Does anyone know of any EFFECTIVE way to keep skunks out of the yard.
For about 3 weeks now, we have had a skunk coming out at night and
destroying the yard. Also, they aren't destroying it because of grubs (
we did a grub treatment back in July ), the skunk is eating the
earthworms.
I know this because in the morning, there are holes everywhere in the
grass, and there are half-eaten, dead earthworms everywhere in the soil.
Also, I definitely know it's a skunk because I have witnessed him at
different times throughout the night in the backyard. A few times I was
able to scare him away by banging on the metal storm door, but because
he comes at all hours of the night, it's hard to stay up all night and
wait for this pest.
Anyway, here is what I have tried so far that HASN'T worked:
1) I left a portable radio out all night long on a AM talk show radio
station - didn't work.
2) Human hair from shower - didn't work.
3) $40 dollars in different hot and/or strong smelling spices - Red
crushed pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper, ground cinnamon, garlic,
chili powder, onion powder.
The Cayenne Pepper seemed to work, but the stuff goes fast, and what the
skunk does, is he just digs in another location where there is no
cayenne powder!!! 2-3 bottles of the stuff at $4 dollars a bottle, isn't
enough to cover 5,000 square feet!!!
4) Ammonia and/or ammonia soaked rags - TOTALLY USELESS!!!! The skunk
actually took a dump and left a nice big pile of his poop right next to
an ammonia soaked sock that I put out there!!!!
5) Spotlight/Floodlight - totally useless!!!!
6) Bits of shredded "Irish Spring" soap - useless
So besides leaving a sprinkler on all night long, and wasting precious
gallons of water, what options am I left with here??
I have read everything on the internet from human urine, to bear urine,
to antifreeze, to chocolate, to rat poison?? Most of those are all out,
because there are stray cats in the neighborhood, so I don't want to
poison anything with antifreeze or mouse/rat poison.
Shooting this thing is out of the question. I live on a residential
street, and I have neighbors houses 5 feet on the left side of me, and 5
feet on the right side of me. Also, the neighbors weren't to happy when
I left the AM talk station on all night long!!!!!
We don't have an "animal control" officer in our city. The only thing
the useless city will help you with, is if its a large animal like a
deer, bear, wolf, moose, etc, etc.
I called a couple of exterminators, and they all want between $150 and
$200 dollars to try to catch the skunk in a cage and then relocate it.
The problem with that is I am only working part-time right now, and
CAN'T afford those prices.
My neighbors lawns aren't getting destroyed by this nuisence skunk, only
our yard!? I guess the previous owners of the house had 4 big truck
loads of dark, rich loam installed in the backyard, so there are lots of
earthworms for him to eat before winter.
What the heck is chocolate supposed to do!? I know that it can be
dangerous to dogs, but why would it be dangerous to skunks when they rip
open peoples garbage bags and eat through there anyway!?
Does human urine really work? Am I supposed to pee in a cup, and dump
that everywhere? But won't that kill the grass?
What about mothballs? Will the smell of mothballs keep the skunk away?
But aren't they bad for the lawn and grass? What if they were in a cup?
Someone told me to use powered lime, coffee grounds or dried blood?
What about a strobe light?
All I know is that in the last 2 weeks, I have spent $40 dollars on hot
pepper spices, $30 dollars on topsoil, $25 dollars on grass seed, and
$18 dollars on peat moss, and I just can't keep this skunk away so that
he stops destroying my backyard.
Like I said above, I can't just wait for him to show up at a specific
time, because he comes at different times throughout the night. One time
he came at 9 pm. Another time it was 11 pm. Once it was 4:30 am. And
once at 5:30 am.
I am at "wits-end" with this skunk, so ANY suggestions will be greatly
appreciated!!!
Thanks!
> I am at "wits-end" with this skunk, so ANY suggestions will be greatly
> appreciated!!!
Something along these lines:
...
Trap him yourself.
Cover the trap with a blanket. Take the skunk to the gardens around city
hall. Release.
