Are You Prepared To Be Skunked?

In sports if a team is “skunked” it usually means they failed to score or their athletic performance generally “stunk up the place.” When it’s said you have “a skunk in your mouth,” then buddy…you have a noticeable case of bad breath. In the drinking world if you have some “skunky” beer it usually means it has either gone flat or is of very poor, undesirable quality in the first place. But when you or your dog gets “skunked” in the outdoors…you better be prepared to deal with the consequences.

I’ve always been a bit fascinated by the world of skunks—provided it was done at a distance, mind you. But when you spend any amount of time in the outdoors…sooner or later you are likely to have an encounter.

Perhaps the most memorable encounter I ever had with a skunk occurred in the fall of 1995 when I was elk hunting out in Colorado. We had set up camp with our wall tent and gear just off the mountain road and things were looking pretty calm and peaceful…well, at least for awhile. I had brought with a bag of salted in-the-shell peanuts and was indiscriminately discarding the empty hulls around camp. BIG MISTAKE!!

At the end of a long day’s hunt we arrived back in camp and were settling in to cook supper when I happened to look down to see a skunk walking right towards me at a distance of about 10 feet. I let out a shriek and told my hunting partner, Mitch, to “grab the gun!!!” This seemingly fearless little creature began to chew on the pile of empty peanut shells…and that is when I realized my mistake.

Believe me, there are few happenings in life that can get you so quickly excited as having a skunk in hunting camp. The experience only has to happen once and your awareness of it happening again is somehow easily heightened. Several years later we had camp in Montana during an antelope hunt when someone sitting around the campfire hollered “skunk…grab the gun!” One of the hunters was just about to lay a bead on the critter when another hunter wisely shined a flashlight to determine it wasn’t a skunk…but just the rancher’s small black dog nosing around our campsite.

Of course, we all know why the mere mention of “skunk” sends a shiver up our sportsman’s spines. Aside from the fact many are rabid…the potential odor factor is often of greater concern to most of us.

Take the skunk, for instance, we shot in Colorado who invaded our camp. Even though we shot it 300 feet away from camp…the obnoxious stench lingered on the mountainside the whole time we were there hunting. Another group of hunters, in fact, ended up moving their camp location because the prevailing winds made their camp life simply unbearable.

Skunk essence is an interesting substance. The chemical called "butylmercaptan" has been documented to be detectable at a distance of over 20 miles away from the point source. Think back to the times you are driving along in your car and you smell skunk. Given the right conditions, it can be a mile or two down the road before you visually detect the road kill.

Skunk essence comes from the same family of chemicals added to natural gas. Natural gas in its pure form is odorless…so a chemical is added to help alert folks to a potential leak. Indeed, skunk essence can be detected even at such low levels as 20 parts per billion making the task of cleaning up the smell almost impossible. That’s why even six months to a year after the spray it’s still usually possible to detect a hint of this undesired odor.

On the market there are several concoctions used by dog owners and sportsmen to deal with the “skunky” smell…but there is also one very common recipe used to effectively neutralize the smell. Forget bathing Fido in tomato juice or vinegar…for best results consider this:

Mix 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide; into
¼ cup of baking soda; combine with
1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap.

Combine the contents of this solution into a spray bottle or the mixture can be added to a load of laundry. DO NOT bottle the solution for later use…pressure from the hydrogen peroxide and the baking soda can build up and rupture the container.

The fear of getting “skunked” doesn’t have to keep you indoors if you know how to properly handle the situation if it occurs. Remember, a skunk emits the spray out a gland near its anus to a distance of about 10 to 15 feet. Yet, even though the fear of getting sprayed is obviously of big concern…the paramount concern with skunks should be the incidence of rabies as they are one of the main carries of that nasty disease in the country.

The next time you head out in the field pheasant hunting just remember that it’s a whole lot better to get "skunked" by not shooting any birds…than getting "skunked" by having to deal with the odor. Dealing with the latter lingers far longer than dealing with the bitterness of the former.

Firearms Safety – It’s No Accident By Design

May 25, 2005
Hunting Outdoor Education Shooting Sports
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Firearmssafetypatch It was 30 years ago when I first took firearms safety as a 12-year old. Notice how I mentioned I FIRST took firearms safety. That’s right…during the years since I first stepped into a firearms safety class as a youth, I have voluntarily refreshed the class as recently as 12 years ago as an adult. Why? Because the fact is you are never too old or too experienced handling guns to forget the all-important lessons learned from this class.

Today I was reminded of that experience when a good friend of mine, John Maki, stopped by to visit me in my office. You see, John is one of the local volunteer firearms safety instructors and for the past two years I have donated a plaque recognizing an outstanding youngster from his most recent training class. While the award certainly recognizes a youngster and their classroom achievement…it also gives the local sportsman’s club a chance to get some valuable publicity in promoting this vital community training.

After John left my office I started to think about all these tireless volunteers from around the country who spend their free time passing on these critical and very necessary gun skills. To many kids, this is the first introduction they will have to conservation practices as well as to the proper handling of firearms. These instructors are burdened with the awesome responsibility of inspiring the youth of today into becoming the safe, gun-handling adults of tomorrow. For most people, it may be their first and the last time they are ever exposed to formal education in the proper handling techniques of firearms. Indeed, it takes a special instructor to impact a person’s life so effectively that they recognize and maintain these important lessons over a lifetime.

