Someone(or two) made themselves way too comfortable in my yard!!!

[qball]

For months I had this skunk in my yard just about every night, from security footage it transit through my yard and roam multiple yards around me every night. I actually enjoy watching it waddle around my yard on my security cameras, it cleans up the house sparrows and squirrels I leave out once a while. I even call it Pepe Le Pew even though I haven’t smelt it once. Last night I saw 2 which is a rare occurrence but didn’t think much of it.

then this morning I saw this under my rock wall:

This is under boulders thousands of lbs heavy so there simply isn’t a way to get heavy equipment into my yard for repair let long the unimaginable cost. one or both of the skunks have cross solid double red line!!!



With heavy heart operation Less Pew has began! I really hope my resident Pepe Le Pew isn’t the culprit. Because I won’t have a cleaning crew at this rate, the opossum got on my sh!t list after it ate my heirloom tomatoes.




In the past I have shot skunks and with 22 through vital they would walk surprisingly far but I still got a ricochet once. The question is do I go .25 but slower like 600FPS or 177 at 760fps or 22 at somewhere in the middle? Safety and humane dispatch are both important. I am leaning towards 177 hades or 12.5 slugs because I’m pretty confident that I would get full pass through on vitals, in theory less chance of ricochet with lighter projectiles. 

 

[Ezana4CE]

@qball When I saw two I was afraid there may be a den somewhere. I guess that rock beats your deck if you have one. I don’t know why exactly, but those things seem to like to burrow beneath wood decks. Keep us posted. Watching skunk pesting videos are interesting. It seems like it takes a special skill to do it with (air) rifles. 

 

[qball]

@Ezana4CE: I watched EdgunLeshiy channel a lot and have to agree that a vital shot is the best way for skunks and the 2 times I shot skunks before in the vital neither sprayed. After thinking it over I think I’m going to put on the .25 barrel and tune my impact to shoot .25 hades at 600FPS……think I still have half a tin left, if not I know I got some heavies. 



EDIT: Think I'll use .22 hades at 700FPS, pretty sure it will be a pass through which is needed to dispatch them and a bit safer in my small yard. 

 

[Ezana4CE]

@qball I almost sent a link of the guy from the Leshiy channel when he shot the skunk in the little mini-courtyard area of his yard and it sprayed. Matter of fact, they were under that guy’s deck. I recall him saying that it’s better to shoot them through the vitals. I think it was him or someone else that said they have a chance to walk off and die slower when hit through the heart/lungs. I heard people say that headshots make them relax their muscles and release that foul smelling oil. Problem seems to be is that if you hit em in the body, they’re likely going to try to crawl underneath something to die if they can make it that far. Because people don’t want them spraying I don’t know how you go about taking a follow up shot or if it’s wise to take one if you see them running for cover. I’ve never shot one so I’m watching and learning from you guys. Hades pellets sound like a good option to be sure to wreck those vital organs. 

 

[Matt247365]

I have one now too. He digs up my lawn at night looking for grubs.

Trying to decide whether or not to send him a lead diabolo supplement.

 

[Mr.H]

I hate skunks! My lab got sprayed once, it took days to get the stink off her and me. Another weird thing happened several years ago. I was in Central Iowa pheasant hunting. I was in some short grass and a skunk appeared about 50 yds to my right. It charged me! I let it get to 35 yds before I blasted it with a 12gauge. No stink.

Good luck!

 

[Kraemer99]

I hate skunks! My lab got sprayed once, it took days to get the stink off her and me. Another weird thing happened several years ago. I was in Central Iowa pheasant hunting. I was in some short grass and a skunk appeared about 50 yds to my right. It charged me! I let it get to 35 yds before I blasted it with a 12gauge. No stink.

Good luck!



A skunk being aggressive during daylight would make me think rabies!!

 

[austin870]

I can't tell by the picture if there are lage cracks and smaller holes all over the area there. You might toss in a good size highway flare and quickly close up their burrough as good as you can with dirt. If they do manage to survive they won't be coming back, at least to live. You shoot a skunk and things go wrong it is quite a mess.

 

[acs]

In the past I have shot skunks and with 22 through vital they would walk surprisingly far but I still got a ricochet once. The question is do I go .25 but slower like 600FPS or 177 at 760fps or 22 at somewhere in the middle? Safety and humane dispatch are both important. I am leaning towards 177 hades or 12.5 slugs because I’m pretty confident that I would get full pass through on vitals, in theory less chance of ricochet with lighter projectiles. 

Don't forget, just because it passes thru doesn't mean its superior energy is wasted. Not at all. A pass thru with a significantly higher fpe will create a much larger wound channel, thus giving a much more forgiving shot placement than a significantly less fpe shot that doesn't quite pass thru. Both will kill, if placed correctly, one being much more forgiving for the less than perfect shot.

From my limited pesting of skunks, I've had both boiler room and head shots end with a nasty nauseous spray.

For me the most sure way to not get spray is with the most fpe available,(within reason) shot centered directly on the back of the base of the skull. Its like hitting the main circuit breaker in your house, everything stops instantly, especially with a high fpe shot, creating a large hydro-static shock to the brain cavity base....

