Maybe it was sick, rabies or whatever. He sure wasn’t walking normal. Figured i’d better ‘cure’ him. Headshot him and he didn’t spray, thank goodness. The wind was right, but he wasn’t far from the house.

Seems like when I shoot them with my 22, they spray less often than if I use the 223. That’s far from any sort of scientific data, but i’ll do more testing.

well done sir

Probably distemper.

Good job. Skunks love quail and turkey eggs.

I'd bury or burn the thing if you can stand to get close to it. Distemper and rabies could be spread to dog's or coyotes if they eat the carcass. You don't want that in your neighborhood.

This skunk never sprayed, so it was easy on the nose to relocate the carcass. I took him back to where my flightless buzzard lives. The buzzard needs some food sourcing assistance, assuming that he’s still alive. I haven’t seen him lately. The other buzzards will reduce the skunk to scraps well before a coyote ever gets a shot at the meat.

I don’t think it is the meat. The virus live in the spinal fluid and brain.

Wobbly skunks who walk like they've been hit by a car and lost thir balance, those who are: out is full daylight, not afraid of humans or dogs are for sure rabid even if they are not foaming at the mouth according to what I was told after I killed one in Carrollton as it came out of my bird dogs pen where it was looking for water. Hyper Rotten Smell like burning a car tire from the spray and disoriented sense of direction are other common symptoms.

When Carrollton Animal Control finally showed up 45 minutes later after being called 6 times and the 911 line called repeatedly and transferred to Animal Control rather than dispatching a patrol car, and picked this dead guy up with their shovels, then cleaned the shovels by pouring gasoline over the blade and setting them on fire to kill the virus in the bodily fluids.

I took all 3 of my Setters to the Vet PDQ and had their shots updated, and inspected for any evidence of bites or broken skin, and isolated too...then on the way home I paid a visit to the City Managers Office about the poor response from Animal Control and the "quality" response from the CPD that showed up right behind the Animal Control guys, and wanted to arrest me for dicharging a firearm, totally ignoring the facts of the incident and history of 911 calls that they'd confirmed. Told the CPD's to get in the truck with me to go to the Vets Office so we could "discuss" the situation while I was loading the dogs up...and they said I stank too bad of skunk spray from handling the dogs for them, and they'd be back to arrest me later...and no showed. The City Manager tried to crawl across his credenza to find a way to get away from me leaning across his desk and "visiting" with him in my very best parade ground voice...while his secretary called the CPD on me again for "harrasing" the boss.

FWIW gallons of tomato juice is your friend. Gotta Luv City of Carrollton's municiple services....'cause another rabid skunk incident was ignored the same way 2 weeks later when a rabid skunk tried to enter the local Jr Hi front door at 8 am, and the custodian good guys with the BIG brooms held the infected critter penned against a wall for 30-45 minutes while 600 kids walked past the incident less than 10-20 feet away, waiting for the "Cavalry to arrive" ....and it never arrived ...so they turned the rabid skunk loose and locked all the front doors all day. I don't miss Carrollton, after living there for 30 years.
Ron