Skunks are nocturnal, sleeping during the winter. If you have skunks near your home, the scent is a dead-giveaway. Skunks destroy lawns, moving about looking for harmful insect larvae. They hide in dark places; under a porch, a deck, a house or an outbuilding.

So how do you get rid of skunks? If you have garbage around, clean up the garbage. Put dog food and cat food in covered air-tight containers. Leaving out pet food is an open invitation for skunks. Stack lumber and wood piles neatly taking away the temptation for skunks to burrow.

If you are trying to get rid of a skunk, close off any holes allowing them access to their den. April and May is mating season, during these months you may be closing off a litter of young ones. Mama will dig her way back under your home, or porch or deck to get to her babies.

Leave bags of mothballs, or cloth bags with ammonia soaked rags inside, where you suspect a skunk may be lurking. Use a long string and tie the string outside the opening, so you can easily pull the bag up. To find out if you have successfully gotten rid of the skunk, leave a layer of clay litter around the area that was inhabited, and then check daily for footprints.

The best way to get rid of skunks is to trap them using a Havahart trap. Your bait should be smelly fish; sardines, mackerel, or anchovies

Before you approach a trapped skunk, be sure to wear old clothes. Have a dark cloth and a tarp with you, and approach the trap slowly and quietly. Wear goggles and a surgical mask. Rubber aprons work great. The skunk may be highly agitated, and they will spray. They first arch their back, shuffle backward and then stamp their feet. If this happens get away quickly!

Slowly approach the trap and toss the dark cloth over the trap first, followed by the tarp. Then, unless you are skilled in transporting skunks, call an expert to come and get rid of the skunk for you.

Most skunks are protected species. You can check with Fish and Game in your area to find out. Don’t use poisons when getting rid of skunks, because if you do other animals might suffer, mainly birds of prey.

Skunks are carriers of rabies, so use caution. If you see a skunk during the daylight hours, stay away from it. Skunks generally come out right at dusk or late at night. Skunks are wonderful animals, just ask anyone who owns a de-scented skunk. In the wild, a skunk will only live only 1-2 years, in captivity a skunk can live for

10 years.