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Trapping Skunks Part 1

Trapping skunks (Mephitis mephitis) cage or box traps is one of the easiest tasks a beginning trapper can accomplish as skunks are not known for being trap shy and are readily attracted to fatty baits. Of course, the challenge with skunks is not the trapping but the handling of the trap.

Cage-trapped skunk. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.
Cage-trapped skunk. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.

Before You Begin Trapping Skunks

  • Check the wildlife laws in your area. Typically, state divisions of wildlife (where someone would purchase a hunting license) will be the governing authority on the trapping of skunks. You need to have the following questions answered:
    • Is it legal to cage or box trap skunks? Colloquially this is known as live trapping. I don’t use the term live trap because it is not accurate because footholds are live traps.
    • Is it legal to cage trap skunks at this time of year?
    • How can the skunks be disposed of?
      • Can it be killed? If so, what are the legal or recommended methods? You may be required to kill the skunk if it appears sick or injured.
      • Can it be relocated (transport and release of skunk within its home-range (often a mile or two). What locations constitute a legal release site?
      • Can it be translocated (transport and release of skunk outside its home-range (10 miles or more). What locations constitute a legal release site?
  • Gather skunks trapping equipment. At minimum you should have:
    • Protective gloves
    • Fried chicken scraps (note house cats are attracted to this bait)
    • 1/4-inch hardware cloth two-inches wider on all sides (except the trap entry) than the trap’s footprint (the part that sets on the ground. This screening is to protect the turf/soil beneath and around the trap from being dug up by the trapped skunk. If you use professional style traps with 1/2-inch by 1-inch mesh, this material can be skipped.
    • Cage traps that are at least 7- x 7- x 24-inches in size (single door).
    • Trap covers large enough to cover half the length of the trap on three sides and the rear. This cover gives the skunk a place to hide and you a blind spot to approach the trap without fear of being sprayed. Covers can be made of durable cloth (e.g. old bathroom towel, hardened cardboard, or even plywood.
    • A large trap cover capable of covering the entire trap length and sides. This cover will be used to keep the trapped skunk in the dark before you pick up the trap to move it.
  • Time
    • You must have enough time each day to check the trap, preferably in the morning. Never set a trap unless you can check it. Checking means, every day, including holidays, when the weather is bad, when you don’t feel like it, etc.
    • Ideally, close the door during daylight hours. This way you won’t catch animals during the day. But you will need to return at dusk to reset the trap so it is available to catch a nocturnal skunk.

Bottom Line

Trapping skunks requires preparation in both your attitude and in equipment. But careful preparation will assist you when you do have the skunk in possession but that will have to wait till the next blog.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel) along with several books (https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com/store-2/). Listen to his podcast at PestGeek Podcast (https://pestgeekpodcast.com/). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

 

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Poison Free Control of Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels

Thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus; formerly Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) are cute, chipmunk-sized ground squirrels that reside in short-grass areas. But as cute as they are, sometimes their presence conflicts with homeowner interests. This blog post will explain how to use snap traps for poison free control of thirteen-lined ground squirrels.

Step 1. Make sure that lethal control of thirteen-lined ground squirrels is legal in your area. Your state wildlife agency will know.

Step 2. Confirm that you have thirteen-lined ground squirrels on your property. This should be easy to do as thirteen-lined ground squirrels are easy to recognize as they frolic about on warm sunny days.

Victor Rat Snap Traps with expanded trigger. The right trap has been modified to make the striker bar hit harder.
Victor Rat Snap Traps with expanded trigger. The right trap has been modified (washer under the tines) to make the striker bar hit harder.

Step 3. Purchase several rat-sized snap traps. Victor brand is shown as it is a common one.

But other rat-sized snap traps will do the trick as well. I suggest using rat traps with the expanded triggers as shown here in the photo, rather than the thin metal triggers.

Expanded triggers make it easy to apply bait and are easy to set. Simply bait them with peanut butter and oats or bird seed. If allergies to peanut butter are an issue, simply glue the oats and seeds to the trigger.

Step 4. Obtain boxes suitable to hold the snap traps. These boxes should be large enough to allow the traps to fire but prevent birds from seeing the bait. NEVER place baited rat traps out where birds can find them as birds will easily be killed by the rat traps. You can build them yourself or purchase them from a pesticide distributor. Though the boxes are not regulated by the government, keep in mind that the dealer may not sell them to you unless you have a pesticide license. Don’t be discouraged. Keep hunting and you will likely find a dealer willing to sell to you.

J.T. Eaton Rat Size Snap Trap Station containing a Victor brand rat snap trap (left) and a Kness-style rat snap trap (right).
J.T. Eaton Rat Size Snap Trap Station containing a Victor brand rat snap trap (left) and a Kness-style rat snap trap (right).

The boxes must have holes that are between 2 and 3 inches wide. The holes should allow easy access to the bait. Place the boxes near where the ground squirrel burrow holes are.
Step 5. Check the traps every evening. Ground squirrels are diurnal, meaning they are active during daylight hours. Checking the traps in the evening assures that any catches can be removed before the next day of trapping. If you can, check them more frequently.
Use protective gloves when handling traps and carcasses. Wildlife can carry diseases and disease carrying organisms like fleas and ticks. Use caution. Wash hands after handling equipment (after you have taken your gloves off).

