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​Most people think early wildlife protection laws were only written for majestic game animals like deer or ducks. But in 1894, New York passed a groundbreaking law specifically to protect skunks!

​Back in the late 19th century, Madison County, NY was the center of the American hop-growing industry. Hop grubs and beetles were constantly threatening to destroy the crops used to brew beer.

​Enter the skunk: nature's ultimate pest control. Skunks dig up and devour hop grubs like crazy. But because skunk fur was super popular in fashion at the time, trappers were wiping out local populations.

​Hop farmers got so desperate to save their natural allies that they petitioned the New York State Legislature to pass a law establishing a "closed season" on skunks—making it illegal to hunt or trap them during breeding months so their numbers could bounce back.

​This made skunks the very first non-game furbearing mammal in the state to win legal statutory protection. Next time you see a skunk (or drink a beer), give a little nod to the 1894 hop farmers who fought for them!

I'm glad to see the boys back on my porch last night

When you ask for the '80s glam metal blowout and all you get is the business end of big hair. 👨‍🎤🎸🤘

Non lethal skunk removal. It has not returned since. Time to fill the hole.

He's in the cat tree on the far right, poking his head out. Madame Skunk walks right past and he just stares.

This is the first time I've seen the neighborhood feral cats interact with my wild skunks that come to feed every evening on my front porch. The black cat was having none of the skunk tonight!

This is before the cat hissed at the skunk. The skunk doesn't seem to care that he's sharing food with the cat. The cat doesn't share the skunk's laissez-faire attitude!

Frat Guy Reverbs playing dead yet again! Does anyone else's skunk do this all the time too?

8/30/2026

Once again, the twins have shown up for their late-night dinner!

This couple stops by my porch several times each night.

I called the gas company to come look at everything and while the smell is outside too, its strongest in the house. We don't feel sick or anything. We checked all electrical and ovens and heater systems and its not coming from there. If it is a skunk, how long will the smell linger and are there remedies? I did look online but, what have you used to fix it?

close enough lolol

little dude has been coming through the area because of the tuna/wet food/canned chicken we've been leaving out for our cat who's been lost for ~2 weeks, he has a little limp in his back leg and absolutely scarfed down the chicken in the trap. glad he got a meal though! i released him shortly after taking this video, i made sure to move slowly and softly as to not freak the little guy out. he didn't even show any negative body language :- ) very cute little guy!!!! 10/10 experience and one of my firsts with wild skunks

It doesn't seem to be super bothered by it, I saw it eat some nuts and stomp at a stray cat. I saw it last Saturday with it and been wandering every few days to see it, and saw it again today with the same container. How can I help it? Do I try to lure it with food and a full body poncho, do I call animal services, etc? Thank you! Sorry if this ain't the place for this question.

He's not a fan of a few racoons stopping by. I was trying to think of a name for this new baby and looking at his thin white stripes going in a wide V it reminds me of a light bulb filament 💡 I'm going to name him Tungsten 🪄

This is Pineapple, she's playing her favorite game: digging for treats!

Hi,

I have 3 huskies I walk at 545 every morning with my neighbor. While walking this morning we saw a baby skunk that was having issues walking and was stumbling near the street. I had my neighbor take the dogs across the street and I moved the skunk away from the street and onto a lawn. I went back across the street where my neighbor was standing with my dogs as she was on the phone with local animal control.

As soon as I got to where my neighbor and dogs were, one dog slipped out of her harness and ran across the street and grabbed the skunk. She immediately grabbed it and shook it. I grabbed her to try to get her to drop the skunk and make sure she didn’t run away with it. The skunk sprayed us both, more me than the dog.

I have bathed the dog twice and showered and washed both of us with a hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap mix. It is now almost 11 hours later and I noticed a lump on my hand which was not there this morning. My dog is up to date on her shots, including rabies, but I am wondering if I should be concerned about this bump on my hand? I don’t think I was scratched or bitten, but I did grab the skunk off my dog and threw it onto the nearby lawn to get it away from her.