Skunk Management

Spring is the season when many gardeners and homeowners start thinking about managing skunk problems. Jim Parkhurst, Assistant Professor of Wildlife at Virginia Tech, offers a few suggestions. First, it helps to have some idea as to why skunks are coming into your yard and what they are doing, aside from "digging up the lawn." In most instances, skunks are seeking, and obviously have found, reliable food sources, especially insects, such as earthworms and the large, white grubs of the Japanese beetle. Although you may be successful in removing the offending animal doing the damage, in a short time, another likely will arrive to replace it. As long as reliable food is available, skunks and other animals will continue to utilize it. Thus, permanent elimination of skunk problems may not be possible.

Fencing is an option, but homeowners sometimes object to its use for aesthetic reasons or may not know how to erect a fence properly. "Properly" means burying the fence 6 to 8 inches and extending an "L" out away from the base of the fence an additional 8 to 10 inches. Skunks are efficient diggers and readily will dig under an improperly installed fence in a matter of minutes. Another option that often is as effective as burying a fence is to erect a single strand of electric fencing, or a "hot wire," at the base of a conventional fence, approximately 3 to 4 inches above the ground. When the animal approaches the fence to dig at its base and comes in contact with the electrified wire, the animal receives an unpleasant, but harmless, shock on its nose. This experience often is sufficient to prevent further attempts by the animal. Use of electrified fence material is not recommended in areas where small children have free access to it and any application of electrified materials must have clearly posted warnings alerting people to its presence and use.

According to current EPA guidelines, naphthalene (the active ingredient in mothballs) is not registered for use as a repellent on skunks, although many people use and continue to recommend it. However, naphthalene is ineffective in outdoor applications as a repellent and should not be recommended as such. The only product currently registered (federal standards) for use on skunks is the sodium nitrate gas cartridge, used to treat burrows. Because they are considered a combustible device, never use a gas cartridge in burrows located beneath or immediately adjacent to a building or in areas dominated by heavy, dry vegetation to avoid a potential for fire.

The most effective solution to managing skunk problems is to make your lawn/landscape unattractive to skunks by eliminating protective cover, potential sites used for denning, and food sources (e.g., accessible pet food dishes, uncovered garbage cans, unprotected compost piles). Look beneath raised decks and porches to see if you can find burrow openings there. These are favorite denning locations for skunks and groundhogs, particularly beneath structures having lattice-work or heavy landscaping covering the perimeter--they provide perfect cover and protection from predators. If you find a burrow and it appears fresh, you can check on the occupants by putting down a very thin sprinkling of baking flour around the opening or along any access points to the den. If it is occupied, you can identify the occupant by the tracks left in the flour (check a field guide to animal tracks available in most public libraries).

Regarding the use of live-trapping, it can be effective, but rarely will provide a permanent solution to problems caused by skunks for reasons identified earlier. Also, you should be prepared to trap on a regular basis. For skunks, a 10 inch x 10 inch x 32 inch cage trap (with a single operating door, not a two-door trap) is needed. For bait, try a can of cat food (fish type). Sardines work best, but often attract free-roaming cats in the neighborhood before a skunk has opportunity to investigate. Cover the trap with burlap, cloth, a plastic garbage bag, or other material before positioning the trap. Cover all but the last 3 to 4 inches of the top near the door. This will help calm the captured animal and also will provide some protection against being sprayed. State trapping regulations stipulate that traps must be checked at least once every 24 hours and any animals caught must be dispatched within that time period.

The relocation of nuisance animals in many States in the US is illegal without authorized permit from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Thus, homeowners are not allowed to transport any wild animal from their property. Any nuisance animal caught must be released at the site of capture or humanely put to death. Relocation is not as humane as people believe. A high proportion of relocated animals perishes during encounters with predators, motor vehicles, and other individuals of the same species as the displaced individual tries to return to the "home" territory. People also may be contributing unknowingly to the spread of infectious disease (e.g., rabies, distemper, parvovirus) by moving animals from contaminated areas to presently uninfected regions. Additionally, homeowners expose themselves to these diseases and are bitten or scratched when attempting to relocate nuisance animals. Therefore, the most effective solution is to make your landscape unattractive to skunks by using the other methods mentioned above.