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How to Get Rid of Skunks: Keep Them Out of the Garden

A skunk, black feathers and white stripes running from the body to the tail, walk on a wooden table.

Skunks are docile animals but may spray if threatened.

Image Credit:
Sanit Fuangnakhon/Shutterstock
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Hey—what’s that smell? If your yard suddenly smells like a tire fire dipped in garlic, chances are you’ve got an unexpected guest: a skunk. These black-and-white critters may look cute, but skunks’ chemical warfare is no joke. If you think you’ve got a skunk hanging around your yard, it’s time to act. Here’s how to identify and deter skunks from disturbing your yard and garden.

What Are Skunks?

Skunks are nocturnal animals that are naturally mild-mannered and nonaggressive; they usually eat small animals and insects for dinner instead of your garden. They occasionally visit gardens; if they do, it may be because corn or other plants are close to the ground.

The skunk claims homesteading rights from coast to coast. Four species of skunks are distributed across the country, including the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and the spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius). The common striped skunk lives mostly in sparse forests and fields.

Skunks can be very nice to have around because they dig up and feed on the larvae of cutworms, hornworms, Japanese beetles, and other crop-destroying insect life. However, skunks are not only partial to insects; they will eat leaves, buds, grasses, grains, garbage, fruit or berries within reach, and even small game. They also may disturb your plants while digging for these grubs. This is what can make them a bit of a nuisance to gardeners.

Although their nocturnal wanderings around our fields and gardens, lawns, and flowerbeds cause us occasional inconvenience and uneasiness, these are minor faults that can be readily overlooked by the time the Harvest Moon begins to shine. It is then that the skunk’s appetite for the pests that plague our gardens helps make it possible for that Moon to glow over a cornucopia brimming with plenty.

Close-up of a black-and-white skunk in a yard.

Why and How Do Skunks Spray?

Skunks are famous for their skunk spray—you can smell an angry skunk from over a mile away. Furthermore, a skunk can “shoot” you from 10 to 12 feet—sideways, up, or down—with little apparent effort. Most gardeners worry more about a skunk spraying in the garden, on the gardener, or on a pet than about a skunk chewing up some veggies.

Under a skunk’s tail are two pouches equipped with a pair of ducts that remain hidden in peacetime but quickly expose themselves when danger threatens. Their foul ammunition is a golden-yellow liquid whose active ingredient is the sulfide mercaptan. Each of the two pouches contains enough ammunition for six rounds. After the supply is exhausted, a week is required to replenish it. This spray means skunks are feared by nearly all animals, including most of humankind.

A skunk’s warfare is purely defensive. When confronted by a menacing human or clamorous dog, a skunk tries to sidestep by ambling off. If you find a skunk, turn back, and you should be fine. A skunk will turn, face its aggressor, and stamp its forefeet if pursued. This is its first warning. At this point, you should be running!

The second warning comes when its tail, all but the tip, is hoisted. If this ultimatum fails to establish peace, the white tip rises and spreads out, and the skunk, snapping into a U-position with snout and rear toward the target, delivers a charge of spray. At this point, it is simply too late, and your dog (for example) probably smells foul.

People usually get sprayed when walking through their yards in the dark (if you can’t see a skunk, you can’t run away) or if they disturb a skunk while it’s eating. Those are good reasons to keep skunks out of your yard in the first place—and to always carry a flashlight!

Identification

How to Identify Skunks in Your Garden

The best way to identify skunks is often—unfortunately—by their odor. Hopefully, you don’t have to deal with skunk spray in your garden, but you’ll know that you have a skunk as soon as they decide to spray.

The typical striped skunk has prominent white stripes running down its back and black fur on the rest of its body; it is the size of a house cat and is the most abundant species of skunk in the United States. Spotted skunks are smaller and have white spots as well as broken white stripes amid their black fur. Skunks have short legs and proportionately large feet with well-developed claws that are perfect for digging.

Tracks can help identify skunks. Skunks are often mistaken for raccoons because both animals have five toes. Sometimes, the fifth toe is hard to see in skunk tracks. Skunks’ heels are usually not part of the tracks, and their claw marks are often somewhat visible. Skunk droppings frequently contain undigested insect parts.

