"enigma" wrote in message
. ..
it's not that you are endangering the animal you relocate,
it's that you are endangering *all* the animals in the area
you relocate an animal *to*. while the wildlife population in
your area may be resistant to certain diseases, that may not
be true of animals in the area you move the animal to, hence
spread of disease.
the best thing to do with an animal that is causing you
trouble is just kill it & get it over with. you aren't doing
it or any other animal a kindness by 'relocating'.
besides, what makes you think anyone else wants *your*
problem? if it's destroying your property, why take it
elsewhere to ruin someone else's property?
lee

Killing is certainly an option but not for me, viz my wife objects. I do
have a neighbor that catches groundhogs in his Hav-a-hart and drowns them.
Cage trap is preferred over leg trap which can result in free, crippled
animal. Shooting is usually legal but not here as you must be 200 yds from
occupied dwelling. Trap and release is legal here but not everywhere. I
doubt the disease argument because we're only relocating a few miles away.
Animals do have their ranges. Only one I know is whitetail deer, which I
hunt, and they spend their lives within about a square mile. In my
experience, groundhogs stay close to home but I'm not sure about the others.
Frank

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 11:18:25 -0600, Mark Herbert
wrote:

http://www.geocities.com/aliciainelp...e/wgrwoch5.htm

Pretty funny.

But seriously what is the downside to having a woodchuck under the
shed? That's where mine is. Other then eating my cantaloupes, and I
guess some of my tomatoes and cukes.

Actually, I should say woodchucks as it seems that he's got a girl
now. Will I be seeing little chucks next year? A chunk of chucks?

I don't mind all the rabbits and squirrels and chipmunks that are in
my yard. I don't really mind the woodchucks either, but I don't know
much about them. I do have some reservations about a herd of them.

I am surprised by how fast they are. Look like racehorses when they
head for the shed.

Swyck

Just a thought...
please don't drop it off at my place.

Hopefully, if you DO relocate th little pest, you will not be making a
problem for someone else.
That wasn't meant to be hurtful, it just occured to me.

Kate

"Frank Logullo" wrote in message
...
|
| "OhSojourner" wrote in message
| ...
| Add Marmota monax to the growing list of urban wildlife. Anyone know
| anything
| about the most humane way to deal with woodchucks? I've seen threads
| elsewhere
| about relocating squirrels and other critters, so maybe someone here
might
| know.
|
| Now, ordinarily I wouldn't care all that much if there was a woodchuck
| living
| nearby, but one has decided to take up residence in my garage! (It's an
| old
| garage with a gravel floor). I know where I can rent a live trap... is
| there
| anything I need to know about relocating? (I know plenty of
vacant/rural
| areas
| I could relocate it to). Are they territorial, and are they able to dig
| their
| own burrows quickly?
|
| A Hav-a-hart trap is a nice thing to own. I've captured and released
| numerous woodchucks, squirrels, possums and raccoons from mine. I take
them
| to a nearby state park. I would recommend getting the largest trap
(~$50).
| Mine is next to largest and I had to give up on a big raccoon. If animal
is
| too big for trap, it will not close. Some may tell you that relocating
the
| animal may endanger it. Me: I don't care
| Frank
|
|

"dps" wrote in message
...
S. M. Henning wrote:
"Frank Logullo" wrote:


A Hav-a-hart trap is a nice thing to own. I've captured and released
numerous woodchucks, squirrels, possums and raccoons from mine.


Don't forget the skunks that love these traps. The unfortunate thing is
that you usually have to destroy the skunk when you weren't really after
it in the first place. No matter how you handle it, it is a real
stinker.



I've caught several skunks in the traps. I generally just wait until
noon, walk quietly up to the trap and open it slowly, placing a brick
under the door so the skunk can see that it's open after I leave. None
of them even tried to spray. The skunk may not leave right away. There's
generally a brick handy because I place a brick on the door of the large
Hav-a-hart traps to (1) keep it from sticking open (since eventually the
trap gets old and bent up) and (2) knock the trapped animal more
forcefully into the trap. I've lost a couple of animals when I didn't
use the brick.

Skunks are nocturnal and don't do well in the daylight. If you're really
worried, you can hold a tarp in front of you when you walk up to the
trap. The skunk has to raise its tail to spray, and that's hard to do
inside the trap, so if you see the skunk getting agitated, just back off
and wait for it to settle down. The skunk will generally indicate
annoyance by pounding the ground with its front feet. If you use the
tarp, you can cover the trap while you open the door. That way the only
thing exposed is your hand.

