Critters that stink??

[Magnatomicflux]

Ferrets

[Montana Griz]

Originally Posted by hiero2

Ok - I've had a critter come around in the night who stinks. It is not a skunk smell - not at all. Last night it was faint, but discernable. I've had it in the past when it was strong - very strong. It is not a dog smell, it is not a skunk smell. I'm told bears don't generally smell, unless they've been rolling in something (like dogs do) - and the smell is kinda distinctive. It is hard to describe a smell like this - how do you describe the way a skunk smells except to say "it smelled like a skunk!" - but the best word I can think of is rank. Something more like a human with particularly bad b.o., but different - more rank, less sour stench.

It's not possums, I've gotten close to plenty and never noticed a smell. Nor a coon, ditto. Not a skunk, nor a likely bear - and I don't think it is coyote, unless the coyote is finding something particular to roll around in like dogs do. If they are, I sure don't know what it could be. Do fisher cats smell? I think they are of the weasel family - and some weasels stink big time (I remember the mink farm down the road when I was a kid).

The OP lives approx 25 miles N/W of Boston.............
Based on that location, I would guess: (A) a dog or coyote that has rolled in something, or (B) a feral cat has killed some other small animal and has left it partially buried near the OP's home.
Wind currents at night can play a part in what direction the smell is coming from.

[hiero2]

Sorry - I didn't say where - don't know how Montana got the 20, but he got it pretty close. I usually set my posts to email me when I get a reply, but this one didn't do so.

Ok - I'm outside Boston. Massachusetts high density rural. So, we have black bear, and I'm told we have fishercat but I've never seen one. Fishercat are of the weasel family. Fishercat is the local term:

Fisher (animal) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Other critters we have include fox, deer, coon, beaver, and coyote. I'm familiar with coyote from living in western states, and have seen some of our local coyote up close (20 feet). No smell, but if they are finding a "roll" - well - my only think there is it would have to be something vegetal, like a spot in the swamp where they get in the muck - because the smell is the same every time. And it isn't a poop/excrement smell.

A feral cat is highly unlikely given our winters. Feral cats do not survive well, nor long, up here. And it wasn't dead animal rotting smell. Bears are generally pretty clean and generally don't smell, like coyote, unless they've recently found a "roll" spot. But again - the odor is the same from season to season.

Which, I think, leaves me with badgers, wolverine, fox and fishercat. Fishercat are related to wolverine. We are supposed to have wolverine here, I've heard, but again, never seen one. Never saw one when I lived in the northwoods in Michigan's UP either. We've got fox, and I've sighted fox here.

Which leaves me thinking the most likely answer is the fishercat, with the others as possibilities. OH, and I forgot! That leaves the politicians! I hear they are related to the weasel family, too - so you never know!



Thanks, and cheers!

[hiero2]

Originally Posted by fisheye

Fox can be pretty rank. There are also all of those Big Foot sighting - they are supposed to be rank.

PS Maybe a whole battalion of stink bugs just moved in?

We DID have a battalion of stink bugs - but that was last year. they didn't come back this year, thank heavens. They had a citrusy-sour-bad-taste-in-the-mouth smell. Really - the smell gave you a bad taste in the mouth! Weird - ugly.

[Cleonidas]

If you've ever had a coyote hide grace your nostrils, they can be pretty rank. I think that's most likely.

Alternatively, if you live near a streambed or a low area where there are oaks and their mast interspersed with the conifers you may have been smelling hog. There have been confirmed reports of feral pigs in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York State.