How do I get a skunk out from underneath my front porch?

Question

We went away for the weekend and when we came home I noticed that something had dug it's way through my flower bed and underneath the decorative lattice and then made quite a long and deep tunnel underneath my front porch. My husband determined it's a skunk by the tracks it left. We don't know if it's still in there, if it's having babies under there, etc. We tossed in a smoke bomb....you know, those 4th of July things....to try and get it out, but nothing came out. We don't wanna kill it. But we don't want it living under our front porch either. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

With respect to your husband, I don't think it sounds like a skunk.  Tracks are easy to mis-identify.  In general, though skunks dig a bit for things they want to eat, they don't usually do extensive digging.  I verified this at the link below.  

The other thing that makes me think it is not a skunk is you would most likely notice the distinctive smell, because even when they don't spray, you usually can smell one when it is close and it's den would smell like skunk.  If you're not picking up the smell at all, i think more likely it is a racoon, or possibly a gopher or even a possum.

The second link i put below has some good advice for racoon extraction and the third has advice for gopher problems.

Answer 2

In my town animal control will trap it for me......try contacting them

Answer 3

call the game warden, they will trap it and get rid of it.

Answer 4

Smoke bomb it and then have your husband fill in the hole with dirt.  It works!!!  :)

Answer 5

Get a Fox Terrier Dog.