Benji trail XL kill.

[Wade.S]

My brother is new to air gunning and recently bought a Benji trail XL. He called me today and told me he just shot a little skunk in his yard. Any how here is his photos. Hope you enjoy.

[Wade.S]

Sorry guys, I am trying to attach the photos that he sent me via his phone and I am having some difficulty.

[airiscool]

No dead skunk pix ? Well that stinks !

Sorry, I couldn't resist.  

Anyway, tell him congrats on his first skunk.

Paul.

[longislandhunter]

Tell your buddy "good shooting"  

Interested to see the pics when you get them up.....

Jeff

[Wade.S]

Paul, you are right it does stink. My brother said he agrees as well.

[airiscool]

Wade.S - 5/26/2010  6:44 PM

Paul, you are right it does stink. My brother said he agrees as well.

Wade,

I get nothing larger than Gray Squirrels here except Skunks raiding the compost pile, or digging holes in the lawn looking for grubbs. And, that's the only critter I won't shoot because of the risk of stinking out the neighborhood.

Paul.

[only1harry]

Here you go Paul since you seemed disappointed at the lack of dead skunk pic's, hehe  

One from this past season, and one from the year before (pellet broke the plate after going through skunk's head).  I can only take the stink in my backyard once a year

Edit:  Oh well it doesn't seem like we can post pics.  There must be a problem with the GTA's server.  These are small pics I posted before when I made the kills.  
If anyone wants to see dead skunks I can post links to my photobucket  

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/08_09_season/20091130_0435.jpg

[airiscool]

only1harry - 5/26/2010  9:14 PM

Here you go Paul since you seemed disappointed at the lack of dead skunk pic's, hehe  

One from this past season, and one from the year before (pellet broke the plate after going through skunk's head).  I can only take the stink in my backyard once a year  ..............

Thanks Harry.
Your a braver man than I . That picture is about as close as I ever want to get.

Had one show up here last fall. My old cat and I were standing on the back porch watching it out under the yard light at the bird feeder. It saw us and came charging up to within and 10-12 feet of where we were standing and started stamping it's front feet. I frooze  waiting to see if it was going to do the "tail twist". We've never had any Skunks show such aggression before. A few nights later the old cat, who is not the least bit interested in Skunks, came in blinking, stinking, and rubbing his face. He had been sprayed in the eye.

I started to wonder if my "don't shoot 'em" rule would last.

Couple of days later, the Girl Friend reported seeing a dead Skunk in the road around the corner. We never saw that one again, so I guess someone's tire saved my backyard from a stick storm !!!!

Paul.

[Wade.S]

Paul, I think my brother NOW has similar thinking.

[only1harry]

I 've had several cats over the years and like yours, they avoided skunks, but somehow managed to come home sprayed at least once or twice durnig their short lives with us.  

The one I took this past season in November charged at me as well, but would stop about 10-11ft, but this was 10-11ft from the structure of my house so it was too close for comfort.  I don't like it at all when they exhibit that kind of behavior.  They should be walking or running the other direction when a potential 200lb predator walks towards them.  

I gave him many chances to leave over the course of 3 weeks or so between October and November of last year.   I would go outside and approach him and he 'd leave.  I didn't want them eating all the bait I had put out for the fox, coons and possums.  But after a few days it started getting bolder and would only walk away if I got within 15-16ft and I was holding something or banging on something.. but then it would return within a couple of minutes.  Then after a couple of weeks it would NOT walk away, but would raise its tail at me as I got closer.  Then the 3d week it started charging me and that's where I drew the line, plus it caught me at a bad time.  I was tired and lacking sleep and not in the best of mood, so  I just went back upstairs, got the 350 .22 and shot it from only about 10yds out since it was not scared of me.  I got lucky with that (2nd) one.  It stunk much less and only for a few days because most of the spraying went on its fur and not the ground or all over the place.  The first one - the one in my link above, had dumped everything it had all around it as it was dying.  My backyard stunk for a month and it was much stronger.. but sometimes you get lucky.  

I am very happy when I see a dead skunk on the side of the road near my house.  I know it won't be stealing the bait come October  I hate it when I see dead possums and G-hogs a block or two away, because I know I wont' get to see them in my crosshairds  

[airiscool]

[Wade,

QUOTE]Wade.S - 5/26/2010  11:19 PM

Paul, I think my brother NOW has similar thinking [QUOTE

  Tough way to learn, huh  ?  

I learned at someone elses expense ...  sorta.
My late hunting partner was the live-on-the-property caretaker at my Gun Club. He used to say "Shoot 'em in the head and they won't spray.".

I pulled in the Gun Club  parking lot one day and almost tossed my breakfast from the stink. I saw a large patch of ground next to his trailer covered with chicken wire. I asked him what that was about. He said it was to keep his dog from rolling in the stink. I asked how the stink got there and, looking down at his shoes he said, "Well, I guess sometimes they'll spray".  Since all the ranges are downwind of his trailer, he caught h*ll from everyone who showed up to shoot !!

Paul

[Wade.S]

That's funny Paul. My brother shot his right next to his own home.
Good thing he lives alone! Maybe that is why!

[Furseeker]

I have one under one of my bird feeders almost every morning. I can smell him while I'm getting ready for work in the morning, some days I can't imagine his stink getting any stronger. I've had him in the cross hairs more than once, but the fear of how my wife would react has kept this stinky visitor alive. I've trapped a few in my day and ended up shooting them at the base of the skull with a .22 pistol, it's a 50/50 chance they will spray or just curl up and die, but I'm not willing to risk it in my own front yard.

[airiscool]

Got any neighbors you don't like ?  

This same late friend had a way of making life "interesting" for a neighbor of the Gun Club who moved in, then took the Gun Club to court to try and get it closed down because he didn't like the noise from the shooting. The legal fees almost bankrupted the Club and this freind would have had to find somewhere else to live.

It seems dead Skunks with bullet holes in their heads, plus an assortment of road-killed critters,  could occationally be found floating in the neighbors in-ground swimming pool after sunrise !    

Moral of the story ...don't mess with Skunks ... or people crazy enough to shoot them !!!!  

Paul

[djmyers]

How do you move in next to a gun club and then get mad about the noise? Idiot. That's about as bad as the guy that called when I was on duty complaining about the noise of helicopters flying around. You live next to a Marine air station and want to complain! I laughed and said I'd put a halt to the noise for him. Best part is I think he beleived me.