Just seen a Fresh Batch of Bullet Lube

Modern Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Modern Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Idaholewis

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2017
Messages
7,287
Reaction score
10,277
I just now seen a Fresh Batch of Bullet Lube go Scurrying out of my Backyard, I noticed my Yard was Tore to pieces yesterday, BIG SKUNK šŸ¦Ø It has dug little Holes every few feet (Digging for Grubs) He lives close by to Stil be out Right now (itā€™s not full Daylight, but i can see out) They are Nocturnal Critters, Especially in a Town like this Around People, He lives under somebodyā€™s House/Garage/Woodshed/ Etc. Close By. I will Set my Box Trap this Evening, I would Almost place a Bet that he will be in it tomorrow Morning ;)
 
We had a skunk living under the house. Every morning at 9:30, here he comes right to the side of the house where he goes under the skirting. Haven't seen him in a few weeks now. Maybe got hit by a car or moved somewhere else.
 
I just now took a few pics to show what they do, luckily I donā€™t care much about my Backyard, Skunks will DESTROY a Nice Yard in 1 night, and i mean make a HORRIBLE Mess out of it!! They can Dig like a Little BackHoe :D And FAST! itā€™s kinda neat to Watch them, How fast they Can Dig. They have a KEEN Sense of Smell for Yard Grubs, and they LOVE Eating them. They QUICKLY Dig them out to eat, then Dig another Hole after another Grub.

This is what they are After, Looks Yummy Huh? :p
U9nbd8Ll.jpg


This is what he just did, My ENTIRE Backyard looks like this from 2 Nights, He really Got after it Last night. 1 Skunk can make a HECK of a Mess out of a 1/4 Acre Yard in 1 Night EASY.
I6vfFyOl.jpg

ZWv5zCVl.jpg
 
No bad smell to the rendered fat? Just the scent glands?

I found that Skunk Fat makes EXCELLENT Bullet Lube :lewis: I had to figure out something to do with them? I have trapped 15 of them in my Backyard in the last 2 Summers

ATTENTION! 1 Skunk WAS Harmed in the Making of this Bullet/Patch Lube :p

My wife was on Vacation when i first tried this, It was Perfect timing to make up some Bullet Lube šŸ˜ƒ I had been wanting to try this for quite sometime but I hadntā€™t had enough ā€œAlone at homeā€ Time to try it, and get everything Cleverly Cleaned up, Opportunity Knocked So i jumped on it :lewis:
06xX2t4l.jpg


Split straight down the Back Bone from Base of Head to Base of Tail, Skin each side over, Then Trim all the Fat Off. They are FAT this time of Year
:bl th up

lZ7HHhEl.jpg


The Bounty
:bl th up

j9QhvZRl.jpg


I made me a Home made Double Boiler setup. This was actually the Riskiest part of the Entire Project, If my wife knew i was using her BRAND NEW Kitchen Range for this endeavor, I may well of been looking for a new Place to Hang my Hat šŸ˜ This is why her Being on Vacation was the PERFECT time to do this, She Wasnā€™t to be Home til Late that night, I had the Job all Done, And Mess Cleaned up Before she Got back :lewis:
G2idwTbl.jpg


Finished Product, Just a Pinch of Beeswax and Lanolin to ā€œTack it upā€ From here i made Slight adjustments as i seen Fit. This Stuff is SLICK, And Works REALLY Well :lewis:
Cf6LvsHl.jpg
 
I guess there's more than one way to skin a (pole) cat. :think:
 
In all Fairness, they are actually a neat little Creature in ways, and HORRIBLE in others. Living in Town They are VERY NOCTURNAL so you rarely ever see them Unless you are a night owl, You wake up to your Yard Tore all to pieces from them :) Other than that, They really Donā€™t Hurt anything? They donā€™t bother My Plants, Gardening Stuff, Etc. They Donā€™t Climb, They DIG, and Go under Stuff.

