I waited for a windy day to do the deed a little over a 1/2 gallon, I had trouble with the fine screen plugging the grinder. I ended up going with the course first then the fine it made a nice cream out of it, a double course grind is what I've been doing will see how they age as a cream now. Jared up some 2 years old aged pods while it was skunk pod day it will let the stink settle down from the jars that way.

Wow, I bet your neighbors love you on days like today!

Do you use it aged as a lure all by itself, and/or base for long distance call lure?

Any way you want really I plan to use the cream stuff straight next year, it takes a long time to break down and turn black the cream stuff I’ll use as it is just sparenly.

That black stuff takes awhile (years) but it is worth the wait. Russ Carmen calls it aged musk in his book. Used as a "fixative". I use it instead of quill in everything but a marten lure I like. That lure doesn't need aged. I put it together when I'm ready to use it. Equal parts castor, rotted down otter gland and quill. Dont get any on you. Other stuff likes it too. Quill changes over time. That's not always a bad thing, but if you want pure quill skunk butt smell it needs to be all used up in a few months. You can try cutting it with peanut oil or any other thing. Some of it helps a little but fresh IMO is best.

That black tar looking stuff is very stable. Once you get a scent put together thats working it won't change.

I just pulled off over a gallon of the black oil (tar) a couple weeks back. It was from 2009. Over the years this oil floats to the top right above the paste gland line. Basically it is broken down fat/tissue for the most part with the residual sweet skunk odor. That came from what was once a 5 gal bucket of pods I worked many years ago. Black gold as some call it.

I like to scoop off the tar while it is extremely cold out or freeze the container. The musk oil does not freeze solid.Sort of like very firm mayonnaise consistency when it is real cold and much easier to work and separate. Once it warms it becomes syrupy/ runny and very hard to separate easily and transfer out thoroughly from the gland base underneath.



Can you smell it. MMMMMMMM good.

When I grind empty skunk pods
And put in bucket.
Do I put in sun like making beaver tail and draw from top.
But in sun also.
Thanks

I keep mine in buckets under roof in an out building. Reduces animal exposure, UV to the lids/buckets and over all protects the containers much better. Select good containers and closures as some may sit for many years.

Date and mark the containers of what is inside and the age beginning after grinding. I don't use direct sun exposure to age much except for fish oils or other fatty content by products that I want to draw oil extract from quickly. A few months or less.

You can sun expose if you choose. I prefer a more controlled aged breakdown over a period of years with this product. I used the sun exposure method many years ago but got away from that over time. I make such large batches of so many different materials it was a better fit for my business to develop a better routine that was more easily maintained.

This will give you a much better result without having to monitor too often. Still a good idea to keep an eye on things and check it every now and then for issues like animal break ins, container problems or fly problems at first. I never have many issues with flies with skunk pods it seems. First couple of weeks maybe.

Running a lure business is complicated and there is much to keep track of daily. Smelling, stirring, shaking and inspecting for flies/eggs/larvae. A daily routine in the warm months when flies are active. Very important to particularly monitor batches and product that are known to draw blow flies and phorid flies during various stages of aging.

Flies and some animals are your worst enemy that can spoil all or part of a batch of something if you don't stop it fast.

I have a supply of gallon glass jars that I bought new lids for I fill them about 1/2 way and put the ground pod jars in kitty litter buckets in the shade behind my sheds and check on them a few times a year. I try to leave some of the finished sweet skunk in the new jars to try to speed up the process a bit as it’s a long drawn out ordeal. Skunks seem to have a preservative in them as it takes months to a year for the pods to lose that fresh ground burger color and even start to break down any.

Probably use my blender with serval blades in it.

Don't want to running them things thru my meat grinder.
Will that be fine that way also.
Thanks

The pods will jam up a good size grinder I doubt a blender would work for you very well but go for it.

I wouldn't think a food processor or blender would work well for any volume of pods with tissue that is green. It may get hot and shut off or burn out the over heat fuse that is in so many of those motors. Buy a cheap hand grinder if necessary. Won't know until you try it out, then you will know.

Interesting post...Jerry and Bob can you give a basic recipe of a predator lure using that black tar for say a gallon jug? How much black tar to the other ingredients? I realize there is more details needed but wondering if the tar over powers the rest of the ingredients?

Not much is needed depending on what your adding it to because the smell is very “thick” like incense once it’s in your nose it won’t go away for some time. I also compare it to a Smokey casino like the next day that smell is stuck in your nostrils kind of thick.

I’ll try the paste stuff I made on K9s when it’s ready, the chunky stuff a guy needs to add enough to what he’s making depending on it’s make up and it being bait or a lure formula.

Just for clarification..

These skunk glands you're grinding up have been drained of the skunk essence, correct?

There are some on here that have been brave and dared to grind full pods. I am not mentioning any names though.

Yep drained and you still get one that squirts a bit I cannot imagine doing a 1/2 gallon of full pods no way, pick a windy day and it’s not so bad.

Fellas that grind full pods certainly will wear a badge of honor for a few days or so..............

Wasn't that bad and it is a superior product. Lol
Did learn that evening that evidently my wife and kids must have highly if not overly sensitive noses.
Did learn a most important lure making lesson grinding those pods (ok actually 2).
#1 always keep ur mouth closed when working in lure room.
And you don't need to share all your learning moments with the general public

Don’t feel bad I poked a pod the other day and the syringe got sticky to the point I might of pulled the black plunger off of it so I changed syringes and poked a second hole in that pod. I got the second poke into the pod and started to work the mustard into the syringe, well the first hole sent a fine stream of quill into my beard lucky it missed my mouth.

I did a quick windex wash of the beard and to my surprise it was not that bad really I scrubbed my beard in the shower several times also. I’m guessing the beard did not soak it in. I went in for my shot the next day and not a peep about a skunk smell.

When people say they smell skunk I look around and tell them, I smell that too.

you dont have to grind them. just put full pods in a jar. add all the fat thats in the area. wait a few years.

full pods aged since last year



these were full pods completely rotted down now. about 7 years.

The pods from last year still smell skunky. That jar of rotted down completely pods does not. FWIW I put a teaspoon of it to a base of one gallon of slightly tainted and aged ground critter.

Ok
I have empty pods with some fat on them.
So you put in jars and let tgem go then.
Are your luds tight or loose when tgwyvare sitting
And you just put in shed and wait it out tgen.
Thanks

I leave the lid a little loose on the full pods. Its in an un heated shed. Above 100 in the summer and 0 and below in the winter. I suspect in a heated shed they would break down a lot faster

Ok
But heat not really need then.
But my pods are empty will they still turn Black still when it breaks down .
Thanks

I dont know I have only ever rotted down whole full pods

The idea is a slow breakdown in a shaded area, heat/sunlight might damage the bacteria that is needed to reach the sweet level your looking for. Adding the full pods is a lot of money to make up as the price of your ingredients just went up $20 a oz.

Smokey Casino might be a good name for your skunk pod lure.