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120s or 160 for skunks? #8510418
11/25/25 07:49 AM
11/25/25 07:49 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Very SE Nebraska
G
Gary Benson Offline OP
trapper
Gary Benson  Offline OP
trapper
G

Joined: Dec 2006
Very SE Nebraska
120s give me fits in boxes


Life ain't supposed to be easy.
Re: 120s or 160 for skunks? [Re: Gary Benson] #8510421
11/25/25 08:00 AM
11/25/25 08:00 AM
Joined: Jun 2009
Northwest, Kansas
Flatlander94 Offline
trapper
Flatlander94  Offline
trapper

Joined: Jun 2009
Northwest, Kansas
[Linked Image]

I run all my 120’s first and put 160’s out.


"Conservation is not merely a thing to be enshrined in outdoor museums, but a way of living on land."

-Aldo Leopold

Re: 120s or 160 for skunks? [Re: Gary Benson] #8510454
11/25/25 09:16 AM
11/25/25 09:16 AM
Joined: Dec 2010
Central, SD
Law Dog Offline
trapper
Law Dog  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2010
Central, SD
Cages give me more options to market them easier it saves the spray and no damage to deal with but I have a pile of cages just for that reason.


Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that!

Jerry Herbst
Re: 120s or 160 for skunks? [Re: Gary Benson] #8510473
11/25/25 09:55 AM
11/25/25 09:55 AM
Joined: Aug 2011
Northern MN
A
atrapper Offline
trapper
atrapper  Offline
trapper
A

Joined: Aug 2011
Northern MN
I prefer 160's. Skunks have small and seemingly very protected windpipes. A 120 has always given me neck catches, which for most animals is a quick and humane kill but I have not found that to be the case with skunks. This year I ran all 155's and 160's and preferred the 160's for the simple reason that even that the extra inch of a 160 gave me a complete suitcase catch (one bar on the head/neck and the other bar on the chest) on almost every skunk I caught in them. Rarely did they even move the trap out of the box. 120's and even the 155's gave me more neck and a few chest catches but very few suitcase catches. A neck caught skunk is not going to die very quickly and is likely to spray during the struggle. I'm not saying that all of my 160 caught skunks had full pods of essence but I know for a fact those skunks did not live very long after being caught.

Re: 120s or 160 for skunks? [Re: atrapper] #8510488
11/25/25 10:20 AM
11/25/25 10:20 AM
Joined: Mar 2020
W NY
Turtledale Offline
trapper
Turtledale  Offline
trapper

Joined: Mar 2020
W NY
Originally Posted by atrapper
I prefer 160's. Skunks have small and seemingly very protected windpipes. A 120 has always given me neck catches, which for most animals is a quick and humane kill but I have not found that to be the case with skunks. This year I ran all 155's and 160's and preferred the 160's for the simple reason that even that the extra inch of a 160 gave me a complete suitcase catch (one bar on the head/neck and the other bar on the chest) on almost every skunk I caught in them. Rarely did they even move the trap out of the box. 120's and even the 155's gave me more neck and a few chest catches but very few suitcase catches. A neck caught skunk is not going to die very quickly and is likely to spray during the struggle. I'm not saying that all of my 160 caught skunks had full pods of essence but I know for a fact those skunks did not live very long after being caught.

I use 120's and have for years. Skunks rarely move at all. And don't spray. I use Victor's and bridges with Victor triggers. Maybe your Minnesota skunks are larger and that's the difference [Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
These are typical catches, movement and size for me in 120's


NYSTA, NTA, FTA, life member Erie county trappers assn.,life member Catt.county trappers
Re: 120s or 160 for skunks? [Re: Gary Benson] #8510519
11/25/25 11:25 AM
11/25/25 11:25 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Ames, IA
MikeTraps2 Offline
trapper
MikeTraps2  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Ames, IA
I have caught coming OUT of boxes using 160 just FYI


Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure

Theodore Roosevelt
Re: 120s or 160 for skunks? [Re: Gary Benson] #8510618
11/25/25 02:44 PM
11/25/25 02:44 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Northern MN
A
atrapper Offline
trapper
atrapper  Offline
trapper
A

Joined: Aug 2011
Northern MN
Yep, I'd say there are a lot of variable involved. Brand of trap, size of skunk, pan or no pan, trigger on top or bottom, etc. etc. All of my traps have wooden pans (trigger on the bottom). I'm simply stating my results in trying various method and traps over the past four years. This year's catch was the results of thirty two 160 guarded boxes over 20 days. I didn't bother with 120's. [Linked Image]

Last edited by atrapper; 11/25/25 03:11 PM.
Re: 120s or 160 for skunks? [Re: Gary Benson] #8510623
11/25/25 02:57 PM
11/25/25 02:57 PM
Joined: Jun 2010
Iowa
~ADC~ Offline
The Count
~ADC~  Offline
The Count

Joined: Jun 2010
Iowa
Do they often refuse the sets like coon in trail sets if you use too small of a trap? A 220 is an ideal trap for beaver and otter if you can get them to enter the trap correctly, for example. Maybe skunks don’t care and try to push their way into the set no matter what size the trap, if that’s the case a 120 would be best IMO.

Re: 120s or 160 for skunks? [Re: Gary Benson] #8510627
11/25/25 03:08 PM
11/25/25 03:08 PM
Joined: Nov 2023
Minnesota
T
The Finlander Offline
trapper
The Finlander  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Nov 2023
Minnesota
I used 120's in newspaper tubes, ground up beaver fleshings for bait. Stick the open end right in a culvert if possible. Pan on the inside promotes a suitcase catch.

Re: 120s or 160 for skunks? [Re: Gary Benson] #8510665
11/25/25 04:21 PM
11/25/25 04:21 PM
Joined: Mar 2010
SD
Boone Liane Offline
trapper
Boone Liane  Offline
trapper

Joined: Mar 2010
SD
Id run 160s.

But we have big skunks.

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