Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis)

Mr. Skunk

 cleaning up the cat food

 7/15/2020

Update 7/26/20: Further research leads me to believe that Mr. Skunk is almost certainly Ms. Skunk and that she is probably raising a litter of kits under our storage barn.  We looked into trapping possibilities, but we think we'll probably just ride this out and let her raise her babies in peace.  This winter, we'll look at upgrades to our outbuildings to encourage her to build her den elsewhere next year.

This fellow has taken up residence in our yard over the past few weeks.  We first became aware of his presence when he started digging up a recently buried chicken -- again and again.  We always bury our Ladies under the apple trees near their pen and cover the grave with a large stone.  This striped skunk was a star digger who managed to get under the stone, much to my chagrin.

Amanda snapped the picture above through our back door as he cleaned up leftover cat food on the back porch.  We try to bring it in each night to avoid attracting him, but we have to be quick about it, as we hear those bowls rattling not long after sunset.  One night I was startled to hear the bowls rattling four feet away from where I was sitting!  I froze and stayed still until he was gone.  When he finished the cat food, he scurried right by my chair and off the end of the porch!

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says that "skunks will warn you first by stomping their feet, hissing and clacking their teeth, and flaring their tail. They can spray accurately at 12' and have a six shooter."  That's all well and good that he will warn me, but I don't want to give him an opportunity to do so.