I was running the dog this morning and "see" a trash bag blowing in the wind out in a cut bean field. Not really paying attention it is not until it's almost to late that I realize it is a skunk. Out in the day and paying more attention to me than would be normal. After getting the dog back under control I place a 158 grain HP, 38 special right under his chin. That one left a mark. I didn't shoot it again, but let it die in peace. I find it amazing how tough some sick critters can be. Especially Skunks, they seem to be able to absorb more hits than their size would justify.

This is not the first time I have had to kill pests that venture too close. The first time, I shot a skunk twice with 158 LRN bullets they were good hits, but the skunk just kept on walking toward me. I quickly reloaded with 357 magnum 158 JHP and hit it again. That did the trick.

Anyone else have similar experiences?

longwalker

















Anyone else had this experience.

longwalker

Ground Hog hunting with 22 rimfire, Man! 4 solid hits with CCI Stingers and he was still alive long enough to give my little Jack Russel a gash that cost me 180.00 to stitch up at the vets.

Had a similar experience with a gray squirrel once. We were at home and this little bugger approached me with no fear at all. Now, it was either sick or had been hand raised. I chose the first option and decided to introduce it to a large rat trap baited with some peanut butter. Let's just say it had a large pain in it's neck and never recovered. LOL
Skunks are especially prone to rabies and I'll bet that one was infected. You did the right thing. Larger caliber is always good too. LOL
Glad you and your dog did not tangle with it.
Yotebuster[b]

Had to shoot a dog (German Shepherd) some years ago when doing security work in Sydney. Didn't really want to because he was a beautiful looking dog, but he had turned vicious and nobody could get anywhere near him. He had also savaged his owner.

The Boss had his 38 Spec S & W with him so I used that. 38 Spec LRN are absolutely useless !! Hit this dog with 2 and he was still growling !!

Luckily we were close enough to the "office" to go and get a 357 MAG. 10 Minutes later a 158 gn Jacketed SP did the job without anymore drama. I was not happy with seeing him suffer the way he did.

I personally disposed of EVERY 38 Spec LRN the Boss had. He also got rid of his 38 Spec for a 357 MAG.


Maybe the skunk shot with the LRN wasn't all that tough....maybe the LRN are to blame !!

Cheers, Vince

I never had any particular trouble killing skunks with any weapon used,but each animal and situation is different.

I have killed alot of critters as a kid. I found if you "poked a hole" in them they died pretty fast skunks and raccons included. I was shooting them with my bows using field tips. Once hit, they just seemed to roll over and die.

The recent skunk stories I am sure are with sick, maybe rabies, animals.

longwalker

longwalker wrote:

I have killed alot of critters as a kid. I found if you "poked a hole" in them they died pretty fast skunks and raccons included. I was shooting them with my bows using field tips. Once hit, they just seemed to roll over and die. The recent skunk stories I am sure are with sick, maybe rabies, animals. longwalker

I would have thought that sick animals would be weaker and as such easier to kill.

We don't have rabies in Australia so I am not familiar with its effects on animals. Does it make them harder to kill? Does it affect them like some drugs do junkies...make them harder to "deal with"? I don't know.

Vince

I once saw a raccon out and about late morning. walking across a harvested soybean field. The raccon was some distance away. the first shot was with a .357 magnum there was no mistaking the hit. knocked him back and you could hear the impact of the bullet. The next shot was with a 30-30. granted the shot was low but it knocked him over. The raccon gets up and continues walking toward us. I held on it's chin and squeezed off the shot. Over it goes. There is a trail of blood and vicera. As I approach the beast, it lifts it head bares it's teeth and growls at me. That is one tough raccoon. An other example of hard to kill. I was goose hunting out on the prairie. Near the Missouri river. I raccoon comes over the top of a rise. I wave my hand and shout. The raccoon continues to approach. I was with my 10 year old boy and didn't want to splatter it right in front of him. So I take my 12 gauge 3 1/2 inch magnum BBB and walk to the doomed pest and let him have it right in the head, from about 10 feet. Story over, right ? Well in about 5 minutes it starts moving his feet and snarling, snapping its jaws. My son says hey dad I think the raccon isn't dead yet. I said I know! Lets just let it die in peace. Don't you know the dumb thing gets to it's feet and starts dragging it's self toward us again. Two shots to the pump house finally put and end to the pest.

By comparison I have shot raccoons out of trees using a bow and arrow the arrows pass through, not suprising, they fall and lay down and die. I personally don't thing it was the fall that killed them. "Coon" hunting is mostly done at night. I generally assume if one is out during the day it must be sick.

longwalker

I was at my mom's in Olympia and noticed that she had a live trap on her back porch. SHe had racoon problems, they were stripping all the power cords they could find, power tools, extension cords and eating the cat food. About 2:30 am their weinerschnitzel dog woke me up, WE HAD A PRISONER!!!!!!!! I loaded the cage in my deisel and tried to be quiet, I drove onto the civillian side of the Army base in the trees. I had with me my NEF Bull Barreled 17HMR, I put the cage in front of my headlights about six feet away from me. He was quartering away from me and I hit him in front of his hump and behind his head. Trying for the spine, he coughed up chunks of lung. It took three shots of the little 17 HMR to get him to stop, and lung and blood was everywhere. This one I didn't feel bad about.

The thing is I had shot 4 other animals with the NEF rifle: a Blue Grouse that had only one breast left, a Blue Jay thay was filleted over the branch, a quail that lost both of his legs, and a rabbit that lost his right shoulder.

I was impressed with the tiny bullet untill then, the next day I traded it in for a H&R Bull Barreled .243 Win.

Joe Oakes

I too had problems killing a skunk one night while coon huning.

, we seen this skunk out about a 100 yards , started out with a single shot bolt action 22. my friend and his brother had each a 10-22 rugger simi auto 22's.
they empied thier 22's on it and missing it every time. by this time it was running, I was watching it the whole time threw the scope with the bolt action 22. I waited till they was done shooting , and while they was reloading.
thier dad had the spot light on it. Pulling the trigger, the skunk rolled , then stopped, not moving. thier dad was very amazzed and wanted to go look at it.
we jumped out of the truck. I traded the bolt action for a 10-22 simi. and off we went . as we approched, the skunk jumped up and started running. we could see that it was hit. I unloaded the 10 round clip into it, it kept running. I reloaded another 10 rounds. and caught back up to it. unloaded that 10 rounds , hitting it every time. it finaly ran under a log and passed away.
. about 21 rounds of 22 bullets finaly took it down.

this is the first time I had ever had any problems taking a skunk down.

some times I guess , there are some pretty tough critters out there.

Really old Daveyboy from back in April

Only pests I've ever had heard of is coyotes and the farm 2 farms over delt with them the one night I went deer hunting last fall

Dimitri

Funny thing I was experiencing while reading all these posts. My imagination was running ammuck. Thought of all kinds of humorous events I could have started writing about, but, it would have been done only for giggles, so won't...
Keep it coming...

Tree squirrels have got to one of the strongest animals per ounce of flesh. Sometimes even with two or three good hits a .22 LR they still manage to hang on to a branch or even jump to another tree. If they weighed even 20 pounds they might require a 30.06 class rifle to put them down!

skunks are pretty tuff but i always take them out with either a 12ga buck load or my 270

Some pretty dangerous game, wouldn't you say ??