seal final opening. This is just like a bat exclusion program, but geared towards skunks or opossums. Forget coons or groundhogs, they'll tear the one-way apart or dig under it. The reason I like it for skunks is that it eliminates the problem of disposal and spraying. In Illinois we MUST destroy all skunks captured, but I never do it on site. It's tough to say where they may go if you use the excluder method, but if the skunks are gone and your client is happy, you've given the client what he wants. One-ways available at http://www.fieldsdevsupply.com

Excellent point Ron. Although in an apartment building I would go ahead and trap and remove them from the area so they do not end up at another front step and freak someone out. That's just me.
Nice site too, Ron. Thanks.

Well end up dispatching it, but I'll most likely hook up a smaller conibear or similiar and open the cage. The thing is we need to get the animal/s away from the area. Because there are alot of kids who would be stupid enough to attagonize it and if it sprays its going right into the appartments.

This is in town and we just need to get the animal away from the building a little bit. What do you all use for bait (Eggs)?

Ron

That exclusion thing with the one way door I wouldnt use for skunks concidering the way they dig. Also, I've had skunks hole up under a stoop for up to two weeks. Dont be to hasty to close it up!

Minker, got a bad feeling about your conibear idea.

my grandpa would tell me stories about catching a skunk in a foothold type trap attached to a long pole that he would pick up and when the skunk is in the air i wont spray for some reason then he would carry it to the nearest river or pond.

could you pick it up into the air some how?
just throwing ideas into the wind here

Talk nice to a skunk and just pick it up and put it in your pocket. LOL
Your best bet realy is to get it in a tube trap or a covered cage. A young one will still go off sometimes no matter how nice you handel them. Dont let your shaddow get on the blanket or he will shoot at that and it will get ya a little. Just wash off real good with peroxide and dawn dish soap and you will smell normal again. Shooting a skunk was never successfull for me, I tried body shots-head shots-spine shots- they always sprayed and got the last laugh.

Iv'e been using the tube trap. It's made out of a 6" pvc pipe. Never any spray. I guess if they can't lift their tail, no spray. When you first look at the trap you say it will only take a small or medium skunk. But Iv'e caught some monsters that I've had trouble getting them out after they were put in a CO2 chamber.

It doesn't matter if it sprays as long as it is away from the building. So that is why I was thinking of the coni on a platform a 120 because it is the legal land size in Ohio.

The few I've caught in conibears have spayed. They spray when I shoot them also.

Tube Trap????????????.......
Does havahrt make one........

I bought mine through wildlife control supplies. Look under spray proof traps. It's listed under live traps. I think they are great. You just pick the trap up and place it on the back of your truck. You don't have to take time covering the trap. I do modify mine. I remove the back plate and punch holes in it. The hole I put in the middle I make it big enough so I can bait with a ice cream sundae spoon. Then I re-rivet it.

Doent the ice cream melt before the skunk gets after it?LOL!!!