Tomato juice is not very effective at eliminating skunk smell, although
it will reduce it. There are a couple of remedies based on hydrogen
peroxide. One is 1 qt peroxide (3%, the kind you find in the grocery
store), 1/4 cup baking soda (not baking powder) and a shot of detergent.
Don't get it in your eyes. Use mixture right away. It doesn't keep.

Excellent advice. This happened to me with my first home made trap. I did
not want to spring the $40 or so for a Hav-a-hart and it was more difficult
to let the skunk out. My wife suited up with rain gear while I was at work
calling around and removed door and ran. Skunk remained in trap for a while
and left later. I understand now that skunks do not spray when confined but
I would not take chance of transporting when in trap.
Frank

Frank Logullo wrote:
.... I understand now that skunks do not spray when confined but
I would not take chance of transporting when in trap.
Frank






I wouldn't bother relocating skunks. They don't bother your vegetables
or flowers and if they dig up your lawn it means you have grubs so
they're doing you a favor. The lawn will recover from small holes better
than it will recover from grubs.

"Stu Pidasso" wrote in message ...
Guns don't kill woodchucks, idiots do....

Ask any cattle rancher or horse owner about woodchucks.

Unless you extirpate the beasts, they'll dig holes that can cripple
cattle and horses. Either shoot the woodchucks or shoot the cows or
horses after they break their legs. Your choice, ace.

J. Del Col

In article , dps
wrote:

Frank Logullo wrote:
.... I understand now that skunks do not spray when confined but
I would not take chance of transporting when in trap.
Frank






I wouldn't bother relocating skunks. They don't bother your vegetables
or flowers and if they dig up your lawn it means you have grubs so
they're doing you a favor. The lawn will recover from small holes better
than it will recover from grubs.

That's the best advice. Relocating a skunk often results in its death in
an unfamiliar & "already taken" territory, plus two or three skunks or a
racoon will start competing for the vacated territory so a gardener with
an ideal skunk habitat will soon have multiple skunks instead of just one
with an established territory of its own. If trapped spring or summer,
there may well be a litter of kits that will die when the mother never
returns. In my state it is entirely illegal to live-trap & relocate wild
animals because it causes more problems than it resolves. Many other
states have similar laws & a few states allow it only with a relocation
permit, which is hard to get unless you can prove you know what you're
doing.

Skunks are innocuous in gardens, not apt to spray unless cornered &
threatened with nowhere to run, will not spray in conditions that cause
them to spray themselves, will not spray if physically picked up expertly
(forcing their tail under their butt). They eat insects primarily, & if
they dig conical holes in the lawn, they've kindly informed the homeowner
that the lawn is harmfully infested. Up to two-thirds of a skunk's diet
will be insects harmful to humans or gardens. They have been known
occasionally to tear the hell out of a sunflower garden to get the oily
seeds, but being incapable of climbing would be more apt to look for oily
seeds on the ground under birdfeeders.

One somewhat realistic fear is that a dog will corner it, which means only
you will need to keep a recipe nearby so the dog can be effectively
cleaned (a dash of liquid soap & a fourth-cup of baking soda in a quart of
3% hydrogen peroxide is what it will take). No permanent injury is done by
skunk scent, & it is exceedingly rare that a dog ever harrasses a skunk a
second time. An "appropriate habitat" for a skunk has no dog in it, so
the skunk will only rarely settle into an area that is a dog's territory,
though if predictable amounts of dogfood are put outdoors daily for a dog,
a brave skunk may take its chances to share in the kibble.

It is rare that skunks spray people because skunks give several warnings
beforehand: they make a cute little growling sound as they stamp the
ground with their forelimbs, fluff out their tail & turn sideways to make
themselves look as big as possible, stand on their hind legs & wave their
wee clawed hands, & spit like a cat. These behaviors give the human or
predator two or three warnings to come no nearer, as skunks do not like to
spray because they dislike the odor themselves, & don't want to muck up
areas they hunt in or live in. Humans usually know to back away. Only
really stupid humans, or dogs having their first such encounter, will next
have the amusing pleasure of seeing the skunk drop its tail over its own
face & do a sudden handstand, squirting six to ten feet with surprising
accuracy right in the face.

