Skunk spray essay: Trappers tap into region’s ‘liquid gold’

At $30 an ounce, there is gold in the Susquehanna Valley outdoors — liquid gold.
It isn’t the kind you’ll find in a Velveeta Shells & Cheese commercial. You’ll need a lot stronger stomach to handle this version of “liquid gold” — along with a few trapping supplies, a syringe or two and a clothespin for your nose may be useful.
That’s because this extremely valuable fluid is none other than essence of skunk.
The liquid that the black-and-white critter sprays for self-defense can help trappers lure in fox and coyote, among other predators that enjoy a skunky snack every once in a while.
It also is used in certain high-end perfumes. Kind of ironic that the same highly potent substance can be used for two very different things, but that is what makes it so valuable, along with the fact that it isn’t the easiest to collect.
Or is it?
Pat Mitchell, of Middleburg, has been trapping skunks and collecting their essence for decades — using the liquid to enhance his trapping lures.
“I trap the skunk and then walk up to it real gentle. It helps to talk to it a little bit in a calm voice,” he said.
Mitchell then uses a 4-foot length of PVC pipe with a wooden dowel inside and a syringe to quickly and mercifully inject a lethal substance that works literally in seconds.
“They’re really docile and don’t seem to even notice the needle,” he said.
Those who think they can use a gun to kill the skunk before harvesting the essence — also called skunk quill — usually find out quickly that method stinks.
Literally.
“When skunks are dispatched with a gun, they spray 99 percent of the time,” said Jason Gill, a veteran trapper from the Clearfield area. “Skunks rarely spray while in a trap unless approached by another animal.”
Gill said that a skunk that has not recently sprayed yields approximately a half-ounce of essence. While that may not seem like much, the essence is so potent, that even one tiny drop can wreak havoc with someone’s olfactory senses.
“One drop of skunk quill is enough to make my body and clothing stink without even touching it,” said Gill. “One tiny drop can be smelled by humans up to 1/8 of a mile away — or four city blocks.”
Gill said the value of essence varies from year to year, but is currently going for $30 an ounce. For those patient and persistent enough to collect enough essence to fill a gallon milk jug, it would be worth $3,840 at that valuation.
However, at a half-ounce of essence per skunk, you’d need to tap into 256 fully loaded skunks to reach that goal, which is where the persistence would come in.
The oil in the essence is what perfume manufacturers covet because it helps the perfume aroma last for much longer periods of time than what the perfume can alone. Those who have suffered through a few days of roadkill skunk near their home can vouch for that special quality.
Gill ships his collected skunk essence to trapping lure companies. The largest lure maker in Pennsylvania is Russ Carman lures. Gill also sells the skunk’s pelt, which he said currently goes for $5 each.
Ultimately, collecting skunk quill may not be the most luxurious way to make a living off the outdoors, but it can be a unique experience for those who are adventurous enough to take on the smell-sacrificing risk.
It is hard to come across gold if you’re afraid to step foot in a mine — or, in this case, near nature’s most noxious landmine.