Bottom line. Follow these simple steps and you will obtain poison free control of thirteen-lined ground squirrels.

Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC (WCC) has not received any financial incentives to mention brand-name products in this blog post.
Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel) along with several books (https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com/store-2/). Listen to his podcast at PestGeek Podcast (https://pestgeekpodcast.com/). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Cleaning Cage Traps

Do you clean your cage traps? Have you ever considered cleaning your cage traps? It may sound like a silly idea. After all, isn’t cleaning your cage traps like cleaning the tires of your vehicle or the bottom of your shoes? A useless endeavor that will simply add more time to your already busy schedule? Those are certainly some important points, but I want you to give you a few reasons to support the idea that cleaning cage traps is a good idea at least in some situations.

Let’s begin by considering the problem. Animals are dirty. Raccoons, for example, regularly defecate inside cage traps they are captured in. It’s almost like they are doing this as an act of defiance. They aren’t the only animals that can poo inside the cage. Animals also urinate as well. Both urine and scat carry infectious organisms that can adhere to the cage wire, potentially waiting for you to touch. You may counter, but I always wear protective gloves! Great. I am glad to hear that because many wildlife control operators (WCOs) don’t.

  • Using a weed burner to clean a cage trap. Photo: Charles Parker of Parker's Wildlife Control, New Orleans.
    Using a weed burner to clean a cage trap. Photo: Charles Parker of Parker’s Wildlife Control, New Orleans.

I’m not talking about cleaning cage traps for your safety, though that is a reasonable reason. I am referring to cleaning cage traps for two other reasons, namely customer safety and trapping efficiency.

I suggest that cage traps should be cleaned if you rent out traps. The last thing you want to have happen is a renter using a trap that gets an infection from mishandling your equipment. So you clean your traps between renters.

The second reason you should clean your trap is when you are having trouble catching an animal. Sometimes animals avoid smells of other animals, such as a squirrel avoiding the odor of a raccoon, or a female raccoon avoiding the odor of a male raccoon. If your trap isn’t catching the way it used to, perhaps it’s because the odors on the trap are scaring the new animals away.

How do you clean your cage traps? I suggest using a weed burner. Find a safe area like concrete slabs, particularly those in well-ventilated areas. Just wave the flame over the mesh several times. Don’t need to make the mesh glow. Just enough heat/flame to kill the little nasties. Those of you in drought areas, need to be careful that grass and leaves in the trap don’t cause a fire elsewhere when carried by the wind.

If you haven’t cleaned your cage traps before, perhaps give it a try. You may find that you like the results. Keep in mind, that flaming will reduce the lifespan of your cage traps. But if you are careful, the life reduction won’t be noticeable.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications (http://kingsdivinity.academia.edu/StephenMVantassel) along with several books (https://wildlifecontrolconsultant.com/store-2/). Listen to his podcast at PestGeek Podcast (https://pestgeekpodcast.com/). He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to wildlifecontrolconsultant@gmail.com. Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Being Kind to Animal Pests

The revision to Steve Meyer’s classic is now in print. Stephen M. Vantassel, author of the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook 3rd ed., has thorougly revised Meyer’s work. If you care about using cage and box traps humanely then you will want to pick up your copy today. 

Special price is 25.00 ppd. With priority mail. Available for a limited time.  Call 402-489-1042. 

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RBG Traps and Columbian Ground Squirrels

Using body-gripping traps to control wildlife is one of the tried and true techniques for wildlife control operators (WCOs). Being able to set a trap over the burrow and let the animal pass through and get caught dramatically increases efficiency of the trapping. In addition, no bait is required so you save money and reduce the potential for catching non-target animals.

I recently spent some time with a WCO who does a fair amount of trapping of Columbian ground squirrels. His clients don’t want to use toxicants and he is happy to provide the service. He showed me that he likes to use the RBG Trap. RBG stands for Round Body-grip.

RBG trap set over the entrance of a Columbian ground squirrel.
RBG Trap set over the burrow entrance of a Columbian ground squirrel.

He tells me that the benefit of the RBG trap is that it fits right into the hole (he uses the 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch diameter traps). He wedges RBG traps in place and thus doesn’t need to use a stabilizer stick to hold the trap in place. Plus the ground squirrel can’t get around the trap. It has to go through. He finishes the set with a 24 inch stake.

In wildlife control simple is the best. Perhaps you want to try this to control small ground squirrels in your neck of the woods.

Stephen M. Vantassel

 

About Stephen

Stephen M. Vantassel MNI, CNI, CWCP, ACP, ACE Bio Stephen M. Vantassel is the Vertebrate Pest Specialist for the Montana Department of Agriculture (2015-present). Formerly, he was the Program Coordinator of Distance Education-Wildlife Damage Management for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources from 2004-2014. Stephen filled the position vacated by Dallas Virchow, who … Learn More

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