A Skunk Adventure. Now, what's next?

[butcherboy]

I skinned one once as a teenager when I trapped. Drowned it as well. Could never get the smell out and the fleshing was super greasy but not as bad as a beaver. I vowed as a taxidermist that I would never mount a skunk and I never did.

The tarp over the live trap can work but sometimes it doesn’t! Also, had a redbone hound we used for coon and dang did that old boy love his skunks! Could not keep him off of them. 4 one night in just a few hours. He brought the last one back. Hound was foaming at the mouth with bloodshot swollen eyes and he looked like death warmed over.

 

[Kenn]

I caught a nuisance skunk in a live trap by putting a large black garbage bag around the entire trap except for the door. Once I caught it, a pipe from my exhaust made a quick humane, scent free end to it.

 

[Lil-Rokslider]

I got her skinned out. She really didn't stink too bad, and I was super careful around the glands. I got down past her ears, almost done, and was thinking to myself how uneventful this was. Then it was like one of the glands released? Horrible skunk smell all of a sudden. I can't explain why that would happen? I freaked out and did a poor job finishing the rest of her face. I threw the carcass into a trash bag and tied it and put it in my garage freezer (big mistake). I put the skin in a different trash bag and tied it and put it in my garage fridge (also a big mistake). Then I washed the skin/hair in a dawn dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda bath.

My garage smells horrible. We're going to have to throw away everything in the fridge/ freezer. We'll probably have to throw away the fridge/ freezer itself.

Here's my reward!

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Trapped a lot on my granparents farm when I was young. When we had a skunk, there was a simple process:

1) do not approach skunk
2) Shoot skunk from long range
3) Buy new trap
4) Come back to that location next year

 

[Fireflyfishing]

Like others here, kill and dispose the carcass. Mission accomplished. At least you didn’t try eating it.

 

[Hunt eat repeat]

Looks like I’m a little late to your thread. A small very sharp knife for the feet is helpful. A scalpel or replaceable blade knife works well. You need to split each pad down the middle and skin out each toe individually as far down as you can it’s tedious, but pelts look much better with the feet on them for sure and you don’t need a tail splitter or stripper. You can use a pair of pliers or a couple short sticks sandwich on each side of the tail to pull the bone out then carefully split it with your knife, but if you’re going to have it tanned, you need to flesh it properly. Skunks are greasy and any of that fat left behind will spoil on the board and make the hair slip. I would just find a taxidermist that will take it from the stage you have it at.
Oh and don’t EVER EVER put a skunk in a freezer. Not even bagged, double bagged or triple bagged.

 

[rayporter]

last year i trapped six from under the house and used the tarp over the trap to get them in the water.

 

[go_deep]

Guess I'm too late to the party for some helpful tips, but I got a good laugh out of it all anyway.
Memories for a lifetime with that pelt!

 

[gonhunting247]

It's really not too difficult if you've skinned many animals for fur. Just stay away from the glands like you would a mink. Don't put pressure on the area or hang where the good stuff will run out when muscles relax . I skinned several for the novelty of it, but the hides aren't worth anything really. I also created a pretty cool mount when I was doing taxidermy, but sold it to a museum that wanted it.
Things can go bad in a hurry though and I don't think I'd want to start out learning on a skunk for sure

 

[KsRancher]

last year i trapped six from under the house and used the tarp over the trap to get them in the water.

This sucks. Over the last 2yrs I have trapped 31 skunks out from under my grandma's trailer house. I got tired of trying to get a blanket over them. So I just tied a 50ft rope to the trap and pull them out from a ways off so they don't spray. Ended up laying 4ft of chicken wire out on the ground and covering with a layer of dirt to keep them out.

 

[Lil-Rokslider]

Oh and don’t EVER EVER put a skunk in a freezer. Not even bagged, double bagged or triple bagged.

Where were you yesterday

 

[Trimbandit]

I’ve trapped a lot of skunks. And I’ll go out of my way to kill a skunk.

