Striped Skunks?

[Jack's My dog]

Many years ago I read a study on game bird mortality or success. The study showed the in similar conditions such as habitat and weather, that racoons, possum and skunks are much harder on the game bird population like ducks, pheasants, grouse, etc. than fox and coyotes are.

I read that somewhere too. I just try to shoot the damn things before my dogs get sprayed. My extremely stupid short hair got sprayed twice and bit by one in the same weekend.

The one time I ran into a skunk with the dog I was able to call the dogs off before they got into it with the skunk...the dogs were more interested in looking for birds anyways. Presented with a situation in which it is likely the dog would get sprayed and I had a clear shot...bye bye "PE PE Le pew".

[sgruenhagen44]

I absolutely shoot skunks on site to. Reasons already discussed in this thread. My wife about killed me when we were driving a road back from her parents house and I made a quick stop off the side of the road , jumped out of the car and drew my 1911 down on a skunk that was parading around the ditch in broad daylight. This is on a gravel road in south central North Dakota, don't worry no safety issues.....besides my own safety when I got back into the car....should have left my ear protection on for the ride into town

Is that even legal?

I doubt any one would think twice in Midwestern Minnesota if they saw you doing this. In the cities.. you would be on the way to the cop shop for sure.

Perfectly legal in north dakota, south dakota, and iowa. Shooting from gravel into road ditches is fine. Just can't be walkin black top. Hunting is hunting. We would always walk road ditches in Iowa for roosters. Road huntin skunks, road huntin roosters. Whats the difference?

[bensdad]

I see very few bullet deaths (for animals) as inhumane. Think about it. What do animals die from sans guns? Starvation. Disease. Predation. Vehicular crittercide. Freeze. De-hydration. Even a less-than-perfect lethal shot would certainly be no worse (and probably better) than any of those deaths. Everything's gonna die. Might as well go lights-out to my .223. Beats the heck out of starving to death because an animal has grown old and can no longer hunt or digest food.

[sgruenhagen44]

Agreed!

[FJ540]

Skunks are shot on sight for me too.

Saw a red fox while walking Tuesday, that was pretty cool. Fox get a pass for now, because every video I have of them is eating mice - love those fuzzy bastards!

[MNCarry]

Depends. On if I'm up or down wind.

Coyotes; anywhere it's legal; 24/7, 365. I'm not persuaded that all the shooting in the world is ever going to seriously impact them. Cats, more and more as the folks who let me hunt their land want them gone.

The rest on the unprotected list I've probably dropped at one time or another. With the exception of 'Monk Parakeets'. Can't say I've ever seen one.

And no, I don't eat any of 'em.

[grousemaster]

I absolutely shoot skunks on site to. Reasons already discussed in this thread. My wife about killed me when we were driving a road back from her parents house and I made a quick stop off the side of the road , jumped out of the car and drew my 1911 down on a skunk that was parading around the ditch in broad daylight. This is on a gravel road in south central North Dakota, don't worry no safety issues.....besides my own safety when I got back into the car....should have left my ear protection on for the ride into town

Is that even legal?

It is indeed.

[Jackpine Savage]

I don't kill much stuff that I don't eat, but, skunks and chipmunks around the house get shot. We have dogs that live in the house and when they get hit by a skunk it is a hassle trying to get them cleaned up, and you never can eliminate the smell entirely.

A few years ago my lab got zapped. Shortly before it happened my DW had bought a jacket from Fleet Farm. About a week after the skunk event I tried to return the jacket for some reason or another. The clerk got kind of funny look on her face and left with the jacket to talk to the manager. The manager came back and said they couldn't take the jacket back because it smelled like skunk , I guess after while you don't notice the smell.

[river_boater]

There's a certain percentage of people who like the smell of skunk. I am one of them. Doesn't bother me at all.

Really.

[xd ED]

There's a certain percentage of people who like the smell of skunk. I am one of them. Doesn't bother me at all.

Really.

I agree. A slight, 'off in the distance' odor is not unpleasant; sorta like that waft of 'country air' around dairy farms.

However, having your recently sprayed dog in the backseat of your car is a different matter.

And there's this from wiki.answers.com:

Is there skunk oil in perfume?

Yes indeed. They use the musk from a skunk or a civet cat as a constituent that carries the scent of the perfume. The distilled water and types of oil that are in perfume will not hold the perfume's scent for very long at all, so they use the skunk/cat oil because the main compound in the musk (butyl mercaptan) holds a scent for a very long time. If you have ever been sprayed by a skunk, or know someone who has been sprayed by a skunk, you should understand that the smell lasts for several days. Perfumes usually do not last that long though, because the amount of musk is very little and very deluded. So, perfume might last a couple days as opposed to a weeks or so, but at least that means you're not wearing as much skunk piss as you originally thought. isn't that comforting?

[grousemaster]

There's a certain percentage of people who like the smell of skunk. I am one of them. Doesn't bother me at all.

Really.

You talking about your college days?


I showed up to more than a couple parties where the smell of skunk was apparent....then the long hairs came piling up from the basement