ADC Trapper Forum

No Profanity *** No Flaming *** No Advertising *** No Anti Trappers *** No Politics
No Non-Target Catches *** No Links to Anti-trapping Sites *** No Avoiding Profanity Filter


Home~Trap Talk~ADC Forum~Trap Shed~Wilderness Trapping~International Trappers~Fur Handling

Auction Forum~Trapper Tips~Links~Gallery~Basic Sets~Convention Calendar~Chat~ Trap Collecting Forum

Trapper's Humor~Strictly Trapping~Fur Buyers Directory~Mugshots~Fur Sale Directory~Wildcrafting

Trapper's Tales~Words From The Past~Legends~Archives~Kids Forum~Lure Formulators Forum


~~~ Dobbins' Products Catalog ~~~


WCS
(Please support Wildlife Control Supplies, our sponsor for the ADC Page)






Print Thread
Hop To
Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? #6646450
10/22/19 10:44 PM
10/22/19 10:44 PM
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 177
Canada
U
Urbancoon Offline OP
trapper
Urbancoon  Offline OP
trapper
U

Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 177
Canada
More and more lawns in our area are starting to get ripped up because of grubs. I know that crows will pick at lawns, but some are damaged way beyond that.

Anyway to consistently tell if it's a skunk or raccoon doing the digging?

Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: Urbancoon] #6646466
10/22/19 11:12 PM
10/22/19 11:12 PM
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 12
Near saginaw
Y
Yoda Offline
trapper
Yoda  Offline
trapper
Y

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 12
Near saginaw
Skunks digging grubs

Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: Urbancoon] #6646598
10/23/19 06:44 AM
10/23/19 06:44 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 9,733
Northern Illinois
M
MChewk Offline
trapper
MChewk  Offline
trapper
M

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 9,733
Northern Illinois
Here its a combination of coons and skunks but squirrels diggings can look awful similar to the untrained eye.

Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: Urbancoon] #6646637
10/23/19 07:44 AM
10/23/19 07:44 AM
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 48
Eastern Iowa
Joe Taylor Offline
trapper
Joe Taylor  Offline
trapper

Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 48
Eastern Iowa
A couple of thoughts:
1. There is a fair amount of overlap between skunk and raccoon grubbing damage. Some damage by raccoon becomes obvious due to the size of the animal needed to exact the damage. For example, larger strips of sod that have been rolled. Light damage is trickier to read, and is perhaps indistinguishable.
2. I ask the customer if they have noticed any recent skunk odor. If not, and if there are no other clues in the yard, then I set raccoon traps and risk catching a skunk in a box trap. Or set skunk and raccoon traps.
3. Walk the yard for other clues. Raccoon and skunk scat is easy to distinguish. If the yard is fenced, identify entry points through/under/over the fence and look for evidence (hairs caught along bottom of fence, claw/mud marks up and over the fence, etc.). I’ve even walked a yard and found where something dug under a chain-linked fence, and in looking close I picked up on an ever so slight skunk odor left on/under the fence. The customer didn’t know!


Joe Taylor
Paw Control Wildlife Solutions | pawcontrol.com
Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: Urbancoon] #6646682
10/23/19 08:52 AM
10/23/19 08:52 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 114
Central IA
B
badger Offline
trapper
badger  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 114
Central IA
Skunks will dig triangles and rarely roll the sod up. Almost like squirrels burying nuts.

Raccoons will use their thumbs and "hands" to roll and peel the sod back.


Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May
Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: Urbancoon] #6647051
10/23/19 04:33 PM
10/23/19 04:33 PM
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,707
The great cage state Colorado
M
Monster Toms Offline
trapper
Monster Toms  Offline
trapper
M

Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,707
The great cage state Colorado
Typicaly this is what I find for skunk damage.
As said coon damage will be large areas of turf rolled or folded over.

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]







Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: Urbancoon] #6647146
10/23/19 06:51 PM
10/23/19 06:51 PM
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 689
South Central PA
oneoldboot Offline
trapper
oneoldboot  Offline
trapper

Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 689
South Central PA
Thanks for posting the pics. As a new guy these are helpful!

Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: Urbancoon] #6647409
10/24/19 02:52 AM
10/24/19 02:52 AM
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 177
