Skunks

Just got a call for a nuisance skunk. What is the best bait to use??

All depends on the situation. Under a house, in a house, in a yard, etc.
I try and use the same food source that brought the skunk to the location to start with.
I.E. if he is there eating cat food then use cat food.

Under a barn... Likely has wintered there I suspect. How about p-butter

I use wet, fish flavored cat food and/or sardines. Find the den whole and place the trap there.

If there are cats around, be sure to use a skunk sized trap.

Or, if you find the den hole use a two door, walk through trap and positive set it. You don't actually need bait in that situation but I still use it.

they like cat food, wet in a can or dry.

Or, if you find the den hole use a two door, walk through trap and positive set it. You don't actually need bait in that situation but I still use it.

This is what I do but w/out the bait. Not saying the bait is right or wrong I just normally dont use in this situation.

I have never had trouble with them.

I have used cat food, tuna, eggs, bacon (cooked and raw), cheetos, even honey toasted peanuts. You can't go wrong with skunks.

I have only been doing this for a little over a year but I have never had to use bait yet. All positive sets.

Jason has it right. I use virtually no bait for skunks and chucks in positive den sets with double door cages and nose cones 90% of the time. Since you have no dependency on attracting an animal that might not like your bait, he's yours, usually within hours. You save money on bait, attract fewer non targets and wrap the job up quickly. You can use multiple traps at one den site with a 3 way nose cone too, taking 3 or more critters in one shot. You can set under fences or parallel to structure, set a pinch point, so many ways that save time and effort. You can also drift fence.

Usually there is some way to put the double door trap to use in one of these sets without bait, but at times nothing is available so guys will use the double doors with both doors open and just sprinkle a bait right through the trap. I have used a lot of different stuff from shellfish oil, to crackers, marshmallow, honey etc. and all seems to work. I have some new stuff this year and will give it a shot. Most important I believe is to find something they like to eat set at the mouth of the trap and then all the way back.

While bait is not needed, I've found once there is a litter the female can become overly cautious of a trap and stay in the den for a couple of days.

My theory is that a good stinky bait, right at the den entrance, can speed up the job.

Bait might not be needed, but I euthanize, so I feel a little better about giving one last gourmet snacks.

As long as the skunk ends up in the trap, which they do, everyone is happy. Just like to explain my logic. If an entry is covered, you own that skunk, just don't know which day. We all have different methods, but it is only the reasons for the method that counts. A couple of days is not a problem as long as the client simply makes the call when the animal is in the trap, saving my time checking and their money for extra trips without attracting a non targetted animal of some kind The biggest concern for me is number of trips I have to make to their location which translate into charges to the client, whether its rebating or removing a non target, not necessarily the number of days the traps are out. Some guys will offer a set number of days to trap, period, but you never know what you will run into, so I don't adhere to strict rules or number of days, leaving flexibility in the job, while keeping the prices competitive. I usually have to return only pick up a skunk, sometimes first day, sometimes a few days. I have baitless set in a fence currently. This one did not take a skunk for several cold wet days as expected, but now have taken 3 with a call every few days, no wasted trips and no non targets either, no baiting or rebating, offering the most inexpensive method with only targetted animals taken. The key in this is having an eye on the set at the location so that you don't have to keep making extra trips.

For me, it all depends on the situation. If I think there is more than one adult like in breeding season I am going to bait traps away from each other. first reason is I don't want the spraying all night from a female and male in the same trap or traps close to each other. second getting them picked up when they are close to each other can be a little dicey. If I have a family group I will bait one trap and put 2 or 3 traps around the bait trap close so nothing can go between them but close so the adult or young which ever will go in to the other traps trying to get to the caught skunks or skunks. If I am dealing with young, then I will, place a good bit of bait in a large coon size trap halfway in and a little on the pan and behind, this methods catches 2 to 6 young skunks at a time. may get dicey if I get mom and a few babies in the trap at the same time when moving them. I will force skunks if it is right, if the shed or deck is open all the way around and going to take time and stuff to block it. and the customer does not want a animal wall I am going to bait up traps. I will block if I know it is one skunk and will take 5 mins or so to do it. but most of my skunk work is 2 to 4 skunks. Back in the 90's before the rabies wiped out the populations, we was catching 400 to 600 skunks and year, so I guess I developed the habits of baiting rather than forcing. I am going to get my self in trouble here, but I think we tend to do our control methods based on what we like or are use to rather than to look at each job and do what method best fits the situation. Me I bait, others are going to force. both may work fast and both may work slow. I know with me I need to force myself to see what is there and believe what I see then do the best method based on what I see.

Also I use baits that is not what they are eating. I posted the reasons back in one of those other post last week, so I will not bore you with why.

Ron explains just about what we do here to a T . Saved me alot of typing that I wouldnt normally do.

Time of year and situations determines directional forced setting vs baiting multiple trap set ups.To me that is the only way to go in my experience.

You just dont know what you are dealing with in terms of skunks.Its knowing the biology and behavioral traits of each animal that dictates your set up actions. This only comes with field experience or learning from another.

I especially liked the part about teaching old dogs new tricks. I've always had good luck with bait myself so when the Comstocks came along I had to learn to become an enforcer too. I guess a baited cage in one hand and a two-door in the other is kind of ambidextrous!

Lots of ways to attack an issue, each has to see what makes sense in their situation. It sounds like one of the major concerns, from what I am reading, is spraying when multiple skunks are caught in close proximity to each other, which can be an issue in an uncovered trap. If that was an issue in my method, I would surely have to go to another approach. I have done sheets and though that works, just don't do that any more, slow, more work and they do get agitated.

During breeding season I will sometimes place 4 or more double door traps at a den location where there is a good beaten down snow trail, not just setting the den site, but also setting the trail or trails coming in too to take the skunks on the approach before they reach the den. At the den site and trail, because all of my double door traps have solid metal nose cone covers to go with them, I can either line the traps up tight to each other up or fan them out to make multiple catches at the den side by side without issue or worry from spraying, just pick them up and go. The solid cover keeps them calm and if there is a small "accident" I don't get it in the face. Never have them spray, except a drop or two if I move too quickly or bang them around in the truck when in a hurry. This past spring had one site with 4 unbaited traps in the trail and at the den. The check went like this, 3, 2, 1, 0, 3, 2, 1, possum, satisfactory results from my perspective as it was so simple. Just pick up a skunk and drop in a new trap, hardly more than seconds to make a swap out.

As long as there is a den, a crawl under a fence or solid trails this method has proven to be all but flawless. In the absence of the preceding, where skunks are grubbing in wide open areas for instance, you better have a good reliable bait.