I have never seen any striped skunk essence of that color either in my days. Looks like mustard in the bottom and some fluid.

It’s so weird! I’ve collected from 6 skunks now and all of it is this color! I promise its pure but am worried buyers might not believe me

I’ve get some off colored stuff now and then see if it darkens with the exposer to light over time I know mine goes from a dark yellow to orange over time.

I collected some this summer from one that looked more like milky water. Still smelled strong but separated from the rest. Siphoned it off and put it in a separate bottle. Any ideas? Skunk seemed healthy.

I’ve come across solid pods my guess a fibrous pod issue that had off colored quill, I have found a small amount of moisture at times that won’t mix that was just there very rare but it happens.

Here are common sized pods here we still get some regular size pods like other areas have but these hold almost 2oz of quill the jumbos hold even more stink in them.

Next to a 4oz lure bottle.

Looking good.
You can sell all you collect
I've picked the road kills up just for the essence. Lots of times there not much in them, but some are full.

Are the skunks that spray upon dispatch still worth trying to draw from ?

Depends if it a spritz or a blast, a example a county guy called me on a road killed skunk not far from where I was at the time. I picked it up took it home thawed it out overnight then tried to draw essence from it. Maybe a half ounce out of it and yes it was off color my guess it lost more then a half ounce when it met the Goodyears.

I find the summer road killed skunks often have off colored essence in them my guess it body fluid related.

Thank you Sir.

Is there a time frame to draw it out from time of dispatch? As long as it's cool?

They can sit for days if it’s cool but if warm it seems the essence will take on water from the body like with road killed ones. Stay away from heat and moisture and the skunks hold up well.

Thanks. How to find a buyer? Does your buyer head south after he picks up yours, by chance?

If you have a quality product you can’t keep up with demand my guy takes all I can get for him or you sell in smaller batches on the Shed here depending what works the best for you. The longer you hold on to it the more that will evaporate on you I held onto mine for 18 months and had to top off several bottles to have full bottles when I sold.

Collecting is not for everyone lots of things to consider, here we have a lot of larger skunks that allows me to do better at it because of the size and quality of those skunks.

A couple years I collected some, put in 1 ounce bottles, then stuck in a peanut butter jar packed with dirt to seal off any escaping odor. I didn't realize then that it evaporated in time. Nor did I respect its caustic nature. I lost it all, some rusted through the metal lids, some evaporated away and left a residue in the jar. But...I didn't have a buyer lined up so it sat in the garage all year. For a couple years. Through the hot summers. And it was only from maybe 3 or 4 skunks over a longer period of time.

This last week I got 10 skunks, so far. Not sure if or how many more there are. I collected 9 yesterday and have a little over 4 ounces. Some were in body grippers and sprayed. The ones I poled had a fair amount but I don't have a lot for point of reference. I assume 4-8 ounces is a pretty small batch and I should offer it on the trapping shed? To be honest I'm a little terrified of shipping the stuff.

Offer a 4oz Boston round bottle in a clean bottle with a tight lid on it $80 is the going rate and over pack it in newspaper wrappings, plastic bags and I like a good peanut butter jar or qt paint can with good seals and duct tape on the seems. A lot of guys only want 4oz amounts often anyways as few people want a half gallon at a time. The 4oz bottle measures the essence for you easier then a random jar.

Seal it up and ship it right away never get your shipping materials near any strong skunk odors the cardboard will hold onto that smell even if the inside does not stink when it’s packed. I put my boxes on the dryer over night to see if I can detect any odor in the morning if I do it gets repacked until it’s good to go.

Don’t try to cut corners on the packing to save on shipping if the Post Office tosses the box your out that amount the insurance is worthless then they ain’t paying it. LOL Some guys add electric tape around the seal of the cap but good tape is hard to find, the stuff from China won’t hold after time it’s useless.

Thanks! Very helpful advice! I'll see if I can find someone close first, if not I'll post it there and carefully ship it.

I package mine in 4 oz Boston bottles like Lawdog suggested, make sure the lid is tight and dip the top into wax or plastic handle dip. When I ship it I put it in a plastic coffee can and fill it with cat litter. I like the stuff with baking soda. Secure the lid with tape and then ship quickest means to your buyer. Haven't had any problems yet.

You can also vacuum seal the bottle if you have a vacuum sealer. I've not shipped any, but I've done that to some I have in the shop, after a couple months you can get a slight smell if you hold the vacuum sealed package up to your face, but you can't smell it by just standing in the room with it, and it seems to contain all the smell for much longer than the time it would take to ship it.

Skunk essence is an amazing material. It is extremely volatile and near impossible to contain it completely it seems. I have been holding various quantities of essence for 40 years in many different containers with different caps and sealing methods. It all begins to bleed in time.

Once it starts to bleed slightly, that bleed continues and progresses with time which translates into volume loss. This vapor escape does the same disappearing act in a lure and bait over time. Just the nature of the material. It seems it isn't made to be contained. It seeks to be set free.