There are many things different animals that may come to your yard which would ignore if they were there. A squirrel, raccoon or even field mice you may not make too much of a big deal about. You may even half-heartedly allow them to live in your shed or under the porch of your home without making too much of a fuss.
However, there are some animals that if they were setting up residence around your home, you would do all you can to make sure that you got rid of them as quickly as possible. The skunk is one that easily fits into that class of animals.
If you have a skunk you want to get rid of it as quickly as possible, but how can you be sure if you have one? Out of seeing it directly what are the signs you can look for that let you know that you have a skunk around? Here are some things to watch for.
The odor is something that will tell you that the skunk is around. It will not be strong. Even when they have not sprayed they will give off that odor and that is quite noticeable. It will just be quite faint.
Skunks will dig for food and other things, and that means you will likely find holes in your yard. Look for these things to let you know if they are around.
If you have such things as grubs or other insects that dig their way beneath the surface of the grass, it is quite common to see that skunk has rolled back the grass in spots to get at the insects. They are pretty smart this way, and have the agility to pull the grass rolls back in this manner.
Because they are nocturnal animals when they like to hunt, you need to be listening for random dogs barking at late hours. They will notice the skunk and start to bark at it. Only if the skunk feels threatened will it spray the dog, so if it just walking across your lawn and your dog notices inside the house and starts barking you may have an issue. If you find that his happens on a few different nights, then you may want to keep watch.
You should be aware that there are many instances where you will have no idea that they are on your property. They will just be living there without attracting any attention to themselves at all. When they are most often noticed, for the female, is when they take their kits out to search for food. When this happens you may need to take some action to get them to leave.
Read more:
Skunk Control,
how to kill skunks.
