Lots of skunk questions lately, Had a good one today so let learn.
What makes a good skunk?
Heavy fur and WIDE Snow White Stripes, this is pretty heavy for mid Sept.


Okay lets skin it.

I start with them laid out on the table.


Cut from the end of the tail to the base, and from the base down both legs. Keep your knife in the fur around the vent not in the bald area and don't go very deep.


Cut just below the vent connecting the legs,


For optimum money leave the feet on your skunks.
Peel the hind legs down and remove at the end of the toes.
Now cut from the front pad to the elbow.


Time to hang on the gambrel.
Skin out the tail.


Give a good pull to the shoulders and pull the front leg until the foot comes through the cut.


skin the fronts down to the ends of the toes and we are ready for the skull.


Carefully cut straight in on the ear buds and the eye this shows the ear eye and mouth corner. all close together.


Finish off the nose and your done.

Now go back to the table and with a sharp knife care fully skin around the Pods and remove.



From here you can use a syringe to remove the essence or store untill later.

Fine job but I take the pods off before I skin less to worry about.

Great picture lesson!

Now for a rookie question... what do you do with the pods? I understand they are used to make lures for trapping. But how does a guy even think about extracting the essence from the pods without getting a big dose of that smell all over? Or do you sell the pods similar to beaver castor? Are you drying the pods at all?

Thanks Monster Toms. Great information.

I have an "extraction table" out behind the house.
With a 30ml or so syringe and 14 gauge needle insert and extract the essence. There are two seperate pods; each hold between 10 and 35 ml.


After each side I store the essence in 8oz canning jars 6-10 skunks will fill it up.


Depending on the buyer some will like the mustard with it others not, in that case useing a syringe without the needle suck up and transfer clean essence to another jar. Empty pods are stored in gallon bags in the freezer.

I'd love to use as much of the critter as possible if/when I catch one... but how much crap am I going to get due to the smell of this? haha

I don't mind the smell, actually I'm fond of it. It is the other people around that would complain... and I've got to share a freezer/fridge/work shop with them. So one bad case of skunk essence extracting gone bad and I'd be out of a freezer/fridge/shop for working on traps!

Excellent tutorial, and a great bunch of photos.

Thank you very much for doing this ! Great photos !

Here is a Skunk Anatomy photo that might help identify some key areas on a skunk...



Enjoy
Later
Bill

Thanks for the tutorial!
I may add a word from today's experience.
If you do not separate the pods from the base of the tail, DO NOT pull down on the tail when hanging on the gambrel!
My pants are now hanging in the woods behind the hunting shack, and to say the wife is not impressed would be an understatement!

Thanks for the great tutorial. I just had one question about leaving the feet on. I'm a little confused, leave the whole paw on? Could you show a picture of this. T

Skin the foot out, don't leave any bone in.

im new to trapping this year and i hope i get to try my luck with a skunk! it doesnt bring the money but what the heck! you cant always pick and choose what you catch!! but you can make the best out of a bad situation!

Doesnt bring the money? You would be shocked how much you can make off of skunks if put up right and you get the juice and pods. Had a guy get 48 bucks for one skunk at nafa last year.

$48 for one skunk? that is nuts!

Thanks,Monster Toms,excellent instructional post and pictures and one for the Archives.

I agree. Great thread! Thank you.

I agree great instructions and pics. I think I will keep my skunks this year. Thanks.

I agree great instructions and pics. I think I will keep my skunks this year. Thanks.

Whats the average $ on skunk?

Skunks averaged $2.76 at NAFA's Feb. auction this year.

Great tutorial, thank you guys very much. Does anyone make a worthwhile dvd for skunks?

Kyle Kaatz Skunks: the best investment you'll ever make (that's the title)

Why do you they want the feet skinned out? Where do you sell skunk juice, i mean where could i sell it, do people sell it by shipping it like pelts.?

Most of the better skunks are sold to the novelty/trinket market when people are looking for tanned furs they prefer ones with the feet and claws intact. You are on your own to find a market for essence. Get in touch with lure makers, find out how they want it packaged and shipped.

if you fisher trap you got some of the best lure around for them out of that sack

I'm wondering, I haven't seen any skunks lately,Not in this area of SW Louisiana. Have we had a die off. I usually catch a few when I'm coyotoes trapping. Not this year.

nice job. are looks like you do a little rifle reloading!

michael

Very well done. Skunks are one of my favorite target animals. I also remove the sent pods before I finish the skinning, just in case...LOL . Tom

cut the glands out befor you skin them... trust me

Im new to this myself, how would i go about cutting the glands out before i skin? A tutorial would be great in this post.

Are these skunks stink/smell free when you start this process or do you just gasp your way through this?

I had one skunk I caught in a coni box that was stink free this year all the rest stunk and stunk worse after being shot, I take it these are killed with a syringe pole?

Here's a helpful tutorial http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,66879.0.html
You CAN cut out the bulbs before you get too far into the skinning, but it'd be difficult without being to work around the tail.

As for the essence-in-a-jar thing, remember to scoop the film off the top of the jar to keep it from mucking up your product.