Have you seen them do that? I can't imagine what they'd be rutting after unless there are acorns or something laying around.

tj

I think I agree with where tsuga is headed. That doesn't look like deer damage. Do you have skunks, possums, or raccoons in the area?

Where do you live?

What kind of grass do you have?

Have you watered or done anything to the lawn this season?

I've never seen deer do that either. Now skunks will looking for grubbs. Of course since skunks like to come out at night you probably will not catch them in the act.

Live in a wooded area, near a large state park in the MidWest. I do have skunks, raccoons and opossums... never thought it was from them. We do only notice this in the morning from nightly activity. Any remedy to repel them?

Control the grubs. Some tips HERE.

tj

We have a lawn guy spray to kill the grub and also the ticks.

near a large state park in the MidWest

You don't have to be coy. We're not coming over to visit or use your toilet paper. We really need to know the nearest community to where you live. Soils and climates are different all over, at least to us on this forum.

The small predators usually go after grubs, so if you have grubs, the predators will dig them out. Get rid of the grubs and you won't have the digging problem. But first I would suggest you dig up 1 square foot of the turf in the area where the digging is. If you see grubs, then treat. If you don't see grubs, then grubs are not the problem.

Forgive the novice here, I live in Indianapolis. Cold winters, humid summers. How long does it take to get rid of grubs?

Skunks. My parents had this for ages and tried all kinds of stuff. Cayenne pepper, you name it, I wish I remember what all they tried. Some stuff worked for a while but nothing worked for long. Just one of those things.

Thanks, one of my boys told me he saw a large skunk in the yard ... I'm sure they are preying on the grubs. I'm buying grub treatment today to remove those so no more issues.

They also go after worms, and any other natural ground-living insects. Not only are they difficult to remove, you don't want to. They're the natural aerators in the soil and also do most of the work keeping it healthy.

Check for grubs before purchasing grub killer. Dig up a square foot and look for the famous C-shaped grubs. 10 or less means you don't have a problem and skunks really shouldn't be terribly attracted to the property. More than that, yes. Right around 10 would be marginal.