It would not be unusual to notice the faint scent of skunk odor in the city and urban areas this time of year.
After a long stretch of cold days and nights, skunks enter the breeding and birthing season. Breeding season usually stretches into February and March giving rise to the all too familiar smell of skunk musk.
The release of musk is caused by many things.
- One reason would be calling in a mate.
- Another reason to release musk is to repel predators or as a sign of fear.
Did you know that the musk from a skunk has properties making the spray flammable?
The musk is excreted through anal glands. If one would be unlucky to see the expulsion of the musk it would be a yellow, oily foam.
Skunks find city and urban areas perfect to live in. There is almost no problem to find a food supply and harborages are around every corner.
Storage buildings in the back yard and decks seem to be favorite spots for females to take up residence to give birth in April and May and make a den for the young skunks until they are able to make it on their own.
Skunks are omnivores meaning that they will eat about anything including insects, plants, fruits, small animals and even rodents.
For the most part skunks are not aggressive unless threatened. They have excellent hearing and smelling ability; however, their eyesight is very poor.
But don’t let that fool you!
If a skunk detects where a threat is coming from, it can shoot its musk up to 10-12 feet and can be accurate at that distance to hit a dime.
A skunk will normally give warning signals before spraying. Stomping their feet, growling, hissing and raising their tails are good signs to get away quickly.
To give you an idea of the power of a skunk, grizzly bears will not share their food supplies with many animals but are glad to with a skunk. Bears could easily kill the skunk but from experience they feel it’s just not worth it.
During late winter and early spring, do not make your home and business attractive to skunks by feeding animals outside. Clean up trash and eliminate harborage that would make a great skunk home.
If skunks invade your property, feel free to give us a call for a plan to rid your property of this uninvited stinky nuisance wildlife.