Skunks are very mellow creatures & never attack, but if a skunk is
behaving strangely, aggressively, or wandering about in the daylight
hours, it could well be diseased. So the second realistic worry would be
in regions where skunks are known to carry rabies or distemper, in which
case one of the most dangerous things anyone could do is catch one in a
live trap. In most states, rabies & distemper are NOT a problem with
skunks or racoons, but wherever such disease outbreaks are occurring, it
is important to avoid skunks & racoons.

Skunks don't hang around long in one yard unless it really is an ideal
skunk habitat, & there are several ways to keep skunks from regarding
one's yard as ideal. Skunk attractants are availability of food including
fallen fruits, infested lawns, accessibility of petfood, accessibility of
garbage. They'll knock your yard off their food-hunting route if lawn
infestation or other food resources are removed from the equation. Skunks
prefer their den to be a considerable distance from their food-hunting
grounds, so usually they EITHER hunt food in the lawn & garden by night,
OR live in the woodpile or under the shed by day, but don't den & hunt in
the same place. Suitable daylight hiding places for a den include openings
to get under porch, house, trailor, or shed, dense brush or briars,
woodpiles or rockpiles, or fallen trees. They rarely hunt food where
there's a dog outdoors by day, & rarely den where there's a dog outdoors
at night.

As a kid, I used to care for & sell domesticated skunks, & as a result I
was once brought a litter of wild baby skunks whose mother had been
killed. For the first fifteen minutes of playing with the wild babies,
they could be induced to do handstands & pretend to spray, but were not
old enough to spray. After that first fifteen minutes, they figured out
they were in no danger, & were instantly tame, & no amount of teasing
would ever again induce them to take a threatening posture. They make
excellent pets if neutered & descented (without spaying or neutering they
become territorial when they grow up & make displays against visiting
strangers & may bite), but unfortunately the state I live in banned them
as pets due to a rabies scare 25 years ago that induced absurd legislative
action which has never been repaired.

Most of today's pet skunk farms are in southern states, with domestic
strains including albinos or strains with their stripe so wide they are
mostly white. The spotted skunk is smarter & livelier than the striped, &
just as sweet in captivity but more mischievous because unlike the clumsy
striped skunk the lithe spotted is a fairly good climber with a great deal
of curiosity about cabinets & whatever else they can get in. When we
bought the house we talked about getting a couple of skunks from a
southern breeder, because I especially love spotted skunks, one of the
sweetest cleverest animals I ever cared for. But we decided it wasn't
worth the risk that comes about due to public ignorance about skunks, the
risk of having pets taken from us & destroyed if some neighbor became
scared they had rabies. People who have pet skunks in Washington or pet
ferrets in California have to be secretive about it.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com

"dps" wrote in message
...

I wouldn't bother relocating skunks. They don't bother your vegetables
or flowers and if they dig up your lawn it means you have grubs so
they're doing you a favor. The lawn will recover from small holes better
than it will recover from grubs.

Never thought of skunks as source of strange holes in lawn. Incident
happened over 10 years ago with trap and there was skunky odor around house
that summer but none since. When you set out Hav-a-hart and bait with
peanut butter, you have to be prepared to catch anything. I like to
relocate groundhogs because of tunnels in property and squirrels and
raccoons because they get in bird feeder. Have transported a couple of
possums but don't know why
Frank

For a good while we knew something was living out in the huge brush pile, but
since I rarely go out there I had no idea what it was. It's a skunk. I live it
alone, it leaves me alone. The poor animals around here are so traumatized by
all the building going on. A few months ago I found out they are building a
Walmart in walking distance of our home...about a mile. How the roads will
support this, I haven't the foggiest. Oh well.

So, this skunk lives back there, and has plenty to do, eat and the brush pile
was put there so animals who have been displaced could seek refuge. Before the
skunk, I saw cardinals, wrens, skinks and lizards back there. A corn snake a
few times, maybe more than one.

So, I agree with you, paghat the rat girl.

v


On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 11:00:28 -0700, (paghat)
opined:

That's the best advice. Relocating a skunk often results in its death in
an unfamiliar & "already taken" territory, plus two or three skunks or a
racoon will start competing for the vacated territory so a gardener with
an ideal skunk habitat will soon have multiple skunks instead of just one
with an established territory of its own. If trapped spring or summer,
there may well be a litter of kits that will die when the mother never
returns. In my state it is entirely illegal to live-trap & relocate wild
animals because it causes more problems than it resolves. Many other
states have similar laws & a few states allow it only with a relocation
permit, which is hard to get unless you can prove you know what you're
doing.

