# 2021 Trapping Season



## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I just glanced over the Wild Fur Forecast for this season and its as dim as a burned out light bulb. 


With world unrest and questionable economic recovery from the pandemic, no one is buying fur. The fur warehouses are full of unsold pelts from March and with the "overstock" of those pelts, it looks as if the market will take years to come back to a price that makes it worth trapping.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

regardless -- I'll continue trapping skunks!


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

PBH said:


> regardless -- I'll continue trapping skunks!


Go for it and help save some of the bird population! Don't forget the Racoons. They destroy a bunch of nests during the hatch.

I just thought of an idea...&#8230;. I'll have a big trophy made up and we can have a bunch of guys in a "competition" like scenario, and see who can get the most skunks and racoons????? Winner gets the trophy and bragging rights. I'd have to give the skunk guys 2 points for each skunk and 1 point to the racoon guys. Lord knows they've earned it!


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

You could fool me on the prices for furs and there being a abundance of them sitting in a warehouse. 

I have a young friend who would like a badger fur that was lost in a house fire this past summer. Looking at the market for tanned furs they are still sky high.

It's always the same story that when you are not looking for or hunting the animal they are all over the place but try to find one when you want it and they are nowhere around. Just before he asked me if I could help I saw three of them.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

taxidermist said:


> I just thought of an idea...&#8230;. I'll have a big trophy made up and we can have a bunch of guys in a "competition" like scenario, and see who can get the most skunks and racoons????? Winner gets the trophy and bragging rights. I'd have to give the skunk guys 2 points for each skunk and 1 point to the racoon guys. Lord knows they've earned it!


I'm in!!

I've caught 3 skunks at my place in October. I had to drown 2 of them -- the 3rd had already melted before I got to it....-O,-
Do they count?

Do we just need to take pictures? Let's work this out, and get going on it!


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

Skunks have got to be worth more than 2 points--more like 4 or 5! 8)


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

AF CYN said:


> Skunks have got to be worth more than 2 points--more like 4 or 5! 8)


I'm not going to go after skunks!!! Been there, done it and never intend to do it again. So...&#8230;. I need some kind of a head start just targeting ****.

Lets do this PBH! We need to get more than just you and I. A trophy is going to cost me $50 for a decent one that one would be proud to show.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

OK. 

I don't know much about ***** -- but I know there are alot around me. I hope I haven't already caught the last of the skunks.....errrr.....wait.....maybe I do!

I'm afraid that I'll be trapping skunks and ***** for the rest of my life in the new house.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

hmmm.....It's been almost two weeks since my last skunk. I'm starting to think maybe I cleaned them out on my place?

I'm sure there will be more show up at some point....


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

I trapped11 skunks up at the cabin this year. Tied my record. Had 1 more on the cameras the last couple of weeks, but couldn't get it in the trap for the record. 

2018 - 11 skunks. 
2019 - 9 skunks, 4 *****. 5 foxes. Was a crazy year !!
2020 - 11 skunks. 

This year I had a lion on the cameras several times, a bear for the first time ever, and a racoon, and a fox on camera several times. But, never could entice them into my trap. Tried everything that had ever worked.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Anyone ever caught a spotted skunk? I've only ever caught 1 in my life... when I was too young to know what I had. Wish I woulda had it tanned and kept it.

-DallanC


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

curious: anyone have a bait to catch racoons / foxes that WON'T attract a skunk?


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

PBH said:


> curious: anyone have a bait to catch racoons / foxes that WON'T attract a skunk?


YUP!! 8)


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

PBH said:


> curious: anyone have a bait to catch racoons / foxes that WON'T attract a skunk?


I had that problem at my house. I have roaming racoons that I wanted to get rid of but there are quite a few skunks around also.

I ended up placing a couple of 2x6's about 3' off of the ground between two trees and placing a live trap on the 2x6's, we can't use leg hold traps here in Colorado. It was high enough that the skunks couldn't get to the trap and bait but the ***** could climb up the tree and walk the plank to their final resting area.

Too bad that this idea wouldn't work with a fox except if it was a little bit lower a fox may be able to jump up onto the planks to get to the trap.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

taxidermist said:


> YUP!! 8)


doh! I'm gonna lose....


