Skunks, or as some refer to them, Polecats, are normally a nocturnal (feed at night) creatures.
And, like moles they love to feed on grubs....and earthworms....and other soil insects. So, as you know, these soil critters are under your beautiful lawn and in your landscape beds so they need to dig with their front clawy feet so they can stick their little pointy noses in and smell and locate their prey.
This is normally done during the early spring so they can fatten up after a long lean winter and then again in fall so they can fill their biological refrigerator again before winter.
However, this year with all the rains we have had the soil has been very damp and the worms etc. are much closer to the surface and therefore are easy pickens for them.
If it weren't then they would be eating things like raspberries, mulberries, cherries, grapes, nuts, crayfish, spiders, mice and an assortment of eggs and you would probably never know they had paid you an overnight visit.
Oh....and in the winter....birdseed is also delicious!
So, if you wake up in the early morning hours and get a whiff of that distinctive and noxious vapor you can rest assure that you had an overnight visitor.
However, Skunks are normally very calm and docile creatures and don't use this "protective" odor unless they are being attacked or overly harassed in some fashion.
And chances are that the harassment was being done by another nocturnal critter interested in the same food plot.
OR....
did that harmless
Cute Little guy or gal
just try to stop that "incessant noise" that
was disturbing his late night dinner???
Hmmm...well, it is something to think about you know!