Skunks: How to Keep Them Out of Your Yard

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We’ve caught 5 skunks so far this summer, and I’ve learned a lot about their behavior as a result of this crash course in skunk management.

Why are skunks a problem?

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the skunks are primarily a nuisance in our yard because of the beehives. They sit in front of the entrance, agitate the hive, then eat the bees as they fly out to defend it. You’d be surprised at how many they can eat, and it has affected the health of at least one of the hives since their numbers are much lower than what we would like heading into the fall and winter. They also learned to tip over the entrance feeders and drink the sugar water like furry, black and white hummingbirds. 

Skunks can also be a big problem in the garden since they not only dig holes going after insects or earthworms, they’ll eat the fruit and fresh vegetables. They are bold enough to walk right inside your garage or near your house if there’s something they like. If you have strawberries in a pot on your patio, don’t assume they are safe. And catfood is basically skunk caviar. (Since we have a mess of feral cats in our neighborhood and caring people put out food for them, I’m guessing some folks thought they had a new black and white kitty show up on occasion.) Outside of a bear, they truly are the ultimate omnivore and are not typically picky… although I learned you do have to figure out what they like the most at any given time, particularly when there is plenty to eat. 

How to trap them

When the skunks started bothering the hives, my husband trapped a couple, and I bought an electric netting like one you would use for bears to wrap around the hives. Since I couldn’t find the poultry netting type in town, I went with the one with the larger squares. It turns out that was my mistake. It would keep out bears without an issue, but the skunks squeezed through the squares. I guess if they are impervious to stings, a few zaps don’t bother them all that much. My husband even ran another electric line along the bottom, but it didn’t stop them. 

So he kept out the trap, plus I called in a local family who does this as a very busy side business. They’re a pretty amazing trio (husband, wife, and daughter) who can catch pretty much anything, then they take the animals to public land way out of town to let them go. Jim set up a couple of his traps, and my husband added his to join the fun. Then we had to figure out what bait to use. Initially it was a “meat-gland” – very smelly – concoction, but the skunks didn’t seem interested. We also tried an egg in a catfood can, as well as honey drizzled on top. I was joking that I was going to create a skunk-catching cookbook. 

Checking traps

At first thought, you’d wonder why anyone would want to catch a skunk if they didn’t have to. But when I went out every morning to check the traps before allowing our dog to venture out, I understood. There’s a bit of a rush quietly walking up to the trap in the dark (often in my pajamas) trying to see if it is triggered, and if so, if there’s anything in the trap. One morning, the door was down, but the trap was empty. When we looked closer, something (probably a skunk) had dug on the opposite end, near the catfood, triggering the door. Jim said they wise up sometimes, and look for other ways to reach the food reward. 

It Happens

Then we got one. Of course, it was on a morning when I was heading to Glacier National Park early to try to find grizzlies to photograph. I threw a big landscape tarp over it so our dog wouldn’t end up with a snoot full of spray, and Jim came and took it away shortly after I left. He said it was a big one, so I’m hoping we’re moving some of the adults out of the area.

Again this week, when I ran out before sun up, there was a black and white visitor. Catfood and an egg did the trick once more. My husband had already left for work, so I called Jim who graciously retrieved it and took this smaller one for a ride out of town. 

I don’t know if we’re getting close to the end of the skunks in the neighborhood, but I hope so. As I’ve told friends, I was more nonchalant about walking up to my barn at night when I lived in grizzly country than I am walking out in the dark with the skunks. And even though I’m dying to camp out in the backyard to try out a new sleeping bag, I don’t want a skunk to visit in the middle of the night. But hopefully the word has spread to the other skunks in the ‘hood to stay out of our turf. 

Meet Amy Grisak

Amy is a freelance author and photographer in Great Falls, MT who specializes in gardening, foods, and sustainable agriculture. She provides information on every kind…

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