skunks/ extracting...help?

[itrap]

hi.
  caught a couple skunks a while ago. one medium sized one, and one big one.
         also caught a few last couple winters when there was snow and ice.
did some extracting of essance on a few of them, but still somewhat new at it.
 
    the two i caught recently, i tried to get essance out of them, but couldn't seem to get a thing.
stuck them all over, but nothing. both were caught in connies. 110, and 220.

just would like to know if it matters between the times of year for getting essance?
like for fall time now, and for later winter months?
    last winter, i was successfull, but the two now, nothing came out.

any input on this is much appreciated!
thankyou!

?
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[Bogmaster]

You will have to wait till Lee or Mark answers.Thankfully I have no expertise in this .
 Tom

[coyotero]

itrap
You need a razor blade and a syringe with a 16 gauge needle.18's and 20's are to small.Lay the skunk belly down.With gloves on pull gently up with you thumb just above the anal vent,Make a cut above the 2 "bumps" on each side of the vent.This should expose the 2 anal glands.Stick your syringe in the gland and extract the essence.Store the essence in a glass container.It will eat through plastic.It's way easier to show you how than try to describe it.You want to make the cuts above the glands.You don't want to cut the glands.Trust me on this.I extracted essence on a few over 220 skunks one trapping season.This was the skunk catch for 3 trappers back in the very early 70's.We were all fox trapping in N.E.Montana and N.W. North Dakota.

[wormbobskey]

I've had pretty good success by slowly exposing the small nubs or nipples on either side of the anal opening and inserting the needle through there. Definitely don't want to exert to much pressure on the gland openings or it will squirt out. I have milked skunks in the early spring all the way through the trapping season and have never noticed any difference in the amount of skunk juice I have got out of them. I have noticed that I get more juice out  of them if they are caught in a foothold or cage. They usually spray everytime when caught in killer traps.

[Macthediver]

The other guys did pretty well describing how to pull the essance off. I skin my skunks in the field and then draw the juice off with a needle and syringe. There are skunks sometimes that for what ever reason have very little or no essance in them. Maybe they had a show down somewhere before getting into you trap and used all their ammo???

Mac

[Macthediver]

I thought I would add these pictures to maybe give you some better ideas about things described in the other posts.
First picture is essance in a 1oz bottle I took form a average size skunk, I caught yesterday morning coni. Not all coni caught skunks spray most may dribble. I'd say the amount of essance I got from the skunk was pretty average from what I've seen. But some will have more, some less, occasionally some have none.
Photo #2 is a bottle of essance with a metal cap I put in a paint can and stored for a year. The yellow stuff in the can around the bottle is baking soda. the baking soda absorbed the essance that ate threw the bottle cap making it leak. By the way having the essance bottle stored in a paint can I had no idea it was leaking. Paint cans are the best way I've found to keep essance or smelly lures from stinking up the garage. Paint cans work great for storing any thing that stinks, won't eat the can, or create enough pressure to blow the lid off.





Mac

[Bogmaster]

 Now Mark, tell the guys what you did with that yellow baking soda.
 HINT(he used it for brushing his teeth)--smile and blow everyone a kiss-LOL.
 Thanks for the added info Mark.
 I have taken several skunks over the years--all in the water. I started trapping water as a kid to avoid them--now they swim to get even with me.
 Tom

[itrap]

thanks guys!
    after they were skinned i could see more, and buy examining them, i could see that
i was sticking them below the but instead of above it.

what i do is just stick them, and extraxk the juice. being care not to lift the tail to much, and spreading the legs to much.
   but now that i have more experiance, its not much of a cocern with the tail, and legs.

i use a shringe thats about the size of my thumb in diameter. and about four inches long.
   i can usually get it about half to 3/4 full from each side.

not sure on the size at the moment. but would...
    any one know how many ccs it takes to get an ounce.

also, what do you use besides vasaline to mix up your own essance with? or others?
for a base? and also other additives.

and when selling. do you sell pure? or additives, or both?

thanks in advance!

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[coyotero]

30cc's to one ounce.Good work.

[wormbobskey]

If you're wanting to sell the essense you will want to keep it pure with no additives. If you're wanting to use it on the line in lures or as a cover scent while hunting you can mix if with peanut oil. 1 oz. of essense to 16 oz's of oil.