Skunks are innocuous in gardens, not apt to spray unless cornered &
threatened with nowhere to run, will not spray in conditions that cause
them to spray themselves, will not spray if physically picked up expertly
(forcing their tail under their butt). They eat insects primarily, & if
they dig conical holes in the lawn, they've kindly informed the homeowner
that the lawn is harmfully infested. Up to two-thirds of a skunk's diet
will be insects harmful to humans or gardens. They have been known
occasionally to tear the hell out of a sunflower garden to get the oily
seeds, but being incapable of climbing would be more apt to look for oily
seeds on the ground under birdfeeders.

One somewhat realistic fear is that a dog will corner it, which means only
you will need to keep a recipe nearby so the dog can be effectively
cleaned (a dash of liquid soap & a fourth-cup of baking soda in a quart of
3% hydrogen peroxide is what it will take). No permanent injury is done by
skunk scent, & it is exceedingly rare that a dog ever harrasses a skunk a
second time. An "appropriate habitat" for a skunk has no dog in it, so
the skunk will only rarely settle into an area that is a dog's territory,
though if predictable amounts of dogfood are put outdoors daily for a dog,
a brave skunk may take its chances to share in the kibble.

It is rare that skunks spray people because skunks give several warnings
beforehand: they make a cute little growling sound as they stamp the
ground with their forelimbs, fluff out their tail & turn sideways to make
themselves look as big as possible, stand on their hind legs & wave their
wee clawed hands, & spit like a cat. These behaviors give the human or
predator two or three warnings to come no nearer, as skunks do not like to
spray because they dislike the odor themselves, & don't want to muck up
areas they hunt in or live in. Humans usually know to back away. Only
really stupid humans, or dogs having their first such encounter, will next
have the amusing pleasure of seeing the skunk drop its tail over its own
face & do a sudden handstand, squirting six to ten feet with surprising
accuracy right in the face.

Skunks are very mellow creatures & never attack, but if a skunk is
behaving strangely, aggressively, or wandering about in the daylight
hours, it could well be diseased. So the second realistic worry would be
in regions where skunks are known to carry rabies or distemper, in which
case one of the most dangerous things anyone could do is catch one in a
live trap. In most states, rabies & distemper are NOT a problem with
skunks or racoons, but wherever such disease outbreaks are occurring, it
is important to avoid skunks & racoons.

Skunks don't hang around long in one yard unless it really is an ideal
skunk habitat, & there are several ways to keep skunks from regarding
one's yard as ideal. Skunk attractants are availability of food including
fallen fruits, infested lawns, accessibility of petfood, accessibility of
garbage. They'll knock your yard off their food-hunting route if lawn
infestation or other food resources are removed from the equation. Skunks
prefer their den to be a considerable distance from their food-hunting
grounds, so usually they EITHER hunt food in the lawn & garden by night,
OR live in the woodpile or under the shed by day, but don't den & hunt in
the same place. Suitable daylight hiding places for a den include openings
to get under porch, house, trailor, or shed, dense brush or briars,
woodpiles or rockpiles, or fallen trees. They rarely hunt food where
there's a dog outdoors by day, & rarely den where there's a dog outdoors
at night.

As a kid, I used to care for & sell domesticated skunks, & as a result I
was once brought a litter of wild baby skunks whose mother had been
killed. For the first fifteen minutes of playing with the wild babies,
they could be induced to do handstands & pretend to spray, but were not
old enough to spray. After that first fifteen minutes, they figured out
they were in no danger, & were instantly tame, & no amount of teasing
would ever again induce them to take a threatening posture. They make
excellent pets if neutered & descented (without spaying or neutering they
become territorial when they grow up & make displays against visiting
strangers & may bite), but unfortunately the state I live in banned them
as pets due to a rabies scare 25 years ago that induced absurd legislative
action which has never been repaired.

Most of today's pet skunk farms are in southern states, with domestic
strains including albinos or strains with their stripe so wide they are
mostly white. The spotted skunk is smarter & livelier than the striped, &
just as sweet in captivity but more mischievous because unlike the clumsy
striped skunk the lithe spotted is a fairly good climber with a great deal
of curiosity about cabinets & whatever else they can get in. When we
bought the house we talked about getting a couple of skunks from a
southern breeder, because I especially love spotted skunks, one of the
sweetest cleverest animals I ever cared for. But we decided it wasn't
worth the risk that comes about due to public ignorance about skunks, the
risk of having pets taken from us & destroyed if some neighbor became
scared they had rabies. People who have pet skunks in Washington or pet
ferrets in California have to be secretive about it.

