re: Have you ever seen a spotted skunk?

Yes. I've even caught a few, but I am currently researching spotted skunks.

In Louisiana, Eastern Spotted Skunks were historically located in the Florida Parishes and Cameron/Calcasieu Parishes (probably the Cajun Prairie Parishes as well). They were very rare in N. Louisiana. While not as common as in other states, trapper records indicate that several thousand per year were caught in the 1930's.

There was an American Society of Mammalogist meeting at LSU during the 30's or 40's (I forget which year). In preparation, members captured 2 spotted skunks on the LSU campus. They "de-scented the skunks" and the 2 became the mascots for that year's meeting.