Skunk Dens Show Activity
February and March are peak skunk breeding seasons in Northeast Ohio. Even with all of the super cold weather, area skunks are active and on the move because breeding season is upon us.
The breeding season gets skunks (especially male skunks) moving as they search far and wide for females ready to breed.
Consequently, this increase in movement brings a lot more Stark, Summit, and Portage County residents into contact with skunks than at other times of the year.
There are more skunk sightings, more skunk versus car incidents, and more dog versus skunk run-ins.
There is also an increase in skunk smell in general as territorial issues among skunks lend to the release of their unique calling card.
Skunk Problem versus Skunk Sighting
What we’d encourage anyone whose seen a skunk and found this blog post to ask his/herself is: Do I really have a skunk problem?
Just because you’ve seen a skunk in your yard or out walking the dog, we caution you not to conclude that you have a real skunk problem that needs a nuisance animal removal company like us to come out and solve (at a cost to you).
There is a high likelihood that the skunk was just passing through trying to find a mate.
Simply setting traps where skunks have been seen usually results in no skunks captured at all. This is why many conversations with potential clients end up with us dissuading the caller from having us or another company come out. 75% of the time a true, solvable skunk problem does not exist.
So what, to us, constitutes a real skunk problem? We believe that a skunk, especially a female with a den on your property is an issue. A female with a maternal den means lots of suitors coming to call through the next few weeks and the possibility of a bunch of baby skunks around in a few months.
But, how can you tell if the skunk problem is real? We suggest looking for patterning and visual proof.
If you’ve seen skunks, we suggest you retreat into the warmth of the house and watch them. See where they go. Then watch for a few days, around the same time, and see if they are visible again.
Right now, since there is plenty of snow on the ground, go exploring during daylight hours (when skunks are likely to be in the den) and try find a path and a den entrance.
Here is a picture of a skunk den entrance homeowners found outside their home recently. The tracks show activity. The size and location of the hole indicate a skunk.
Other good evidence indicates the main travel path the skunk is taking to get to the den.
Just like us trudging through the snow, skunks and other animals often use the same path to travel through an area. Finding a well worn trail like this in your yard can often lead you right to a trouble spot. A path this frequently traveled indicates a resident, rather than transient, skunk.
If you have a resident skunk, don’t hesitate to call us or a professional nuisance animal removal company in your area a call.
No Spray Skunk Removal : Akron , Canton, Kent, OH
Please give us a call to discuss your skunk removal needs.
We’ll make an effective set for the skunk even despite obstacles like the snow. It will usually be in close proximity to the hole so that when the skunk exits the den, it will be caught.
Here is Ryan’s set up for this skunk. He’s used a spring loaded, double door trap at the den entry. The cardboard around the trap helps funnel the wary skunk and aids against trap freeze up.
After the trapping goes well, the real fun begins—moving the live skunk to a transport trap without spraying.
Check out this post to see how that went.
Please check out our other pages for more information on skunks.
