This year I have had ten times more skunk calls than I had last year. I have had great success with the PVC traps and the 6x8 Comstock swing panel traps. I am on a job where the skunks were living under a concrete walkway surrounding a large in ground swimming pool. Caught one in a PVC trap and one in a Comstock the first night , both adults. Next day both traps were fired but empty and the roofing felt cover was off the Comstock. I covered both holes with Comstocks and hardware cloth. It dug around the wire ,and continues to keep moving down and digging out although I have about thirty rerod stakes trying to block him. My plan for tonight is to remove the traps and place a 12 x 12 cage baited with cat food. So far I have used Peaches and Cream ,Grubstake ,peanut butter , and Corn dog. Should I cover the trap or leave it uncovered? Or is this even a good idea? Clients are moving in with kids and dogs tomorrow. Would appreciate any help. Client had dumped a box of moth balls down one hole. The space reeks of mothballs but doesn't seem to bother the skunk!

Has anyone used moth balls for moths? Why is this product even sold?

My grandmother had them in every closet and chest in the house but that was post WWII and the items being shipped from overseas and so forth I suppose had the opportunity to breed and do damage to clothes.

But in the modern era why they are sold is beyond me, especially with so many folks not reading he back of the box and using it inside their homes....

I would think that nowadays the packets with the built-in hanger would be more popular. But Justin is right; you'd have a hard time

finding a house that didn't have moth balls in the forties and fifties. I used to battle extreme odors to a standstill using

mothballs, but there are a lot of newer, more professional deodorizers out there now. As far as their effectiveness is concerned, I

couldn't find a single moth that would give me an interview.

Skunks will eat about anything that smells good. It seem every skunk is different. One of my best baits is pepperoni Pasta, I forget what they are called, little pasta sq. with pepperoni inside. I put a few paste baits in also. Load there noses with good smelling stuff. I may be over kill. Skunks can be real easy or real hard to trap. Let us know how you make out. I heated up the pasta sqr. before putting them in the trap.

Is it possible to use drift fencing? Sweet trailing lure leading into the traps?

Kurt temple

My go to skunk bait is little Debbie stuffed oatmeal cookies.

Tried a bigger trap with cat food last night with no luck. My next idea is to use drift fencing into a Comstock , but am thinking that when he gets to the trap he will probably dig under the fence. I thought about a conibear in the hole but there are kids , dogs and it is only about five feet from the pool. Don't want him to spray.

Even though skunks are pretty dumb and therefore pretty easy to catch, they do learn eventually.

With all the commotion (setting traps, hardware cloth, banging rerod spikes, dumping mothballs, etc.) at the den site, this skunk has probably wised up.

I'd get well away from and out of sight of the den. Try to determine a probable travel route, like the edge of the house foundation, and set a walk through trap baited with a sardine. Make sure it's covered and the floor covered with the ground cover around it.

Clear all your equipment from the den area and rake it down.

Once things calm down the skunk will be much more likely to enter a trap.

"...for moths"? What kinda crazy talk is that?!

try fried chicken bones, skunks seem to love em, I use em as a trailer right into the trap

They were almost required for clothes storage till the advent of synthetic materials after WW2. Summer=cotton, winter=wool

Just had a restaurant put some fried chicken near a cage and in it. They never went in. Left an unbaited, single door trap by the steps and caught two small ones. Go figure.

What Jim didn't tell you is that the fried chicken caught two homeless people and a kid on a bike.

Original Oreos - generics don't work.

skunks will eat anything out side of a trap but if the skunk is spookie of the trap they will not eat anything in the trap!!!!! I have said many times in my baiting strategies talks 80% of the critters are no brainers they will go into a trap with no problem on anything you put in there. 20% can be hard and 10% of that 20 will make you pull your hair out. First in the description above you have a trap smart skunk May Be trap shy. the cover off and the digging is telling you that. I would allow the skunk to dig and use a hole for 3 or 4 days let it alone. I also would but a food bait at the hole every day and let it eat it. you may have to put 2 or 3 different baits to see what it wants. when you know the skunk is feeling ok with the entry I would take 2 traps big coon size and place them with openings facing the entry from the side Traps facing each other, let sit a night then put a piece of plywood from the back of one trap to the back of the other trap the length of both, top open. in other words when the skunks comes out it see's a blocking it as to go right or left it see's the opening at each end of a hallway may have to put the ply one each side of the trap to make the hallway. also baiting strategies helps take the spookie away from the trap but I feel in your case here bait is not the issue it is the traps. need to make the skunk do what it does not want to.

I think you're giving skunks way too much credit. They're as dumb as an opossum. They may prefer grubs over any bait, but put the trap on the damage and it will go into the trap. IMO, skunks don't get trap shy, but they may feed away from where the trap is.

Brian, I know Jonesie and he is talking about what he has to deal with. I say a prayer of thanks every night ( Okay, maybe I miss a

night here and there ) that I don't live anywhere near Monroeville, New Jersey. All of the animals in that area are Certified

Wildlife Professionals. Two things: #1 It's a good thing that Jonesie is smart and #2 It's a good thing my animals are dumb and dumber!

I live in a small village. A lot of people in the summer and only a few in the winter. So we have a lot of do-it-yourself people or shooters. When I get a coon call or skunk call it is not a done deal. I have to spend much more time explaining the behavior and habits of the animal. Most are trap shy. I have agree with Jonesie and his 80-20-10, at least in my area. Most people do not like pre-baiting. They think you are calling in all the skunks in the area. Some times selling a trap job is a hard sell, until they spray. JMO

Brian do me a favor put a camera on your traps. say 10 traps over a months time.