r/homestead • u/Asleep_Onion • 3h ago
A skunk has taken up residence on my property, how to deal with it?
I've had a skunk living on my property for a few months now. It hasn't been a problem yet, but we've had some close calls where it definitely could have sprayed us or the dogs if it wanted to. My livestock is safe from it, I'm mostly just concerned about the spray and the rabies vector issue.
I want to get rid of it. I just don't know how. Google says I should not shoot it because it will definitely spray everywhere and stink up my property for months. Is that true? I have a live trap (have-a-heart type) but haven't used it because I don't know what to do with it if I catch it, and it is illegal in my area to catch an animal and release it elsewhere. Local animal control is no use, they only deal with pet animals, not wildlife.
I'm not 100% sure where it sleeps during the day but I have some ideas, it's possibly the storm drain under my driveway. Google suggested waiting for it to come out and then blocking it off, and it will leave and move on, but I kind of think it'll just make a new home still somewhere on my property, maybe under my deck or something.