I dont know why I dont use them much. They seem like they would work well with the skunks around here.

Is there any specail do's and donts? Will young animals be able to use them?

We use them often for bats, flyers, and red and Grey squirrels if there is a hopper attached. Never thought of using them for skunks. I'd be afraid they couldn't get back out!

They do work great on skunks and I have no idea why our guys don't use them more. ( Maybe they don't like to make all that money in

just one trip )

I am still just looking for "less than lethal" options. But I worry a little bit about using them because I am not too good with birthing seasons yet. I will try it and use and inspection camera until I figure it out.

We make a four inch one way excluder with wings for mounting. Is there a market for a six inch model? I can make up a prototype, PM me, you pay shipping, and we can test the idea? If we get good results, we will figure out a price and add them to our product line.
AESTraps.com
I say 'we' as I started this company with my youngest son and my wife helps a lot too. E-mail to the company goes thru my wife then to me, PM's go straight to me, I'm away from the shop until Thursday, but I can make up some and ship on Friday I hope. Look at our four inch and imagine it in a six inch size. Price will be close to the same.
I will offer a discount to those that provide good input to design. As a businessman I will try to make a profit, yet still reward those that help us, PM me with any new ideas we can work on.

I don't know too much about them, but I would think there would be benefit to a six. I don't ser why not.

I would even think an 8-10 for a raccoon

A raccoon will tear its way back in.

I use the tomahawk 9 inch regularly for skunks, opossums, feral cats, and raccoon on the ground like crawls spaces under outbuildings,or higher if the building is a secure one without the danger of tearing in somewhere else. I know some people use them for grey squirrels but I hesitate because he has a key to the house if he wants back in. If it is a raccoon I mostly use WCS's coon excluder as nothing can defeat it if mounted securely. I sometimes use two of tomahawks j hooked together so if they beat one trying to get back in or change their mind right after going through the one way they always go out the second door then they are up a creek.
When I think the coast is clear before closing the entry I put something behind the one way door like tracking powder, a ball of newspaper or cloth or a delicious food item or water if nothing disturbs it I close the entry.
It's usually a three trip deal where I give them a flat price and where people think they have many animals and they may they seem to be happy to know what the whole job is going to cost up front. Getting the animals out is usually 300 and the exclusion 50 to three hundred.
If I am going to exclude the deck I'll do that first except where I put the door.
Throw back is right. It can't be during the birthing or small babies season. You can take the whole family out if they are juveniles.
If you have trapped the mother you could post her outside to encourage the young to come out through an excluder or an excluder hooked to a cage. If the situation allows it.
Lundy if I were going to build one I would make it long enough for two doors with enough room for the target animal to fit between them. I have seen sparrows and squirrels beat the first door to get back in but while they are working on the second door they end up going back through the door they beat because it is easier then they have to start all over again. you can call me or pm me if you want to talk to me about it.
I think that's all I got.
The other Paul and myself are going to appear so much smarter with this spell check.

Could use a colony trap on them (home made 6x6). Six in this trap. I could have opened the back door as an excluder also. Finished with 8 pups and mom.

Excellent picture. Lots of white on those skunks. I think they're one of the best looking animals. Now if only they could do

something about that bad breath.

how long is that

35"x6"x6". Long enough to catch a bunch and short enough to fit in my CO2 chamber. I also made a nose cone with flanges that stays attached to structure, just slide the right side in. It's a gravity door, so I added a jump wall. They can't get their noses under it.

That is great.

scott baltz of minnesota makes some great ones but may have sold his company to another member on here. anyone know?

mousie lundy who posted earlier bought Scott's stuff and is making those traps now. Lundy, Greg Smith, amateur trap makers look at Brian's great idea of a nose bump. Brian once again you are a (naughty word) genius and pretty handy also.
I think a second door would be a good addition or it could be in the nose cone.

It was gray squirrels that taught me the jump wall (nose bump). I made a few smaller traps for grays and flyers. The grays figured it out, and I didn't have anything to make spring doors with, so the wall was added. Haven't had problems with them since. The only downside is, they must be horizontal. Vertical and the door swings open, but hardly ever an issue. I figured if a colony worked on squirrels and muskrats, skunks would be no problem. Haven't had the chance to use on woodchucks yet. I won't even try raccoons.

Paul,

I had Greg already make a trap similar to Brian's that is 5 x 5 x 36 with 2 spring loaded one way doors about 2 years ago. We're just waiting to hear if this is something operators would like. The design is based off of a trap I made back in 2001 and used frequently with skunk calls with kits. I just never liked how I made the doors (wish I would have thought of the nose bump).

I'll try and post a pic once I get it out of a snow bank.

What the heck is a nose bump? Is that something you get from a careless grandkid?

Eric you're pretty smart too. Paul a nose bump is something you get when you walk into a bar and impersonate Paul Winkelmann. Paul if you look at Brian's picture with your bifocals on and your face close to your 42 inch screen you see it on the floor of his trap right before the door touches the floor.