I’ve never had one live for more than a minute after being shot. I understand the drowning thing though.
BTW - I got good advice from a friend who was doing rabies research for the state (PA). He read me the riot act when I told him that I threw a dead raccoon into a ditch after shooting it. He said rabies was much more widespread than people know and the virus stays alive for a day or two after the animal dies.
He said to burn to the body to ash.
Interesting about the rabies. I also cart the carcasses off about a mile away and chuck them into a ditch. They ripen up in a couple days, then they are gone.
Same with any other critter, except skunks. Several years ago I had a pile of dead beaver by the lake. The stench was so bad a person couldn’t get within a hundred feet of it. Then the whole pile was just gone. A few claws and snare cables were all that were left.
Back to rabies. I’ve been charged by rabid skunks twice. They don’t move very fast, the white fur is yellowed and walk with a stagger. And they are persistent in coming at you. In one case a skunk went after me, then tried to get my wife, then the kids.
A general rule is if you see a skunk in the daytime, shoot it.