I pay tribute to John because 30 years ago he was also one of my firearms safety instructors. I can vividly remember sitting in his class as if it happened just yesterday with him talking about compound bows and the many wonders of hunting with archery equipment. I dare say there are few other classes from school I can recall with the same mental clarity…but when it came to the fun lessons of becoming a responsible youth learning about the outdoors and the equipment hunters use…I was all eyes and ears for the lessons he taught. John’s message not only captured my attention, but the skills he was carefully promoting also captured my imagination for how I saw myself developing as a sportsman hunter.

Even though many kudos can certainly be paid to folks like John and thousands of dedicated instructors like him from across the country…this message is not solely about his individual efforts. Instead, I want to emphasize how the hunting community as a whole owes this special fraternity of volunteer firearms safety instructors a debt of gratitude for doing the work we often take for granted. Firearms safety training, from the perspective of the instructor, takes a patience and skill in relating to youth that is nothing short of commendable, as far as I’m concerned.

When you consider how the typical instructor touches hundreds, if not thousands, of students over their teaching career…it becomes an awesome responsibility. In many ways, this person is the gatekeeper of continuing our unique outdoor heritage. If we fail to introduce the youth of today to the proper handling and understanding of the “tools of the trade,” they can never be expected to fully appreciate and respect the skills necessary to become a safe sportsman.

I might suggest that if you don’t personally know who teaches firearms safety in your community you should make an effort to get to know this person. Offer to be a resource person willing to assist as needed. Even sitting in on the classes when you don’t have to sends a message showing these young, impressionable minds how important firearms safety is no matter at what stage you are at in your hunting career.

No doubt about it 30 years ago when John described his passion for bowhunting he planted a seed in my mind on that day that continues to grow even as of today. I doubt he fully realized it at the time…and probably doesn’t comprehend just how important that effort was even today. But every budding sportsman needs a good mentor as a role model…and I believe for most youth it begins with the very capable instructors in the firearms safety class…and then later it continues with the family and the friends who must constantly reinforce each of those safety lessons once learned.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

International Hunter Education Association (features links to all state programs)

Sportsman “Must-have” Gear You Should Own

May 24, 2005
Gear
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Okay, I’ll admit it…I’m one of those gadget guys. As soon as I see some slick new device promising to make a sportsman’s life a bit easier, more fun, or even more successful I will usually be among the first to add it to my stable of toys. Call it human nature if you will, but I love most sportsman gadgets.

Of course, most of my friends know this about me. They know I have a penchant for the latest and greatest new outdoor gear. Truth is I have a room full of equipment some of which has never even been taken out of the box. I guess you could call that my dirty little secret not too many people know about me.

So, it struck some of my friends as odd that I didn’t have a FoodSaver vacuum sealer in my growing list of equipment. For years I resisted the temptation partly for two reasons. First, the device appeared to me to be so “infomercial” like in appearance. Even I realize that more often than not gadgets showcased on these television shows can be made to look a lot more useful than they eventually prove to be practical. Besides, my second point was most of these machines were expensive with the good ones costing as much as 3 bills.

Moreover, I reasoned for far too long that a FoodSaver doesn’t do much more than you can accomplish with some saran wrap and Zip-lock bags. Even butcher paper well wrapped can be a good protector…or so I believed. But I was wrong. Of the half dozen or so friends I knew who owned one of these FoodSaver machines…each one raved about the performance of what it can do…and gave a litany of reasons why they did not want to live without one. This got me thinking that maybe I need to change my aversion to these machines.

Several months back I finally broke down and purchased the FoodSaver Turbo II Professional and I now must admit it has become one of the best equipment investments I have made. Sure, it took a healthy chunk out of my budget…but over the long run I’m convinced it will preserve the quality of food in ways that other methods simply cannot accomplish. Certainly with Father’s Day coming up…putting this on your wish list makes good sense. Besides, even most spouses will see some value in this device as it can be used in many ways be multiple family members.

The big thing about the FoodSaver is the vacuum sealing. With the high-pressure pumps sucking most of the air out of the bag (and squeezing the meat), you virtually remove any excess air from having contact with the meat. Truth is oxidative rancidity (commonly called freezer burn) is a nasty thing to have happen to your food. Once you learn how to use the FoodSaver properly it will greatly extend the freezer life of most of your food items quite dramatically. Check out this chart.

But don’t overlook other uses of the FoodSaver, either. I know of a few sportsmen who will seal such items as small maps, matches, and other items to keep them safe and dry. Once you begin using the machine you will quickly discover a multitude of other possible uses.

Several months back Consumer Reports rated the various FoodSaver-type products and as I recall the two units manufactured by Tilia (the originator of the FoodSaver craze) stood out the best. Rating high were two models – the Turbo II Professional (the one I own) and the V840 (also known by the model V845 by some vendors) tested out as top units in the tests.

If you’re in the market for a FoodSaver type unit do not wait until this fall to purchase one. Believe me; it does take a bit of experimentation to gain proficiency at using the devices. Furthermore, be aware that even though the cost of the machine can be a bit pricey the cost of the bag-making material is also rather expensive. Getting a model before the fall game processing season allows you to watch for sales on both the machine and the plastic rolls (for sealing).

Perhaps the best reason for purchasing an original FoodSaver device is their customer service. I’ve called once already and they were awesome in how they handled my situation. Another buddy called with a problem and they handled his concern much to his satisfaction, as well.

If you’re looking for a nice, easy to use unit that will preserve the quality of the game meat you bring home…you certainly won’t go wrong by purchasing a vacuum sealer for your sportsman’s kitchen. Best of all, however, is when you open that package several months from now and the meat ends up tasting and smelling as fresh as the day you put it in the package. That will definitely prove to you that this was a gadget on which your money was well spent.