"Old Wives Tales" NOT Working For Skunk Control!!

Hi All,

Does anyone know of any EFFECTIVE way to keep skunks out of the yard. For about 3 weeks now, we have had a skunk coming out at night and destroying the yard. Also, they aren't destroying it because of grubs ( we did a grub treatment back in July ), the skunk is eating the earthworms.

I know this because in the morning, there are holes everywhere in the grass, and there are half-eaten, dead earthworms everywhere in the soil.

Also, I definitely know it's a skunk because I have witnessed him at different times throughout the night in the backyard. A few times I was able to scare him away by banging on the metal storm door, but because he comes at all hours of the night, it's hard to stay up all night and wait for this pest.

Anyway, here is what I have tried so far that HASN'T worked:

1) I left a portable radio out all night long on a AM talk show radio station - didn't work.

2) Human hair from shower - didn't work.

3) $40 dollars in different hot and/or strong smelling spices - Red crushed pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper, ground cinnamon, garlic, chili powder, onion powder.

The Cayenne Pepper seemed to work, but the stuff goes fast, and what the skunk does, is he just digs in another location where there is no cayenne powder!!! 2-3 bottles of the stuff at $4 dollars a bottle, isn't enough to cover 5,000 square feet!!!

4) Ammonia and/or ammonia soaked rags - TOTALLY USELESS!!!! The skunk actually took a dump and left a nice big pile of his poop right next to an ammonia soaked sock that I put out there!!!!

5) Spotlight/Floodlight - totally useless!!!!

6) Bits of shredded "Irish Spring" soap - useless

So besides leaving a sprinkler on all night long, and wasting precious gallons of water, what options am I left with here??

I have read everything from human urine, to bear urine, to antifreeze, to chocolate, to rat poison?? Most of those are all out, because there are stray cats in the neighborhood, so I don't want to poison anything with antifreeze or mouse/rat poison.

Shooting this thing is out of the question. I live on a residential street, and I have neighbors houses 5 feet on the left side of me, and 5 feet on the right side of me. Also, the neighbors weren't to happy when I left the AM talk station on all night long!!!!!

We don't have an "animal control" officer in our city. The only thing the useless city will help you with, is if its a large animal like a deer, bear, wolf, moose, etc, etc.

I called a couple of exterminators, and they all want between $150 and $200 dollars to try to catch the skunk in a cage and then relocate it. The problem with that is I am only working part-time right now, and CAN'T afford those prices.

My neighbors lawns aren't getting destroyed by this nuisence skunk, only our yard!? I guess the previous owners of the house had 4 big truck loads of dark, rich loam installed in the backyard, so there are lots of earthworms for him to eat before winter.

What the heck is chocolate supposed to do!? I know that it can be dangerous to dogs, but why would it be dangerous to skunks when they rip open peoples garbage bags and eat through there anyway!?

Does human urine really work? Am I supposed to pee in a cup, and dump that everywhere? But won't that kill the grass?

What about mothballs? Will the smell of mothballs keep the skunk away? But aren't they bad for the lawn and grass? What if they were in a cup?

Someone told me to use powered lime, coffee grounds or dried blood?

What about a strobe light?

All I know is that in the last 2 weeks, I have spent $40 dollars on hot pepper spices, $30 dollars on topsoil, $25 dollars on grass seed, and $18 dollars on peat moss, and I just can't keep this skunk away so that he stops destroying my backyard.

Like I said above, I can't just wait for him to show up at a specific time, because he comes at different times throughout the night. One time he came at 9 pm. Another time it was 11 pm. Once it was 4:30 am. And once at 5:30 am.

I am at "wits-end" with this skunk, so ANY suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

Reply to
MICHELLE H.
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So I go to Home Depot to see if they have this stuff that I read about called "Critter Ridder". It's made by some company called "Hav-A-Heart", and it is supposed to be a pesticide-free way to keep all kinds of wildlife out of your yard and garden. It comes in a blue bottle, and it is suppose to repel dogs, cats, squirrels, skunks, raccoons, opossums, etc, etc. from your yard and garden.

It is made up of a bunch of different strong smelling peppers that the animals don't like to smell, like Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Red Pepper, Hot Chile Pepper, etc, etc. All these hot and spicy peppers are mixed together, and they put something on it, so that it's waterproof, and it lasts for 30 days, so you don't have to worry about the rain washing it away, or it washing away when you water your lawn and/or garden.

Anyway, I didn't see it in the garden section of Home Depot, so I ask the guy working there. He tells me that they "don't have any in stock".

I tell him that "I have a skunk destroying my yard every night".

He says "you got grubs".

I tell him "no, our grass is nice and Green ( grubs turn the grass Yellow/Brown ), and we did a grub treatment back in July".

I tell him that "in the morning we are finding half eaten, dead earthworms all over the yard".

He says "oh yeah, skunks will eat earthworms too, because they love them!".

He then says "If you want to get rid of the skunk, then you have to get rid of the earthworms".

HUH!!!!!!???? WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!?????? GET RID OF THE EARTHWORMS!!!!???

Oh my god, this guy is working in the freakin garden center at America's biggest home improvement chain!!?? I felt like telling this guy that he needs to either transfer to a DIFFERENT department, or he needs to go back to school and retake Science class, because number #1 unless you plan on pouring something like gasoline, nuclear, and toxic waste in your yard, there is no way to kill every single earthworm, and number #2 earthworms are BENEFICIAL to the soil in your yard!!!! You WANT earthworms in your lawn!!!!!!

Home Depot guy: "well if you want the skunks to stop digging up your yard, YOU GOT TO GET RID OF THE EARTHWORMS".

OMG!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply to
MICHELLE H.

Skunks seem to require fairly large ranges. If you have been troubled for three weeks, and earlier not for three years or so, this is probably a new skunk (one year old, migrating to set up his own home:) so your fastest solution is to shoot it (or trap and drown it.) Persuasion does not work on skunks (or raccoons) for obvious reasons.

Reply to
Don Phillipson

Nope, we have NEVER had a problem with skunks digging up our yard in the last 10+ years. But guess what, he was out there again last night at

4:30 am destroying our yard. I got up at 4:30 am to get a glass of water, and I look at the window, and there he is, like 5 feet from the back steps ripping up the grass and making dirt fly everywhere.

I banged on the back, metal storm door, and the SOB skunk looked at me, and went back to digging up the yard. I banged it again, and he looked at me again with an earthworm in his mouth, and went back to digging yet again! So I banged on the door again hard a Third time, and he finally wandered away.

Also, moth balls are now proven to be TOTALLY USELESS!!!! I put about 20 mothballs each in some empty plastic soup bowls, and placed them in about 6 spots where this pest has been digging. Well guess what he did, he just dug AROUND the bowls with the mothballs like they weren't even there!!!! The smell didn't seem to bother him one bit!?

Reply to
MICHELLE H.

I know I am way late replying to this but this might help.

Skunks also love dog food. put a pile of dog food near the back of your lot. He will eat it. Next night, put it farther away, he will eat it. Finally by a few feet gained each night, you will have him to your neighbor's yard. Then throw handfuls of dog food in his yard for a few weeks. Now YOU don't have a problem. Let your neighbor figure it our. All it cost you was a couple 40 pound bags of dog food.

Bob-tx

Reply to
Bob-tx

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