I was wondering what the typical time period is when skunks are digging up lawns grubbing?

I am trying to remove skunks for a customer whose yard has nearly been destroyed. I've had traps out two night with no action and no new lawn damage. Best guess is they started digging a couple of weeks ago (I was out of town and she couldn't find anyone else at that time). Is it possible they are done with this lawn and have moved on, or do I just need more patience? Using cage traps with sardines, cat foot, marshmallows. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

grubbing skunks cam be very difficult, I would say one of 2 things has happened, either the grubs have went deep (due to soil conditions)and the skunks cant get to them easily enough, or the sknuks have such a one track mind grubbing that they're not noticing the traps, in this case a drift fence works.

What he said.

Sure it is skunks and not coons? Coons dig for grubs also. However, coons do a LOT of damage. Yard will look like you plowed it.

Actually, I am not sure it isn't coons. In fact, I caught a coon this morning. I knew she was "also" having coon problems (scat on deck, dumping out potted plants, etc.), but thought the damage too much to be coon. I am new to summer nuisance coon and skunk and had always attributed digging to skunks (based on observations in my own yard). However, it DOES look like the yard was plowed...tons of damage. The damage has stopped as of a few days ago. It has been very dry and it could also be that the grubs are less accessible as suggested above. I only have one coon-sized cage there (the rest are 8 x7s)....maybe I should change that. Thoughts???

Sounds like coons to me, Skunks typically make single coneshaped holes and coon damage can look like a rototiller.

That type of damage is more likely coons.

Thanks guys, I appreciate your insights.

Coons roll up the sod , skunks do cones . If its skunks take some raw bacon and put a little peanut butter on . It's been working well . No joke just burning them , Try to find the skunks den site and make a funnel set . Skunks are very easy to trap this time of the year . The spring time can be a challenge .

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!

Still having trouble. So far I've caught a couple of coon (1 adult, 1 kit). No new damage since I started trapping. Closed traps for two nights to go to NTA...come back and yard dug up again - all around closed traps. Frustrating. The last two nights I've had five traps there baited with marshmallows, canned cat food, sardines, etc. No catches last two nights but new skunk damage (and droppings to show who did the damage). No new coon damage other than that done while traps were closed (sod rolled up), but plenty of new cone-shaped holes. Will try the peanut butter thing.

Question:can I funnel them with snow fence into a single door trap? The yard is set up where I can block off the area they are digging into several funnels...is it OK to do this to a baited (or unbaited?) single door trap? I wish I had double door, but no such luck. Again, any insights appreciated. Thanks.

Are you using a trailing scent and adequate visuals. If you try just baiting your traps just behind the firing pan they may not be able to get a good sight picture of the presentation plus suspended visuals such as large marshmellows or a half a bagel screwered on a wire.

Many trappers dont use enough eye appeal and bait to entice the target animals.Using non covered traps with the wire only exposed only serves to confuse the animal as to the point of entry of the cage door opening. Hence the cover of the top and sides and using a trailing scent helps to assist the animal with fast easy location.

We have been useing Fireball ADC bait, trailing scent and marshmellows for some set ups with grubstake and trailing scent with others.Make the presentations inviting and they will come.Use the smaller marshmellows for lead in trailers with some small touches of bait or trailing scent on a few out front on the ground a few feet in front of the trap door area.
Set some traps back to back and some side by side facing opposite directions.

Gang setting is very helpful in such a problem case besides edge setting when possible and the drift fencing is good as a funnel point if you know how that principle is applied. Try to determine the access points used to the target area of damage.

Drift fencing should help. If possible fence off the entire effected and leave a few hole for traps, yes you can drift fence them into a single door trap.

Thanks for the help guys. I got one problem area fenced and set up today. I picked up some more fence and will do the other one tomorrow. Bob, I have been trailing using fish oil with some marshmallows out front. Worked fine initially for the coon. I today though I had one of my smaller traps pushed sideways (I had a single stake to keep it from rolling), presumably by a coon too large (or unwilling) to go into the trap.

I do have the cage traps covered on the top and sides (set on plywood to prevent lawn damage). I am still unable to determine direction of access to the problem area, which is in the middle of the yard or find any nearby denning locations in the surrounding woods. I'm hoping that the fencing will be the ticket...thanks all for the help and I will keep you posted.

buy Jamesons lure,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

In dire situations the investment in a trail camera or two is money well vested over time.I have used mine cameras in a few questionable cases where I needed some help or answers to move a job forward to closure.

them skunks will eat the concrete you spill Bobby J's lure on............

Crows grub.

Caught an adult female coon yesterday. Thinking she might have been the one that spun the trap the other day. Nothing today and no new damage since I put up the drift fence. Still convinced there is at least one skunk in the area, but I don't believe he has been on the lawn since the fence was installed. Going to put up a trail camera tomorrow. Time will tell....

Another adult female coon today....this one was nursing. I have still only caught 1 kit...does that seem odd? I would have thought they would have all tumbled in shortly after the first one.

Also, I saw some droppings today within 15 feet from where i made the catch. They looked like what I thought were skunk droppings last week. Black, consistency of sticky mud...not what I typically think of in terms of coon droppings (but I am not usually looking at them in August either). I also had refusals of some traps last night...holes dug 1 foot in from of the trap (baited with marshmallows, and fish oil trailing scent). Any thoughts on reducing refusals? I added some egg shells today to some of the sets. They did quite a bit of digging last night and I'm frustrated catching one at a time, even though there are 5 traps. They seem to be following my drift fence just fine (as evidenced by sporadic holes along the fence), but still refused some traps. Landowner (and me) are losing patience. It doesn't seem like this should be taking so long. Moderate lawn damage with traps still set seems unacceptable to me (and probably the landowner). Set up a trail cam today to see what might be happening while I'm gone.

Thoughts anyone? Thanks.