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rodeosquirrel

can a skunk smell like fire?

RodeoSquirrel
18 years ago

theres this odd smell often at night that we cant make out, sometimes it smells like a skunk but then sometimes it smells like fire mixed in with skunk. can skunks make these odd odors? or any other animal? we had a deer do some weird calls last night kinda like someone having a sneezing fit but really loud like "fwuu fwuu" then she ran out of the woods but seemed ok and just walked about her buisness like nothing happend. do deer give off odors?

Comments (15)

  • bulldinkie
    18 years ago

    I heard a deer scream one time I was on a walk in woods, it sounded like a woman screaming, scared baheebes out of me.

  • gardener_sandy
    18 years ago

    Bucks give off a very strong odor during rut. I walked out my door one night and it nearly knocked the top of my head off. I don't remember it smelling like fire, just very very strong musk.

    Most animals make a variety of sounds. We often associate one particular sound with a specific animal, like the loud "caw" of the crow, but most have what could almost be called a language. It takes some patience and listening but it's really amazing to listen to them carefully and try to determine what they're "saying."

  • dirtgirl
    18 years ago

    I know if you get close enough to a skunk then it can smell almost like pure sulfur...almost like someone has been setting off fireworks. You can actually taste it!
    On the other hand, deer have a musk of sorts too and you don't necessarily have to have them in rut to smell it although it intensifies during that period.
    When does the deer season start in Penn? Usually seasons are set to coincide with the rut, but a lot of bucks are checking their watches and anxious to get going a long time before the does have even given it a thought.

  • RodeoSquirrel
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    so a skunk can emit odor without actually spraying? the smell is def a musk odor with a hint of something burning, so i guess you can say it smells like a skunk on fire lol
    hunting season i think but im not sure starts in october(?)
    so its either a skunk or a buck? something spooked that doe the other night maybe it was a buck. but she wasnt petrified, she ran a little then she calmed down and just walked in back of my house. she looked like she was in great health she had decent weight on her. i always worry about the deer, even though most people hate them :o)

  • dirtgirl
    18 years ago

    I'll bet that the smell you are getting is from a skunk somewhere close to your location, and whenever something decided to tangle with it, the resulting commotion might have sent the doe off a few yards to find a quieter (and sweeter smelling) hang out.
    Whenever I have been close to a skunk I always think of burning matches because of the sulfur smell.

  • njtea
    18 years ago

    When a dog of mine got sprayed it smelled for the longest while like the dog had been rolling in wild onions - until the dog got wet, then it smelled like skunk.

  • tommysmommy
    18 years ago

    That interesting sound the deer made is a danger call to other deer in the area. I have them in my yard and occasionally if I go outside and approach them (and I really don't want them eating my flowers so I do) one will make that "fwuu fwuu" almost whistling sound, and they all bound off.
    My cat was sprayed a few years ago by a skunk and the initial smell on him was not the traditional skunk smell, much stronger and caustic. Only after he'd been washed and dried did the skunk odor become pronounced, which lingered by the way, for a few months. I always knew when Tommy'd washed himself because the odor was reactivated!

  • RodeoSquirrel
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    i remember when i was a kid we had this game called "hook line and stinker" you would fish for certain pieces and when you get the skunk piece you lose, but the funny part was this skunk piece was a scratch n sniff and it really did smell like skunk
    i bet i can find that game on ebay lol

  • dseerveld
    18 years ago

    Just an FYI, if your dog (or you) gets sprayed by skunk. Don't bother with tomato juice. The best skunk odor removal remedy is hydrogen peroxide + baking soda + liquid soap.

    See link: Skunk smell removal recipe

    This is the only documented method that actually works.

  • RodeoSquirrel
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    i have a feeling the reason for all these skunk odors is theres a great horned owl near by. i heard it hooting last night which was very exciting lol
    i remember reading somewhere that skunks are on a great horned owls menu. just a thought :o)

  • Bellingham
    18 years ago

    I used to live near the Rio Grande in New Mexico, and there were skunks all over the place. They made their dens in the ditch banks.

    Anyway, I would say what you smelled was a nearby skunk. Also, the baking soda, hydrogen peroxide recipe does really work. Just remember to wash it off the dog, cat, person after a few minutes because it is sort of hard on the skin. I'm convinced that somebody could make a million dollars packaging this (in two seperate containers, of course) and calling it "SkunkOff."

  • kelp
    18 years ago

    I slowed down to avoid killing a skunk one time,hoping he'd get to the side of the road in time. Only he decided to run to the center of the car and sprayed as I passed over him. The spray hitting the hot muffler of my car gave it a "burnt" smell for quite some time. (He was fine,by the way.) Perhaps a car passing by your house experienced the same.

  • rsmallen
    17 years ago

    Every once in a while the skunks around my yard smell like burning rubber mixed w. skunk. It's gross. I pray for a great horned owl to maybe rid me of some of them!

    Robin

  • amyrter
    17 years ago

    Yes! I also thought it smelled like a fire in the beginning. I awoke at 3:30am and smelled something burning. I thought my house was on fire, or atleast it seemed as if some wires were burning. I awoke my husband and we began sniffing around the house. We even checked the attic and felt the walls and the outlets. My next thought was that it was something horrible like a terrorist attack or a meth lab gone wrong. My chest was burning and I felt like I could not breathe. I feared for my children so I began opening the windows and the garage door. I was about to call the fire dept, but first I called my nearby mother who came over to help. Soon the smell became more typical of "skunk!" We then narrowed down the smells origin to my garage. The skunk must have came in my cat door in search of my trash can. I don't know what made it spray because all of my cats smell fine. Now I am living in stink and trying all the remedies that I can find. It does absorb on all of your clothes, coats and purses. The hard part is that my garage is basically a storage\junk pile and I am going to have to wait for a nice day to deep clean it piece by piece. Wish me luck!

  • amyrter
    17 years ago

    PS... We also thought it smelled like a perm, onion, and melting plastic.

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