Wil Andruschak
‘I’m not in it for the money. There’s not a lot of profit in it’
How did you get into the skunk business?
It all stems from a skunk problem that I had at my place. I had 22 skunks at my house and found out how expensive it was to remove them so I took care of it myself. Then I started helping neighbours with their skunks and I thought ‘I’m actually pretty good at this.’
Where were the 22 skunks living on your property?
Underneath my driveway. They were getting in underneath the concrete stairs that lead up to my front door.
At the time was it really stinky?
No we lived with them for about five years. We watched them but the population got to be too much and the fights among them started. More aggressive males tried to come in and harem up taking females. There were scraps underneath and then the house began to smell bad.
Have you ever been sprayed by a skunk?
Never. I’ve got 150 releases to my credit. I’m very comfortable around skunks. I’ve got good karma.
Once you catch a skunk what do you do with it?
I take them out of town to different release sites open up the trap and let them walk out. I take their picture and add it to my gallery.
What kind of traps do you use?
I use solely Have a Heart traps. I like the size of them. It’s 32 by 10 by 11 inches which is very inviting. It’s the raccoon size. They feel comfortable and it’s much more inviting.
What kind of bait do you use in the traps?
I use tuna and water and chop up a couple of hot dogs. I find the cheddar and onion hot dogs work really good. It’s the added smell.
Do skunks roam around only at night?
They are nocturnal.
Why is that?
They don’t have a lot of natural predators. Their eyesight is really poor. But their sense of smell is really awesome. They like to be under cover in darkness. They are pretty shy. They slink around like a mouse.
What kind of animals are predators of skunks?
Owls hawks if a coyote was hungry enough.
Aren’t they afraid of getting sprayed?
Owls and hawks have a very poor sense of smell.
You’ve been in the business for three years. Is it lucrative?
It’s more of a hobby. I do work full-time at another job. I do this to help people. I’m not in it for the money. There’s not a lot of profit in it.
What do you charge to remove a family of skunks?
I normally clean out a whole house in a week. I lay the trap down for $150 for a week of service which includes the first skunk removed and then it’s $100 for every skunk after.
Is it usually one skunk at a location or is it typically an entire skunk family?
There’s usually multiples. It all depends on the size of the area where they’re living. Litters go from four to eight or nine and they only breed in the spring.
What do they do in the winter?
When it’s super cold they can stay underground for seven to 10 days. When a Chinook rolls through and it’s under -20 C then they start moving around and foraging for food and mates.
What do they eat?
Anything that is edible. Grasshoppers mice army worms duck eggs chicken bones in a garbage can.
Does the city come out to remove them?
No they did back in the ’70s.
Where in a house do they nest?
Underneath decks and sheds driveways.
Does Calgary have many skunks?
Oh yeah there’s lots. They only come out at night and a lot of people don’t know that they have them until all of a sudden the house smells like a grow-op.
