Skunk Damage Cancel The title field is required!

1. Olmstead Justin G

   
   9/21/2012 7:09 AM

   For the last month we have been dealing with an increasing amount of damage in our rough areas from skunk and raccoon digging up the turf to feed on Japanese Beetle grubs. I have spot sprayed some of the areas with an insecticide and it seems that those areas are the ones that are revisited the most. I am looking for a cost effective and legal way to control the animals. I would welcome any suggestions.
   
   Thanks

   
   
   
   
2. Timothy Kelley

   

   0 posts
   
   9/21/2012 11:09 AM

   Years ago when I had this problem Dr. Niemczyk recommended mixing Dylox with milorganite and then watering it mixture in. The skunks and raccoons don't like the smell of milorganite and the Dylox will take care of what they are feeding on. Also the milorganite will aid in the recovery the the affected areas.

   
   
   
   
3. Rosenthal Gregg

   
   9/21/2012 8:09 PM

   We have had the same battle going on for past few weeks. Once we treated for the grubs the skunks stopped attacking the spots. We did have to do some repairs in spots we missed or were slow to treat. It was a tough year dry and seemed to be a good grub year....A skunk was taken care of by the bird dog though, he took it out and stunk for a few days.....I also think racoons did some of the damage? It was all in the rough and around a few tees!
   
   Gregg

   
   
   
   
4. Neidhardt John J

   
   9/24/2012 9:09 AM

   I have had very serious problems with Raccoon's and Opossums, the year our community changed trash cans that they could not get into. Thus they went foraging for grubs on our fairways and roughs. In the beginning, there was acres of damage. But overtime, a wide spread case of distemper and an annual Aloft application, we have brought the damage to a minimum. We also did a fair share of trapping.

   
   
   
   
5. James Prucnal

   

   0 posts
   
   10/3/2012 5:10 PM

   Try trapping the skunks and raccoons. Buy the closed poly traps from http://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies.com. Get the raccoon size $80. I've trapped for years and caught over 100 skunks and raccoons. Set the traps before you leave work and pick them up in the morning full. Take them to a undisclosed location for release. I never been sprayed. Oh, put down some Dylox too. They love it!

   
   
   
   
6. Lee Suwalski

   

   0 posts
   
   10/4/2012 8:10 AM

   We have had the same problem this year. Skunks,raccoons, and mostly opossums. I have been spraying Dylox and doing a lot of trapping with live traps. For those of you that trap what have you been using as bait. I have had pretty good luck with wet cat food, but if you go on YouTube there are some crazy concoctions that people use.

   
   
   
   
7. Timothy Walker

   

   0 posts
   
   10/6/2012 8:10 PM

   we got 10 raccoons and 1 skunk - they all loved the clubhouse tuna salad...

   
   
   
   
8. Jennifer Torres

   

   2 posts
   
   9/17/2014 7:09 AM

   We sprayed early with merit hopping to avoid the damage from animals digging for grubs, but of course they have returned to the same areas again this season. I have sprayed Dursban with a wetting agent and watered in for 20 minutes, but they still return and continue to dig up our #2 fairway and small areas on other fairways as well. Any ideas, the damage is making me crazy!!!!!

   
   
   
   
9. Melvin Waldron

   

   43 posts
   
   9/17/2014 7:09 AM

   I don't think they will stop digging until all the grubs are gone.
   
   We've used Dylox before to kill grubs in a problem area and rarely see problems afterwards. The dead grubs do become another issue, don't do it before a big outing or ladies day.
   
   Mel

   
   Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO
   
   
10. Jennifer Torres

    

    2 posts
    
    9/17/2014 8:09 AM

    Thanks Melvin, and what are you saying, most women don't like grubs? LOL. That was my thinking too, even if the grubs are dead, the animals will keep coming back to eat them.

    
    
    
    
11. Randall Boudinot

    

    4 posts
    
    9/17/2014 10:09 AM

    Jennifer, I have used both Dylox to kill the grubs, as well as Milorganite fertilizer to repel the skunks and racoons. They don't like the smell of Milorganite. I have found it only last of few days if you are irrigating or get rain. the best thing to do is trap and remove the skunks or racoons if you can. Randy Boudinot Walnut Grove Country Club Dayton, Ohio

    
    
    
    
12. Melvin Waldron

    

    43 posts
    
    9/17/2014 12:09 PM

    Well we would get the most complaints from the smell of dead grubs on ladies day, so we avoided that. We also had a big grub kill on a green on a Saturday morning before an outing and everyone just freaked, I just mowed them all up, and it was no big deal. I guess my point is, Dylox will do a lot of grub killing. True about the skunks coming back, but I would think it would give them a belly ache after a few? Or end up making them sick or killing them, and I don't know if you want that.
    
    Didn't know that about Milorganite, thanks for the tip Randy.
    
    Mel

    
    Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO
    
    
13. Trickey Joel

    
    9/17/2014 6:09 PM

    Did not know that about milorganite. How much do you need to put down to act as a deterrent.

    
    
    
    
14. Kyle Fick

    

    4 posts
    
    9/17/2014 7:09 PM

    If you have the ability, and this probably isn't something to condone on this forum, there are a few possibilities for Removal of these pests. I worked at a joint once where we had a bevy of critters going after grubs in a few fairways. We were trapping multiples nightly, and they just kept coming. We tried another option, but it's not the Humane option. There is a flybait called Golden Malron. We bought it at a local farm and fleet store, I think most would have it. Its a blue pellet. We mixed it with an egg, put it in a pie dish, and voila. The rodents and varmints didn't make it 10 feet and they were toast. No stink, but kinda crude. This was in a very remote area, and no one's pets were likely to visit the GC at night.
    
    We went to this option after marking a few coons with a paint streak and then relocating. When we once again found the same painted coon in a live trap, we figured we would need to go further then the five miles for release. Not very time effective for us. This way, we knew we got em. Also, after the first few died, not many came around after that.
    
    Again, not the best environmental approach, but super effective.

    
    
    
    
15. Peter Bowman

    

    11 posts
    
    9/17/2014 8:09 PM

    When my dad was a kid he had a couple pet skunks. They used to walk them around the neighborhood on leashes. They had them de-stink glanded, so even if something threatened them they'd turn around, raise their tails, and think they were spraying the predators, but nothing came out. I wish I could have seen that.
    
    So that could be an option.

    
    
    
    
16. Rosenthal Gregg

    
    9/18/2014 4:09 AM

    One must delete the skunks, we are up to 23 so far. Hire a service or catch and delete in house. They have messed up our driving range target greens where grubs were heavy despite treating them. Thank goodness it was the only bad spot for heavy grubs. Its such a nice smell early in the morning...here in the Midwest. In my neighborhood they are everywhere spraying constantly including our backyard. We sometimes must close the windows in the middle of the night as one gets the drift of the evil smell for no real reason except the skunk wants to release a spray. I see many hit by cars and had to clean up one in front of my Father in Laws house a week ago..nasty indeed.
    
    Gregg

    
    
    
    
17. Randall Boudinot

    

    4 posts
    
    9/18/2014 2:09 PM

    Joel,
    I normally go out at around .33 lbs N per thousand. I have also heard of people using mothball flakes and cayenne pepper to discourage skunks/racoons.
    
    
    Randy Boudinot
    Walnut Grove Country Club
    Dayton, Ohio

    
    
    
    
18. Trickey Joel

    
    9/20/2014 6:09 PM

    Thanks Randall. Will give it a try
    
    Joel Trickey
    Superintendent
    Carleton Golf and yacht Club
    Manotick, Ontario