Skunk problem

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19-3Ben

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Hey all,

I have a friend who has a skunk problem. He already had a guy come trap and remove the skunk once but the problem has returned and this time, he wants to deal with it more... directly, shall we say.

He's looking to get an air rifle and as the gun guy, he came to me to ask. So here I am because i know relatively little about air rifles.

Here are the facts:
1) No worries about the legality here. We are addressing that separately, and it is not pertinent to this convo.
2) Distance will be within 30 yards max. Most likely within 20 or so.
3) Just shooting a skunk. Nothing bigger so no need for over kill. But he does not want to injure an animal either. In not so many words, he is looking for DRT/bang-flop kind of results.

Let's keep the budget reasonable. He hasn't given me a budget, but let's set it at $175.00 max, but less is better. If we can get the gun for cheaper, and then throw a nicer scope on and stay within budget, that works too. Probably best, if possible to stick with something in .177 just for ease of finding ammo. Can .177 make a humane kill on a skunk?

So we're looking for advice on gun, scope, and ammo.

Friend will have access to my shooting range to sight in and practice his skills to ensure humane kill.
 
I'm partial to .22 pellet guns over .177 to shooting small animals bigger than small rats. I have a gas piston "springer" like this. http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Benjamin_Titan_GP_Nitro_Piston_Air_Rifle/2603

The price has come down a lot. Must be a Christmas special.

The scope it comes with is a low grade CenterPoint, but at 4x is plenty good for 20 to 30 yards. It also handles the springer recoil just fine. All that being said, I installed a peep rear and front bead set of sights and like it better.
 
Sneak up on it and grab it by it's left ear. This will render the poor kitty cat safe. Keep it inside your garage for two weeks feeding it Old Roy dog food from WalMart. This should teach the skunk a valuable lesson about where to hang out.
 
I took one inside my garage once with a Gamo AirShot "Survival Rifle", which is a 25-round autoloading folding carbine with a spring-piston mechanism.

Velocity of the .177 caliber pellet is roughly 550 FPS at the muzzle.

My first shot missed. The critter returned fire, but also missed, as about 25-30 feet separated us, and he was holed up beneath a low-sitting metal shelf.

When he poked his nose out again, my second shot dispatched him DRT, through the skull.

A repeater is a good idea; the Crosman 1077, a CO2-powered repeating carbine, would likely be sufficient at that range. They run about $70-85.

The smell still turned up in that garage every time it got humid, and did so for the remaining years I was in that house.

Make sure your friend's first shot counts.

EDIT: I just saw you're talking 30 yards as a possible range. I'm not sure yet the 1077 would be sufficiently lethal at that range.
 
Assuming it's legal, a 22 or 410 shotgun would be in the same price range and vastly more effective.
 
Does it have to be a pellet gun because of the lack of noise?

If noise isn't an issue a .22 should suffice.

The last skunk I saw around my house was years ago. The problem solved itself, death by Fiero.
 
I have shot two skunks in my life and can tell you one thing, do not shoot it anywhere you will be around.

I have caught them in a trap, around the house. A little nervous the first time I had to let one out of the trap but have been stink free so far.
 
+1
10 to 1 odds a skunk will unload, even with a head shot.

I shot one under my back porch with a .22 Short HP right between the eyes years ago.

And the back porch was unusable the rest of the summer.


You are way better off with a live trap as they won't panic, or have a convulsion as their last dying act and spray everything within 10 feet with every last drop they had in the sack.

Once in the trap, sneak up and drop an old blanket over the trap and haul it out to the woods and release it.

Done carefully, and calmly, you won't get hosed.

http://www.havahart.com/how-to-get-rid-of-skunks#traps

In the end, habitat modification and exclusion will send them packing somewhere else better then anything.

rc
 
RC and jmorris have this one right.

I have shot upwards of 8 skunks and have only had 1 that didn't smell terribly after dying. All but one were headshots (the closest of all of them I missed with the first shot :banghead: )

Trap them, cover the cage, and then release it well away from where you caught it.
 
My brother taught me how to deal w/skunks in close proximity to a house , barn , garage etc . Get one of the rectangular live traps , cover it w/ dogfood sack paper or whatever you have handy . Top , bottom , & sides . Trap skunk , pickup same , gently carry it to water & submerge . Problem solved , no stink . I'm talking about an outdoor water tank , very close pond , or something similar. It works . I'd put the dog up before picking up the skunk .
 
I took one inside my garage once with a Gamo AirShot "Survival Rifle", which is a 25-round autoloading folding carbine with a spring-piston mechanism.