The Bad Points: They are one of the BIGGEST Carriers of Rabies in the US, They will DESTROY your Yard Digging for Grubs. And OBVIOUSLY their Smell, if they get Slightly Startled they will almost Gauranteed Spray! On a Hot Summer Night, Talk about HORRID around your House, itā€™s hard to believe something can Smell that POTENT, and BAD?? They do, and then some!!! They Can Spray 10 Feet, and can be Smelled 3.5 Miles Away.

My 2 biggest fears is ME getting Sprayed Late at Night walking out to my Garage, Or Early before Daylight going out to my Truck Etc. And letting our Little Dog out at Night and her getting Sprayed, She already has a Breathing problem, a Direct Shot in the Face would probably Kill her? That is my 2 BIGGEST Reasons for Getting Rid of them. If my Wife gets Sprayed? Well......... Darn it:roll: LOL! Thatā€™s a Joke, Sheā€™s a pretty Good Gal, has to be to put up with me i guess?šŸ˜ƒ

They can Easily get WAY WAY over Populated in a Town like this, Town is a SANCTUARY for Skunks, They have EVERYTHING they could ever need to THRIVE. Lotā€™s n Lotā€™s of Structures to Dig under and Live, All kinds of Food From people leaving things out, such as Cat, and Dog Food on Porches, Unsealed Garbage Etc. They Have it MADE in Town.

I think itā€™s necessary to keep them in ā€œCheckā€ If not, they will OVER RUN the Place, This Area is Well known for LOTS N LOTS of Skunks. So while there is a somewhat ā€œSoft sideā€ to me about them, i also feel itā€™s important that they be kept in ā€œCheckā€ They Breed Like Cats, And have litters of 6 or So babies, a Lot like Cats
 
I put out insecticide pellets in a fertilizer spreader to kill the Japanese beetle grubs every spring. So far no skunks or beetles this year.
Also works on flea's and tick's.
 
I put out insecticide pellets in a fertilizer spreader to kill the Japanese beetle grubs every spring. So far no skunks or beetles this year.
Also works on flea's and tick's.

Thatā€™s a GOOD IDEA Toytruck, If they donā€™t have a food source they would be forced to move on :lewis:

Like i said above, They are kind of a neat Critter in ways, and Fun to Watch them, They can REALLY Move :) They are in a RACE To get all they Can eat before Daylight, I watched this one this morning til it got to Light for his Comfort, When he decided to leave, he B-LINED Out of here. He will be Back in here again tonight, i would place a LARGE Bet on that
 
Thatā€™s a GOOD IDEA Toytruck, If they donā€™t have a food source they would be forced to move on :lewis:

Like i said above, They are kind of a neat Critter in ways, and Fun to Watch them, They can REALLY Move :) They are in a RACE To get all they Can eat before Daylight, I watched this one this morning til it got to Light for his Comfort, When he decided to leave, he B-LINED Out of here. He will be Back in here again tonight, i would place a LARGE Bet on that
Not quite sure what a ā€œbox trap ā€œ is ? Is it one of those wire meat traps that the critter goes into and the door shuts behind them thereby holding it captive ? I know a skunk wonā€™t spray if itā€™s in a confined space but will spray if it can ā€œassume the position ā€œ ( donā€™t ask me how I know this ). So Iā€™m assuming that one still has to assist the skunk on departing this world peacefully. Must have been a lot of excitement the first time trying that in town.
 
Not quite sure what a ā€œbox trap ā€œ is ? Is it one of those wire meat traps that the critter goes into and the door shuts behind them thereby holding it captive ? I know a skunk wonā€™t spray if itā€™s in a confined space but will spray if it can ā€œassume the position ā€œ ( donā€™t ask me how I know this ). So Iā€™m assuming that one still has to assist the skunk on departing this world peacefully. Must have been a lot of excitement the first time trying that in town.
That was supposed to be ā€œwire mesh trap ā€œ
 
That was supposed to be ā€œwire mesh trap ā€œ

Yep, itā€™s a Square Wire mesh Trap ā€œBoxā€œ Shaped, I have heard them referred to as a ā€œBox Trapā€ all of my life.

