To my way of thinking, a very common furbearer, relatively easy to trap and prepare, and brings surprisingly good money, although it's something we often overlook.


For me, a valued furbearer on the line. Counting the pelt (skinned with feet, lips split and ears turned), along with the quill and cleaned skull, for several years I averqaged $100 per skunk.



I set Conibear boxes specifically for them (I prefer Belisle 120s) with muskrat bait.



A good days catch makes me grin.



I use wooden stratchers I make myself from dimensions from FHA.



Ready for market!

Great looking skunks. I enjoy using them for craft work. Really nice fur.

Beautiful!

I'll add a pic to this thread, its not often I have that chance.

Here's what I enjoy making from skunk furs:

Gulo, those are some great looking skunks.

I absolutely love catching skunks!

Beautiful skunks, Jack. Very nice ones.

These ADC guys in New Jersey put my skunks on their work trucks and trailers.

That is great Sharon! Thanks for sharing...and kudos to those guys for taking advantage. Very eye catching advertising.

Lefty, there's more tail than skunk! LOL

Didn't know that about the stinkers. When real small have no smell????

Skunks they are my people.

Thank you, Beav and Hoss.

What a cute little thing, Hoss. I'm always reminded of Abby. Law Dog's pet skunk. I hear people who have them as pets and really enjoy them. In the domestic raised industry, they even have different colours. I wouldn't mind petting one someday.

An interesting fact about skunk fur-the black in skunk fur is the blackest of any furbearer,even blacker than black bear.

Really, Boco. I didn't know that. Now I'm gonna be comparing every black tone I see with the skunk's ! There are a lot of black tones in the animal world. It will be an interesting experiment for me .

To me, another interesting tidbit (and thank you, Boco, for the "blackness" factoid). I collected ~100 skulls from striped skunks in the late 60s through the 1970s, most from western Idaho. Both trapped animals and roadkills were represented. Almost 50% had evidence of brainworm (Skrjabingylus chitwoodorum). Then, fast forward to the period 2008-2022. I've collected another 100 striped skunk skulls from Idaho. None of them (0%) have brainworm. What's changed?

Also, I got another 57 striped skunk skulls from Law Dog (Jerry Herbst) in SD in 2021 and none of them showed any evidence of brainworm.

Gulo, I also use boxes for skunks and prefer Victor 120's
Here's a couple from this year. I don't pick up a lot when it snows but this one was a nice surprise that morning

Is this thread not really about THE AMERICAN SABLE" of the 1930's

one time the museum staff was on a collecting trip and returned on a Friday and put their collection into the walk-in freezer.....there was a few people that wanted their tickets refunded...at that point I got a job collecting skunks.

Female skunks are lazy in finding wintering burrows and just make Mr Woodchuck move over, then all her offspring come for one last slumber party. Those dens are usually good for 10 skunks year after year, till a fisher finds them.

Interesting in that they carry the woodchuck flea with is one of the largest @ 8mm long red flea

disclaimed for Sharon not to look

You just HAD to mention fleas, didn't you, N50 ?? Sigh......