Skunks Under Our Back Shed

Kyle76 · Post by **Kyle76** » Wed Aug 08, 2012 12:47 pm

Good to know, Brian. Happily, we rarely encounter skunks around here. Now, raccoons, possum and deer are rampant. Even the occasional black bear. Up until a few years ago, I had never seen a turkey in the wild. Now, they're quite common -- a huge conservation success story. A sad failure is the bobwhite quail, a wonderful game bird that I hunted quite successfully as a boy. The population has dwindled to the point that hunting wild birds has almost disappeared around these parts. Back to skunks: I always heard tomato juice killed the odor. No?

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Wed Aug 08, 2012 1:59 pm

Wendell I'd leave them be. They won't bother you if you don't bother them, they eat rats, snakes and other critters you might not want as tenants, and while in residence other varmints will steer clear.

ShadowsDad · Post by **ShadowsDad** » Wed Aug 08, 2012 4:23 pm

Kyle76 wrote: A sad failure is the bobwhite quail, a wonderful game bird that I hunted quite successfully as a boy. The population has dwindled to the point that hunting wild birds has almost disappeared around these parts. Back to skunks: I always heard tomato juice killed the odor. No?

I'm sorry to hear that. I have fond memories of camping on Currituck sound and being woken to the sound of the Bobwhite.

Wild turkeys have been a huge success up here also. for years they were hunted by permits, now there is just "turkey season". Heck, we have them around our property. Just tonight we had a hen and her 5 poults at the blueberries, scarfing them down.

Tomato juice... Well, I suppose if you had a great deal of tomato juice it might work, but it's not as effective as the formula I posted. Just don't mix it until it's needed. I wouldn't get it in the dogs eyes either.

jww · Post by **jww** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 1:56 pm

We ordered up the shed today .... and went with the8' X 12' Cartier 400 by Cabanons Fontaine. We opted for the 14" additional semi-door to give me a full 50" of entry space like the first pic below, only with the window / door / window front configuration as in the second pic. No shutters on the windows --- we want a garden shed, not a Wendy house, and at $65/window, I didn't want to spend the $$.

.

The new shed sits 6" or more above the ground, so no little critters will feel safe for any length of time underneath it. The shed base prep takes place next week and skunk eviction notice gets served a couple of weeks or so after that -- gosh, these guys are busy moving skunks -- must be a lot of leases coming due right now.

The new shed gets installed the week of September 10 and then the old shed gets demolished a couple of days afterwards (so none of my stuff sits outside in the weather).

We didn't plan this one, but actually, it works out in our favour to do this now - discounts are better late in the summer then in the spring or early summer so pretty happy all-in.

ShadowsDad · Post by **ShadowsDad** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 7:56 pm

Good thing we had those skunk spray kits in the B'room cabinet. Took the dogs out tonight to do their thing, and Shadow takes off, checking out under the deck. Next thing we know essence of skunk is in the air. He got sprayed. !0 minutes later he was smelling as fresh as a lily.

That stuff works great. Now that I've recently used it again I have further instructions for use. Mix the Baking soda into the H202 in good shape, don't use it before mixing. It works better that way. Put it on the dog; I used a 15"x15" shop towel as a wash cloth, and let it sit on the dog for a time. It doesn't hurt to work it around.

Then just rinse and dry the dog and no more skunk smell.

jww · Post by **jww** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 5:25 am

Congrats on your success with the de-scent potion. We haven't seen out tenants in almost a week, but then we have had some heavy rain all week long so that could be a factor.

The other day we were driving along the main road that our house backs onto, and saw what looked to be a larger skunk had been hit. Our nostrils confirmed the accident as we passed by.

I have been wondering whether the mother met her end and now the kits aren't sure what to do. We keep on checking nightly through the living room window at dusk to see whether they are coming out. Seems too early for them to have moved on, but you never know. I have been making more racket during the daytime this week to try to suggest gently that they leave of their own accord.