This requires a baiting station set up that makes them stand up facing my backboard with my shooting bench perfectly at a straight shot to the back of the base of the skull... instant DRT for almost any furry critter... And with a proper baiting station backboard/backstop, ricochets are not a concern at all....

imo, to get consistently humane pesting results on your own property, should be done at a properly thought out bait station with a proper backstop. Pesting is not hunting.

JMO

 

[Blackpaw]

@qball Good luck and may Operation Heavy Heart be a success.

Also, I have always considered shooting skunks like trying to defuse a bomb, "cut the wrong wire" and your day is ruined.

 

[newbee]

If you hit the wrong part and your day is ruined, this works...don't ask how I know...

• 1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
• 1 teaspoon baby shampoo or grease-cutting dish detergent...i used dawn
• 1/4 cup baking soda

 

[heavy-impact]

To fix the hole under your wall, mix up some grout wet enough to flow well (concrete with no rocks) and make a funnel type form in front of the hole using a piece of melamine or whatever. Pour in enough grout to fill the void and leave the form in place just until the grout starts to harden. Remove the form and cover the area with dirt, rocks or whatever.

You could also pack the grout mix in the hole dry and let it harden on it's own from moister in the ground and air.

This will stop other animals from digging it out again.

If you can shoot from an elevated position I would aim for the spine between the shoulder blades to turn off muscles past that point. That's the only way I know of to stop them spraying. Good luck.

 

[qball]

@blackpaw & @Newbee: LOL!!! You guys are so right about it’s a tricky operation like defusing the bomb…..literally. Precision is key to success. 

Moved my ATN over to my impact compact, just need to zero and tune it to shoot .22 hades to around 700 FPS.


Just realized something a bit embarrassing, after I glued the carbon liner sleeve to the new 500mm heavy liner I haven’t even shot it at all. Also cut a section of carbon tube to tension the shroud/barrel when I installed the sleeve. So decided to polish the choke and clean the barrel thoroughly today. Will see how it shoots with the new liner. 



EDIT: got a little time and got the .22 hades flying right at 700 FPS and zeroed at 20 yards which at that speed the second zero is right at 30 yards so don't have worry about drop in my yard. The hades from the heavy liner is pretty much right on the center dot every time at 30 yards, so pretty much ready for tonight. 

 

[Matt247365]

@qball what distance will you be shootin that skunk at?

If within 20 yards you might try using a wadcutter.

Wadcutters are devastating plus there should be less pass thru.

Good luck!

 

[dv8eod]

If you hit the wrong part and your day is ruined, this works...don't ask how I know...

• 1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
• 1 teaspoon baby shampoo or grease-cutting dish detergent...i used dawn
• 1/4 cup baking soda

+1 for this ^^^



some thing you might want to try is a large sheet of plastic and an old bedsheet. put the back half up on poles so that it makes a wall and comes down flat on the ground. put some bait in the middle and take your shot. if it sprays or not, it should be soaked up by the bedsheet and then roll everything up nice and tight in the plastic. use the above formula in a sprayer to saturate the rest of the area and everything should be good to go. sardines or cat food smeared where you want them to stop will give you plenty of time to get the shot off. you might even get both of them.

i'll throw a good luck in there, too.

edit: guess i should have specified that you spread the plastic out and then lay the bedsheet on top of that. makes rolling things up a little easier.

 

[MP44]

I use this trap and transport them around 100yds from my house and then shoot them.



https://youtu.be/wlsy1n7_y_w

 

[qball]

@qball what distance will you be shootin that skunk at?

If within 20 yards you might try using a wadcutter.

Wadcutters are devastating plus there should be less pass thru.

Good luck!

Distance is right around 25-30 yards. I actually want a full pass through on the skunks to make sure both lungs are fully punctured so it can't run far like that even if I missed the heart which is really easy to do on a skunk because it's really low. 

I use this trap and transport them around 100yds from my house and then shoot them.

https://youtu.be/wlsy1n7_y_w

That's an option but I don't have a pickup right now so transporting a stink bomb in the truck most likely won't end well. LOL!

 

[qball]

If you hit the wrong part and your day is ruined, this works...don't ask how I know...

• 1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
• 1 teaspoon baby shampoo or grease-cutting dish detergent...i used dawn
• 1/4 cup baking soda

+1 for this ^^^



some thing you might want to try is a large sheet of plastic and an old bedsheet. put the back half up on poles so that it makes a wall and comes down flat on the ground. put some bait in the middle and take your shot. if it sprays or not, it should be soaked up by the bedsheet and then roll everything up nice and tight in the plastic. use the above formula in a sprayer to saturate the rest of the area and everything should be good to go. sardines or cat food smeared where you want them to stop will give you plenty of time to get the shot off. you might even get both of them.

i'll throw a good luck in there, too.

edit: guess i should have specified that you spread the plastic out and then lay the bedsheet on top of that. makes rolling things up a little easier.

Thanks! don't have a plastic sheet that big so will just improvise later if I have to. I will be using bait that's for sure, I know it likes peanut butter so I'll spread some on a rock and throw some sardin pieces there for good measure!

 

[qball]

Here is another idea, what if I shove all the rocks and dirt back in and trap it in there? Not really human and if there is vent it might stink real bad but if there is no vent then……..



I can even shove a road flare in there to kill it and see if the den leaks problem is what if it leaks. Hahaha

 

[uhfradarwill]

This really stinks Mr. Ball. I hope it all goes well!!