Extracting Skunk Essence (pics)
Aug 22, 2009 10:50:57 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2009 10:50:57 GMT -5
here is another method of extracting the essence from skunks
Extracting Skunk Essence
extracting skunk essence should not be intimidating ... it is quite easy and can be done several ways ... many folks opt for extracting before skinning and while the glands are still attached to the carcass ... another method and my prefered is removing the glands prior to skinning and extraction ... the pictures below will show you how I go about doing this
to remove the glands successfully and without having to smell or waste any essence the use of a very sharp knife or single edge razor blade is imperative (the super sharp blade allows smooth cutting without putting any pressure on the glands, possibly causing them to leak)
this probably looks familiar ... the south end of a north bound skunk
using a razor blade ... circle cut around the vent (making sure to keep your cut shallow)
closer view of opening cut
being careful continue cutting the surrounding tissue ... seperating the skin from the glands ... this is much easier than you might think and a whole lot easier and quicker to do than it is to type this out
with all of the surrounding connective tissue seperated now you'll need to cut the vent tube (intestine) *all the while remembering not to apply any pressure to the glands ... here is a picture after the glands have been removed ... now you can skin out your skunks without any worry
here is a small box that I keep my syringes in ... along with extra needles and bottles for storing the extracted essence ... I use 16ga 1" needles and 12cc syringes
some cut out skunk glands ready to have the essence extracted
here's a close up of the full skunk glands
use the syringe to extract the essence ... insert/puncture the sac with the syringe needle ... pull back on the plunger, drawing out the essence ... sometimes you'll get it all at one time, other times you may have to try several times ... get as much as you can ... you'll know when it is empty as the sac will collapse under the vaccum created by the syringe ... you will need to store your essence in glass ... if you want to use your syringe multiple times be sure to run water through it several times and squirt it out ... then draw clean water into it and leave it full during storage
the empty sacs are useable also ... collect them in a jar, age/rot them down until they become mellow and non skunky ... or you can cut them like in the picture and toss one down a dirt hole to wake up a stale set
Extracting Skunk Essence
extracting skunk essence should not be intimidating ... it is quite easy and can be done several ways ... many folks opt for extracting before skinning and while the glands are still attached to the carcass ... another method and my prefered is removing the glands prior to skinning and extraction ... the pictures below will show you how I go about doing this
to remove the glands successfully and without having to smell or waste any essence the use of a very sharp knife or single edge razor blade is imperative (the super sharp blade allows smooth cutting without putting any pressure on the glands, possibly causing them to leak)
this probably looks familiar ... the south end of a north bound skunk
using a razor blade ... circle cut around the vent (making sure to keep your cut shallow)
closer view of opening cut
being careful continue cutting the surrounding tissue ... seperating the skin from the glands ... this is much easier than you might think and a whole lot easier and quicker to do than it is to type this out
with all of the surrounding connective tissue seperated now you'll need to cut the vent tube (intestine) *all the while remembering not to apply any pressure to the glands ... here is a picture after the glands have been removed ... now you can skin out your skunks without any worry
here is a small box that I keep my syringes in ... along with extra needles and bottles for storing the extracted essence ... I use 16ga 1" needles and 12cc syringes
some cut out skunk glands ready to have the essence extracted
here's a close up of the full skunk glands
use the syringe to extract the essence ... insert/puncture the sac with the syringe needle ... pull back on the plunger, drawing out the essence ... sometimes you'll get it all at one time, other times you may have to try several times ... get as much as you can ... you'll know when it is empty as the sac will collapse under the vaccum created by the syringe ... you will need to store your essence in glass ... if you want to use your syringe multiple times be sure to run water through it several times and squirt it out ... then draw clean water into it and leave it full during storage
the empty sacs are useable also ... collect them in a jar, age/rot them down until they become mellow and non skunky ... or you can cut them like in the picture and toss one down a dirt hole to wake up a stale set