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

PBH said:


> curious: anyone have a bait to catch racoons / foxes that WON'T attract a skunk?


 marshmallows for raccoons
.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Been doing some nuisance trapping at my girlfriend's place. In the last 12 months we got:
18 raccoons
2 feral cats
1 red fox
1 skunk

I'm not making this up, I had a girlfriend.
.


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

I caught several skunks this year using the marshmallows trying to get the racoon. 
Of course a couple of times I've caught skunks without any bait in the trap at all. 
I think the skunk smell on the trap will get them in.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

got another on Saturday! Are we keeping a tally somewhere? 

11/14/2020
#OatmealCremePie


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> I'm not making this up, I had a girlfriend.
> .


Is that past tense?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

caddis8 said:


> Is that past tense?


I'll check and get back to you.
.


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

HA. I understand that and I'm currently married. Not the girlfriend part, the wife part.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

got another on Saturday! Are we keeping a tally somewhere? :smile:

I think the Honor system will work. After all, we are kinda adults I'd think??? I think I'll be loosing this deal. I haven't even began to go after anything and likely wont. I better get a trophy made up for ya PBH.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

lol


contest or not -- I'm going to keep the trap out and baited. I'm sure that we'll be catching skunks for a long time coming!


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

I'm done on the moutain, and I live in town, so I won't get any chances now. :grin:
So I will concede to PBH.........:mrgreen:


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

Only two pack rats this year. Done for the season. Good luck to everyone else.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

well.....it's been a while since my last skunk. I've been meaning to change out the bait. I haven't had anything on the pumpking spice cookie. I was actually hoping that it was just maybe because there haven't been any skunks around.

My wife just called and said while she was walking the dog this morning, the dog ran over to the area where I have the trap. It's by some willows, and some old dens. Well, the dog got sprayed by a skunk. 

I guess I need to go rebait with the old-reliable: Oatmeal Creme.



so, on the serious side: maybe i need to get some actual skunk bait that will put off some scent in freezing temps? Maybe the cookies just aren't giving any enticement in the cold?


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

Try some sardines in oil.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

dogfood did the trick. I think that's 5.

I have a cousin that owns a pest control company. He told me that he thinks skunks smell like money. I disagree. They just plain stink to me!! -O,-


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## NativeCutt (Dec 31, 2020)

I used to buy skunk tail for fly tying. The long hair was good for tying Charlie Brooks Skunk Tail Caddis (a good pattern for trout and even better pattern for whitefish). And I used it for hair hackle on some old Pott's hair flies. You just don't find skunk tail locally anymore. I used to see it in a few fly material catalogs a few years back but haven't looked for it for some time.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I've been tying since I was 7 years old and made a lot of buck tail fly's/jigs. I think one skunk tail would last a lifetime for personal use.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

dang. I wish I'd have seen this sooner. Got another one on Saturday. (6?) 
Those tails just pull off just like a rabbit tail.

I'll get brave and pull the next tail off and save it for you guys. I'm guessing you could let it dry for a few days, then throw it in the washing machine? Or, maybe just a bucket of water with some dish soap or laundry detergent?


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

anyone actually want a tail? I have a fresh one....


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I'll pass on the skunk tail. 8)

I set out a small line of traps last weekend. Caught two foxes on the first check. I'm totally pumped. I've been wanting to add a fox to my fur collection. To be honest, I like the feel and beauty of trophy pelts as much as antlers. 

It's been slow since then. By the way, those red foxes smell like a skunk! I had no idea how bad they stink until now!


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I have always found that any carrion eater such as foxes, coyotes, and the such usually smell quite bad. I figure that they roll in the dead animal so that they smell as bad as the dead one does so that it doesn't bother them when they eat it. 

I lived south of Price for a while and the person that I was living with had a Britney spaniel. Well, he would let the Britney out at night to go do his business and one night when he came home that white fur had turned green and he smelt worse than a dead skunk. He had found something dead along the highway and had been rolling in it.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

PBH, if you want to make some real money on the skunks....Get a syringe and very carefully suck out the quill and place it in a dark glass bottle with a good lid. You'll get a yellow greasy looking stuff in it to. That's what they call the Mustard. Most trappers dispose of that and keep the pure quill liquid. I've seen it sell for $35+ an ounce. 


I make my own trapping lures and baits, so if I need some quill in my recipe, I add a small amount. One eye dropper drop, works for a gallon of bait. Powerful stuff!!


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