Examples of skunk tracks.
These tracks from a striped skunk could help you identify the skunk in your garden. 
Photo Credit: Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 

 

Signs of Skunk Damage

If your lawn or flower bed has many holes, you may have a skunk problem. Skunks dig up the turf, looking for grubs. They move around at night and dig in grassy areas, making distinct 3- to 4-inch-deep holes. Skunk activity increases in the spring and then lessens naturally, so any problems may stop all on their own. 

Skunks sometimes feed on corn, but they tend only to eat the lower ears that they can reach. If a cornstalk has been toppled over, the culprit is more likely a raccoon. Planting taller varieties of corn can minimize this damage.

Of course, skunk spray is a common sign of damage. If your dog is stinky, you probably have a skunk!

Control and Prevention

How to Keep Skunks Away

  • Spray a mixture of castor oil and dishwashing detergent diluted in water. Skunks find the smell offensive. Spray the area at night when the skunk is away foraging.
  • Probably the best skunk repellent is light. Skunks are nocturnal, and their eyes are very light-sensitive. A bright light or a motion sensor floodlight will scare skunks away.
  • Most animals, including skunks, dislike the smell of citrus fruits. Place orange or lemon peels around the yard as a natural skunk repellent.
  • Predator urines (from dogs and coyotes) can be used to repel a skunk. These are commercially sold in garden centers. (Note: Use a responsible source for predator urine, making sure the animals are treated humanely and the brand complies with state and federal regulations.)
  • Many readers have found success placing ammonia-soaked rags around the yard; however, these need to be replaced often.
  • If the skunks are in a smaller garden patch, put bars of strong-smelling soap or a room deodorizer near your garden. Ironically, skunks hate strong scents.
  • If nothing works, there are humane ways for professionals to trap raccoons and skunks and transport them elsewhere. Often, skunk removal by trapping is the only answer. However, be aware that many species of wildlife do not survive when placed in a new territory, and it may not even be legal to trap and relocate wild animals in your area.
Close-up of two striped skunks.
Striped skunks. 
Photo credit: Tom Friedel, BirdPhotos.com

How to Prevent Skunks 

  • As skunks love to find grubs in your garden, one of the best preventative methods is to treat your lawn so that you get rid of their favorite snacks. Spray your lawn with milky spore disease or beneficial nematodes. This will also help to control Japanese beetle larvae, so it’s a win-win! Contact your local Cooperative Extension Service for suggestions.
  • Fencing may also be a good idea for smaller areas like a garden patch.
  • If you don’t want skunks living under your deck or shed, seal these areas with chicken wire. Leave at least 1 foot of additional wire on the ground extending from the structure to prevent skunks from digging under to enter.

What to Do If You Get Sprayed by a Skunk

Oh no! We can all smell a skunk from miles away, but it’s truly awful to have that smell on you. Clothes can be washed, but the smell may linger on skin and pet fur. Many people claim that tomato soup will take away the odor, but we prefer this method:

  1. Make a mixture of 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide (fresher is better), 1/4 cup of baking soda, and 1 to 2 teaspoons of liquid dish soap.
  2. Using the solution, shampoo only the area sprayed by the skunk. Wet the area and work the solution into the skin or pet fur with your hands (avoid getting shampoo into the eyes). Leave it for about 5 minutes or until the fizzing stops.
  3. Rinse thoroughly with water.
  4. If the smell is still present, repeat the process.
  5. Air dry or towel dry; do not use a hair dryer, as heat can cause any remaining skunk scent to set into the fur or skin.

This remedy may dry out the skin, so use a good-quality lotion to replenish moisture once the skunk smell is gone.

Do you have any special remedies that you use for skunk spray? Let us know below!

