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Had To Kill A Skunk

David Nunn
Skunk in the yard. Oh boy! Dogs asked to go out. Turns out, they wanted out to check out what was wandering about the place. Fortunately, the skunk was on the outside of the fence. Also fortunately, I was able to get Ruth and Ben back inside. Also fortunately, the skunk didn't spray. It walked away, calmly.

So, I went back out, enlisting Dawnie's help, to find the critter. I had no idea where it was headed. It could have gone into the garage, it could have climbed up into the undercarriage of the car or truck, or it could have just kept going.

I started toward the shop to get a shotgun, and asked Dawnie to move the car, in case the skunk were under it. Before she could do that though, the beast appeared between the car and the garage. So, Dawnie used the remote to close the garage door.

I came out of the shop with my shotgun and found the skunk. It had moved to the center of the back yard, where I humanely ended its life

The critter being out in the daytime was not a big deal with all the rain we've had, but there were other indicators. Firstly, this skunk was RAGGED. Its coat as rough and patchy looking, and the white part was yellowish-tan.

Secondly, even when the dogs were within 5 feet of it, looking at it through the fence, and even when Ben tried to go over the fence to get at it, the skunk never showed alarm and never sprayed. Even in death, there was very little odor. Usually, when I have shot a skunk, its scent glands empty quickly.

So, the skunk was not healthy, and not behaving normally. Rabid? Who knows? We couldn't take the chance.
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Comments

16 comments

Date Votes
  • He Dog
    Is there no agency you could have turned it in to for a rabies check? Generally they want to know if there are rabid animals around, because there is generally an outbreak, which is easily transferred to domestic animals. State Veterinarian here.
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  • David Nunn
    I have never been able to interest any official outfit in testing an animal that hasn't bitten someone, and I have killed a few suspicious critters.
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  • wpageabc
    You did the right thing. Any suspicious and potentially harmful creature like a skunk is best put down. With the survival weapons the skunk posses if it did carry disease. A skunk can easily pass on disease to other creatures.
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  • spasmcreek
    trapper friend who used live traps to catch critters for skins occassionally would catch a skunk and made a long handle syringe about 5'-6' long ...one plastic pipe with the syringe body glued in and a smaller one glued to the plunger...he would fill the syringe with acetone and quietly and slowly work up to the trap so as not to excite the skunk and then inject the critter with the acetone ...DRT QUICK...generally if the skunk had not been excited there was no smell....
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  • spasmcreek
    maybe a little longer set up ...can't remember for sure... and the wind had to be calm, maybe work around a tree or bush... nothing rustling to make skunk nervous
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  • Hessian
    Around here when I find a suspicious, obviously sick animal, I call the Veterinary University. Most times they tell me how to short term store it and the best way to safely transport it. Once when I shot an obviously Rabid Fox I got a police escort. Something about the University being in another state/county and regulations. There was no handing it off, I was (figuratively) glued to the Fox for control purposes.
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  • Wrangler
    When we lived in the country, I would get off-duty at 6am and go home to find a skunk, possum or some other critter roaming around the yard. I would shoot it and PO the wife because the kids were sleeping. This happened quite often. :D
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  • us55840
    When living on the farm, any animal that was considered a nuscience was dispatched quickly ... be it a skunk, fox, coyote, gopher, rabbit, bird, etc. and that included stray dogs/cats that may wander in.

    Scoop them up in a grain shovel or tractor scoop and dump it in the burn pit.

    No need to call anybody or take the dead animal anywhere to 'have it checked' as that is a thing for those indoctronated by the liberal mind set. :lol:
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  • Aztngundoc22
    OK :

    A DEAD Skunk is a good skunk !!!

    Like a Snake !!!! Dead is good !!!

    Thanks !!!
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  • KenK/84Bravo
    GreatGuns wrote:
    We lost Smokey to a sick skunk this past winter. She rag-dolled it and was bitten multiple times on her muzzle and inside her mouth. She was running a fever and losing control of her functions within just a few hours after the event. Our vet of many years said she couldn't be saved, so we had her put down. Animal Control picked up the skunk remains, but apparently didn't even test it, said it was clearly rabid. Then I had to tell our neighbor Ray, who gave her to us. One of the saddest days of my life. :cry:

    Jim



    That SUCKS. My Dog (Buddy) is my Best Friend. I'd be devastated to lose him.
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  • waltermoe
    Just a little trivia. But a skunk usually always give you two warnings before they will spray, they will turn and raise their tail briefly the first warning, second warning about the same but a little more aggressive, after that your on your own.
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  • jwb267
    I have killed several skunks . if you shoot them behind the front shoulder with a 22, (lungs) there is very little to no odor
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  • Brookwood
    GreatGuns wrote:
    We lost Smokey to a sick skunk this past winter. She rag-dolled it and was bitten multiple times on her muzzle and inside her mouth. She was running a fever and losing control of her functions within just a few hours after the event. Our vet of many years said she couldn't be saved, so we had her put down. Animal Control picked up the skunk remains, but apparently didn't even test it, said it was clearly rabid. Then I had to tell our neighbor Ray, who gave her to us. One of the saddest days of my life. :cry:

    Jim

    Jim, was your dog up to date on his rabies shots? I have often wondered just how effective the preventative shots are.
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  • chiefr
    Do you remember way back those two guys that used to go out and catch them? Reeked of skunk but claimed they would not spray if you sneaked up on them and held their tails down. :lol:
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  • Okie743
    Quick&Dead wrote:
    When living on the farm, any animal that was considered a nuscience was dispatched quickly ... be it a skunk, fox, coyote, gopher, rabbit, bird, etc. and that included stray dogs/cats that may wander in.

    Scoop them up in a grain shovel or tractor scoop and dump it in the burn pit.

    No need to call anybody or take the dead animal anywhere to 'have it checked' as that is a thing for those indoctronated by the liberal mind set. :lol:

    +1

    Same here in my neck of the woods.
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  • Brookwood
    GreatGuns wrote:
    Good morning Joel-

    Yes, Smokey was current with her shots. Her health history is unknown though, as my neighbor Ray adopted her from the Humane Society here in Missoula about three years ago. They thought she was 2 years old, but I felt she was older, like 6 or 7. The vet indicated that the skunk was obviously "sick," with what I don't know. The eyes were gooey and it's fur was matted and looked like mange to me. I was cleaning the skunk spray and all the blood off Smokey when I noticed she was bleeding from her mouth and where her nose met the hair on her muzzle, she had several 1/4" wide punctures there. The roof of her mouth was also torn up. She was whimpering and trembling so I called our vet at home and met at the office. Within half an hour she could barely raise her head and her front legs weren't supporting her. She was failing quickly and obviously suffering from the pain. This was the worst thing I've ever seen happen to a healthy and happy dog. I held her in my lap while she took her last breath. I miss her terribly. :cry:

    Jim

    Very sorry for your loss Jim! You did the right thing IMHO to end more suffering she surly would have endured with the onset of infection. These unforeseeable events in life sure do give one pause in retrospect. If I would have just.... or this or that.

    The reality of life's events happen so fast, about all you can do is pray for strength to go on and wisdom to know that your beloved friend is in a better place.

    I have enjoyed the company of dogs my whole life. Their lifespan is short enough without the unexpected events that sometimes happen. Lost a Springer Spaniel to a porcupine encounter where the vet mandated her to be put down. She was a fine friend in the prime of life at just 3 years old.
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