Catch and release... Manitoba style

So we had a 'visitor' move into the garage. I have no one to blame but myself because we're country people and I left some scrap bones for the dog out in the garage. I was feeding them to her a little at a time and then forgot all about them. As a result, a small skunk took up residence in a little pile of hay and was feeding on the scraps and some chicken feed supplement from last year's flock.

The garage bay is pretty full with stuff stored for the winter. A lot of it is very expensive and delicate so I was loathe to be discharging a firearm in there. My wife didn't want me doing the old antifreeze in a bowl solution because it's cruel. That leaves me few options.

So I got the hose out and was spraying into where the animal was resting and I did manage to flush it out. My plan was to get it outside and then shoot it where there wasn't any danger of ricochet.

Well, I got him out of his resting place but he wouldn't leave the garage. Don't blame him. It's freakin' miserable here. Mother Nature is playing silly bugger by dumping a bunch of wet, slushy snow all over everything.

So we captured the skunk. Keeping in mind that a skunk needs to raise its tail to spray we were able to corner it and use a pair of heavy leather gloves to grab it. My 16 year old son had hold of this thing and we hopped into our van and drove it several miles away to release it. This is the van we bought last year. SWMBO likes this van. Not very impressed about having a live skunk in 'her' van.

So the skunk had to do a rolling exit at low speeds from the vehicle outside his new home as we kept on going past. He didn't have time to set up and aim. The intent was to release him unharmed into the wild to live his life amongst his brethren. Or something like that.

So we turn around a little further down the road and wait a few minutes for the animal to shake it off and wander into the bush, and then we head back to see his progress. The little bastard was making a beeline along the ditch back down the road in the same direction we came. Yes, it was several miles from my house, but there isn't anything but fields between where we dropped it off and home.

This was a fairly young skunk and he was likely pretty freaked out about the whole thing. I don't think he was that familiar with his primary defensive weapon yet as can be evidenced by the lack of malodorous emanations coming from his abductors. So I was able to get down into the ditch and bluff him into going back the way he came. Let me say that again. I was able to bluff a SKUNK into retreating back the way he came.

So there is some lingering smell on the gloves and on my son's coat but we're driving away fairly unscathed and the boy looks over at me and says, 'That's something city people would do.' I sort of nod and just carry on and a few minutes later he says, 'Naw, they'd just call animal control.'

Things get weird around here sometimes.

Your son's right. That is indeed something city people would do. I would've just shot the damned varmint. Not criticizing, mind you. To each his own.

Where would you have taken the shot? I assume you'd use a small calibre rifle, as would I, and go for a head shot to keep it from spraying in the garage. The bullet would still pass through its head and into the concrete floor. From there it would hit the garage wall, some equipment, or some people. Remember, I tried to make it leave so I could take a safe shot.

This wasn't a case of compassion for one of God's creatures. This was a case of extreme sports. We weren't cooing with concern, we were laughing with mirth. I kill more animals in one year than most people do in their entire lives. Granted, the vast majority are for food, but I have no problem pulling the trigger. That being said, if the animal HAS to be captured, it doesn't HAVE to be killed. I don't kill for sport. The goal is to eliminate the threat with the least amount of damage to my person and property.

Anyway, we had some fun and accomplished what needed to be done. If the animal comes back it will have to be killed. Country style.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't criticizing at all, or questioning your motives. Hell if you've got big enough cajones to grab a skunk with your bare, or gloved hands, you're a better man than I. :rockin:

BTW I've always shot the woodchucks and other critters that invade my property with a .177 ca pellet air rifle. I don't even own a .22, and I'm sure not going to use my shotgun or deer rifle near my garage. The pellet gun won't go through and hit the wall or anything, but it will put the critter down.

will they release muscles and let loose even if you hit it with a head shot?

interesting story! closest this city boy has is clubbing rats in our basement one spring with a hammer and shovel.. rats are mean bastards.

uglygoat said:

closest this city boy has is clubbing rats in our basement one spring with a hammer and shovel

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Wow! call it a strange coincidence, but that's similar to how Lenin came up with the soviet flag! There was one different implement though...

Bernie Brewer said:

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't criticizing at all, or questioning your motives. Hell if you've got big enough cajones to grab a skunk with your bare, or gloved hands, you're a better man than I. :rockin:

BTW I've always shot the woodchucks and other critters that invade my property with a .177 ca pellet air rifle. I don't even own a .22, and I'm sure not going to use my shotgun or deer rifle near my garage. The pellet gun won't go through and hit the wall or anything, but it will put the critter down.

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You know, it never even dawned on my to grab a pellet gun. My boy has one and I have one. Mine would be the better one to use but I've loaned it to a friend. I'll have to get it back if something like this ever happens again. I guess I just never think of a pellet gun as critter control. Well, not wild critters anyway. I use it to train neighbours dogs. Quite effective and non-lethal when the rear flank is targeted.

uglygoat said:

will they release muscles and let loose even if you hit it with a head shot?

