Varmint Safety Tips

[rickyrick]

When a skunk enters an old piece of 4 inch pvc pipe ....don't think "what an easy shot" ........think "what effect will my close proximity muzzle blast have on the pipe and skunk?"


I will let yalls imaginations fill in the blanks.

[PawPaw]

My eyes are watering just thinking about it.

[Pahoo]

I've often said that in my Midwest woods, there is only one critter I fear and that is a skunk. Thank goodness that most will give you ample warning about what they will do. I'd hate to see the mess that your Great Adventure left. My neghbor had a compost pile or at least, that is what he called it. It was actually a dump at the end of his garden. It drew in the skunks and he decided to trap them. More than once, on a warm summer night, you could tell that one got trapped. ....


Be Safe !!!

[Art Eatman]

In the hands of a nine-year-old, even a razor-sharp Boy Sprout hatchet is not sharp enough to readily dispatch Pepe LePew.

Don't ask. Just believe.

[FrontSight]

We need smell-o-rama video of this!!!

[rickyrick]

Well, a little more detail....

skunk crawled into pipe, making for a handy container for final disposition of the skunk.

shooter got into a prone firing position with muzzle a couple of feet from the opening of the pipe,

shooter fired into pipe, aiming at skunk's backside,

bullet, shockwave and gases entered the PVC pipe,

bullet strikes skunk in the biological weapon center causing bullet damage, releasing skunk fluids,

nearly simultaneous actions of pressure in the pipe and the skunk partially obstructing the pipe caused the PVC pipe to explode into pieces of assorted sizes and shapes.

to the shooters suprize, pieces of skunk coated debris rained down on him, leaving him smelly and disappointed in the fact that he no longer had a vessel suited to carry off the skunk remains.

then explained to the wife why he smells of skunk, while pleading to be let in the house.

[spclPatrolGroup]

When I was a kid my grandfather came and borrowed a boom box and some of our music, I didnt know why, he allways hated our music (80's hair metal), turns out there was a skunk in his lumber yard hiding in a shed where they kept insulation. He turned on the radio really loud, put it in there, the next morning the skunk was no where to be seen. He said the idea came to him when us grandchildren were over and he had to retreat to his shop to get away from all the racket.

[Pahoo]

Now, I've been told and don't really want to prove it but a skunk cannot discharge without first lifting it's tail. Again, that if you lift a skunk by the tail, you should not have a problem. I think trappers could have the last word on this. .....

If you could have put the pipe into a bag and discharged auto exhaust fumes into it, it would have killed the skunk. ....

Be Safe !!!

[aarondhgraham]

A friend of mine called and asked to borrow a rifle,,,
He had a skunk in his back yard.

The only rifle I had shells for was a British .303.

Half an hour later I heard the rifle go off,,,
10 minutes later I smelled that distinctive odor,,,
My friend was in my front yard reeking of dead skunk.

Apparently the skunk hid under an old truck,,,
He got on the ground and held the rifle within a foot of the stinker.

Plenty of gun cleaner eventually got the smell off of the metal,,,
I stripped the stock and soaked it in tomato juice,,,
Nothing would get the smell out of the wood,,,
I had to buy a new stock for it.

Maybe it was just my imagination,,,
But I swear I could always detect a tinge of skunk.

Aarond

[jimbob86]

Skunks: Hi-Powered rifles turn them into Nature's suicide bombers.

[Hog Buster]

A couple of years ago I caught a skunk in a live trap. I didn’t want to shoot him in it because of the mess it would make and/or possibly damage the trap. I knew that if I could get the trap turned on it’s side and free the door it would open and Mr. Skunk could be on his way.

Of course all this had to be done at a distance for obvious reasons. I took a casting rod and tied a large sinker on the line, After several casts, at a distance, I was able to hook the trap enough to pull it over on it’s side. But, there was a problem, how to get the door open. Presently I located a cane pole about 15 feet long and fashioned a hook, made from a piece of wire, to the end of it.

So far the skunk had taken the trap overturning well and was just going with the flow, like he knew what I was trying. I managed to get the door hooked with the cane pole and pulled the door open. Out Mr. Skunk ran, headed for parts unknown. I was satisfied. During the encounter I got a whiff of skunk now and then, but no more than if one had passed nearby.

When I entered the house it was a different story. I quickly noticed, and so did my wife, that distinctive smell, and it was coming from me. I was forced back outside to strip.

The skunk had never become agitated or sprayed during this whole episode, in fact he had taken it rather well. I guess that he knew something that I didn’t. That if you get too close to a skunk, in this case about 15 feet, even without a spray job, they can stink you up. I’ll bet he laughed all the way home......

[Pahoo]

A few years back, we rented a resort cabin up by BlackDuck Minn. Most every evening, I walked the gravel road. One evening, the resort owner's dog, decided to tag along and I was fine with that. After about 10 minutes walk, I spotted a skunk on the road and kept my distance. The dog spotted it as well and took very little interest. I didn't think there would be a problem as I was sure by now, that the dog was skunk smart. Wrong ...

The Skunk went into the ditch and the dog went in as well trying to figure out where it went. Thar she blew and the dog lunged out of the ditch. Now the dog wants to get back to walking with me and I'm trying to keep him away. Finally cut my walk short but did not tell the owner what had happened. Didn't have to as he had no trouble figuring it out. .....


Be Safe !!!

[Scorch]

rickyrick-
I laughed so hard I was crying!

My lesson in skunk spray is that when the sun shines from behind you, you see the spray in beautiful tecnicolor. So if you see a rainbow appear around you, you're skunked.

Another lesson I learned is don't try shooting a skunk at night with a spotlight unless you know the range. Actually, I suppose the advice should be don't go see if you hit him unless you are sure you did.

[Art Eatman]

Post-skunk cleanup efforts can have a white Alsatian Shepherd turn the most absolutely bee-yootiful shade of pink.

It's not nice to laugh at a sensitive dog.

[Chuck Dye]

When I had to deal with skunk scent and tried tomato juice, all I did was ruin a lot of tomato juice. A phone call to a biochemist friend working with mercaptans, the odor element in skunk scent, led me to use bleach at the lowest dilution I could tolerate. The skunk juice was immediately descented by the chlorine.

[nathaniel]

Now, I've been told and don't really want to prove it but a skunk cannot discharge without first lifting it's tail. Again, that if you lift a skunk by the tail, you should not have a problem. I think trappers could have the last word on this. .....

Actually they have to be able to push their back legs against something. When I was younger I used to catch skunks by running by them from the side and grabbing thier tails. You had to lift them off the ground before they could brace with their back legs to spray. If your shooting them make sure its either a head shot or a lung shot. They are like old people they cant fart unless they take a big breath, brace their feet, and push really hard.

[swopjan]

Post-skunk cleanup efforts can have a white Alsatian Shepherd turn the most absolutely bee-yootiful shade of pink.

It's not nice to laugh at a sensitive dog.

what if you're laughing from really far away? because i am

[mete]

The vet approved skunk juice remover contains liquid soap, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda.

[Daryl]

I don't even have to use my imagination on this one. See, I've become somewhat of an expert at killing skunks over the last few years. The henhouse seems to draw them like evil flies, and they have to be dealt with.

I suppose I've killed some 50 skunks (conservative estimate) over the last 3 or so years. A havahart trap and a dunk tank are the cleanest tools to use, but I've used a firearm many times, too.

A shotgun blows them into "skunk chunks", and a .22 lets them spray almost invariably...or at least leak. It's a messy job, but I've found few volunteers willing to help.

Daryl