Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Skunk Proofing the yard

After years of having skunks visiting our yard and spraying our dogs we finally figured a way to skunk proof the back yard. The skunks would dig under the fences and the dogs would get sprayed. We would put a bunch of bricks and building blocks in the holes and they would just push them aside the the next night. We would be doing middle of the night doggie baths with tomato juice or "Skunk Off". They would still stink months later when they would get wet.

A neighbor gave us some house siding made of fiber/cement 10" wide about .5" thick. We slid the boards under the kick board, half on our side, half on the neighbor's side. The skunks would try to dig under the fence but would hit the boards. They would not try to dig 5" back from the fence and go under the board.


The only time we have had a skunk since was when there was a spot they could crawl under the gate. That has now been fixed. We put a row of bricks a little higher than the gate. No skunky visitors!
They did try though! Here in the hinge corner of the garden gate a skunk had tried to dig through but the brick up against the gate kept it out even though it dug down about 5 inches.

5 comments:

  1. 2 and a half years later and we still haven't had any skunks back even though they are in the neighborhood!

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  2. you should show this to Christie

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  3. She said her skunks climb on fences. I hope ours don't get that smart!

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  4. I have a problems with skunks http://howtogetridofskunksnow.com/how-to-get-rid-of-skunks-in-the-yard/

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  5. Slipping that house siding under the fences did the trick, nice and easy and permanent! We haven't had any in the backyard since. I know there are skunks around because we live right near a wildlife refuge and also a car will hit them on the main road now and then. Once in a while we will have skunk smell but it used to be almost every night in the summer!

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