Alternatively, get some earthworm killer.
A .22
or a wolverine. They are just plain nasty and smell worse than a
skunk.
> there are half-eaten, dead earthworms everywhere in the soil.
You'd be dead too if you were half-eaten.
> 1) I left a portable radio out all night long on a AM talk show radio
> station - didn't work.
Have you tried classical? 60's rock? Christian propaganda?
> All I know is that in the last 2 weeks, I have spent $40 dollars on hot
> pepper spices, $30 dollars on topsoil, $25 dollars on grass seed, and
> $18 dollars on peat moss, and I just can't keep this skunk away so that
> he stops destroying my backyard.
IOW, about as much as the exterminator that you CAN'T afford (your
emphasis) would charge.
> Like I said above, I can't just wait for him to show up at a specific
> time, because he comes at different times throughout the night. One time
> he came at 9 pm. Another time it was 11 pm. Once it was 4:30 am. And
> once at 5:30 am.
>
You've already clocked him 4 times. What's one more? And what will you
do if he does show up while you're knitting by flashlight in a lawn
chair? You gonna shoot him? I bet a .22 short wouldn't even wake up the
neighbors.
>
> I am at "wits-end" with this skunk, so ANY suggestions will be greatly
> appreciated!!!
>
Give up your lawn. It ain't natural. Get back to nature. Become one with
the skunk. I don't have a lawn, I have a garden. And the skunks,
possums, raccoons, rabbits, are all welcome, as are the coyotes that eat
them.
Look, Ms Skunk is just trying to make a living in this tough economy. You
might try working with her.
There are tried-and-true techniques:
TRADING TERRITORY FOR PEACE
* Toss a quarter-pound of hamburger meat over the fence into your neighbor's
yard each evening.
APPEASEMENT
* Set out a can of cat food each night.
BARRIER
* Skunks can't climb worth squat. A secure fence should keep the terrorist
from firing into your land.
That was my advice to her in another group but first time I accidentally
caught a skunk, an exterminator wanted $200 to remove it.
From what I'm reading from others you can transport and release
yourself but I would only do it in an open pickup truck and not the
trunk of my car.
It is made up of a bunch of different strong smelling peppers that the
animals don't like to smell, like Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Red
Pepper, Hot Chile Pepper, etc, etc. All these hot and spicy peppers are
mixed together, and they put something on it, so that it's waterproof,
and it lasts for 30 days, so you don't have to worry about the rain
washing it away, or it washing away when you water your lawn and/or
garden.
Anyway, I didn't see it in the garden section of Home Depot, so I ask
the guy working there. He tells me that they "don't have any in stock".
I tell him that "I have a skunk destroying my yard every night".
He says "you got grubs".
I tell him "no, our grass is nice and Green ( grubs turn the grass
Yellow/Brown ), and we did a grub treatment back in July".
I tell him that "in the morning we are finding half eaten, dead
earthworms all over the yard".
He says "oh yeah, skunks will eat earthworms too, because they love
them!".
He then says "If you want to get rid of the skunk, then you have to get
rid of the earthworms".
HUH!!!!!!???? WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!?????? GET RID OF THE EARTHWORMS!!!!???
Oh my god, this guy is working in the freakin garden center at America's
biggest home improvement chain!!?? I felt like telling this guy that he
needs to either transfer to a DIFFERENT department, or he needs to go
back to school and retake Science class, because number #1 unless you
plan on pouring something like gasoline, nuclear, and toxic waste in
your yard, there is no way to kill every single earthworm, and number #2
earthworms are BENEFICIAL to the soil in your yard!!!! You WANT
earthworms in your lawn!!!!!!
Home Depot guy: "well if you want the skunks to stop digging up your
yard, YOU GOT TO GET RID OF THE EARTHWORMS".
OMG!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!
There probably isn't any effective way to keep skunks out of your
yard permanently.
It's possible that human urine will discourage them. We had
a ground wasp nest, which my husband killed with the usual
poison. Then, something came along and dug up the nest
to eat the tasty dead wasps. We don't know if it was a skunk.