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I can say beyond any doubt that if you pick one off in the head it will not spray. I believe they need to flex muscles to do that. A good clean shot and it just drops. Not that they don't stink to high heaven even when they haven't sprayed, they just don't.... project.

I'm not sure a pellet gun would kill a skunk. More than likely just piss it off. A 22 would likely take a few shots to kill it. I remember shooting this mean old cat at my grandfathers years ago. It was a large male cat that was mean as piss. I shot him in the side of the head with a 22 from about 10 yards. He dropped and I figured he was dead. Walked over, grabbed his tail to carry him off and the SOB came back to his senses and damn near took my arm off. After flinging him off me I proceeded to empty all 14 remaining shots into him to make SURE he wouldn't try to have at me again.

So if a 22 won't kill a cat with a single head shot, I'm inclined to think that a pellet rifle would just piss a skunk off.

Jester4176 said:

So if a 22 won't kill a cat with a single head shot, I'm inclined to think that a pellet rifle would just piss a skunk off.

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Instead of using regular match point pellets, you can get either pointed hunting pellets, or better yet get .177 cal. darts, you can usually get them for about 5$ for 20-25. I used to live in a really old house that had some holes in the eves of the roof and squirrels got into the attic all the time. I spent the better portion of the summer hunting squirrels from my window. I used the darts and typically the dart would go clear through the squirrel(I found a few stuck in the tree trunk behind them) If they can go right through a squirrel, I'm sure they'd kill a skunk.

Fingers said:

I can say beyond any doubt that if you pick one off in the head it will not spray.

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This isn't speculation. I've shot several skunks in the past, always with a 22. The cleanest kill was a single shot through the head. I've shot an embarrassing number of cats and dogs and while I usually put a few rounds into them just to make sure, one to the head generally does it, with a few depressing exceptions. A 22 will kill any small animal if you get a good head shot. I use the 32 special or the 30-06 for larger dogs. I had to put two dogs down this past fall. Both with a 22 to the back of the head. One was old and suffering, the other had a taste for young turkeys.

I bought a shotgun last year for magpies and I'd likely use it as a varmint gun instead of the 22. I didn't use it this time because the animal was too close to the house for a wide spray firearm. I needed precision and the hunting rifles have way too much power for a small animal like that.

I had a skunk that decided to move into the nice dark surroundings underneath my freakin' hot tub this past winter. I kept hearing these noises and seeing/smelling poop, but I thought it was cat crap. So one evening I removed a side panel to check on the pump and low and behold, there be a skunk looking back at me. Talking about doing the 10 yard dash in about 0.8 secs. So now, I got this skunk, underneath my hot tub, which is full of water, sitting up against the corner of the house. WTF am I going to do? Well, after much thinking and reading, I removed all the panels and he eventually moved out. Skunks are nocturnal and like dark places. Turns out he got in through a breather hole on the back side of the tub. I put chicken wire around it and so far so good. I got some guns, but kind of hard to shoot it with my three year old watching me.

Jester4176 said:

I'm not sure a pellet gun would kill a skunk. More than likely just piss it off. A 22 would likely take a few shots to kill it. I remember shooting this mean old cat at my grandfathers years ago. It was a large male cat that was mean as piss. I shot him in the side of the head with a 22 from about 10 yards. He dropped and I figured he was dead. Walked over, grabbed his tail to carry him off and the SOB came back to his senses and damn near took my arm off. After flinging him off me I proceeded to empty all 14 remaining shots into him to make SURE he wouldn't try to have at me again.

So if a 22 won't kill a cat with a single head shot, I'm inclined to think that a pellet rifle would just piss a skunk off.

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If a pellet gun can drop HUGE woodchuck (several of them, actually) it can kill a skunk. Ya gotta pump it up 100% and make sure it's a head or neck shot.

Have you ever shot a skunk? My old man took out a skunk in our driveway some years back. Not sure what he used for a weapon, probably just a 22, but it might have been something a bit more potent.

Now, let me note that the location where he shot the skunk was a good eighty yards or so from the house.

MAN, I think it took a week before that smell went away. As soon as he shot the damn thing, he turned to me and said "That wasn't very smart, was it?" Maybe if you got him square between the eyes, it would be different, but that damn skunk had enough left in him to give us a big ol' "EFF YOU!" on his descent down the mortal coil. DAMN!

Another great way to rid onesself of varmints is the "see if they can actually crawl ten steps before they die" method.

Take fly bait, the small granular kind (like Golden Malrin), mix it with Pepsi, and place it in a dish. It has an instantaneous effect on their respiratory system, and they'll die within a few feet of the dish.

Two problems: it's highly illegal, and it's also toxic to cats.

It's still fun to do! Works great on raccoons.