A skunk is about the size of a regular house cat. It has black fur with at least one white stripe on its back. A skunk's defense against threat is to release a foul spray that will leave you smelling for days if it hits you. A skunk will usually live in an open part of a forest. Sometimes a skunk will make its home in an old hollowed out log. Skunks are nocturnal and may spend their days in their cool shaded home. Skunks on your property are not good news for your lawn. You may realize you have a skunk when you notice an extremely bad smell around your house [source: United Wild Life]. Here's how to trap that skunk and send him on his way, without falling foul of his odor.
All you need is a cage trap and a large cloth. Here's what to do:
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- Buy a trap. You can either buy a gravity-door trap, which can be opened from a distance using a long pole, or a spring-loaded trap, which requires direct manual operation of the door. The gravity-door trap relies on gravity to snap the door shut and is usually cheaper than the spring-loaded type.
- Try opening the trap. Practice opening the spring-loaded trap before setting it, to ensure you can open it easily. It's not as important to practice opening the gravity-door trap.
- Place the baited cage trap in your backyard, near to the skunk's home. Set the trap at night and check it in the morning. You could leave a trail of bait to lure the skunk into the trap. Place a large cloth over the back of the trap. This is so the skunk won't see you approaching when you want to move the trap. Skunks usually only spray what they can see.
- Move the skunk to a more suitable location. Check with your local authorities about where it's permitted to release a skunk [source: Wildlife Damage Management].