Canada
U
Urbancoon Offline OP
trapper
Urbancoon  Offline OP
trapper
U

Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 177
Canada
Thanks again for the info. Will examine some damaged areas to see if I can find scat or other sign.

Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: badger] #6666378
11/15/19 09:37 AM
11/15/19 09:37 AM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,365
New York border
Cragar Offline
trapper
Cragar  Offline
trapper

Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,365
New York border
Originally Posted by badger
Skunks will dig triangles and rarely roll the sod up. Almost like squirrels burying nuts.

Raccoons will use their thumbs and "hands" to roll and peel the sod back.


Correct.

Skunks will make triangles or cone shaped holes.
Coons will pull the sod or 'rake' it clean over a larger area.


NRA benefactor member
Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: badger] #6668585
11/17/19 09:48 PM
11/17/19 09:48 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,476
Central IA
TRapper Offline
trapper
TRapper  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,476
Central IA
Originally Posted by badger
Skunks will dig triangles and rarely roll the sod up. Almost like squirrels burying nuts.

Raccoons will use their thumbs and "hands" to roll and peel the sod back.


X2

Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: Urbancoon] #6674065
11/24/19 01:22 AM
11/24/19 01:22 AM
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 280
New York
Short Track Offline
trapper
Short Track  Offline
trapper

Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 280
New York
Personal experience from my own lawn. Raccoons !! Massive massive damage. I had to bring in yards of top soil, and seed 1/2 acre ! One morning, I watched a family of 7 coons work my lawn. It was amazing. Then I started trapping smile


Just a weekend trapper...
Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: Urbancoon] #6674683
11/24/19 08:57 PM
11/24/19 08:57 PM
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 177
Canada
U
Urbancoon Offline OP
trapper
Urbancoon  Offline OP
trapper
U

Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 177
Canada
Looking around our immediate area, looks mostly like crow damage with the occasional coon. A couple of us on the street that have been trapping raccoons, so that has something to do with the low amount of coon damage in the area. I know there's still a skunk in our area, but haven't seen any of the cone type holes.

By the time I discovered grubs in our lawn, it was too late for spraying nematodes, so I opted to try a nicotine tea brewed from a tin of chewing tobacco. We've got all kinds of laws here in Canada about spraying things on lawns for cosmetic purposes....

Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: Urbancoon] #6699904
12/20/19 12:55 PM
12/20/19 12:55 PM
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 39
Cumbria England
C
coney catcher Offline
trapper
coney catcher  Offline
trapper
C

Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 39
Cumbria England
It seems you boys have nearly the same problems over there as we have here, i dread the calls for lawn damage now as it is nearly all ways Badgers, Badgers over here are a protected species so as apart from exclusion there is nothing we can do, most customers are not willing to pay the cost of this as it is expensive.
They dig the lawns for Cockchaffer grubs or leather jackets depending on the time of yr, i used to use a insecticide that went on in pellet form and then you washed it in to the thatch it worked great but like anything else that is any good they banned it, nowthe only thing available is nematodes but i have had no successwith these at all.


A mans heart hardens and grows cold when away from nature
Re: Grubs & Turf Damage: Raccoon or Skunk? [Re: Urbancoon] #6700653
12/21/19 12:48 AM
12/21/19 12:48 AM
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 177
Canada
U
Urbancoon Offline OP
trapper
Urbancoon  Offline OP
trapper
U

Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 177
Canada
I've never used nematodes. I know someone who has who has had success with them. From what I gather, you've got to follow the directions to a T for them to be effective. Seems to matter the brand, too. The nicotine solution I used and oversprayed on the edges of my neighbour's lawn seems to have been effective. Much cheaper than the nematodes. Will likely use it again next year and see what happens.

I follow a news feed from the UK, GWCT - Morning Briefing, and I feel sorry for you guys over there. Seems like a country being taken over by groups like Extinction Rebellion a real problem for people with pest wildlife.

Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread




Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.1