Velocity of the .177 caliber pellet is roughly 550 FPS at the muzzle.

My first shot missed. The critter returned fire, but also missed, as about 25-30 feet separated us, and he was holed up beneath a low-sitting metal shelf.

When he poked his nose out again, my second shot dispatched him DRT, through the skull.

A repeater is a good idea; the Crosman 1077, a CO2-powered repeating carbine, would likely be sufficient at that range. They run about $70-85.

The smell still turned up in that garage every time it got humid, and did so for the remaining years I was in that house.

Make sure your friend's first shot counts.

EDIT: I just saw you're talking 30 yards as a possible range. I'm not sure yet the 1077 would be sufficiently lethal at that range.
Good god no. On so many levels no.
 
I'm partial to .22 pellet guns over .177 to shooting small animals bigger than small rats. I have a gas piston "springer" like this. http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Benjamin_Titan_GP_Nitro_Piston_Air_Rifle/2603

The price has come down a lot. Must be a Christmas special.

The scope it comes with is a low grade CenterPoint, but at 4x is plenty good for 20 to 30 yards. It also handles the springer recoil just fine. All that being said, I installed a peep rear and front bead set of sights and like it better.
A much better idea. But practice with it, shooting a springer is not like shooting a powder burner....it will take a different discipline.

There are very few CO2 guns suitable to take an animal in a humane manner....and a 1077 is not going to keep the shots inside the kill zone to put the animal down in a humane manner. If you are an idiot sure it will kill it, but that is not what anyone with any kind of ethics wants.

If you want/have to have CO2 the only gun off the top of my head I can think of would be a Hammerli 850, but that is going to be well outside your price range.

Best tool for the job is a nice springer like the one the other poster linked, then practice with it at the distance you will be shooting at. After you can put 5 shots into the area of a quarter (kill zone on this size animal) then you are ready. Also learn where to hit him for a nice clean kill, A head shot is fine if you can get it, but like other "game" animals there are other areas to aim for if need be.

But please don't use a 1077 you are going to do nothing but make that animal suffer and spit up blood.
 
I'll agree with reddrumtoo, have the trap covered when you set it. I did this caught the skunk, and transported it in my car, no spray, Skunk was released miles away from home.

Dan
 
Once in the trap, sneak up and drop an old blanket over the trap and haul it out to the woods and release it.

I have two videos of this. One was cut short because I was almost at the trap moving very slowly when "RING!" my wife called to see what I was doing.

I didn't even haul him off, just left him in the cage awhile before I let him go. They don't seem to like the flower beds around the house as much after being captive. Same works for rabbits too.
 
Section of 4 inch pvc pipe capped on one end. Pitched some lettuce in the pipe and shake it down toward capped end. Skunk goes in after grub,...head first,...and can't raise tail. As soon as you know you have an "occupant",... deftly and quickly cap open end. Throw pvc pipe into truck bed and drive it to an area to release it by shaking it out of the pipe and quickly haul arse outta range. :) .... Moved many of them that way......
 
we had a skunk years ago and I knew where its home was an old timer advised me to poor ammonia in its home make it leave on its own it worked it never returned
 
It's good to hear all the feedback on the non-shooting skunk remedies. Personally, I've never had to deal with skunks. I'll keep all this in mind if the problem ever arises.

I've only dealt with rats and possums. Damn rats run off before you can get an airgun ready, so I deal with them using poison bait housings.
 
Small bit of advice I learned and wish to pass along. I had a similar situation with a friend who asked for help. I approached the problem with a 22 Revolver and hollow points. I was quite successful and the problem was resolved.

My advice though.

"If you are close enough to a skunk to kill it with a handgun, get a rifle instead"
 
Where you have one skunk, you'll likely have several not far away.
Whether you shoot or trap, get good at it and be prepared to repeat as necessary.
 
Draw the skunk away from the house using spare rib bones. They go nuts for them and you get to eat the ribs. Prepare a pump up sprayer with 1 part bleach, one part water and about 3oz of dish detergent. This will kill the smell when he sprays and he will. If he is up wind of the house, close the foundation vents before killing. Shoot behind ear and don't miss. I like a .22 but a .22 pellet rifle will hit hard enough. Get a good flashlight because you will probably not get a shot until after dark. Bury skunk under fireplace ashes to kill odor and stop someone from digging him up. You may wonder how I can be so specific. Use your imagination.
 
Wait for the skunk to go out at nite then put moth balls 3' apart all around the house they wont come back may cost $6 but then you don't get the air gun.It may be a fed. ofence to mis use moth balls.
CC
 
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