It coulda been ugly..........

[jwoods]

I'm in the process of building a polebarn/sawmill shed/man cave.  Typical to this process I keep ladders, lumber, and other valuables under a tarp, so as to keep the weather off.

2 weeks ago I pulled up the tarp to start the day, and a racoon had taken up residence. My blue heeler typically doesn't like them very well, and made a quick disposal.

Last night after supper, work was to commence.  The dog was there, and started to get excited about the pile again.  I thinks to myself, "oh great, got another coon".  Called the wife and boys to come over and see what's in there, gonna watch the dog do his work.

......Pulled back the tarp and got a good look at a white and black tail flying full staff, and looking right at me, the dog, kids and wife. 

-we moved FAST!  -it never sprayed thankfully, called off the dog, 1 hour later got the critter.......man I dislike skunks that close.

I was sprayed years ago.  It's one thing to drive past a dead one on the highway and say ...."whew that smells"  It's another thing to have it permeated in your nose and skin for a day.

The worst part is it ruined the work for the night.

Oh well, it coulda been ugly........ :D

[metalspinner]

Called the wife and boys to come over and see what's in there,

Pulled back the tarp and got a good look at a white and black tail flying full staff, and looking right at me, the dog, kids and wife

You never would have lived that down. :D   smiley_smelly_skunk

[Sawyerfortyish]

My father was a fur buyer and he always said thats the smell of money. Then he would go on to tell of the days that the state had a bounty on skunks and he could make almost as much skunk hunting as my grandfather would make milking cows in a week.

[jwoods]

You're not kidding I wouldn'a lived it down.

The 5-and-2 year old cheering section through the screen window was funny enough.....Dad! Did you get him?? Do you need tomato Juice???
I do a little trapping and skinning, but just can't bring myself to try skinning skunks and extracting essence.........I understand fully why a dog will roll in ditch water trying to get away from that smell.

kinda makes me gag just thinkin' about it.

[ellmoe]

   Years ago we had a fox hound that loved to kill skunks. I guess she either really disliked them or loved the aroma. I hated it everytime she found one. She would smell as bad as the skunk.

Mark

[Sawyerfortyish]

I've skinned many skunks we would save them up in the winter and hang them out back and they would freeze and when dad thought there was enough I'de start skinning. You wouldn't smell no worse skinning 20 or 30 of them than if you only did one. The thing that really got me was mink there glands are worse you just couldn't breath.

[John S]

I thought that the Space's were the only ones in Sussex County that skinned mink and skunks!  You must know Fred, Eric and Parker.  I pick up deer for them 3 days a week and just purchased a little Woodmizer LT-15.
John S.

[Sawyerfortyish]

yep know the family and even knew there father Ralph. When I was younger and went there with dad we would get a tour on the golf cart. Always loved the old car collection and the gun collection.
Where you located around here John? Congrats on the woodmizer.

[WV_hillbilly]

   Wow  you lucked out on that one . Don't ya just hate when things can/will  go wrong that you have an audience . I haven't had the dog trouble yet  , that could change this year as we have a 6 month old beagle that will chase/attack anything that runs from it .

Not to hijack this thread but ,  on Sept. 5th - 7th the Ohio State Trappers will be holding our state Convention  at the Allen County Fairgrounds  in Lima . Hopefully I will get too talk to Eric Space as he has a wealth of knowledge about snaring animals . I met him last year after he did a demo at the convention . It's a small world isn't it .

[jwoods]

WV Hillbilly.......

That isn't a hijack at all.....you gonna be at the convention?  I'm planning on going -both Friday and Saturday if possible. I'm only 40 minutes away from Lima.   Maybe we can meet.


