Do you guys wash your skunks as a whole animal or do so after skinning? In the peroxide, Dawn, baking soda bath.

Don’t let them spray you can avoid all that stink.

Well I’ll try!

Why would you wash one? If you choose to, do it on the carcass it will dry much easier. Any smell should dissipate through the scraping and drying process.

If I wanna do home tanning on one that would be my reason

Tried to PM the pole method but you’re over your PM limit.

Lemme sort my crap out LawDog

Try it now!

Either works for me.

I’ll get on the PC shortly

I luv the smell of skunk in the morning

I have taken a good number of skunks over the years as incidentals in 120's set for mink.Also have taken some on purpose with the same trap.
None have ever sprayed although some have leaked a little weedoo on the ground or on their tails.
Those I hang outside for a couple days then skin,like said the smell will dissipate substantially.
The residual smell will come out after the pickle during the baking soda neutralization.
If you get one that has actually sprayed then it is a different story.Best to ship those to a reputable commercial fur dressers.

Have caught a lot of skunks in my life. In fact I've always targeted them. Never thought of washing one unless it was covered with mud.
My experience with the dawn, baking soda and peroxide is the sooner the better. After time the smell is soaked into your hands, dog, etc...and doesn't come out with the mixture well.
Skunks will loose there strong smell after scraping, stretching and drying to some extent. The tanning process will get rid of anything else

spray them right away and wash them after, that's what I do

I keep a five gallon bucket of water with a lid on it in the back of my trapping vehicle. The other ingredients stay behing the seat. If I catch a skunk it goes straight into the bucket, I don't want to smell it all day.

If they spray I'll take them home and soak them in the spring creek on my property. I tie them off to a rock so they don't wash downstream. I leave them for at least twenty-four hours then hang to dry.

As other posters have mentioned, the tanning process will eliminate any lingering odor.

A few years ago I talked to an old trapper who used to dunk his skunks into a bucked of gasoline to remove the smell. Hang them up to dry before skinning. Said he learned that trick from a fur buyer.

Baking soda is cheap you can usually get big bag at the feed mill reasonably. I dispatched my skunks with most never spraying. I guess I'm the odd guy out as I skin and draw stink off cut pods out right in the field. Trim fat if I'm saving it, Leave the carcass behind. Stink bottle goes in one container pods in another. Hide goes in a bucket with with baking soda in it. Pop lid on give it a couple shakes and off I go. If hide has any smell to it I do the Dawn and baking soda wash when getting home. I go heavy on the dawn and baking soda rarely add peroxide.
When I was doing a lot of skunks it was rare I didn't stink by end of day. I usually undressed right in front of the washing machine. Clothes went in machine with heavy scoop baking soda and good shot of Dish soap. My butt went right in shower wash with same mix. I have a 5 gallon pail baking soda by the washer all the time and don't just add it to skunked clothes.
I put same clothes on next morning right out of the dryer start all over.
Baking soda and Dish soap are your friend. I even threw cup baking soda in with saw dust in my drum and on floor where I scrap hides. When I washed bed of my truck out.. Dish soap and coffee can of baking soda broom around hose it out.

Mac

"Never Forget Which Way Is Up!"

The


I’ve heard about using white gas also but that is some dangerous stuff to mess with.

Skunk juice in the AM wake a person up.