Do skunks spray when suddenly trapped?

Saw a neighbour free a skunk whose head was stuck in a tin can, held in by the lid I guess. The skunk was backing around banging the can on the ground and against trees and stuff and this hero just walked up, picked the thing up a bit and helped it get its head out, using a tin snip. Then he put the skunk down and it gave its head one last shake and ran off. Skunks are pretty darn smart if you ask me, they know when to spray and when to save it.
 
My dad told my brother that if a skunk is in a trap it can't spray. He forgot to mention the trap has to small enough they can't lift their tail. He got sprayed during dinner time at school. Came back to school and the whole school stunk.
 
I recently caught one in a live trap as there were 2-4 of them living under my front porch - it was a Havahart medium sized trap (supposedly for skunks) which is 7" high and 7" wide..............he still managed to make a big stink. He didn't spray at first, but when I went to cover up the cage with a blanket......he managed to release something. Worst part.......I live in a city, I don't have a truck, so I wrapped every thing up in a big plastic drop cloth when relocating him and put it in the back of my RAV..............needless to say, my RAV stunk afterwards - I think I can still smell it every now and then, even after cleaning with different stuff. I'm not sure what went wrong...........but I'm reluctant to try and trap another (barricaded up front porch so they can't get under there and they have now moved on to someone else's house (I still see them, every now and then)
 
I have caught a few hundred skunks, with cage traps and with a snare pole working as a Wildlife tech. The whole tail thing is a myth, they can spray with their tail down no problem. I have been sprayed enough that I'm not really bothered by it any more.

I always find it humerous the fear that people have for skunks.
 
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