Joe Woods

[John S]

40ish
I am in Sandyston on the edge of Stokes and Kittatinny Lake.  Eric is working on snappers right about now.  The whole Space family is like a living encyclopedia on wildlife.  Fred once told me about how his father (Ralph), when he was a kid went on a wagon ride up to Middletown to see Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

[Sawyerfortyish]

Hillbilly watch the fur market a huge dealer in Canada just went belly up. I personally know of two smaller dealers that between them lost over half a million$ because of it. The fur market is sinking like a rock and i'm glad i'm not in the fur business anymore. At least when the bottom falls out of the log market you can still burn it.
John S I knew a guy that lived for catching snappers. He would come aroud and open up the back of his pickup and it was full of big ones. He would take them to the city and get if I remember right 6-8 bucks a pound. He would catch 6-800 lbs a week. they tell me there are like 7 differant kinds of meat in a snapper. But I've never tryed it. I can't get the smell of of that swamp muck out of my nose to try them.

[krusty]

man you guys are tellin' some awesome stories!

I skinned a skunk.................. once...........

[WV_hillbilly]

  Hey Joe  I'll be there from Thursday till Sunday until tear down . If you look around the tailgaters section I shouldn't be hard to find . I will have a space set up plus be helping with the Convention . Look for a red/pewter ext cab GMC  selling choke tubes and reloading stuff .  Also be on the look out for a silver Polaris Ranger as I shouldn't be too far away from it . I go by the same screenname on the OSTA website also  . My name is Dan Morris in case they don't recognize the WVHillbilly

Sawyerfourtyish

  I know what ya mean about the fur market  it's getting rough and gas cost isn't helpin out . Around here it is hard finding a dealer to buy raw furs . I ended up having to flesh and stretch them so I could sell them at a fur auction . I really like the chalenge of out smartin them  furbearers . Sometimes they can have you scratchin your head tryin to out do them . 

[HOOF-ER]

 :D First mink dad skinned was in the basement. It was cold out and it was nice down there. Needless to say he hit the glands with a couple of cuts. Mom decided that was the end of skinning in the basement. I was probably 9 or 10 still  very vivid in my memory. ;D  The local fur buyers son was experienced with skunk ,all the local trappers gave him any skunks and he did all the skinning.

[Brad_bb]

Regarding tarps..you have to be careful as tarps can trap moisture too.  It's important to maintian airflow to prevent moisture buildup on whatever you are protecting.  Moisture comes up from the ground and can often condense on tarp too.  Whenever I see someone put a tarp over a classic car, especially if it's sitting in the yard or even over gravel, I cringe.  That's the fastest way to destroy a car.  It promotes rust and mildew.  You should never keep anything over grass as a lot of moisture comes up from the ground and creates a rusty environment.  Gravel is not too much better.  Best to keep it on concrete if it must be outside.  Even plastic under the car to stop the moisture from coming up is better than gravel or grass.  Even stuff kept inside, if the temps swing through the dew point, water will condense on cold things like metal.  Even if not heated, insulation to prevent quick temp changes and even dehumidifcation are desireable.

I have one skunk living under my front cement porch now.  I've encountered him in the yard at night and kept my distance and reassure him so he doesn't get nervous and spray.  I don't want to kill him as I'm afraid he'll spray if I do before he dies.  They carry mainge and rabies many times so I want to get rid of him.  I'm planning to evict him by building a one way trap dor from some 2X4's and 1/8 inch plywood and hinges to place over his entrance.  He'll get out and won't get back in.  Then I'll fill in the entrance with rock and dirt.

[ely]

brad, just shoot the skunk with a high power pellet gun, in the lungs. it should just run off and it will die when its lungs fill with blood , hopefully not under the porch, if it does just fill the hole with dirt and the smell will stay under there. or feed it some anti freeze.

[Sawyerfortyish]

Dad used to set a leg hold trap for them and have it on a long pole. When he would catch one he would pick up the end of the long pole and lift the skunk in the air. Skunks can't spray unless they can get a foot on the ground. He would walk the skunk out of sight and smelling distance before shooting it.

[ely]

i remember a man that did that only he would let the skunk down into a creek for awhile.

[sawmilllawyer]

Careful boys, you might get the PETCA folks riled up, and we just would'nt want to do that, now would we? Andy.

[trapper]

as long as this thread is already hijacked wisconsin has their state trapping convention on sept 5, 6,7, also at Marshfield.  I plan on going to the logging congress on friday and the trapping convention saturday.