What to Do About Skunks In Your Yard?

There’s nothing more unpleasant than waking up in the middle of the night to encounter an unwanted wild animal on your property. And yet, for homeowners in most areas of the U.S., it’s a remarkably common experience. 

Skunks are a common nuisance animal, and can cause quite a bit of trouble for you, when they decide to frequent your backyard. Skunks are generally responsible for quite a bit of damage. They will dig in your yard, forage the garden, and can even be dangerous to your livestock.

How do you tell skunk tracks apart from other wild animals?

First things first, it’s important that you make sure you’re dealing with a skunk, and not some other wild animal, to ensure you deal with it appropriately.

Common markers of a skunk’s presence include:

• Skunk burrows – the animal will dig around your yard, in search for grubs and insects;

• Skunk spray – if the skunk got into some sort of confrontation on your property, they’re quite likely to leave behind that representative smell, which contains sulfur (which is what makes it smell so bad);
• Skunk droppings – about an inch or two in length, you’ll find these droppings all across the yard, often with insect remains inside.

How to get rid of skunks:

Preparing yourself is one of the most important steps you can take, because it will make the whole process go a lot more smoothly once a skunk does visit your yard.

If you’ve already got one, however, there are a number of options available to you:

Remove the attraction.

As we saw, skunks tend to be attracted to grubs in the earth, as well as pet food, trash cans, and garden plants. You can try using nematodes to destroy the grubs in the earth, bring pet food indoors, invest in sealable trash cans, and put a fence around your garden.

It might not seem like a lot, but simply getting rid of what attracted the skunk can go a long way in deterring it.

Call a professional wildlife removal company.

For many homeowners, this is by far the easiest, and most convenient option for getting rid of skunks. Companies like Wildlife X Team Oklahoma City will not only get rid of the animal humanely, they will also inspect the property, and figure out how to prevent future invasions.

Some wildlife removal companies also offer restoration services, and repair and disinfect the damage left behind by the wild animal.

Inspect the home, and remove potential nesting spaces.

Aside from food, skunks also require a place to hide, and make a home for themselves. This can include piles of wood log, but it can also be places like your attic or basement. It’s a good idea to inspect your property on a regular basis against cracks and holes which may permit access inside the home.

Use skunk repellents.

You will find these at most wildlife removal specialty stores. Skunk deterrents will either use light or noise, both of which will be motion-activated. By giving out a flashing light signal, or a sound, they will scare off the skunks, and make it less likely that the animal returns to your property in the future.

You can also use at-home repellents, like scattering predator urine (pet urine also works) around your yard, to deter the skunk from entering. Alternatively, you can use strong scents like ammonia or cayenne to deter the skunk.