Bobwhite · Post by **Bobwhite** » Tue Aug 28, 2012 11:10 pm

Just a guess, try drilling a small hole in the floor and drop a funnel in it to pour ammonia down there. Be sure that they are no longer under there before sealing off their entry hole.

Post by **ichabod** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:04 am

Not nearly run down enough to qualify for the name Shed in my world, Wendell. "Beautifully appointed, classically styled storage empire".

Anyway, in terms of skunks, there are good and bad.
I'd rather find these two under there:

Than this lot:

aircraft_electrician · Wed Aug 29, 2012 10:03 am

Wendell, the wife and I recently went the route of prefab with our new shed, and I'm very happy with it. Not only did I not have to build it, the builders put a lifetime warranty on the floor and siding, a 30 year warranty on the roof and a 10 year warranty on door and window hardware.

We haven't had a problem with skunks in our neighborhood, so I can't help you with that, but if anyone here knows how to keep racoons away, I'd love to here any suggestions.

jww · Post by **jww** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:36 pm

Dominic -- I am wondering what they store up in St. James' Park, but I don't believe it is championship silver ware.

ShadowsDad · Post by **ShadowsDad** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 9:34 pm

aircraft_electrician wrote: We haven't had a problem with skunks in our neighborhood, so I can't help you with that, but if anyone here knows how to keep racoons away, I'd love to here any suggestions.

Racoons are kept away the same way any vermin are kept away. You inject them with a piece of lead traveling between 1100-4000 fps and then bury, or cook and eat them. I've heard Raccoon is delicious but I can't confirm or refute that. They will never return after being given that treatment. I think a garbage eating raccoon probably should only be buried.

Alternatively, you could have a large dog or 2. Like any vermin, the more the possibility of personal damage the more the vermin travels on to find easier pickin's.

jww · Post by **jww** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:45 pm

Brian -- you kill me --- er, I mean, you kill varmints.

ShadowsDad · Post by **ShadowsDad** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:24 pm

Yeah, I can give advice, huh!?

I currently have a woodchuck destroying my corn. Skittish SOB. I gave my neighbor carte blanche to fire on it, but all he needs to do is walk past a window and the WC is gone like a horse at the races. That's at about 50 yds.

Knowing that, he'll call me if he sees it. Maybe I can sneak out, do a low crawl, and catch it unawares. He certainly can't w/o climbing out a window. A 25 grain pill at 4000 fps liquifies their innards instantly. My neighbor thinks I'm nuts for wasting a reload (quality bullet used) on them, but I just like the .17. I get to see the bullet in action since the gun is heavy enough and the recoil is so slight that I can keep it in the 'scope. Too cool.

Eventually I'll get him.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 6:46 pm

Traps?

Bobwhite · Post by **Bobwhite** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 9:34 pm

Who would have thought that the topic of the Gentlemen's parlor would be about how you got rid of "Your" skunks. I'll bet that Jeff Foxworthy has already covered this one on his web sight!

jww · Post by **jww** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 5:52 am

Well --- mine seem to be gone on their own -- and with the new shed construction scheduled for the week after next, and the old shed being demolished shortly thereafter, I will be out of the woods --- (pun intended

)

aircraft_electrician · Fri Aug 31, 2012 9:17 am

ShadowsDad wrote:
Racoons are kept away the same way any vermin are kept away. You inject them with a piece of lead traveling between 1100-4000 fps and then bury, or cook and eat them. I've heard Raccoon is delicious but I can't confirm or refute that. They will never return after being given that treatment. I think a garbage eating raccoon probably should only be buried.

Alternatively, you could have a large dog or 2. Like any vermin, the more the possibility of personal damage the more the vermin travels on to find easier pickin's.

Of course lead is my preferred method, but I live in a municiapality that has decided that actually firing a firearm within city limits is somehow a crime.

Alternatively, though we do have a large dog, she's the reason I want the racoons gone. It's hard to find one larger than she is, at 8 months old she weighs 120 pounds and is only going to get bigger, but she's very curious and I'm concerned a run in with a mama 'coon wouldn't end well for her.

Wendell, I'm glad to hear your skunk problem seems to have resolved itself.