Skunks in full rut.

OKRattler

Well-known member
I've seen a total of 8 skunks in a week. Shot 3 yesterday,1 the day before and 1 the day before that. Four skunks were in the same field. My theory is they're breeding right now and they're traveling to areas that smell like skunk. Which would explain why I shot three in the same field yesterday. I'm heading back out this evening to see if I can't get some more killed.

I've been shooting the .223,might take the .17HMR out today. It's a smelly job but someone's gotta do it.
 
Tips to a successful skunk hunt.

1. Find an area with a considerable amount of skunk activity.

2. Stay upwind and wait.

3. Repeat until you run out of skunks.
 
I take the dog on an early morning walk, bike trail. It has snow on it now, but lots of skunk activity. I can smell them, then see tracks & at least one hole.

I don’t want to see any skunk when out with the dog.
 
I've been quail huntin and had a dog sprayed right in front of me. I've also been sprayed myself. There ain't nothin fun about that.

No matter what I'm huntin,if I see a skunk I'm automatically skunk huntin. I exterminate them any chance I get by any means necessary.
 
Saw my first woodchuck of the year yesterday. Out on top of 30" of snow,had a what is all this white stuff look. Not sure what the woodchuck would eat right now.
 
Originally Posted By: spotstalkshootSaw my first woodchuck of the year yesterday. Out on top of 30" of snow,had a what is all this white stuff look. Not sure what the woodchuck would eat right now.
"I thought cousin Phil saw his shadow. He's full of....."
 
I like skunks for one reason; They dig out the yellow jacket nests in the ground and eat them. I'd rather deal with skunks than yellow jackets.
 
Originally Posted By: HuntI like skunks for one reason; They dig out the yellow jacket nests in the ground and eat them. I'd rather deal with skunks than yellow jackets.
I'll just stick to wasp spray. Skunks are a pain in the butt.
 
Originally Posted By: OKRattlerOriginally Posted By: HuntI like skunks for one reason; They dig out the yellow jacket nests in the ground and eat them. I'd rather deal with skunks than yellow jackets.
I'll just stick to wasp spray. Skunks are a pain in the butt.

You tend to accept skunks after being lit up by yellow jackets when on a tractor bushing hogging. Hard to use wasp spray when driving a tractor.
 
Originally Posted By: HuntOriginally Posted By: OKRattlerOriginally Posted By: HuntI like skunks for one reason; They dig out the yellow jacket nests in the ground and eat them. I'd rather deal with skunks than yellow jackets.
I'll just stick to wasp spray. Skunks are a pain in the butt.

You tend to accept skunks after being lit up by yellow jackets when on a tractor bushing hogging. Hard to use wasp spray when driving a tractor.

Luckily we don't have problems with yellow jackets here. Paper wasp we do but they attack from up high instead of from the ground. I've seen yellow jackets before but they're not too common. I'm sure the ones I saw are long gone by now.
 
Skunks are hard on ground nesting birds eggs. Quail, upland birds, waterfowl and turkey nest on the ground and between skunks and coons they suck a lot of eggs and wreck a lot of nest. With a decline in trapping, population numbers of the nest robbers have grown tremendously and they have little pressure on their populations to keep them in check. I kill every one of them I legally can.
 
To those who have shot #’s of skunks, will skunks come in to a small (25’ x 50’) area after one is shot and laying there? Obviously, I don’t want to go out in the dark to retrieve the first.
 
Originally Posted By: cmateraTo those who have shot #’s of skunks, will skunks come in to a small (25’ x 50’) area after one is shot and laying there? Obviously, I don’t want to go out in the dark to retrieve the first.

During breeding season I believe so from what I've seen. The smell seems to attract others. But right now I think you'd probably be ok unless of course there just happened to be another in the area by chance.
 
In two weeks between a buddy of mine and I ,I think we shot like 18 skunks about a month ago. Should have had one that was out in the middle of the day about 2 weeks ago but all we had was my buddies 6.5 Creedmoor and he wouldn't let me waste a bullet on it. I wouldn't really consider that a waste anyway. Unless you miss. I've probably killed 40+ since this thread was posted.
 
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Several years ago when I moved onto the old family homestead which no one had lived on for years, rats were every where, poison, traps and a big old mother cat couldn’t get them all. A skunk moved in, raised a family and cleaned out every rat, then and only then did I get rid of the skunks. Friend of mine hated them so bad he had me put together some 458 Winchester 550 gr hard cast, called his skunk load
 
I’m going to try and pick them off. If I see one alone, I will shoot him and leave him lay. If I see more than one, I will not shoot, I will wait until one is alone. I’m thinking that as long as another doesn’t actually see one getting shot, they will not spook. In the morning, I will dispose of those from the previous night.
 
If you have an abundance of them I don't think it will matter. I've trapped skunks and let them out of the live trap and shot at them and missed and they ended up getting away. Every time they were back in the trap the very next day. I say get them while the gettin is good.
 
OK then I’ll just have at them. I have three on camera at once, but there may be far more. Ground squirrels were digging under and de-stabilizing our stone wall I saw 4 at once. When I started shooting them, I shot 17 of them in a month..
 

There is always skunks on our farm, though not as plentiful as possums. Possums have taken over this year. I have never seen the beat of the numbers of them. It's like an epidemic. Both are destructive.
 
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