![]() ![]() ![]() They may seek shelter in rock or log piles, brush piles, openings under buildings, porches and decks They are there for a reason, and that reason is usually food or shelter.įood attractants for skunks can be pet food, bird feeders, beehives and garbage. This general rule is applied to all wildlife coming into back yards. The best way to discourage skunks from coming into the yard is to remove any attractants. Skunks are very accurate in their aim, so beware. The spray is dispelled from two scent glands located on either side of the anal area. Before a skunk sprays, it will often make various noises (grunts, snarls, growls or hisses), then assume a defensive position (arched back and stamping front feet while shuffling backwards) before spraying. Most skunks will spray as a last resort (though there are some that are trigger happy). Females are also very defensive during this time, especially if she has already mated and another male wants to mate with her, and she may spray a male in this case. ![]() Skunks are particularly defensive during the breeding season, when males are competing for females, or defending a harem of females from another male. That threat could be a human, pet or another wild animal. Skunks spray for the primary reason of defense from a perceived threat. During these travels and times of increased activity, skunks are more likely to encounter threats, and therefore, they spray. Once the weather breaks, male skunks leave their dens and will travel far and wide in search of the females, which accounts for the increase in sightings and smellings this time of year. Several females may den together, while males are often solitary. They may remain in their dens for days, even weeks, depending on the weather. On frigid snowy days, they become dormant or semi-active. Roadkill surveys are an efficient way to index the population size of medium-to-large-bodied mammals that are frequently found on roads.īased on our weather patterns this past winter, the skunks are making up for lost time. The number of road-killed raccoons, opossums, skunks and woodchucks were tabulated by species. The surveys are over 49, 40-mile survey routes distributed throughout Ohio. These surveys were conducted in March and April of last year. Speaking of roadkill, did you know the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Department of Wildlife does roadkill surveys? Though we may see an increase in skunks during this time of year, it is often the skunk smell in the air that announces their presence. This should not come as a real surprise as skunks enter their mating season in mid-February and go through April. While traveling about last week I noticed and smelled an abundance of dead skunks on the road. ![]()
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