Skunk in neighbours yard

Reclaimer117

Reclaimer117

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Sorry for this post, its not a hunting post but as an animal is involved, I thought I might get some suggestions here.

My neighbour, a f*wit to start with, went camping Friday AM and left a Havahart live trap out for whatever reason - really close to the common fence. This morning my dog was going ape on the fence and I went to check, and behold, there is a skunk in the trap! Looks like its been there since the night before. While I don't mind dispatching it (I think this particular animal has been in my yard too - many many holes, my dog got skunked once) but I feel for that animal stuck in the cage for so long and today has been a hot day. Looks like its suffering.

I don't want to go into my neighbour's yard as I'd be trespassing but I thought about maybe offering some water or something but don't want to get too close and get sprayed! The guy won't be back until Sunday night for sure.

Any suggestions on what I can do to ease its suffering? I don't want to shoot it either. It's up to my neighbour to address the problem.
 
Call your local animal control or bylaw enforcement and explain the situation, including the animal’s suffering. They’ll do whatevthey do with the animal and hopefully charge your idiot neighbour with animal cruelty as an added bonus.
 
I have taken many skunks from under one of my sheds. Cover the trap with a blanket and move it out. They won’t spray if they don’t c u. Best to let authorities know about it as well
 
krausb said:
Call your local animal control or bylaw enforcement and explain the situation, including the animal’s suffering. They’ll do whatevthey do with the animal and hopefully charge your idiot neighbour with animal cruelty as an added bonus.
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Gun hog said:
I have taken many skunks from under one of my sheds. Cover the trap with a blanket and move it out. They won’t spray if they don’t c u. Best to let authorities know about it as well
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Thanks. Unfortunately the only way in or out of our yards is the front door. I could throw a towel over the trap probably but can't go over into their yard, I'd have to climb the fence
 
krausb said:
Call your local animal control or bylaw enforcement and explain the situation, including the animal’s suffering. They’ll do whatevthey do with the animal and hopefully charge your idiot neighbour with animal cruelty as an added bonus.
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This. Let them deal with it.
 
Animal Control is one route.

Did they leave any windows open? Bwaahahaha! :) The gift that LASTS!

Either way, leaving a trap unattended for any length of time is bad news.
 
Only proper thing you can legally do is phone it in. Whether it be fish and game, bylaw, animal control or SPCA. I would opt for fish and game first as there is probably hunting/trapping laws for your province that must be adhered to.

If you must deal with it others advice is good to cover the trap. I deal with 30-40 a year some years.

Good luck.

SCG
 
Thanks to everyone who commented. I called animal control and they came by, asked my permission to come through my house into my yard. Told them it was okay. The trap was literally a foot away from the fence, so they used my step ladder, threw a blanket on it and used a long hook pole to pickup the trap, put it in a box with holes in it and took it away.

They took some pics of the neighbors yard as well, before and after trap removal. Miraculously, the animal didn't spray at all! I'm guessing my neighbor will hear from them soon.
 
Southcountryguy said:
Good news. I deal with a lot of skunks being a small poultry farmer. I have yet to have a skunk spray in a live trap when it’s covered.

SCG
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Yep, I’ve been trapping and releasing skunks for the last couple years and have yet to have one spray while moving them out in the middle of the bush to let them go. They’re smart animals and they eat a ton of rodents and bugs, some years I trapped 1-3 some it’s been 6-7.
 
We disposed of as many as 30 in a year, when I was keeping bees south of Moose Jaw.

Mostly it was take them far enough away, remember the stripes taper in at the head end, and shoot them while they were curled up asleep in their trap.

A friend's Uncle told he and his cousin that skunks cant spray if you grab them by the tail. Doesn't his cousin go around a granary, and face to face with a skunk. He grabbed it by the tail, and sure enough, it just thrashed around a bit.

So he takes it inside to show the only other person around, his Mom! She takes one look at the skunk, and wallops the kid with her broom! Skunk is dropped, it goes off.

My friend said they ate all their meals out on the porch, for about three months, and it was years before a damp spell would not light off the odor again!
 
MiG25 said:
When it rains it can smell for several years where a skunk sprayed.
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I killed one in my barn, long story, but he leaked out on the dirt floor before he expired. I poured most of a bottle of bleach on the spot, it's supposed to neutralize the odor, but there is still a hint at times , that was 3 years ago.

Grizz
 
Just wrapping this up. Neighbors returned. Seems they were given a $2500 fine for negligence and animal cruelty. He tried to pick a fight with me about why I called animal control. Told him to **** off and that he shouldn't have out out a live trap knowing he'd be away for more than a a few hours. I hope he learnt his lesson. Forgot to add, the animal control guys are staying on top of this stuff, I guess. They paid my neighbor a visit Monday afternoon and handed him the fine.
 
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Reclaimer117 said:
Sorry for this post, its not a hunting post but as an animal is involved, I thought I might get some suggestions here.

My neighbour, a f*wit to start with, went camping Friday AM and left a Havahart live trap out for whatever reason - really close to the common fence. This morning my dog was going ape on the fence and I went to check, and behold, there is a skunk in the trap! Looks like its been there since the night before. While I don't mind dispatching it (I think this particular animal has been in my yard too - many many holes, my dog got skunked once) but I feel for that animal stuck in the cage for so long and today has been a hot day. Looks like its suffering.

I don't want to go into my neighbour's yard as I'd be trespassing but I thought about maybe offering some water or something but don't want to get too close and get sprayed! The guy won't be back until Sunday night for sure.

Any suggestions on what I can do to ease its suffering? I don't want to shoot it either. It's up to my neighbour to address the problem.
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It's moot now but perhaps in such a situation a garden hose could cool the animal with some artificial rain.
 
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