RACCOON

The gall from the liver is the only gland from raccoons that has any significant value. It can be removed, ground up while still fresh, and mixed with raccoon urine to provide a natural scent lure for use during semi-hibernation periods. It is also used to lay a trail to simulated dens and trees, for use in training raccoon hounds.

When I was a kid, I used to experiment with other raccoon parts, including the reproductive organs, and even the foot pads and claws. None of them did anything.

CANINES

The primary gland product from canines is found near the vent opening on either side, and is actually a part of the anus. Before and after the breeding season, the scent substance is not readily noticeable. When it is present, it is sort of yellow in color, with a fluid-like consistency. However, there is always enough scent present to save these glands. Using a very sharp knife, cut out the entire anal opening. You may think there is a lot of fat clinging to this, but don't remove it since the fat is actually desirable.

Other canine parts commonly used are the ear lobes and cartilage, the brains, the spleen (located inside the body cavity and looking more like snot than anything else), the gall from the liver, the bladder and contents, the foot pads, and the reproductive glands and organs.

SKUNKS

When I was a kid, a local beekeeper was having a terrible problem with skunks (and opossums too, to a lesser extent). These critters love insects, and bees in particular. A skunk will position itself just outside the hive opening, catch bees with their front paws, and roll them around on the ground until they're dead. These critters have an insatiable appetite, and they consume quite a few bees. This is especially a problem early in the honey season, when the hive population should be expanding rapidly. It also makes the bees upset and, if there's one thing a beekeeper doesn't like, it's upset bees. In desperation, the beekeeper offered me a bounty of a couple dollars for every skunk I could get rid of.

That was a pretty profitable enterprise for me. In addition to the bounty, I sold the pelts for a buck or two, and the essence for another buck or more. That might not sound like much these days, but back when the minimum wage was a dollar an hour, that was one heck of a lot of money.

Most trappers just don't want to mess with skunks, for obvious reasons. Many trappers waste the entire critter. Still others do nothing more than extract whatever skunk essence they can with a hypodermic needle, and throw the carcass away. If that's all you want to do, that's fine--but in my opinion, it's an unconscionable waste.

It goes without saying that you should be careful extracting the skunk sacs. The essence itself is sort of a yellowish or greenish-yellow in color. The sacs themselves are located just to either side of the anal opening.

The method I use for extracting the essence is to, first of all, wear rubber or nylon gloves. I use a wide-mouth gallon jar and, taking one sac in each hand and being careful of my aim, squeeze both sacs.

This essence is valuable. At times, I've seen it sell for more than the pelt. And about forty years ago, articles in various outdoor magazines popularized the practice of deer and predator hunters to slather themselves in this stuff, supposedly to mask their human scent. (Beginning trappers are notorious for using this stuff at sets they have just made, also hoping it will mask their scent.) So please, don't waste this stuff.

(Just as an aside, about thirty years ago when Soldier of Fortune Magazine still had a classified section, one enterprising trapper was advertising this stuff at the unheard price of $15 an ounce, guaranteeing that it was indeed "the real stuff." "Consider the possibilities," the ad said. That fellow, with his imagination, just has to be a millionaire now.)

After the sacs are emptied, don't throw them away. Put them in a separate jar, along with all the surrounding fat, and save them until you have at least a pint. Then, following the directions for sun-rendered fish oil above, leave them in the sun for at least one summer and preferably two. Then, on a warm day, pour off the rich brown liquid and bottle.

This is sun-rendered skunk oil, and there is no better long-range fox lure than this.

Since few people are trapping these days, skunks can be as profitable for you as they once were for me. It's no longer unusual to see them in suburban garages and patios, and homeowners will be happy to pay you for getting rid of them. Whenever I wanted to trap on someone's farm, I often offered to get rid of the skunks living the the farmer's basement for free, in exchange for permission to trap.

Onward and upward,
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