The great thing is there is a large band of them along the Missouri River from the NE border to ND if we help establish that maybe they will do some good with the population we have. If we do nothing and the population numbers are way off we could lose all around either way the truth will be the truth just hope the GFP picks up the ball some day while we have them to work with.

That's good to read about the population, Lawdog. It's too bad they didn't take you seriously on getting a transplant program going.

Jerry,
I think you need to see if you can find Silka Kempinen (SP). I believe she initiated the Spotted skunk study. She contacted me after my last Delta Study about the skunks I'd caught. I don't have her contact info anymore.
IMO there are a lot more of the little stinkers in parts of SD than they know of. They will need to adjust their equipment and methods to really find out how many are there.

So far I think we got a winner here now gents
Spot on

Yep most cages are not tight enough to hold them I bet many are caught and never accounted for by many trappers that have caught and lost them. Even my 14X14X36 cages are wired for holding civets. If a guy has a few misses swap out traps and you might hold the next civet.

What gets me is if you just study them and then do nothing or close the season your just delaying the known result. If the feds want to change the direction they are heading then they need to establish a few areas where they can live and thrive.

Trapping is not the problem loss of habitat is by far a bigger threat to them I hear chemicals but I get them in heavy use areas as long as the cover is there. If you have lots of farm types of trash, old structures, uncontrolled weeds, od hay stacks, abandon equipment you could hold civets here.

I talked with 2 people today from SDSU both sounded like younger ladies I need to send location maps to the one doing the civet research when I pull up her info later today. She can get the local skunk tour whenever she’s in town it’s free.

We had a good thread about civets dated 3/28/18 that has some excellent photos of eastern and western spotted skunks along with some information about their current population status. Title was RE: Buddies civet came back.

Each time we have discussed civets there has been a poster who stated that they are common in Texas. Can several Texas trappers and/or fur buyers state for sure that these are the same little spotted skunks that are pictured in the photos from South Dakota,Oregon and Washington?

I talked to a Kara I will be getting my info to her she’s doing the civet research now I will see how that goes we seen to be on the same page in many ways I hope she has the drive to do this right, fingers crossed.

We might need to look into a Underground Railroad for civets to save them.

For folks who are younger or from other parts of the US, these little skunks were very common in the upper Midwest as recently as the 1940s. An Iowa study in the 1930s 0r 40s estimated their populations at 5 to 6 PER SQUARE MILE and there were over 100,000 pelts SOLD in one year. In Minnesota, the peak number sold was reported to be about 20,000 in one year but earlier harvests were likely larger. In the last 20 years or so, only South Dakota(of midwestern states) has reported any harvest and total numbers reported sold have not reached 500 in any year.

I believe Texas has both depending where you are at in Texas.

Lots of data not reported in the past I would catch a dozen every season and release anything after catching 2 in the same spot, a lot of guys won’t deal with skunks for anything. I have not kept civets in the last several trapping seasons only a few for research road kills I pick up but not many are hit on the road as the don’t travel much.

My thought is civets are not nomads like the striped skunk are, making the civets environment habitat critical with a need for a excessIve rodent population that is always abundant for a food supply. With a large area around them the mass of junk and cover is a endless supply of food. Take that away and the rodents go with it and then the civets.

From my experience they have to have cover from raptors. They don't go out in any kind of open area. Used to be some every year around the house. It was logged in 2008 and haven't seen sign of any until this year. Brush is getting back to their liking.

I was working on my tankless water heater last night the phone rings a guy I don’t know looking fo some beaver lure that lives about 60 miles South of me it seems he talked to the guy I helped skin a beaver for the other day.

During our conservation about trapping I asked him about getting civets and yep they get a few every year, I think that is the case in many places and he doesn’t do anything with them like I often hear. I think their numbers in that band along the river is under reported as some don’t give them a second thought.

L.D. ,please keep information coming as it comes to you. I am interested in this. The spotted skunks and weasels use to be around here and now there are none. We cant let this happen everywhere.

Interesting story about a civet. Almost 15 years ago my father and myself were staying in a cabin at snake creek. It was November during the west river deer season. We had a buck head laying right by the deck. I get up in the middle of the night to take a leak and go out on the deck with a flashlight and here is a civet eating on the deer head. He ran back under the deck, must have been his home. The next three nights I left some scraps out for him and seen him each night eating on the deer scrapes. I wonder how many people knew there was a skunk living under that cabin all summer long. Cool little critters.

Picked up a large county map from the Courthouse picked a paper one, I was afraid a laminated one would not hold the markings as well. Sat down and started putting X's on the places I had run into them over the last 20 years. The State Trapper a guy I have know for many years just got the Email the other day but I already had the map he was surprised I was ahead of the game when I talked to him, we talked trapping for 2 hours. LOL The plan is to put our info together and send it in at the same time I dropped off mine on Monday and sent in a report today before I seen this post was up again.

I have added the question, "Have you ever run into any civets over the years" into my conservations now most have seen civets over the years and know others that had also.

I will try to post a Facebook link not sure if it work but will give it a shot. Will post a handstand pic I have also its a hoot.





https://www.facebook.com/jerry.herb...021/3828666687173658/?type=3&theater