Caught a SKUNK

[patrick_g]

Back in the 60's I used to use a product called "Odor Mute" for removing "organic" odors. A quick Google confirms they are still in business.

Odormute - The one that works!

The product was a water soluble powder and was safe to use on anything water wouldn't hurt (including your body parts.) If I recall correctly it is based on a natural enzyme which "eats" the source of the odor.

It was used at hatcheries to kill rotten egg and dead chick smells. I used it on concrete kennel runs to kill dog feces and urine odors with excellent results.

It is very effective on skunk spray odor. The enzymes destroy the source of the odor, not just mask it or whatever. You can wash the effected object; dog, clopthes, you or... with it and kill the stink. I have used it in a pump up sprayer to spray the ground, grass, and plants. Works and didn't kill the plants.

Tomato juice, bleach, peroxide, spunk water applied in the dark of the moon in a graveyard, etc all have their supporters but Odor Mute works.

Pat

 

[wolc123]

I get a couple skunks in my box traps set in the sweetcorn for coons each year. I also get a few possoms. Each species recieves a different treatment when caught. Skunks get 16 ga. shotgun blast to the head with #6 shot from about 15 yards upwind. Works every time and none of them ever managed to spray a bit. You dont have to be a very good shot to make this work as the shotgun allows a good margin of error to instantly unplug the nervous system which is necessary to eliminate spray. Coons get a single .22 LR at the intersection of an x drawn between the ears and eyes, perpendicular to the skull. Same place I give it to hogs before butchering, and again it works every time. Possoms get a .22 in this same spot and a second one behind the shoulder, thru the lungs. They have tiny pea-brains that are hard to hit and a real good at playing thier name. The lung shot insures that they dont get very far. Since the bottom fell out of the fur market, the best thing for these species is for us farmers to take out all we can using methods such as these. Much more humane than rabies or distemper which will get them if we dont along with some of our pets. Anyone who moves these to another area is nuts in my opinion.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Back in the 50's, my dad and his buddy used to go out to the dumps at night and catch skunks. They would temporarily blind them, pick them up by the tail and toss them into a burlap bag. I used to go with them on occasion and never knew them to get sprayed.

They would use ether to dope the skunks up and remove the scent glands and then sell them to some pet shop in Philadelphia as I recall. I don't know how they pulled them out of the burlap bag to do the "operation". Perhaps my mother who lives with my wife and I will recall.

One of the items that placed out on display when we moved her in with us was a picture of me at about age five with my pet skunk in my lap.

The last time one of my dogs got hit, I washed her with Dawn dishwashing detergent which worked fairly well. She had gotten hit bad in the eyes so I rinsed them with a bottle of saline which I was fortunate to have on hand. I always make it a point to have a bottle around now even though I no longer wear contact lenses.

 

[cisco]

Ether in an old towel or blanket thrown over a trap works, but there's no guarantee that the skunk won't get annoyed/allarmed by the ether smell before it gets sleepy and then passes out. If it does, well, you've a smelly area for awhile, and a towel to burn. Now, as to the post about temporarily blinding skunks with a light and throwing them in a burlap bag - that I'd have to see (and smell). Course, I didn't believe that one could find and then "wrassle" large catfish from their lairs in shallow water - until I witnessed it. I was willing to try to catfish deal after seeing it done once, but think I might hang back awhile before grabbing a skunk and slinging into a burlap (read - permeable to odor) sack......my cat once got "hit" full in the face by a skunk, and my wife won't let the poor animal in the house for a week despite a zillion washings, and you KNOW how much cats like being washed.

 

[RobS]

I've also heard that if you grab them by the tail and yank them off the ground the weight of their body hanging down keeps them from lifting their tail and they cannot spray you. Anyone wanna try that?

I didn't want to derail this thread too badly, but there was a post about this and it was hilarious. I can't remember who posted it but it was quite the read.

Found it here. TexasJohn wrote it and it's just too funny...

 

[MossRoad]

I didn't want to derail this thread too badly, but there was a post about this and it was hilarious. I can't remember who posted it but it was quite the read.

Found it here. TexasJohn wrote it and it's just too funny...

THAT WAS THE ONE!!!

Great reading!

 

[CurlyDave]

and you KNOW how much cats like being washed.

The trick to washing a cat is to use a container of water big enough and deep enough that the cat can not touch the bottom.

If the cat is swimming for its life it is not thinking about clawing you, or at least that is lower on its list than getting out of the bucket.

 

[Chuck52]

We must be in the middle of a large skunk population. Last night the whole family was gathered on the patio and every little bit we would catch a whiff from a nearby skunk. Never did see the beastie. Doesn't seem to be trying to den under the house, so if he leaves us alone we will leave him alone. I hope he's not in the barn....really don't like the idea of walking up on him! But....I can now agree that skunks seem pretty calm for the most part. I figure I can walk away from most confrontations with our striped friends, and we can both go about our affairs.

Chuck

 

[patrick_g]

A buddy gave me a recipe for skunk spray removal. One part each of dish detergent, baking soda and peroxide.

Chuck

Or you can buy Odormute a product expressly for destroying bad odors in a safe but very effective manner.

Odormute - The one that works!
Odormute TM is a blend of natural enzymes and salts that will eliminate any organic odor. The action of Odormute TM chemically changes the source of the odor.

OdorMute

I have used this with great success on concrete kennel runs and unsealed wooden surfaces to eliminate odors from animal feces and urine. It is safe to use on anything that it is safe to use water on. I wouldn't drink it but it didn't hurt my hands when I spilled it on myself while filling a pump up sprayer. It did not hurt the coat of the Afghan Hounds I washed with it. IT does a great job on skunk spray on the lawn, pets, you, porches, walls, etc.

Pat