-paghat the ratgirl






Need a good, cheap, knowledge expanding present for yourself or a friend?
http://www.animaux.net/stern/present.html

(J. Del Col) wrote:

Unless you extirpate the beasts, they'll dig holes that can cripple
cattle and horses. Either shoot the woodchucks or shoot the cows or
horses after they break their legs. Your choice, ace.

Don't forget to fill the holes anyway. If there is a groundhog, there
are at least 2 holes.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

Pretty boy skunk awaiting relocation:
http://www.wildleathers.com/humor/Skunked.wmv

--
Jim Carlock
http://www.911forthetruth.com/
http://www.votetoimpeach.org/
Post replies to the newsgroup.

Frank Logullo said:
I understand now that skunks do not spray when confined but
I would not take chance of transporting when in trap.

Skunk *WILL* spray when confined but only when pushed to the limit.
For instance, when they have been wandering around for hours with a
cup stuck on their head and someone throws a blanket over them and
then claps a 6 gallon bucket down over the blanket and an empty trash
can on the bucket. They will spray bigtime. The blanket will be totalled.
The bucket and trash can are salvagable with plenty of time in the sun
far away from the house. The driveway will need cleaning. You will be
OK, but out some $$ hiring someone to take the miserable, smelly skunk
away.

I know this thing.

Releasing a skunk from a trap is much, MUCH safer and easier.

PS. McDonald's blizzard cup with the dome lid. I guess they don't want
the lid to pop off accidently. REMOVE THE LIDS before discarding.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

Yeah there's a slug of cattle ranchers posting to this thread.....

Actually the issue seems to be a pussy whipped husband with some
delusions about not killing immediately, rather the illogical moving
and slow death is preferred to continued whipping...



On 24 Sep 2004 08:12:23 -0700, (J. Del Col)
wrote:

"Stu Pidasso" wrote in message ...
Guns don't kill woodchucks, idiots do....

Ask any cattle rancher or horse owner about woodchucks.

Unless you extirpate the beasts, they'll dig holes that can cripple
cattle and horses. Either shoot the woodchucks or shoot the cows or
horses after they break their legs. Your choice, ace.

J. Del Col

It's a woodchuck, people. Not a great white. What's wrong with letting it
go in a non-residential area? Is it more manly to shoot it in his furry
little head? ::eyeroll::
The more people I meet, the more I like my dog....
Lori --- not a PW'd husband



"remove munged" wrote in message
...
Yeah there's a slug of cattle ranchers posting to this thread.....

Actually the issue seems to be a pussy whipped husband with some
delusions about not killing immediately, rather the illogical moving
and slow death is preferred to continued whipping...



On 24 Sep 2004 08:12:23 -0700, (J. Del Col)
wrote:

"Stu Pidasso" wrote in message
...
Guns don't kill woodchucks, idiots do....

Ask any cattle rancher or horse owner about woodchucks.

Unless you extirpate the beasts, they'll dig holes that can cripple
cattle and horses. Either shoot the woodchucks or shoot the cows or
horses after they break their legs. Your choice, ace.

J. Del Col

Because releasing is certain slow death, but a good solution for the
emotionally handicapped unwilling to take responsibility for their
actions. Certainly shooting the poor creature in the head would be far
more humane!

How about just letting the critters whose territory you moved into
stay and learn to live?


On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 18:25:35 -0400, "Stunk Pidasso"
wrote:

It's a woodchuck, people. Not a great white. What's wrong with letting it
go in a non-residential area? Is it more manly to shoot it in his furry
little head? ::eyeroll::
The more people I meet, the more I like my dog....
Lori --- not a PW'd husband



"remove munged" wrote in message
.. .
Yeah there's a slug of cattle ranchers posting to this thread.....

Actually the issue seems to be a pussy whipped husband with some
delusions about not killing immediately, rather the illogical moving
and slow death is preferred to continued whipping...



On 24 Sep 2004 08:12:23 -0700, (J. Del Col)
wrote:

"Stu Pidasso" wrote in message
...
Guns don't kill woodchucks, idiots do....

Ask any cattle rancher or horse owner about woodchucks.

Unless you extirpate the beasts, they'll dig holes that can cripple
cattle and horses. Either shoot the woodchucks or shoot the cows or
horses after they break their legs. Your choice, ace.

J. Del Col