Small Game, Predator and TrappingFrom shooting squirrels in your backyard to calling coyotes in Arizona. This forum now contains trapping information..
Ok. Im going to make this quick and simple. Don't make this harder than it is and if any of you critizize people don't reply. Here is my simple question. Can you hunt Skunk without damaging there musk smell gland? I was planning to use my bow to kill one that was spraying in my backyard. I set snares up along the fence where big holes are where the Skunk can move through. Im planning to kill it with my 30# bow using Carbon arrows with sharp field points on them. That will take it down. But I don't want to damage that "smell" bladder. Where do I shoot it at? Thanks.
Nope, especially if you are using fieldpoints. Those WILL NOTresult in a quick kill, meaning the skunk would have time spray his musk before he died (if he ever did, arrows kill by hemorage which a fieldtip will not cause, you need a razor sharp broadhead for that) If you are really going to try this, I would recommend you attempt a skull/neck vertebrea shot that will shut down the nervous system of the skunk, paralyzing him before he can ever contract the muscles to spray.
I would imagine though, no matter how you kill the skunk, some smell will be emited because once the animal dies, the muscles around the sphincter that keep the musk contained will relax and the musk will be able to leak out. Its the same principle that cause animals to defecate/urinate after death; the relaxation of muscles.
Ok. I got him. Today around 6:00 P.M, I saw him moving along side my fence. I quickly ran inside to my room and grabbed my bow, a dozen arrows, and my quiver. I went outside and set an arrow on the string. It was only about 18-20 feet away but it didn't see me at all. My first shot was off by a couple inches, and it hit the wooden fence,but my next shot slammed into the Skunks side. Boy was that funny. It kicked around and struggled, but the field point was to deep and it bled out. I kept my distance though. I pulled the arrow out and brought the Skunk back to cleaned it. That was when I did a boo-boo. My knife must have hit it's musk gland and it stunk my garage really bad. Well this post is no longer a talking subject, I took care of it.
Never killed one that didn't spray yet .22-250,12ga pointblank,.22 Hp Stingers and one with an axe.Conibear traps as well....................Expect to be friendless for up to 6 weeks and after every downpour for a bit longer.....Harold
Well I have its meat in the Freezer. I don't know what im going to do with it. I think there is a second Skunk though. Today my dogs went crazy and ran outside. I then smelled more Skunk spray. So im going to try something different. Im going to cut up some apples, bread, and some ham and set it in my yard. Tonight im going to climb into my tree with my bow and wait until it smeels the food and comes to it. I placed the food 15 feet from the tree. Those field points I have do take the Skunk down. They are effective but leave the Skunk to struggle when I hit it. No worrys. Im to far away to get the full blast of skunk smell.
Here's a good one.My wife volunteered me to get rid of a skunk that had fallen intothe window well of her friends house they had just sold.Lucky me...As it turned out it was alsleep when I peaked into the window well and the neighbours were entertaining company having a BBQ.Well a sleeping skunk can be grabbed by the tail and rumour has it they can't spray without their hind legs braced.Unproven theory.I was thinking of cashing in on America's Funniest Home Videos by grabbing and tossing the sleeping skunk over the fence crashing the party.Reconsidered and choked him out with a pole snare.So much for fame and fortune......Harold
SKUNK HUNTING
