Skunks Digging Up Your Lawn in Early Fall: Why It Happens and How to Stop Repeat Damage

Skunks can tear up lawns overnight while searching for insects and other food. Learn why digging increases around properties in Middle Tennessee and North Alabama, how to identify skunk damage, and what can help stop repeat activity.

Why Is Something Digging Up Your Lawn Overnight?

You go to bed with a normal-looking yard and wake up to patches of grass pulled back, small holes scattered across the lawn, or freshly disturbed soil around flower beds.

For homeowners across Middle Tennessee and North Alabama, skunks are one possible cause.

Skunks are common in both rural and developed areas. Properties around Fayetteville, Huntsville, Madison, Athens, Ardmore, and surrounding communities often combine lawns with wooded edges, fields, sheds, crawl spaces, drainage areas, and other habitat that wildlife can use.

The digging itself is usually not random. A skunk may be searching for food beneath the surface of the lawn.

Why Skunks Dig in Lawns

Skunks are opportunistic feeders and eat a variety of insects and other small animals.

One food source that can contribute to lawn digging is white grubs, which live beneath the soil and feed on grass roots.

White grub activity can affect lawns during the warmer months and into fall. When animals discover an easy food source beneath the turf, they may repeatedly return to the same area.

That means a homeowner can have two problems at the same time: insects beneath the lawn and wildlife digging from above.

What Skunk Lawn Damage Looks Like

Skunk digging can sometimes be confused with damage from armadillos, moles, raccoons, or other wildlife.

Possible signs of skunk activity include:

• Small holes scattered across the lawn
• Sections of turf pulled or rolled back
• Fresh digging that appears overnight
• Disturbed mulch or flower beds
• A noticeable skunk odor around the property
• Tracks near damaged areas
• Repeated digging in the same sections of lawn
• Activity around sheds, decks, barns, or crawl spaces

The damage pattern alone does not always confirm the animal, which is why inspecting the surrounding property can be important.

Why Early Fall Can Expose the Problem

Late summer and early fall are common times for homeowners to notice grub-related lawn problems.

Some white grubs feed on turf roots and may contribute to thinning or dying patches of grass. Digging animals can make the visible damage significantly worse while searching for those insects.

By September, homeowners may suddenly notice torn-up turf even if the underlying insect activity started earlier.

A damaged lawn does not automatically mean skunks are responsible, but repeated overnight digging combined with other wildlife signs is worth investigating.

Where Skunks May Be Staying During the Day

The lawn may be where the skunk is feeding, but it may be sheltering somewhere else nearby.

Skunks commonly use protected areas such as:

• Spaces beneath sheds
• Areas underneath decks or porches
• Crawl spaces
• Brush piles
• Wood piles
• Barns
• Rocky areas
• Field edges
• Thick vegetation
• Existing animal burrows

Properties bordering fields, wooded areas, farms, or undeveloped land may offer several of these conditions at once.

If shelter and food are available in the same area, the property becomes much more attractive.

Other Things That Can Attract Skunks

Grubs are not the only reason a skunk may visit.

Other attractants can include:

• Pet food left outdoors
• Unsecured garbage
• Fallen fruit
• Bird seed
• Compost
• Chicken feed
• Insects around outdoor lights
• Small rodents
• Accessible shelter beneath structures

Removing one food source may help, but homeowners should look at the property as a whole.

Why Fixing the Grass Alone May Not Solve It

Replacing damaged sod or filling holes can make the lawn look better temporarily.

It does not necessarily stop the animal from returning.

If a skunk is consistently finding food in the same area or sheltering nearby, repaired sections may simply be dug up again.

Long-term control should focus on identifying:

1. What animal is causing the damage
2. What is attracting it
3. Where it may be sheltering
4. Whether removal is necessary
5. What changes can reduce repeat activity

Without addressing those factors, lawn repair may only treat the visible symptom.

What Homeowners Should Avoid

Trying to corner, catch, or handle a skunk yourself is rarely a good idea.

Skunks generally prefer to avoid conflict, but they can spray when they feel threatened.

Homeowners should also avoid immediately sealing an opening beneath a structure unless they know the area is empty. An animal could still be inside.

Instead:

• Keep pets away from active areas
• Remove outdoor food sources
• Secure garbage
• Observe where the animal is traveling
• Avoid approaching it
• Have suspected den areas inspected before closing them

Professional Skunk Inspection and Removal

Kirkland’s Wildlife Trapping can inspect the property to determine whether skunks or another animal are responsible for the damage.

The process may include:

1. Examining lawn damage and tracks
2. Looking for active travel paths
3. Checking beneath decks, sheds, porches, and crawl spaces
4. Identifying food and shelter attractants
5. Determining whether active removal is necessary
6. Addressing access points after the animal is gone
7. Recommending ways to reduce repeat activity

The goal is not simply to repair the grass. It is to identify why the wildlife is using the property in the first place.

How to Make Your Property Less Attractive to Skunks

Homeowners can reduce some of the conditions that encourage repeat visits.

Helpful steps include:

• Bring pet food indoors at night
• Keep garbage containers secured
• Clean up fallen fruit
• Store chicken and livestock feed securely
• Remove unnecessary brush and debris
• Keep areas around sheds and decks maintained
• Repair accessible crawl space openings
• Monitor recurring lawn digging
• Address confirmed lawn insect problems appropriately

Properties near woods or open land will always have wildlife nearby. Prevention is about reducing the reasons animals choose to remain close to the home.

When to Call a Wildlife Professional

Consider calling a professional if:

• Your lawn is repeatedly being dug up overnight
• You regularly smell skunk odor around the home
• A skunk is going beneath your deck or shed
• You suspect an animal is living in the crawl space
• Your pets are repeatedly encountering skunks
• You cannot identify what is damaging the lawn
• DIY prevention has not stopped the activity
• You want an entry point inspected before sealing it

Identifying the animal early can prevent recurring damage and reduce the chance of a temporary wildlife visit becoming an established problem.

Serving Middle Tennessee and North Alabama

Kirkland’s Wildlife Trapping provides professional skunk removal, wildlife inspection, and prevention services throughout Middle Tennessee and North Alabama.

We serve homeowners throughout Fayetteville, Huntsville, Madison, Athens, Ardmore, and surrounding communities.

If your lawn is being dug up overnight or you suspect a skunk is living around your home, contact Kirkland’s Wildlife Trapping for a professional property inspection and wildlife control plan.