The past week or so, I've seen golf-like divots in my yard. Some critter is digging grubs.

I think it's a skunk. The neighbor tells me that it's a skunk.

If it were a raccoon, I could get a dog and chase it away. If it were a raccoon digging grubs I could poison it without thought.

But a skunk lingers and smells bad two ways when it dies...

And I don't need no stinking dog which is what happens when it is a skunk.

Put out large bowls of cat food and it'll eat that instead of the grubs.

Paolo wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2016 5:32 am Put out large bowls of cat food and it'll eat that instead of the grubs.

And maybe bring its family to nest under your porch. Now, a bowl of cat food at the house down the street might work.

Sandi

I live in a large urban area. We have skunks here, they dig holes (so do squirrels, raccoons and others wild life) but don't seem to bother anyone if they are left alone. Dogs don't seem to get the idea and will take after one skunk after another and so get odorized frequently. am one of those who don't think dogs are very bright - "How smart is your dog?" If you feed him he'll eat." Of course if you believe that lawns have value the digging could be undesirable. I have a philosophy about lawns that goes something like: "if it's green, leave it alone." Now that I've proved I have nothing to add to this thread it is time for me to move along. --FLO--

Skunks are beautiful and very gentle creatures. They are "mostly harmless." They have very poor eyesight, small teeth and claws. Their only defense is odor. If they are not startled or frightened, they will have no need to spray.

My wife currently has a "pet" skunk. It was born in the drainpipe outside our bedroom and has stayed around. Every night it waits by the bedroom door for my wife to put out a bowl of cat food and table scraps. She moves back only a few feet as my wife brings the food outside.

My wife sleeps on the side of the bed next to the door. A few times on warm nights she's left the door open after letting one of the cats out. On at least two occasions the skunk has wandered in and explored the room. She's come through the open kitchen door when we were at dinner and cleaned out the cat food bowl (that sits immediately behind my wife's chair while my wife was sitting there) before wandering out again.

So far she's never sprayed near the house (if at all).

Raccoons, however......

Overgrown ringtailed masked rats... both barrels, same time, SPLATTER!

The neighbor who said it was a skunk also had a skunk problem and a dog and ended up with stinking dog several times.

I won't feed it anything.

I'm not buying a shotgun or a 22 rifle and having critter target practice.

I don't want to spread poison pellets because there are squirrels, turkeys, deer, and rabbits in the yard.

I'll figure it out. BUT, keep the suggestions coming.

Live trap equipped with small explosive device, to manually deploy later if a skunk is caught?

Paolo wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2016 8:18 pm Live trap equipped with small explosive device, to manually deploy later if a skunk is caught?

Then everyone would know that I really can make explosives.

I feel obliged to tell the world that I really do watch good movies.

This week was ARGO, MONEYBAG, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS...

Plus I lined up Akira Kurosawa's RAN and KAGEMUSHA for next week.

And I also watched that other movie -- the piece of crap I talk about elsewhere.