Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles New skunk fact.

Skunks with extra white have extra strong smelling power. But one 22 unleashes its power.

That stinks!

The other day I went to visit my old buddy, O.T. at the mower shop. O.T. had just gotten in from turkey hunting. I asked him if he'd had any luck. He said he had not seen any gobblers, but he'd managed to shoot a skunk and a grey fox. They had both come to his tree yelping.

"Why did you shoot the skunk?" I asked.

"Oh, he was sneaking up on the skunk, fixin' to eat him." said O.T.

"So why did you shoot the skunk?"

"I just don't like skunks." he replied.

Years ago while driving home from work late one night I saw a momma skunk with several babies in the middle of the road directly ahead of my vehicle. Momma skunk was obviously having a difficult time herding all her cluster of little ones in the same direction at the same time.

I remembered that my wife had mentioned several times that she would like to have a baby skunk to raise so of course I thought here is my big chance.

Apparently momma skunks will spray their babies if they feel they are threatened and one smells every bit as bad as three.

End of story - I drove on home with all windows cranked open and without any baby skunks.

Gotta ask: what's the source of this little bit of science? Sounds more like folklore to me.

Took a long time for me to figure out how to shoot one without it spraying, and even then, it was an OLD trapper that clued me: mild 22 rim, from a distance, and ribs/paunch....will often (not always) make skunk think something 'bit' them or such, and they'll die slowly, w/no reflex spray. Works way better than head shots. Fact. Cruel or stinky, your choice.

Have heard both ways of doing it. Never wanted one bad enough to find out. Figure if I ever really want one, will just buy one already tanned and save the drama...

I have found no rule that works. Most times they spray. This one went down on his side, started to raise his leg but just moved it a little and stopped. That was it. But it did stink. Used one shot, 22lr at about 40 yards.

Once when I was young and dumb (not old and dumb like I am now), I took a Hail Mary shot at a pheasant at around 150 yards with a .243. Took its head clean off. As visions of a pheasant dinner danced in my head, a skunk ran out of the bushes and grabbed the bird. Naturally I swung on it and splattered him across the landscape. When I got down there the stench was so terrible, and the bird was covered with skunk slime so badly, that I turned my back on the whole idea.

Makes ya wonder if skunk turds stink worse than any other turds.

Great question!

While young and dumb, and now exhibiting such by admitting as much, I too encountered the goo. Had myself a bit of a trap line and one afternoon while checking for success found myself in quite a mess, there being lil' Pepe LePew. This was my first grown-up catch, I'd moved beyond mountain boomers, the occasional weasel in their tunnels and such, thus I applied what I knew. Rather than take a crack with the Woodsman and make a racket, thought I, just one whack with my 'Slugger will do. So I schemed up a plan and preceded with an alder pole to pin him, then I'd just finish him... My plan failed fast as I was hit with a blast - straight to the face - eyes in distress - direct from his ass, and the burning ensued. I managed to flush it out in the creek, the sting hasn't fully gone away I think, and then took out my revenge, avoiding the 22 to the end. It was quite a stench, not a pleasant skunkyness one may endure, a lesson that lingered for days and a fond memory now shared with you

I had one chase me across a field once during bow season! He was hell bent on getting I ran a pretty long ways before he decided it wasn't worth it.

Some years ago a co-worker's nephew was backpacking when he found an old cabin and decided to spend the night in it. During the night a skunk wandered in and he shot it with his 357 Mag. He later burned his high grade down sleeping bag.

How many other turds have you sampled?

I didn't mention taste, only smell.

I had my son laughing so hard he was nearly crying this past hunting season...

Took him on one of Mulie Mike's mgmt buck hunts out in Sonora. While sitting in a blind one afternoon trying to get a mature doe for meat (had already shot a buck that morning, I see something white as can be about 150yds upwind. It keeps moving our way, so I take a look thru the binos... SKUNK! Keeps coming straight at us! Finally at about 50yds I scramble out of the blind, tripping, etc. and start throwing rocks at it trying to scare it off. Didn't want to shoot it as we were still trying to get a doe, but think the commotion I ended up causing was probably just as bad... Haha!

They have to arch their back to spray. If you break their back, they die quickly, without spraying. I have had the best luck using a 12 gauge with #4 buck from 10-15 yards away. Every now and then, a pellet won't hit the spine and they will spray a little in their death spasm, so stay upwind--but they do die quickly!

I will add that I use an Ithaca Deer Slayer with a cylinder choked barrel. An improved cylinder might be more effective.

When I was a teenager I did some trapping and one morning I caught a large skunk and shot it with a 22 rifle and left it for after school to remove. It was a cold windy day and the trap set was in a small ravine picked up the trap with skunk still in it and opened the jaws and allowed it to drop on the ground. The smell was strong and the wind seemed to be placing it everywhere. I felt a little light headed, the smell was that strong. Went back a day or so later and the skunk was gone, most likely a fox?

I had several skunks as pets while growing up. Only had one descented. They use to sleep in the ash bin beneath the coal furnace. You had to be careful to get them out in the morning before you used the shaker to drop all the ashes. When I lived in New Mexico, I irrigated off cement ditch that was higher than the field. So when you wanted to water a border, you opened the gate. Skunks would always be up in that pipe and they got rolled out with slug of water. You didn't want to mess with them as they were sorely pi$$ed. The neighbor would run up behind them grab them by the tail and swing them around until he got near fence post to bash them on. I saw him do it 3-4 times, but was never brave enough to try it myself. Drowning works good if you get them in liver trap as long as they Don't see you, or bang the trapping the water tank.