We filled in the hole and it was torn up again. Re-filled the
hole, husband peed on it. Never disturbed again. This
might not be a good area defense.
We have a havahart trap. If we get a cat in it, my husband
pees on it and lets it go (just for the annoyance factor).
If we get a rabbit in it, we let it go, because we like watching
them in the back yard.
Anything else either gets a pellet behind the ear (we're
just a little too urbanized for him to use the .22), or is
drowned in a box that he made that will just fit the trap.
Then the corpse is bagged and put out with the trash.
If he needs to drown a skunk, he covers the trap with
an old towel so it won't get alarmed and spray him.
If you won't pee or kill, you'll have to hire someone
to kill for you, even though it seems expensive.
Shortly after one skunk is gone, you can count on
another coming in to replace it.
Cindy Hamilton
Fi-Shock.
Yer Welcome.
Steve
Ask animal control if they will loan you a live trap.
Or, rent one.
Sounds like a plan to me. This might help:
"Norsesquiterpene acid named polypiperic acid and acylglucosyl sterol are
the new potent earthworm repellent principles isolated from the aerial part
of Polygonum hydropiper, together with some long chain esters, alcohols,
sterol and acids. The earthworm repellent principles have been characterized
and their chemical structures have been determined. Earthworms (Eutyphoeus
gammiei) in contact with 0.2% acylglucosyl sterol (solvent:water) and 0.2%
polypiperic acid (solvent:ethanol-water (1:9) show escaping and erratic
movement, exudation of coelomic fluid, rapid defecation and constriction of
different parts of the. body. Death follows within 1-2 hr."
Try a motion-activated sprinkler. Expensive, but kept away a dog that
was visiting my yard. Worked for about 2 years, then it stopped
working (I mean the sprinkler, not the idea).
I've got a couple questions on that one.
1. Does the motion activation work at night?
2. what is a skunk's reaction to a face full of cold water?<g>
Jim
> 1. Does the motion activation work at night?
> 2. what is a skunk's reaction to a face full of cold water?<g>
It did work at night, it was supposedly heat-activated. Don't know
about skunks, but it triggered for cats (in addition to the dog), so
it was able to catch animals of that size.
> So I go to Home Depot to see if they have this stuff that I read about
> called "Critter Ridder". It's made by some company called "Hav-A-Heart",
> and it is supposed to be a pesticide-free way to keep all kinds of
> wildlife out of your yard and garden. It comes in a blue bottle, and it
> is suppose to repel dogs, cats, squirrels, skunks, raccoons, opossums,
> etc, etc. from your yard and garden.
>
>
> It is made up of a bunch of different strong smelling peppers that the
> animals don't like to smell, like Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Red
> Pepper, Hot Chile Pepper, etc, etc.
If it doesn't work on the skunk, try it on some bar-b-que.
As others have stated, get a Havahart trap ( I believe you want the 3030
model sized for squirrels and skunks). When you catch it, carefully cover
the trap with a strong plastic garbage bag and relocate the critter in the
next township or the afterlife. Be advised that some jurisdictions have
laws against trapping by any other than licensed pest control personnel
(never stopped me). In DC, someone tried to pass a law that mandated that
pest controllers not break up rodent families, where possible. Really:
"A wildlife control operator shall make every reasonable effort to preserve
family units using humane eviction and/or displacement and reunion
strategies. Wildlife captured by a wildlife control operator may be held in
captivity for up to 72 hours when reunion attempts are employed. A wildlife
control operator shall not knowingly abandon dependent young in a
structure."
http://wtop.com/?sid=2069751&nid=25
After much derisive debate, they decided not to include rats and mice in the
"pest family protection act."
--
Bobby G.
