What demon critter is doing this to my yard?

[Hack]

I've caught and disposed of 2 young possums this week but the digging is still happening.
I look out around 4:30 this morning and saw the culprit in action. It's a skunk. I'm not trapping that. I'm going to try Castor oil mixed with dish soap to repel it.

 

[Ready_fire_aim]

I've caught and disposed of 2 young possums this week but the digging is still happening.
I look out around 4:30 this morning and saw the culprit in action. It's a skunk. I'm not trapping that. I'm going to try Castor oil mixed with dish soap to repel it.

Right. I have never been able to shoot a skunk without it spraying as it died. Even with a perfect headshot.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Rather than joking about it I would say some animals really become pests. We moved into our current home in October of 2020, which had a couple of days of severe weather. My wife out of compassion for a rabbit in our backyard suggested putting out some food for it during a short period of snow and cold temperatures. For two summers after that we dealt with the rabbits eating snapdragons, petunias, vinca and a variety of plants we had in our beds. Took both summers and winters of spraying a variety of repellants before they stopped eating. Even the geese earlier this year were pests. I like them, but not the stuff they leave behind on our driveway and lawn. Yelling at them and chasing them for several days they decided I was a poor host and moved on.

 

[AER244]

Skunks don’t spray when drowned in a live trap. I don’t really like that practice, but it works.

 

[bushmaster06]

Got another one about 20 minutes ago.

 

[dennishoddy]

Got another one about 20 minutes ago.

We are in tune as about 20 minutes ago, spotted on my security cams in the back yard. Got out the old diller killer AR-22 with WML and red dot to stalk it.
There it is, 20 yards, put the green dot on it and click. It stopped, looked around and started feeding again.
Slowly cycled the action while mentally kicking myself for not checking that a live round was in the chamber and got the vermin in the sight again. Click. WTF!!!!! The monster stood on its hind legs and looked around, moving away to cover while swiftly cycling the action! HOLY MOTHER OF CLICKS, IT DID IT AGAIN!!!!! THREE CLICKS!
I go back into the house, CCI round stuck in the chamber, rim dented very slightly.
I had been playing with some .22 shorts and the new suppressor a couple of days ago. Evidently it dirtied up the chamber and wasn't coming into full battery. Why the firing pin didn't reach it, I'm not sure. I will know for sure tomorrow.
Meanwhile not trusting the AR-22, the F&N suppressed has come out of the safe and is at the ready.

 

[dennishoddy]

Right. I have never been able to shoot a skunk without it spraying as it died. Even with a perfect headshot.

I've shot them with everything from a 30-06, .22-250 to OO 12 ga, and #9 bird shot. They all spray. As has been said a couple times in this thread, drowning does not result in a spray.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Small tarp to cover and displace the oxygen will also kill without aroma.

 

[Okie4570]

They don't spray when drowning in a cage because they spray all their stink out when you're moving the cage to go drown them

 

[Hangfire]

I've caught three or four skunks in a live trap here at the house and got them hauled off and released unharmed without being sprayed....just been lucky so far I guess.

Done in the early morning when it's still dark....when I peek around the corner of the garage and see that one is in the trap I go get a big, old, heavy beach towel and while talking to them softly I approach the trap and drape the towel over it then put the trap and towel in the pickup and when I get to the release spot I talk to them softly again, put the trap on the ground (with the towel still on the trap), open one door or the other and they waddle out.

Maybe I'm a.....