if you pop a skunk in the head with a 500fps .22 will it spray or just die? or is it like a automatic thing any damage to the body and they just let go?

You got about 30 seconds to get it into a plastic bag before the muscles that keep the scent glands closed let loose. Then you're in  trouble... or not if you're quick!

AHhahaha not only did someone ask that question, people answered it.  I love the internet.

Depends.

Yeah, better be quick about it, too.


What's the deal with these skunks, anyway.

They seem by nature to be crafty, aggressive little shits.

There's one campground where I won't go anymore, because the skunks are such pests.  One night I had a fire going and the lantern full blast, cleaning up after dinner, planning on watching stars & satellites a while.  The dishes were already washed (not nearby).
About 10:30 this little squirt came into camp and in spite of plenty of rocks coming his way, kept coming back.  Finally I gave up and shut everything down and went to bed.

Another time, when we lived in the woods, one took to a regular route to the garbage.  The old man was tired of it, so one night we took a stand 10-15 feet off the trail, with a 12 gauge.  We waited and waited, but no skunk.

Finally, out of boredom, I started looking around behind us, and here comes the skunk right for us, way off his regular path.

Then there was the time we stopped off the highway by a lake in Michigan, to walk the dog.  Went out on a little point of land, when I spotted one some distance away.  He spotted us and changed his course to head right for us.  Rocks didn't discourage it, then finally the dog saw it and we had a very difficult time finding a motel that would take us.  Oh yeah, tomato juice helps, but only so much.

I know they are known rabies carriers, but they must also be aggressive by nature.

My question:  assuming you aren't throwing rocks at them and they come up to you, if you're just real cool about it, what do they generally do?  

Anyone here tried that?   My guess is eventually they're going to do something you can't put up with, and then you're gonna get sprayed.

We've recently had an influx of skunks.  I've been live-trapping them with a Havahart trap and "relocating" them to the landfill a few miles away.

When they are trapped, I just cover the trap with a blanket and put the trap in the trunk or back of the pickup truck.  When I get to the dump, errr..landfill, I pull the blanket part-way back, open the  trap and stand back.  They usually just waddle right out and go off into the woods, but I occasionally have to give the cage a good kick to get them going.

Never once been sprayed.  I got this procedure from my father-in-law, who has relocated about 200 skunks over the last 10 years.  Two weeks ago, he had 4 in one trap at the same time!

I've always heard that if you see a skunk walking around in the daytime it has rabies.  Once I shot one in the head about 100 feet away with a .22 LR.  It didn't spray or stink.  I covered it with a 5-gallon bucket (was dressed up going to town) and buried it later.

My dad once trapped one at work (in a new house construction) in a have-a-heart trap.  He covered it with a blanked and drownded (held it underwater in the trap) it in a lake.  It never sprayed either.

Last week one of the dogs grabbed ahold of a baby skunk.  It was under a bathtub next to a barn (no, we don't bathe in it, the gutter runs to it for cows to drink out of).  It gave the dog a full blast right under the dog's neck just before it died via canine teeth.  Now that even made my eyes water.  There are still 2 more baby skunks there - but I don't think the dog wants to eat them now!

Fatman I am willing to bet that the 200 skunks your father in law "relocated" were actually just 20 skunks that came back....again and again and again...

You REALLY need to relocate them with a .22

Here's the correct answer:

I used to trap for a living. A .22 to the head almost always resulted in the dead shunk spraying as it's dying act. The only way to kill them without them spraying is to break their back with a long pole. period.

Head shots don't work.  They may act like a chicken with it's head cut off, flip and flop and spraying all the way.

Set your hav-a-heart up inside a 55 gal. drum, one end open.  When trap is sprung pull gasoline operated vehicle up next to it and run shop vac hose from tail pipe into drum and cover with and old blanket (leave vehicle running).

Go have a cup of coffee and come back in 20 minutes or so.

I shot a rabid skunk and it didn't squirt. (might not of had any spray left) I shot it in the left ear from about 20 ft using a Crossman 760 pellet rifle. The BB exited the other side of skull---skunk dropped like a rock---didn't twitch, move, or spray. Just bled a slight amount.

I've heard from a trapper that you should shoot a skunk through the lungs to keep them from spraying.

357mag

No way.  Seriously too far away.  Plus, the local landfill, surrounded by forest, is skunk heaven.

My sister-in-law had a skunk problem.  Had an exterminator want to charge her $50 per skunk to get rid of them once they were trapped.

The first one she caught, a neightbor shot in the head, and it rendered her garage unuseable for 2 weeks.  The next time she caught one, she tossed the trap into the pond.  No spray and one dead skunk, which she wrapped in newspaper and put in the trash.

My wife asked her, "Jeez! How could you do a thing like that...drown a living creature?"[V]

She replied, "It's not so bad. You get used to it after the first 3 or 4."[BD]

If you gotta kill 'em, drown 'em.[X]

This is the punchline to a joke a heard last night. What does 65 year old P_ssy taste like? See above![whacko]

Ask Beekeeper..........

Been doing it that same way for many years as well...always fun to look in your truck box and see a contented skunk in the cage...We take ours down to the lake for a swim...:)

Also the answer to whether Bob Dole (or insert other aging celebrity) prefers boxers or briefs.

I think you need to talk to thebeekeeper1 about this.

He has a nack for shooting gods happy little creatures in the face. ;)

Boy am I a dumb fuck, I post this topic then shut down the computer then not more than a minute later this skunk comes up to my garage and starts scratching on it I turn on the light and it takes off and about 2 minutes later the stinky guy comes back so I am pissed off and grab my .22 loaded with aguila super colbris the quiet ones that only go 500fps, and it just sitting there trying to go thru the garage door so I pop it once in the head and it kinda moves a little then falls I wanted to put another round in its head but the gun jammed and by the time i got another round in there it wasn't moving a all, I was thinking alright head shot and no smell then  just like you guys said would happen the smell hits me, geez the stinky fucker got the last laugh, it smelled but it wasn't as bad as a few other times when the skunks decided to let go on my dogs.

well should have read the post before I capped it then I would have know to throw a bucket over it or get it in a bag.

Skunks, possums, coons, steal the cat food on the patio.  I pop them from an upstairs window aiming for the spine about 2 inches in front of their tail.  Then one to the head.  Tried those super fast Calibri but wasn't satisfied plus the brick I had had a bunch of duds.
Went to 22 mag using new Winchester shells. Whump, good night folks.  They work.