Hivernant
| Here are two references by Rufus Sage, but he doesn't give a description. The link at the bottom will be of some help for paintings showing clothing, camps, etc. There are other options for head gear, too. "The cayeute or medicine-wolf compares with the common feist, and is of a grayish color, much like that of the wild rabbit of the States. Its fur is fine and thick, and might be turned to good account for the manufacture of caps, muffs, &c." "and, stranger yet, one night these piratical pests stole a fur cap from off my head while I was sleeping, and in the morning, after a diligent search, no trace of it could be found." http://www.mtmen.org/Pare- |
| Posts: 104 | Location: Little River, I.T. | Registered: 06 February 2012 |
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Booshway
| Skinning a skunk is not much trouble, and they don't spray you after they are dead, unless you cut into the scent glands. When shot through the lungs they will sometimes not spray. Any spinal trauma (brain or spine shot) will cause them to spray. One of the best ways to kill a trapped skunk is a jab stick and acetone. Sometimes they are mad when you get there and will spray no matter what. If using a live trap, cover it with a tarp. Cut a hole in the tarp and stick the handle of the trap through the hole with a rope tied to it. By walking up where the skunk can't see you can pick up the trap and take it to the water and drown them. |
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Booshway
| Many years ago when I was in school I used to skin coyotes for Pacific Hide and Fur in Twin Falls, Idaho. Some evenings I'd go down there and only have one or two coyotes to skin and some nights maybe 20 or so and most of them green bellied. I find the animal smell of skinning a stack of green bellied coyotes to be very offensive. But that's just me. quote: Originally posted by Foul Smelling Wind: Never found most animal smells to be overly offensive. Not saying they smell good, they just don't send me into fits. The smells remind me of the natural world.
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Greenhorn
| As to skunks and skunk hats. When a youngster in the 1970's my father won a lottery to have exclusive trapping rights on a portion of a NWR. Part of the agreement was that we trap skunks, as it seams they like to eat bird eggs. We devised a system with the live traps provided by the refuge. We put chicken livers in the live traps. When a skunk was caught, we would gently pull a black plastic with a slit in the middle over the cage. Then we would use a poll with a hook and toss the cage into a canal, thus drowning the animal. NO bullet hole in the hide. Well, the fur is rather nice, and for me at about 8 years old we had a fur hat made from one, complete with face and glass eyes. Talk about celebrity status for a 8 year old kid! Now in my return to living history, etc. I learn that the fur hat like that was not the truth from the past, but maybe a misunderstanding of looking at some AJM paintings, or watching Dannywood Boone on tv. The biggest thing with skunks is that they are rabies carriers. We would get between 10 and 30 dollars each in the 1970's.
Apaws
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| Posts: 3 | Location: Days ride south of Beckwourth Pass | Registered: 18 April 2013 |
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Booshway
| What does "green bellied" mean? BTW, I agree, coyote is one of the worst stinkers there is. A guy at deer camp shot one and brought it to camp. Stunk up everything. I was ready to skin him. |
| Posts: 1487 | Location: Mountain Home, Arkansas | Registered: 08 October 2008 |
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Booshway
| The stomach area on an animal is the first to start to spoil. Depending on temperature, a coyote will start to have a greenish coloration to the hide , and the fat and meat over the stomach area in as little as a few hours. You will see this when you peel the hide off. This discoloration is accompanied by a most wretched odor. Hair and fur slippage soon to follow. |
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Booshway
| They didn't seem to smell as bad when they were averaging $75 or more each, back in the 70s. As long as they were fresh. |
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Hivernant
| quote: Originally posted by arkansawwind: Anybody out there know how to skin a skunk without getting sprayed if so please share your knowledge nerveless arkansaw
Make positive, for Shure it is dead before skinning. Then be careful around the anal region with your cuts and finger pressure |
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Hivernant
| quote: Most trappers will be glad to pick them up for the hide or the scent glands (cover scent for fox or coyote sets).
Add carrier for the best perfumes We used to use a syringe to remove the scent and put into a bottle to store for sale. Many dollars per pound and made more money than the fur. |
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Hivernant
| My son is a licensed NH animal control operator (the states term and name) A skunk is now worth way more than when I trapped as in $150.00 or more and he gets to keep the skin and scent!!
He has the same nose as myself that fresh heavy skunk sent smells just like fresh brewed coffee. We have one cousin and she says the same.
The ones he catches in live traps never spray. They are euthanized in a CO2 kill box and there is no smell.
Never ever shoot one unless you do not mind the smell they will spray at least 50% of the time with a lung shot and 100% on a head shot IMHO and experience (that will lose word of mouth recommendations in a heartbeat. |
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Free Trapper
| My kid sister and our family dog took a direct hit from a skunk back in her high school days. My mom sent my dad off to the store for a case of tomato juice, which was the "best remedy" bath in those days. Well, anyone who has just caught the tail wind of a distant skunk and not come close to the real spray event, can't know what up close and personal really is! It will actually take your breath away, make you puke your guts out, and the acute smell just hovers everywhere! After several showers and the tomato juice treatment, my sister still smelled skunky. It took a couple of days to kind of wear off completely. After that, even weeks later,when she got soaked by a pouring rain. The stink came back in her wet hair! She still gets teased to this day by old school friends and even one of her old teachers. I know this has drifted away from the original post about fur used for hats. So I will give my limited historical opinion about the use of a skunk skin for a hat. First one I ever saw or heard of was worn by Curly Howard of the Three Stooges in one of their comedy shorts! I think it was meant to be a joke. |
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Factor
| Some real serious scholarship in those guys...
Beer is proof that God loves us,and wants us to be happy-B. Franklin
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| Posts: 2014 | Location: Oreegun Territory | Registered: 24 March 2013 |
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Booshway
| Like most trappers I've been hit by skunks a couple times. If it doesn't get in your eyes it's not really that big of a deal. You'll get accustomed to it and quit smelling it after a while, and if it aint bothering me then I don't worry about it. I've never watched the three stooges or star trek and I'm pretty thankful for that. |
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