Garden Pests

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Karen</span> Wed, 09/18/2019 - 09:27
Skunks used to come in the back yard through the iron fence. A store clerk told me I might want to try putting out moth balls along the back fence. (All woods behind the the fence) I threw moth balls all along the length of the fence (into the wooded area). Have a large back yard so it took two boxes. No more skunks. I did that every two month from spring to fall, no more skunks, well that is until the next spring...dogs were sprayed again the next spring...now I do it all year round. I smell them every now and then but dogs have not been sprayed again so I figure they get close but not at the fence line. Hope this helps someone.
<span>Karen Drysdale</span> Sun, 09/15/2019 - 09:10
I have used dial soap, the orange bar, not the liquid one. Soap up dog, avoid their eyes, leave 3 min and rinse. Smell is gone, I keep one bar with my doggie bath supplies at all times. It works.
<span>Dawn</span> Sat, 09/15/2018 - 02:46
I live in Minnesota and we have skunks everywhere throughout our state. I was sprayed back when I was a young gal and it was horrible. There was only the tomato juice myth back then and I am here to tell you all it does is make you smell like a skunk sprayed can of tomato juice!! What sticks that smell to you or your pet is a protein enzyme. You need to break up that enzyme to release it. Around here at our pet stores you can purchase a box of powder called Odormute. It is a fantastic product that does just that. You can mix it as directed and wash the victim as directed or as most of us do we only wet the powder enough to make a paste of sorts. We then slather thevictim in paste from top to bottom avoiding the eyes and such. Then we let that paste dry . once dry we will wash the victim with the directions wash and bingo your pet is as good as it is going to get. *Note no matter the remedy you use all victims when rewetted for a month or so will still have a slight odor as all the protein enzymes are impossible to be removed and will take about a month to wear off. Since being sprayed I have learned so much about skunks and now value their presence in our world and have found that they are amazing in their own right. They will raise anthers young. They are family and peer orientated and quite friendly if just left to dwell alongside almost every other beast on this planet.
<span>Renee Tatara</span> Sun, 09/09/2018 - 08:17
Both of my long haired dogs were sprayed last fall. I poured hydrogen peroxide directly on sprayed areas. After a bit, washed with dish soap. The scent was gone and I was able to let them back into the house. Side note... when they get wet again, there is a slight odor for a couple of weeks. My sister uses original Listerine mouthwash the same way with great results!
<span>Randy</span> Wed, 09/05/2018 - 18:02
Two of my Brittanie's were sprayed one night while fishing at the river. This was before we all had computers and mobile phones. The only thing I had ever heard of was a bath in tomato juice. Back then it was .89$ a can. However, it was effective. We had a skunk pass by last night, thus this is a timely article. Thanks to everyone who contributed their homemade remedies. Especially now, with one Brittany, one Yellow Labrador and a Pyrenees.
<span>Kat</span> Tue, 09/04/2018 - 09:02
My husband and I lived in a mobile home for a while. Well, the local skunk got under the home and met up with either a cat or another skunk. The next day at work his coworker let my husband know how bad he smelled. When I got home my husband was there and he had all the clothes in our closet out so the could air out. When the skunk sprayed the smell got into the closet and all of those clothes stunk. I had chosen clothing from my dresser, those clothes were not affected. Another time, my cat caught the tail end of skunk spray and came home stinky. For that I used vinegar and water in equal amounts and washed my cat's face, avoiding his eyes. The vinegar and water worked well but he was only lightly sprayed.
<span>Susan James</span> Sun, 09/09/2018 - 21:12
Tomato juice as a skunk deterrent is a myth.
<span>Cheri</span> Sat, 09/01/2018 - 14:52
I have 2 dogs and they LOVE skunk . When they come home smelling like peppy la pew. They get a bath of 1 qt hydrogen peroxide, (buy it cheaper at dollar store) 1/4 c Baking soda and 1 teaspoon Dawn, or other GOOD dish soap. There "scent" is oil based and holds on to the hair follicles. Let this set on the hair for 5-10 min what your nose will hold out for and he dogs tolerance for the bath tub are. But the longer the better. This is why the formula works so well, never had to rebath them. Apply this mixture in the same way you would the vinegar solution. The quantities listed should make enough deskunking solution for a medium-size dog (30 to 50 pounds), so use less or more as needed for the size of your dog. I keep this recipe and qts of hydrogen peroxide in my bathroom medicine cabinet for there next adventure.
<span>Clifford Ruddy</span> Fri, 08/31/2018 - 10:37
My dog was sprayed so I wet her down and applied white vinegar into her fur, let sit a few minutes then rinsed off. I would guess 90% of the smell was washed away but still a hint of smell so I repeated once again and for good measure used her dog shampoo after the second application. If this happens again I would definitely use this same method.
<span>Bud</span> Wed, 09/18/2019 - 12:56
The way we treated a skunked dog was tomato juice and white vinegar. Some people claim this doesn't work, but we've had a number of dogs get sprayed and it always worked for us.