Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Trapping => Topic started by: tolson on January 25, 2014, 12:35:05 AM

Title: skunks
Post by: tolson on January 25, 2014, 12:35:05 AM: Caught 4 skunks so far this season. What kind of bait works best for bobcats?
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: rasbo on January 25, 2014, 04:26:47 AM: bobcat meat and beaver do well on bobs
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: fatslinger on January 25, 2014, 08:26:08 AM: Those are really pretty skunks! Are you going to sell them at the fur sale/Winter rendezvous?
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: tolson on January 26, 2014, 10:38:30 AM: No I didn't keep any of the skunks. How do you get the skunk smell out of the fur?
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: hardkorrhunter on January 26, 2014, 11:41:06 AM: There's a winter rendezvous?
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: fatslinger on January 26, 2014, 06:16:28 PM: Best way to keep the skunks from stinking is to be careful when you skin. There may be a faint odor after its off the carcass, but not too bad.
Winter Rendezvous and Fur sale is on March 15th in Elma. Check out the WSTA newsletter "The Fur Shed".
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: Machias on January 26, 2014, 06:52:15 PM: Start off by either drowning them or put a needle full of Acetone in their lungs and you'll have a nice clean pelt. Next take a couple of hemostats and clamp off the two nipples to the scent sacs and then just skin carefully around the sacs. Always wear gloves with skunks, number #1 carrier of rabies. Nice pelts to work with.
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: UrbanTrapper on January 26, 2014, 09:05:27 PM: I did that only so far once but found that acetone was slow. Does anyone know where I can get MEK in quantities less than 1 gallon (way more than I need and it's not cheap)?
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: pnwmtnmn on January 26, 2014, 09:43:38 PM: MEK is usually right beside the acetone at Home Depot in the quart cans.
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: Humptulips on January 26, 2014, 10:10:04 PM: Might consider CO2 and a kill box. I kill civets in my civet traps with CO2. Takes 30 seconds or less to render them unconsious. I have no trouble skinning them without the glands leaking.
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: Smossy on January 26, 2014, 10:18:37 PM: Quote from: Humptulips on January 26, 2014, 10:10:04 PM
Might consider CO2 and a kill box. I kill civets in my civet traps with CO2. Takes 30 seconds or less to render them unconsious. I have no trouble skinning them without the glands leaking.
Yeah but we've seen you, your like a skinning guru :chuckle:
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: Cougar125 on January 26, 2014, 10:37:43 PM: Drown them or use an air rifle. Slowly skin around the anus and remove the gland.

To remove the skunk smell (before or after skinning doesn't matter) mix 1 qt hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, 3 tablespoons dawn dish soap. Wash the skin like you would wash a dog. Let the mixture work and fizzle on the skin. The peroxide will break up the oil, the baking soda helps neutralize the scent, and the dawn dish soaps leaves it clean.
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: Huntlots on January 27, 2014, 02:13:21 PM: When skunks are in your traps how do u get close enough to then without them spraying. To kill them . Will thy just not spray if u walk up to the trap?

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Title: Re: skunks
Post by: Beartrap on January 27, 2014, 06:56:49 PM: Nice looking skunks. Be nice to have a few of them. Skinning a skunk very simple, make a cut from heel to heel follow the hair line straight across. Then go to the center of the tail make a shallow cut on bought sides of the anal to your first cut. Peel the hide back to the tail and down past the glands. Make sure you skin the feet, once the feet are skinned pull the hide down so you can have room to work on the tail once you have the tail free, pull the hide down to the ears and finish the job. Good luck
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: Cougar125 on January 27, 2014, 07:51:01 PM: Quote from: Huntlots on January 27, 2014, 02:13:21 PM
When skunks are in your traps how do u get close enough to then without them spraying. To kill them . Will thy just not spray if u walk up to the trap?

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I hunted skunks at night with a 22 in my waders when I lived in CA. I would drive the dike roads at night until I saw them then I'd get as close as I could in the truck before I'd have to pursue on foot. I've been within 2 feet of them for the headshot and I've never been sprayed even after chasing them. With that said I've got a theory on this one.

Skunks don't like the smell of their spray anymore than anything else, so they use it sparingly. Also, foxes love the smell of skunks, so they don't spray unless absolutely necessary because it draws in other higher tier predators.
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: Humptulips on January 28, 2014, 07:43:09 PM: No experience with striped skunks but spotted skunks if you shoot them you can count on them spraying. Injection, drowning or CO2 are the ways to go I'd say.
Drowning can be a pain if you are a long way from water but you can cover the trap and carefully transport. You have to go slow and be gentle though.
Title: Re: skunks
Post by: Trapper John on January 29, 2014, 09:09:33 PM: If your after bobcats and you have stripped skunks around get the bobcat trap up off of the ground. Make a platform such as two logs attached to two trees about two to three feet up. Do Not put a log for the cat to walk up on, he will jump up that high with no problem. Stripped Skunks "don't" climb :yeah:

If you have skunks around your house and you feed your house cats outside at night time, put the cat food on the picnic table because the skunk can't get to it and the cats will feed up high away from the skunks.

Spotted skunks do so if your dealing with this little bugger then you have to set a small cage trap on the ground away from the bobcat trap to catch the civet in this trap. As for bait for bobcat I find that beaver works best.
JC :hello: