Shooting skunks without them spraying

[Mike S]

We have had a raccoon and skunk problem for a few years. They come on the property and kill our chickens. The raccoons pull and tear apart the chickens through their cages. The skunks come and spray near the house when they encounter our cats (rattlesnake killers) and also often have a few stinky dogs with yellow stains I gotta wash. I go out at night and take a few out with a 22 and set traps, but since there are a whole lot more raccoons, I never catch any skunks. I always take headshots on both and they both drop like rocks, only problem is that the skunks always spray. Last night after taking out two coons, I noticed a skunk was walking away a good distance from me at an angle headed toward the brush. The distance, angle and the skunks small head didn't let me take a good headshot so I took a shot at the body. It ran off under an old trailer we got and it didnt spray or appear wounded so I figured I missed. The trailer has some tall grass and weeds so i didn't go and try to get another shot at him because i didn't want to get sprayed. This morning I went and checked and there it was and it wasnt stinky! I hit it about 2 inches behind its left shoulder.

I read online that shots to the spine work but since it ran off this was obviously not the reason for not spraying. I dont know the anatomy of a skunk but I figure I might of hit the heart. Anyone here have any experience taking out these critters without them spraying? Like I mentioned trapping techniques will not work since I got so many coons and I have a greater chance of winning the powerball than trapping a skunk. Thanks.

I've read that trappers would use .22 conical bullets (.22 CB's, which are like midget .22 Shorts) thru the lungs to preserve the pelt & prevent spraying. Luckily I never caught a skunk in a trap, but it worked for opossums & raccoons.

[ShootDontTalk]

We had skunk visitors lots of nights out in West Texas. We had several rescue dogs awaiting adoption who enjoyed the company of Hope, our Border Collie. One night they caught a skunk and mauled it, but it didn't spray and was still alive when I arrived on the scene. They had lots of trouble with rabies that year.

The dogs all were fresh on shots, but I didn't really want to handle a live, but seriously hurt skunk, so I called Animal Control. The guy gave the skunk a lethal injection, but when he went to bag the now dead skunk, Hope decided she wasn't giving it up so easily. She growled and stood over that stupid thing and wouldn't left anybody take "her skunk." We laughed till we cried. I finally got her away with a cold hot dog from the fridge- a fair trade, if you will!

The lesson is clear. Not all skunks spray, but some dead skunks are worth more than others.

[karder]

Interesting information here. Growing up on my Dad's farm, there would be seasons where we would get over run by skunks. My Dad would send me and my brother out with a box of .22 shorts and tell us to clean them out. We shot a ton of them over the years and I think everyone of them sprayed. I never even considered that they could be shot without the spray, but then again I was never a very bright kid.
(Those were the good old days when you could send a 10 year old and an 8 year old out at dusk with rifles and no one thought it the least bit odd.)

[MONGOOSE]

I had a Shepherd that was sprayed once. After that she never challenged them, she would just attack, shake them a couple of times and drop a dead skunk. Never was sprayed again. She use to kill a ton of them during irrigation season. Since I lost her I use a 20 ga. and blow their heads off. Has worked well.

[Javier730]

I shot one more skunk yesterday right before sunset. He was walking around the chicken cage. I hit it with a 22 super colibri behind the shoulder from about 25 feet away. He flinched and ran a few feet and dropped. Again no spray. Those super colibris work at close distances. I normally use subsonics.