But no way will I skin one.

Only good skunk is a dead skunk.

same

I prefer to snare them as they usually get choked out and never spray.

 

[mgray]

Skinning the area around a skunks b-hole feels similar to the guy cutting the wires on the bomb squad. One small mistake and you’re toast.

 

[Ridge Runner]

This makes me laugh. Years ago I worked with a couple guys who weren't exactly rocket scientists. One of them had a Koi pond in his back yard and a big racoon was coming in at all hours of the day for a free snack. He got a live trap to capture the culprit. First morning he wakes up and has a skunk in the trap. Didn't know what to do with it so they decide they can knock it out with a can of starting fluid (Ether) and haul it away and release it.

Somehow they are able to get the trap in a trash bag and ether it. From here on it goes downhill. They put it all in the back of a station wagon and head to the country. Ether is so strong in the car they roll down the windows for fresh air. Ether quickly dissipates and skunk wakes up and sprays inside the car.

One of the better examples of Dumbassary I have ever heard.

 

[go_deep]

This makes me laugh. Years ago I worked with a couple guys who weren't exactly rocket scientists. One of them had a Koi pond in his back yard and a big racoon was coming in at all hours of the day for a free snack. He got a live trap to capture the culprit. First morning he wakes up and has a skunk in the trap. Didn't know what to do with it so they decide they can knock it out with a can of starting fluid (Ether) and haul it away and release it.

Somehow they are able to get the trap in a trash bag and ether it. From here on it goes downhill. They put it all in the back of a station wagon and head to the country. Ether is so strong in the car they roll down the windows for fresh air. Ether quickly dissipates and skunk wakes up and sprays inside the car.

One of the better examples of Dumbassary I have ever heard.

Those 2 didn't happen to have any resemblance to these guys didn't they?

 

[Rich M]

My uncle has lots of skunks around his place. He traps em with mayo on bread in a live trap. Throw a cover on it, put it in car, drive wherever and let it go. Doesn't get sprayed.

We used to get them stuck in the basement wells and would put a board down so they could climb out.

 

[KenLee]

I got her skinned out. She really didn't stink too bad, and I was super careful around the glands. I got down past her ears, almost done, and was thinking to myself how uneventful this was. Then it was like one of the glands released? Horrible skunk smell all of a sudden. I can't explain why that would happen? I freaked out and did a poor job finishing the rest of her face. I threw the carcass into a trash bag and tied it and put it in my garage freezer (big mistake). I put the skin in a different trash bag and tied it and put it in my garage fridge (also a big mistake). Then I washed the skin/hair in a dawn dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda bath.

My garage smells horrible. We're going to have to throw away everything in the fridge/ freezer. We'll probably have to throw away the fridge/ freezer itself.

Here's my reward!View attachment 719807

In the words of a long departed Buddy, "We tried to be dun tolt ya".

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Sorry to hear about your freezer. I think it's pretty cool that you at least gave this a shot and I hope you figure out a good purpose for that pelt. I'm guessing it's not going to be a hat?

If it makes you feel any better I once made the mistake of trying to skin a fox before freezing it. I only skinned it for about 2 minutes before I realized it had a ton of fleas but it was already too late. Only a few got on me but my dog had been sniffing it prior and many fleas transferred to him and eventually to me. The next 3 or 4 days were hell until I got them under control. Woke up with flea bites and would pick a few off myself a few times throughout the day. Adventures in critter skinning!

 

[Scoot]

My son and I caught a skunk in one of our traps many years ago. Skinned it and had a hat made out of it. My son wore it with great pride for a long time!

 

[mike257]

Caught a lot of nuisance skunks over the years, only reliable method I've ever found is one I found in an old trapping manual. Take a 60 cc syringe , a large gauge needle, tape the plunger to a mop handle, fill with acetone, gently poke the skunk between the ribs and inject the acetone , within seconds it just goes to sleep. Skinning one is another story- even when you think you didn't get any smell on you , your family will refuse to let you eat with them for days.