My wife decided to go with me because she didn't have anything to do at that time. I brought the video camera with me because I planned on talking her into covering the cage. Video is very funny to me!!

http://youtu.be/x3FzTK_728Q

Dude, you have a way with making ladies play with wild animals that is unmatched.

I'm impressed.

Seriously, though, she almost levitated when she was running away both times.

Lol!!!!! I just tell her that if she does the work then she can make some money to buy new shoes or a purse and she will jump right in!! Hahaha

LOL! I would have gotten sprayed if a minute if I had done the cover up that way!!!
Thanks for posting, just puts a smile on your face.

I think you two need a little practice on approaching skunks. lol

Actually, the best way is to cover the traps ahead of time or use tube traps.

If you're going to/have to cover it after the catch... slooow is the trick. It may take more than a minute. lol

Use a dark cover, not white. When the skunk stamps it's front feet, stop. That is what it's telling you. If you stop, it'll forget you are even there in about thirty seconds or so. Then start to move in again sloooowwly.

Try talking in low soothing tones while you're doing it. Skunks seem to like it but it will help keep you calm too.

And of course, never throw the cover at the last second.

Practice, practice, practice.... lol

Sgs, thanks for all the great tips. I will gladly take your advise. I have caught hundreds of skunks in the last 25 years but they were always in legholds and they were dispatched from far back. It wasn't till I got the call for the skunk job that I realized I had never caught one in a cage and that was a totally different game!!
I am new to adc so slowly building up the right equipment as I go so when the check clears, I will be getting some tube traps.

I have tried covering the traps upon set up of the job and had mixed results. I don't like tube traps and they don't work for me. My one tech swears by them and he keeps them on his truck. I prefer to just walk up on them and throw a painters tarp over the cage and load them up.

My favorite skunk job was when the home owner caught mom and we had 8 babies all huddled around her. Of course they wouldn't run back in the den when we approached. Some days you just have to put on a tyvek suit and get dirty.

Tyvek suit... Hmmmm
Sounds like Another thing to ad to my equipment list.

They are mainly used for clean outs but if I know I am about to get sprayed I will put one on.

I had a call last year for a skunk that was in a cage trap for three days while they shot at it with a bb gun to kill it. Once they realized it wasn't going to die they called me.

I knew before leaving the house that this thing was gonna be cranky and most likely it was gonna spray as soon as I got near to it. So the first thing I did was try to get one of my guys to go get it, but when that failed I grabbed the tyvek suit and picked him up.

I am not a fan of stripping in the driveway so a $6 tyvek suit is money well spent.

I just don't get the fear of dealing with skunks. I've dealt with so many I find it very easy to read them. During fur trapping season I even release them by hand from DP's. My dad thought I was nuts when I told him that's how I deal with them when fur trapping for coons. Then he was with me when I caught one, and he even held the branch on the skunk (head area) while I squeezed the trap spring. I'm more worried about getting bit than getting sprayed. Tips from sgs are right on. I also find they are way more likely to spray by trying to cover the trap verses just leaving the trap uncovered when moving, though in almost every case I'll simply run them into a tube trap from an open cage, then you can treat them as a cat in a pet taxi. They go right in with a small drift fence board. Just don't drop the door on the big cage trap. They don't like that sudden slam and noise.

If you get a situation where you caught the mom and the kits are surrounding her, it's the perfect time to use the tube traps. This was at an outdoor photography studio, and while taking pictures for a prom, a skunk family walked out from under the gazebo where they were shooting pics. I caught the mom, and the little ones were crawling all over the trap she was in, and ended up crawling on my feet and legs as I was squatting down near the trap. I just grabbed a few tube traps from the truck and held the doors up by hand. The kits would walk into the tubes as they were trying to find mom. I'd wait until a couple went in and shut the door. Ended up with mom and all 6 kits in about 15 minutes. The kits are known to be trigger-happy, but I never had any fear of getting sprayed and they had no fear of me.

Ron I have to agree with you on everything you said. BUT.............................

I really am not patient and walking up on a skunk in super slow motion and talking to him and stopping and waiting are just not in my DNA. My one guy has got the skunk thing down. He has the patience and can coax them. Me on the other hand just walk up throw the drop cloth over them and off I go.

I wish I had the patience for them but I don't, so I am ok with throwing a cover on them and getting on to the next job.

The little ones actually didn't even spray when I picked them up. The tyvek suit was more of a percaution and unneeded. I just covered mom, then picked them up and put them in a bucket, swapped mom to my trap and on the road we go.

At the Time I only had 1 of the Advanced trap double door... I caught 7 skunks, by putting the fence around my sets. the second day I had 3 young skunks in the one Black trap

What sgs and Ron says, with one additional tip: keep the sheet from your eyes to the ground (while being sure not to trip on it). Tarping them isn't a big deal; trapping them is!
The skunks around here seem to think they're moles, and dig under every block/rock/chock I can put down.

My skunks must be transplants from your area. I see the same more than I would like.

Like the video . Very good mrs W . . Nice to see a marriage working together at a common goal . Hope to see more

Thanks pesky. I passed your post on to the misses and that put a big smile on her face. You might have just helped me get her out on the next job.

I think I have watched all of your videos.... Awesome

Your welcome . She will have a lot more confedence on the next one . She will learn to read them front feet . Tell her they start stomping she needs to just freeze till they stop .

It did start stomping when she first walked up to stick her phone in its face to take a picture. Stupid me didn't have the camera ready!!!

There friendly little critters just can't rush them that's all . I stopped using a tarp last year and started just using a 8x8 Williams trap wrapped in metal . I just move slow watch the feet and transfer them . Most of the skunks I get are out home owners cage traps . Are skunk numbers a very low around here right now I just hope it's hit the bottom and there on there way back . I didn't catch a single one fur trapping this year or see one road kill . skunk removal was king with 2 to 3 hunderd removed in the month of aug alone . I would have look it up but I don't think I did ten last aug and sept maybe 30 mostly just young ones and most of them out one neighbor hood

It doesn't madder in time if you handle enough of them your going to get sprayed . I got hit right in my mouth one time on a straight pickup job . I was talking on the phone standing like 20 foot away and felt something wet hitting my lips . Looked up said what is raining no . Looked down he's just pumping away . People had set there trap out in the sun and baked the skunks brains all day . Made him mean I guess . I try to think ahead when setting cage traps so there happy in there with apples for water and sugar . Make sure there's easy access . Not get over heated by direct sun . Getting sprayed really isn't a big deal and really doesn't bother me much . I just get a couple gallons of white vinager and wash down . Vinager makes it go neutral on contact . After your sprayed can't really even smell it after a couple min . Them removing dead skunks from under houses or decks can become a very nasty job if it's warm out . I think mrs W will be holding your video cam on them jobs for you