Skunk in live trap

[huntingdreams]

What is the best way to kill a skunk in a live trap so that it does not spray everything?  We have been trying to trap some coons we have behind the house and this is the second skunk.  We shot the last one in the head with a .22 and it sprayed and everything stunk for a week or more.

Any suggestions?

[Uncle Harley]

shoot then through the lungs has always worked for me.

[nalley1952]

Syringe filled with acetone.  Put on the end of a piece of pvc pipe and inject slowly into the lungs.  Very quick

[JEJ]

Isn't no matter how you kill a skunk they will release some scent.  that is what i was told once, not sure if totally true though.  Just had the same problem a couple weeks ago and shot it with .22 and dumped it immediately and let the trap sit outside in the rain for awhile before using again, Pain in the butt!

[huntingdreams]

Thanks, I think I will try the lung shot.  I got sprayed a few years ago and I can still smell it every time I see a skunk.  Tomato juice baths are not as nice as you would think.  It is a huge skunk and one of my sons said he would like a hat made. 

Thanks again.

[Uncle Harley]

Thanks, I think I will try the lung shot.  I got sprayed a few years ago and I can still smell it every time I see a skunk.  Tomato juice baths are not as nice as you would think.  It is a huge skunk and one of my sons said he would like a hat made. 

Thanks again.

do it from a distance so he doesn't know what hit him if you walk up to him and get him nervouse and then do it he will probably spray.

[AFWS]

Drown it  I caught over 40 last year and we drowned them.Although we did have a tube trap ,but we did drown some in a cage trap and it really didn't have a smell.

[Bucknut]

Yep - drowning works too. I have a cage trap. I throw a tarp over it so they can't see me. Seems to settle them down. I have a small pond by the house. I tie a rope to the cage. Set the cage on the bank. Then I take the end of the rope and walk around to the far side of the pond and slowly pull the cage into the water. When the bubbles stop, I bring it up. I haven't had any spray doing that. That probably won't help if you are on the trapline, then I would use the syringe.

I watched a trapper friend back in my college days release skunks. I swear this guy was a "skunk whisperer". He put on leather gloves and would slowly crawl up to the skunk in the leghold - talking softly all the way. He would slowly reach out and release the skunk from the trap. Never got bit or sprayed. It was pretty amazing to watch.

Bruce

[NIXYB]

i had a trapper friend show me his secret, he had a flexible metal dryer hose about 6ft long,a large rubbermaid container with a hole cut in it to fit the hose. he would  put the  container over the cage trap, hook up the hose to his tailpipe, start the truck, we would go check traps, when we got back the skunk was dead. for multiple skunks he a second container with a hose to connect both of them.

[Amy]

I attempted to kill a skunk a couple years ago by drowning, since I heard that was a good method.

I left that thing under the water till it was good and still. Then I dropped it in a plastic bag and set it in the floorboard of my car to take it home. (NO NOT THE VETTE)

Halfway home, that thing burst into life and started tearing through the bag. Not a great experience.

Make sure they ARE dead if you do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lisa M]

I attempted to kill a skunk a couple years ago by drowning, since I heard that was a good method.

I left that thing under the water till it was good and still. Then I dropped it in a plastic bag and set it in the floorboard of my car to take it home. (NO NOT THE VETTE)

Halfway home, that thing burst into life and started tearing through the bag. Not a great experience.

Make sure they ARE dead if you do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGG on the floorrrrrrrrrr laughing!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh man!!!!!!!!!! I'm coughing from laughing.  Good gawd Amy.  Oh that'd be HORRIBLE.  Wow. 

Sheesh my lungs needed cleaning out...whew...lol

[Don Jahner]

I just release them, easier, unless I have a use for them.

[Amy]

LOL it really was bad Lisa. Amazingly, it didn't spray! I kept hitting the bag with whatever I could find in my car.. water bottles, junkmail, my purse.. trying to keep it down inside the bag.. finally I come flying into the driveway like a racecar at a pitstop, yanked that bag out and bludgeoned it to death with a rock. It was all I could manage to do at the moment!! (Skunks are very common carriers of rabies, so being up close and personal with a live skunk really was dangerous!!)

[Mason(Ron&Linda)]

   I have yet to have one release any smell. When shot with a shotgun. Not sure if it's the shock or what?
Like shooting ground hogs. Shoot one with a shot gun and they dont even flag their tails.

[Randy Miller]

I did one a few weeks ago, just walked up with the tarp, threw it over, no spray. No way to drown it, so I lifted a corner of the tarp and tossed in one of those poison smoke bombs they sell for groundhogs and such. worked great.