Sounds That Scare Skunks: How to Deter Skunks From Your Yard

Skunks are unwelcome guests in your yard or property. These small animals tend to make a mess of things, such as eating your vegetable patch, scattering food scraps, and leaving their waste behind. Let’s look at some sounds that scare skunks.


Sounds that scare skunks

sounds that scare skunks

Did you know that you can scare skunks away by making specific noises? They have a strong sense of hearing, and if they don’t like what they hear then they’ll usually leave the premises. Here are 8 sounds that scare skunks.

An Old Radio

You can put old technology to good use by reviving an old, working radio from the shed or garage. Most are powered by batteries, which makes them mobile skunk deterrents where you don’t want the animals to appear.

A radio has that unpredictable factor- sometimes it will be playing music, while in others the DJ will be the one talking. You can switch stations every now and then to throw the critters off-guard.

Human Voices

Skunks are naturally wary of people, and sometimes a voice will be enough for them to change direction and go the other way. This method is particularly effective when you see a wild animal lounging around in your yard.

You can amplify your voice by yelling or cupping your hands together. Also, don’t worry that you might call the skunk over instead of driving it away because it doesn’t happen.

The Barking of a Dog

Having a dog will ultimately be useful versus skunks in your yard or garden. Rather than having your pet approach the skunk, you can train them to bark at the animal instead and hopefully scare them off your property.

Alternatively, you can let your dog bark while inside the house so it won’t get sprayed. Or, record the barking sound and play it through a Bluetooth speaker.

A Simple Whistle

sounds that scare skunks

Although it may not seem like it, skunks have sharp hearing and can pick up sounds from several feet away. You can use this to your advantage by producing shrill sounds, such as those that come from a whistle.

It’s one of the best and cheapest sounds that scare skunks, and you can easily buy a whistle at a sporting goods store or on the internet. The moment you see skunks in your yard put the whistle to your lips and blow as hard as you can to scare the creatures off.

An Air Horn

An air horn serves the same purpose as the whistle, only in automated form. You can just press a button and the device will produce a loud, startling noise. When directed at skunks and similar animals they will get frightened and scamper off.

Ultrasonic Animal Repellent

Technology can be your friend when it comes to scaring skunks. Specifically, there are electronic devices that are specially tuned to produce a frequency that’s unpleasant to skunks, squirrels, and mice, among others.

You’ll have plenty of choices when it comes to ultrasonic animal repellent products. It’s worth noting that you should specifically buy a repellent that will deter skunks.

They’re usually mobile and battery-powered so you can install several items on the perimeter. Then, activate the ultrasonic repellent and replace the batteries as needed to scare away skunks.

A Bluetooth Speaker and an App

You can make do with the things you have around the house and invent a contraption that will deter skunks. You probably already have a smartphone and a portable Bluetooth speaker- download a soundboard app with dog barks and predator noise and you will have a solution against these unwanted creatures hanging around your property.

An app that produces sounds of coyotes, bobcats, or wolves, as well as barking dogs and horned owls can be downloaded and installed on your smartphone. Connect the speaker to the phone, play the sound on repeat, and put it where you last spotted the skunks.

Pan and Ladle

Lastly, you can make do with kitchen tools and scare away skunks the old-fashioned way. Find a pot or pan and a heavy or wooden ladle, then go out with it and start banging the two items together. This will produce a loud noise that will hopefully get the attention of the skunk and send the creature off to another place.

You won’t need to chase the animal and avoid getting sprayed in the process.