SKUNKS

Should you ever need to trap a skunk and are using an open cage trap, follow this procedure to keep from getting sprayed. After you have trapped the skunk, you will need to kill it. Most of the states that I am aware of do not allow the transfer of these animals because of the possibility of transferring rabies. If you want to put it down without it spraying, get a large blanket that you can't see through. Hold the blanket in front of you with your arms out stretched. Make sure that the skunk can't see your legs, only you eyes should be visible above the blanket. Now slowly walk toward the trap, if he starts to raise his tail stop walking and stand still until he lowers his tail again. Continue toward the trap until you are right in front of it, then lower the blanket over the trap to completely cover it. At this point, you can pick up the trap in the blanket and take it any place you want without getting sprayed, provided you keep it covered. Don't worry about the bottom of the trap. Set the trap on a table or the tail gate of your truck, keeping it covered. Now stand at one end of the trap and slowly pull the blanket off of the trap. When the end of the trap is just starting to show, start pulling a large plastic leaf bag over the trap as you remove the blanket, keeping the trap covered with either the blanket or the bag. Sounds hard but I've done it hundreds of times. When you have the trap completely in the bag, seal the end with a twist tie. Now we are ready to put this animal to sleep. With a yellow pencil poke a hole in one side of the bag/trap approximately half way up the side of the trap. Take a can of spray starting fluid (ether) and spray one squirt into the hole and seal it with masking tape. After waiting 20 minutes, poke another hole in the bag and put in 2 squirts of fluid and seal this hole. After waiting 30 minutes, poke another hole into the bag and fill the bag with the fluid and seal the hole. In about an hour, you can remove and bury the animal. That is, provided you did everything right, according to these directions. NO SHORT CUTS! Don't smoke or allow anybody to smoke while doing this.