Skunk help

[3nails]

 I caught a striped skunk in a raccoon trap and would like to get it tanned and keep it. It's hanging to dry right now and smells a bit but not terrible. My questions are- is there anyway to de-scent it before skinning? After? Do I even need to? Tube it? To send it in to the tannery does it need to be odor free? Should I salt it or just stretch/ dry it to send?
 Thanks for any advice, this is my first skunk I've wanted to keep.

[Machias]

Use a hemistat to clamp off each vent nipple.  Tube skin it, flesh it.  You can wash the skinned pelt in a solution of peroixde, baking soda and dawn dish soap.  I have a really good detailed tutorial on skinning skunks, if you want I'd be happy to e-mail it to you.  Once it's skinned, washed, fleshed and dryed you can ship it to the tannery.

[3nails]

Thanks, Machias. I'll pm you my e-mail address. What's a hemistat and how many vent nipples?

[JLS]

A hemostat is a surgical clamp, like fly fisherman use to hold their fly when removing it from the fish.  Should be able to find them at any vet supply, maybe even Big R.

[Machias]

Even Wal-mart carries them in the fishing section.  There will be one nipple per sac.  Can't stress enough to be careful when skinning around the sacs.  Treat them like bomb disposal....trust me, I know from first hand experience you do not want to nick one of the sacs.     

[SunnySlopes]

No different than skinning a mink. Flesh and stretch on a board. Then ship to tannery. I keep the claws on all of my skunks.

[MtnMuley]

Be damn careful......Personally, I wouldn't do it near my home.

[Machias]

Take your time it's no biggie, I've skinned dozens in my garage.  The one incident I had was when I was 19, up in the back woods of Maine.  Nicked a sac and it squirted right between my eyes.  BAD deal, I can assure you. 

[MtnMuley]

I've seen the best of the best who've skinned hundreds, slip up as well.      Like I said, for a first timer, I'd skin it away from my home and neighbors.

[3nails]

Take your time it's no biggie, I've skinned dozens in my garage.  The one incident I had was when I was 19, up in the back woods of Maine.  Nicked a sac and it squirted right between my eyes.  BAD deal, I can assure you. 

[Humptulips]

I don't know about the hemostat thing. It is really easy to skin one without though, just take your time.
You need a really sharp knife, some guys use a razor blade. That is really important. Don't pull just cut.
After you get it skinned around the glands you can cut them out and then you don't have to worry about it while skinning the rest.

I almost never have one squirt. I have to say almost because fatslinger will be sure to tell a story on me.  :oDon't want to be caught in a lie.

[fatslinger]

Ha!  I remember that day. I think we were in Oregon and (I think) you used the same knife that was used earlier to cut up an apple for us to eat. That thing squirted quite a ways.

[Machias]

I was 19 and running a trapline in Northern Maine.  I had already caught two nice red fox, a coon and a mink.  I had another mink set to check.  The set was just above a small beaver dam.  Well a moose had walked across the beaver dam and my set was high and dry and held a fat skunk.  I flipped him into the stream and drown him.  Tied him up by a back foot and as I was cutting from the heel to the vent, nick a sac.  It squirted full force right into my eyes.     My eyes swelled shut almost right away and burned like heck.  I had heard stories about dogs going blind so I panicked a bit and ran for the stream...right into a tree.  So now I'm laying on the ground, nose broke and eyes swelled shut.  I crawl over and put my face in the stream and tried rinsing my eyes out the best I could.  I could barley see.  Walked about two miles back to my truck and headed for the ER on Loring AFB.  I was standing outside, pants froze solid, banging on the door.  The ER Tech was waving me in and I was waving for him to come outside.  He opens the door and is like what's up, Oh damn, grabbing his nose.     So they had the windows open and the big metal fans blowing while they flushed my eyes out.  Lucky for me about 2 seconds after I was nailed I could not smell anything.  To this day I can smell skunk farther than the average guy.   

[Axle]

Rather entertaining story Machias! I've had my share of skunks and getting sprayed but your story wins the day.
Skunk memories are not like a bad hair cut - they last much much longer!

[3nails]

 Thanks for sharing that story, Machias! I had to read it aloud to the family. We all got a good laugh!

[Machias]

 

[Humptulips]

More good stories involving skunks than anything else when trappers start BSing.

Here's one;
Back when I was in school my skinning shed was the utility room/garage  in the house. There was a raised floor from the garage floor. That was my table to skin beaver while standing on the garage floor. The house had many a hole and the civets moved in every winter.
This particular time I had caught 3 beaver. Quite the ocasion for celebration as they were worth $20/beaver. My Dad was getting climbers pay at the time and made a little more then half that, maybe $40/day so I was feeling pretty rich.
 Anyway, I had skinned 2 and was working on the third when out from under the house comes Mr. Civet Cat. He paid me no mind and I kept on working but he found the beaver feet I had cut off and starts packing them off into secure quarters, drawers in the work bench. Afterwards he is running around and decides it's time for dinner. I find myself skinning on one side of the beaver while he is eating on the other side. Skinning slowed down during this time. Full up he starts looking for something else to haul off, he finds the two beaver hides at my feet and starts a tug of war with them. Eventually in his efforts to brace his feet to pull he ends up straddle my foot. I'm thinking this is not good but he seemed used to me and after a good while of pulling to no avail gives up and goes back under the house. Never did spray. Well, not for a couple days. They always cut loose at two in the morning sometimes three.

[saylean]

Thanks for the tips. I am trying this tomorrow. Wish me luck!...its my first...

[Heredoggydoggy]

Thanks for the tips. I am trying this tomorrow. Wish me luck!...its my first...

And probably your last!   

[saylean]

Bah! Its awesome. If I didnt have the flu, I would upload some photos of the event. Dispatched with a 22 long rifle  in the head, the skunk stiffened, sprayed once to the left and was done. Time for my skunk hat!

[Echomules]

Thanks for sharing that story, Machias! I had to read it aloud to the family. We all got a good laugh!

Hear, Hear!!  Just did the same thing.

[saylean]

Skinned the skunk without issue, didnt use any clamps, was just careful not to punch the sacks. Plus I did it while I had the flu...(still recovering)...so that was fun. Thanks for the tips.