Well folks, as I have recently joined this site, most of you have not heard from me. I decided this year to root over 100 plants and sell some on craig's list to help pay for this obsession. I have orders for the first 50 or so and recently hardened the first 27. Yesterday I decided to try a new soil mix on the next 35 and part of the mix included fish fertilizer. Huge mistake. I live alone with a very smart australian shepherd who rarely barks and never wakes me up unless it's very important. He was insistent last night and I finally dragged my extremely lazy rear end out of bed to placate him. He insisted I go outside with him where a family (I'm guessing they were a family) of skunks was still there tearing up my fig babies (those ^#@&#$#@#'s). As I had also used this fertilizer on a bunch of peppers yesterday they had also torn up my container plant garden. My dog has been sprayed by skunks before so he stayed behind me and the flashlight. As I have also been sprayed before I didn't act too aggressively (if the truth be told, I tried to get the dog to go first). I turned on the lights, turned on the hose, turned up the stereo and finally pulled the screen off and shot a fire extinguisher at them. They just have zero fear. Yes, they did spray (well one of them at least) but they did leave. Anyway the 3 of them (I've never had more then one before) tore up just about everything and the smell is insane. East coast skunks are so much worse than the ones from the west coast - and yes I know from first hand experience. 

Thanx Noss. 

Not sure if it would work or if you can get it but maybe if you had some larger animal urine (think lion or tiger maybe elephant) from a zoo maybe that would be a deterent if you did a perimeter spray.

I try and do the live and let live thing as much as possible when it comes to critters that deserve to be on the land I think is mine. For example, as much as the foxes are a serious pain, I end up treating them with ivermectin injected hotdogs to help with their mange problems, etc.  I don't want to be greedy about excluding my animal friends - I'm just mad the skunks went overboard at the worst time possible.

So I guess you won't be using you friends fish fertilizer anymore!

thanx - next year it will be a funny story.

I ran FF through a drip irrigation system once, bite holes everywhere! "part of the mix included fish fertilizer" sounds like you overstocked. Was that your friends recommendation? Stocked fish are not fun to catch, btw. Pour a bunch on things that are not delicate and let the skunks frustrate themselves without damaging anything.

brent, who/what's FF? It's almost 5 and I just checked the traps. Nothing.

I'd get some motion lighting in that garden, and a rifle with a good scope!  I heard skunks make great fertilizer!  Also, what about that liquid fence stuff?  Have you tried that? 
Suzi

I live in a neighborhood that freaks out about guns. It's crazy as the deer also rule the place. It's a long story but I went from an organic farm out in the middle of no where to a cluster of McMansions and rules. One of the reasons all my figs are in pots is this was supposed to be a brief stop. Anyway I'm used to settling critter issues a very different way then is possible here. 

Ha!  We are leaving McMansions and rules as soon as we sell that "money pit" of ours for the country life, and enough acreage for my vineyards and fig trees, all "in ground," and I plan to buy a BIG gun, paint it pink, and intend to use it when necessary.  The rules of the dreaded HOA are really killer!  They can't say one thing about containers, though!

The good news about the "money pit" is that after months of remodeling, it's finally ready too go onto the multiples weekend after Memorial Day, and the market has improved.  Realtor expects multiple offers because of the view and the pristine condition of the home.  There are only 2 comps for sale in the area!

I can't wait to get my red-neck hat, and move away from the rules (not entirely--we're keeping the McMansion as a vacation home and renting out to others), and into skunk country!  Because we love to travel, we won't be keeping a faithful dog around, but we will use the liquid fence as a beginning until Suzi learns how to shoot a rifle with sniper accuracy! 

Gophers love figs, roses and grapevines, and our freeway exit will most likely be a street named Gopher Canyon!  Yikes!  I'll be spraying liquid Fence in every planting hole, and line each planting hole with chicken wire.

Suzi

Fish Fertilizer, sorry. It was the deodorized stuff, but once mixed with water and placed in the sun and stuck in hoses it gets rank.

I truly miss the ole homestead. The entire county has no traffic lights and half or more is national forest. That's hard to find here on the east coast especially within 25 miles of a great school (VA Tech).

So I see I need a 12 gauge pump!  I'll look into that!  But still, on topic, what about a recording of a lion roaring when those new motion lights you are buying today goes on simultaneously?  I'm not sure skunks fear anything.  Most all living things fear them!

Additionally, could you go to your local zoo, and ask for the scent of a lion, tiger, or wild boar?  I'm sure when they clean the pens, they get that stuff.  My late fiance (in another life), had an Akita dog.  Fierce!  He took him on a walk, and the dog saw the footprint of a mountain lion, and would go no further.  The scent was probably there.

Suzi

I used to live by the zoo in Wash DC and the critters there seemed unaffected by the noise the big cats made and I don't think skunks fear anything anyway. 

I use fish fertilizer a lot - especially on my indoor stuff. It didn't have time to get rank but I should have noticed the smell was stronger then the other one I use. I guess I thought it was ok as the composted manure was very strong and I'd mixed that in as well.

A 22 short rifle slug don't make much noise!!!

so true. I have an old single shot bolt action sears and roebuck from 1910 (I think) and it's deadly accurate on squirrels (great for stew and stuffing with figs) and other critters.

You already have all the gun/rifle you need!(the 22)

Agree the 22 is perfect for job a nice clean shot .

Well not around here. I live in serious black bear country and need to keep rubber buckshot around as they have lost their fear of people. Bird feeders both seed and nectar are a prime target. I had an australian shepherd b$#@^ (can't use the word for female dog on here for some reason) - a righteously fearless animal - that needed stitches 2X from bear encounters. She wasn't protecting feeders - rather my herd of feinting goats and their guard llama (good for coyotes but not bear). When does are dropping kids the smell seems to attract a lot of stuff.

I may have misread. I do agree the .22 is enough for skunk. Hell, a good BB gun will do that job.

Even though rabies is a self limiting disease for the most part it is a serious concern around here with skunks and coons - even house cats. We kill at least one rabid animal a year in this 50 or so house neighborhood. This is the reason I don't just go outside in the cramped area where I have figs as at night there's dozens of cubby holes and other places something could be that I wouldn't see until I was right on top of it and in danger of being nipped.

I have a BB gun but the problem is I can't stand guard forever.  I tried the pulsing solar electric fence but I've seen rabbits go right under them, fur insulation I guess.  I think the constant DC ones are better.  Last year a mega raccoon was sitting on my grapevine like a hammock and eating all my grapes.  I purchased a couple of those motion sensor sprinklers and surprisingly they kept the raccoons away.  So they have really worked for me.

Can you tell me what brand and where you got the sprinklers? I was wondering if they worked.