I've only skinned one...... Thought I was tough , I AM a trapper and all, I do like the smell of lure, couldn't be worse then a yote. Figured it couldn't be THAT bad, YEAH RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! But once a started, I wasn't going to quit. Got the thing tanned just for proof. My hats off to you skunk skinners. Don't think I 'll be doing it again.

its not that bad once I got the glands out it was clear sailing. I dont mind skinning them at all.




Bob

I skin almost every skunk I get. Some, that are tore up by a predator, gets used for a new attractor at the set. Just remember to wear skinning gloves, ALWAYS, when dealing with skunks, and becareful with your knife around the rear end! I can't believe more people don't extract the essence either, what a shame. It only takes a few minutes to extract it and if done right it is a fairly stink free process. Skunks will earn you money if you take advantage of what they offer. I think a tanned skunk pelt is awful pretty on the wall too.

Yodog, I hear ya bud, skinned my first this year too, looked like a member of the bomb squad for sure.LOL Swore I smelled skunk for 3 days straight afterwards. Greasy little buggers aint they? He had a little smell on him, so I did the dishsoap,baking soda, and peroxide thing on the pelt, and he dried in 2 days with very little grease left on the pelt at all. I'm sure the dishsoap had something to do with that. I too feel I Earned my stripes and he's getting tanned also.LOL

i don't skin them but my dad does

Sorry guys, even if it means less points on my man card, I WILL NOT skin a skunk...If they were worth $50.00 I would not skin one.

That Smell --------Love That smell

wish i had a nickel

If you have a skunk with alot of scent on it - I leave the trap on it and place it in a stream overnight. The running water will wash away the scent. IT WORKS. I've been doing it for 50+ years.

DLM is correct, that is the old time way. I have skinned a lot of em and you learn not to cut the sacs real fast. No worse than any thing else....
When you are first trying to learn I would suggest keeping the baking soda/peroxide/dawn mixture ready to use and forget the tomato juice as it does not work ever. Just makes you wet and stinkin' instead of just stinkin'
I gotta tell you...a fired up weasel is the one thing I hate to skin. They are nasty for no bigger than they are.

Easier to skin than a yote for sure.Skin a doz or so every yr.Nothin to it & I cut the whole gland out & when I get enough of them I extract the juice.

I've netted close to $2000 this year alone on skunks, yes I skin 'em!!

I do! Love those critters. They're just a bit stinky, is all Some of the prettiest fur out there, IMO.

Keep the poroxide/baking soda mixture handy and there's nothing too them. I just skin really shallow around their rear-ends and remember to not apply too much pressure around that area either.

Best part about them is 50% will stink after dispatching and 50% won't. I can live with that Plus, I'd rather skin 5 skunks over one coon or beaver. They flesh like a dream.

-Skunkly-

What mixture of baking soda, peroxide do you use to clean the stink off. I skun 5 of them this year. I caught them in fox set in January this year. No snow this year in MN.

I skin them & collect the quil. Only caught 2 this season but wish it was 22.

I can get all the Skunks I want from the Dog Warden. People are always calling him about a Skunk in the yard. Never thought it would be worth the effort.

He knows what he's talking about. Just as easy to flesh as a muskrat.

I love skunks! I can skin 100 of them in a week. OR MORE. Plus flesh, plus tan...
Love their smell. Even if I'm right on top of it. I don't see what the big deal is. Once it reaches a certain strength it doesn't get any worse... it does level off and get tolerable really fast.
Now, rotting carcasses, those make me gag and want to barf.
BUT - Skunks? Easy as pie! So pretty and soft, too.

I think I'm going to do one of those novelty mounts "a skunk's butt with a squirt attachment". Saw the idea on eBay, about died laughing.

My hats are off to you tainted-bait-makers, people who braintan without gloves on, and skull-rotters!

Mickey's Dad... you can still make that $50, without skinning a skunk.
Talk to your local taxidermists about selling whole frozen skunks.

Some are wussies and won't work with them, but others see the cashola (a mount usually goes for over $200 and they are easy to mount; forms cost under $40!) and will put the Vicks under their nose and get to work.

I saw an UGLY yellow narrow stripe MI skunk go for $75 on eBay, frozen whole, #2 fur quality, and stinky! Couldn't believe it. That was about 2 weeks ago, too. That's got to be one happy seller. I was wishing mine were back from the tannery right about then.

I caught 5 skunks in 3 days a couple of years ago, I was at a rancher friends house and the wife wouldn't even let me in!! And I was careful about the stink..I have a taxidermist friend that was mounting a skunk for the Forest service, he was being very careful around the glands but nicked it and got squirted in the face, He swore never again!!