A nocturnal, non-aggressive animal that may not come over to your garden that often because it likes to feed on insects or other animals. However, occasionally it might not be a bad idea for them to visit a garden for plants that grow close to the ground or corn. However, you will have to be careful to not make them defensive else you may be a victim of the famous skunk "spray".
First identify Then Remove
The most common type of skunk is a striped skunk which has black fur all over the body along with white stripe going down the back of its body. The size of this skunk is almost that of a house cat and this one is the most common type found.
The best way to date, however remains the foul odor that they bring along. The moment you smell something so foul, you will know that a skunk is around. Especially in the breeding season, a male skunk might come over and look around inn search for a breeding partner. Moreover, people have also been using tracks in order to identify presence of skunks in their gardens. Nonetheless, they could always mistake it with raccoons since both have five toes. Since the 5th toe gets a bit tricky to highlight, it gets difficult to see the 5th toe because it sometimes doesn't touch the ground and might not leave track behind.
Castor oil comes in handy if sprayed in right places at the right time. A dish washer that is diluted in water may be sprayed along with bit of castor oil. The skunks do not like the smell of both of these at all and will run away. Usage of bright LEDs and floodlights will always come in handy because that is a sign of presence of humans as well as their nocturnal nature. Their eyes are quite sensitive to light so they won't come close to it.
Final verdict
However, if things go out of your hands and they are settled in well inside your garden, you might have to look for trapping options. Some people do trap and relocate them far away and some go for the kill. Both options are usually the last resort of any of the repulsion methods are not coming handy. You should keep trying hard by placing citrus fruits peel such as lemon and orange and it might work wonders.
Go back to the Blount County wildlife removal home page.