Harbor Freight has a serviceable model considerable cheaper than the
name-brand version:
I find the Havahart traps well-designed and well made with heavy
galvanization. My three traps have been used outside for a few years
without any signs of rust. I have augmented them with two rubber coated
neodymium magnets so that when the locking wire drops I can keep it in place
with something other than gravity. Found out I need that extra security the
hard way after a 10 lb squirrel rocked the trap by zooming back and forth
inside the trap as I was carrying it so that it tilted enough so that the
rectangular lock wire popped out of stay and that little SOB shot right out,
climbed up my leg onto my back and then jumped off my head to a nearby
branch and vanished. Man do they have sharp little claws.
I paid a little over $30 each for my Havaharts, which are two door traps,
and the Harbor Freight model only has one door and normally sells for $29
according to the listing you noted. A two door trap, IMHO, is very
important when trying to catch smart critters. They can look through the
trap to the other side and thus are much more likely to enter it than they
would a trap that only had one entrance/exit. I use emptied pudding cups
as bait. I attach one to the trap treadle with phone wire and then wire one
to the outside the trap within easy reach. Once they've finished the peanut
butter in the cup outside the trap, they are much more likely to enter the
trap to get to the other peanut butter filled cup.
There's also another very important feature the Havaharts have that the HF
model lacks, and it's a feature I would not want to face a skunk without.
The Havaharts have solid metal doors and a top, the HF uses wire mesh. That
means if a skunk decided to lift its butt and spray you in a Havahart, they
will be spraying against solid metal. In the HF design, they would be able
to shoot through the mesh door or top at the person lifting the trap. NOT
good.
I notice that they have, however, at least placed a metal plate under the
handle, which is a very good idea. Squirrels will go for any finger that
they can reach and can put their very long and VERY sharp teeth into your
finger in a NY second. It's a very painful bite and feels like you got your
hand caught in a sewing machine because they bite as frantically and
repeatedly. Putting the plate below the handle is obviously meant to keep
the user's fingers from getting too near a very pissed off little rodent.
I'd still prefer to pay a little more and get a trap with solid metal
running all the way across the top and a second trap door for the wiliest of
the critters. It's so effective I've caught crows, possums, the neighbor's
cat and a raccoon that was so big he barely fit in the trap. My neighbor's
Labradoodle got his head stuck in it once and dragged it half way across the
yard before he shook it off. One night I woke up to a loud clattering - a
pair of huge raccoons was tossing the trap all over the porch to try to get
the peanut butter. They didn't even run when I came out to see what the
matter was. They kept fussing with the crate until I went at then with a
broom.
--
Bobby G.
Excellent points all. I still have observations:
* The link I posted has a "today" price of $20, not $30.
* HF does have traps that open at both ends. Here's one for $30:
http://www.harborfreight.com/two-door-live-animal-trap-95117.html
* Your point about quality and durability is well-taken. The OP, however,
has a ONE-SKUNK problem and does not make a living (as some apparently do)
by skinning muskrats or Nowhatian Bog-Hogs. Too, if I was concerned about
the indigenous trapped animal being sufficiently strong enough to trash the
device, I think I would live above the tree line.
Revisit. Try rap station.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Red Green" <postm...@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
news:Xns9E14912D0...@69.16.185.252...
>Would that attract teenagers?
Living on a corner lot in a university town I'm not sure which is more
objectionable - a skunk loitering in your back yard or a bunch of
teenagers - - - - . At least the skunk doesn't leave broken beer
bottles empty cigarette packages, butts, and used condoms lying
around.
> Would that attract teenagers?
>
Curses! Foiled again...
I banged on the back, metal storm door, and the SOB skunk looked at me,
and went back to digging up the yard. I banged it again, and he looked
at me again with an earthworm in his mouth, and went back to digging yet
again! So I banged on the door again hard a Third time, and he finally
wandered away.
Also, moth balls are now proven to be TOTALLY USELESS!!!! I put about 20
mothballs each in some empty plastic soup bowls, and placed them in
about 6 spots where this pest has been digging. Well guess what he did,
he just dug AROUND the bowls with the mothballs like they weren't even
there!!!! The smell didn't seem to bother him one bit!?