This is the same Model as Mine. I built a Wooden Box from for this to Go inside of, With Open doors at each end. This way i can walk up to the Side of it, Gently Lower the Doors, Turning it DARK. I Have never had 1 Spray like this. Even if one was to Spray, it couldnā€™t Directly get me due to the Enclosed Box
PEAqu9u.jpg
 
Here in the Midwest those are called ā€œ Live trapsā€. After catching a large coon they usually need some repair.
 
Dispatching them is a tough deal NO MATTER what. If you shoot them they will Spray ALMOST Everytime, Even a Full Decap Shot, They will stil let loose to some Degree.

Since i had such a Problem with Skunks, i knew i had to Figure out a Way to Deal with them after i had them Caught? (dispatch) I started reading, i did a LOT of Reading on it. A lot of the Professional Trappers that do it for a Living use a Skunk ā€Kill Poleā€ But I didnā€™t like this idea at all, They inject them from a Distance with Acetone, yep thatā€™s right! Paint thinner
Thurmanator Skunkinator Kill Pole | F&T Fur Harvester's Trading Post

I read up on Idaho Fish & Gameā€˜s advice on dispatching a Skunk, They say If you have one in a Box Style Trap, and are near Water to Dunk the Trap in Water (Drown) Go back and Get it in 15 Minutes. This is the Method i chose, And i am being 100% TRUTHFUL when i say that i HATE the idea of it!! I have a 110 Gallon Stock Tank that i Water my Garden Plants from, When i catch a Skunk, i walk the Trap over and Drop it in. There is NO EASY way to Dispatch a Skunk WITHOUT Them Spraying
 
Not quite sure what a ā€œbox trap ā€œ is ? Is it one of those wire meat traps that the critter goes into and the door shuts behind them thereby holding it captive ? I know a skunk wonā€™t spray if itā€™s in a confined space but will spray if it can ā€œassume the position ā€œ ( donā€™t ask me how I know this ). So Iā€™m assuming that one still has to assist the skunk on departing this world peacefully. Must have been a lot of excitement the first time trying that in town.
That was supposed to be ā€œwire mesh trap
Dispatching them is a tough deal NO MATTER what. If you shoot them they will Spray ALMOST Everytime, Even a Full Decap Shot, They will stil let loose to some Degree.

Since i had such a Problem with Skunks, i knew i had to Figure out a Way to Deal with them after i had them Caught? (dispatch) I started reading, i did a LOT of Reading on it. A lot of the Professional Trappers that do it for a Living use a Skunk ā€Kill Poleā€ But I didnā€™t like this idea at all, They inject them from a Distance with Acetone, yep thatā€™s right! Paint thinner
Thurmanator Skunkinator Kill Pole | F&T Fur Harvester's Trading Post

I read up on Idaho Fish & Gameā€˜s advice on dispatching a Skunk, They say If you have one in a Box Style Trap, and are near Water to Dunk the Trap in Water (Drown) Go back and Get it in 15 Minutes. This is the Method i chose, And i am being 100% TRUTHFUL when i say that i HATE the idea of it!! I have a 110 Gallon Stock Tank that i Water my Garden Plants from, When i catch a Skunk, i walk the Trap over and Drop it in. There is NO EASY way to Dispatch a Skunk WITHOUT Them Spraying
My father and brother were avid trappers and did a lot of euthanizing of skunks in the area that were problematic in their towns. Their approach was a Rapala filleting knife attached to the end of a six foot pole. They would approach the skunk head on and slowly insert the knife into the chest cavity to pierce the heart. Now I must confess that I never actually witnessed this being performed however they always came back with a rather dead skunk that hadnā€™t sprayed. Apparently as long as they didnā€™t spook the skunk it just stayed still and bled out. Iā€™m probably going to use a lot of bear fat before I tackle a skunk being chicken and all. Good luck with the skunk.
 
I had trouble with coons & skunks under the house. I put a string of lights under there and they all moved out. Damn coons were undercutting my foundation walls.
 
Back
Top