I can't for the life of me figure why skunks are an issue at all. I have a huge garden and there are lots of little holes, but they have never damaged any of my plants. As for the lawn, the grass is, as far as I'm concerned, a shameful thing to care about. It costs money and resources to keep perfect, and cutting it is usually with a gas mower, blower, and edger--hideously pollutant, but also creates a miniature Armageddon for all the creatures chopped up by the blades, not to mention noisy as hell. You use valuable water on a plant that provides no sustenance, and most people don't even spend much time in their yards. And then you begrudge skunks and other animals the right to dig for food in order to protect that wasteful patch of green.
I share my yard with the wildlife, and the skunks and I just mozy about the yard in the evening, doing our own thing. The raccoons are harder to adjust to, but with gentle tactics, we've figured it out. They don't pay me much mind. If you have a dog, keep in mind that the wildlife has more natural right to hang out than your dog does. And as we keep having children and development seems endless, our yards are the only places they can live in. Plant natives that provide food. Leave out fresh water. Keep your yard wild with places to burrow. Protect them or they will be gone.
I can't for the life of me figure why skunks are an issue at all. I have a huge garden and there are lots of little holes, but they have never damaged any of my plants. As for the lawn, the grass is, as far as I'm concerned, a shameful thing to care about. It costs money and resources to keep perfect, and cutting it is usually with a gas mower, blower, and edger--hideously pollutant, but also creates a miniature Armageddon for all the creatures chopped up by the blades, not to mention noisy as hell. You use valuable water on a plant that provides no sustenance, and most people don't even spend much time in their yards. And then you begrudge skunks and other animals the right to dig for food in order to protect that wasteful patch of green.
I share my yard with the wildlife, and the skunks and I just mozy about the yard in the evening, doing our own thing. The raccoons are harder to adjust to, but with gentle tactics, we've figured it out. They don't pay me much mind. If you have a dog, keep in mind that the wildlife has more natural right to hang out than your dog does. And as we keep having children and development seems endless, our yards are the only places they can live in. Plant natives that provide food. Leave out fresh water. Keep your yard wild with places to burrow. Protect them or they will be gone.