Skunk Under Your Deck? Here's What's Really Bringing Them In

Posted on 2026-07-31

You catch that smell one evening, then you spot the freshly dug hole along the edge of your deck. A skunk has moved in. Most people focus on the skunk itself, but the animal is only half the story. Something on your property invited it in, and until you deal with that, you'll keep getting new tenants under there.

Why do skunks move in under decks and sheds?

Skunks den under decks, sheds, and porches for one reason: they can dig. A deck with open sides and bare dirt underneath gives them a dark, covered spot to burrow, usually about a foot deep. They're not climbers, so unlike raccoons they won't end up in your attic. They head down and under instead. When a den is already active, professional skunk and wildlife removal is the safe way to clear it, but it helps to first understand why yours got picked.

Look for a hole along the edge with the opening half-hidden by grass or leaves. That's the tell. One skunk usually dens alone in summer but leave the spot open and it can shelter several through the winter.

What attracts a skunk to your yard?

Grubs. Skunks tear up lawns hunting the beetle larvae sitting about an inch below the surface, and it doesn't take much of an infestation to draw one in. We've seen skunks working a lawn that still looked healthy to the homeowner, because the grub count only has to hit a handful per square foot before it's worth a skunk's nightly effort, long before you'd spot any damage.

Here's the part most people miss. Skunks don't roam far, so whatever is feeding the one under your deck is almost always right there on your property. Evict it without dealing with the grubs and another moves in within weeks. Pet food left out, fallen birdseed, and open garbage do the same job.

Why is late summer peak skunk season here?

Two things line up at once around here in July and August. The kits born back in spring are now grown enough to strike out on their own, so you've suddenly got young skunks wandering the neighbourhood looking for a first den of their very own. A deck they can dig under looks perfect.

At the same time, this is when the new crop of grub larvae moves up near the surface to feed. So just as more skunks are house-hunting, the food supply that draws them peaks too. That overlap is why a yard that had no skunk trouble all spring can pick one up in August. It's also why late summer is the smartest window to treat for grubs, cut the food off now and you're less appealing heading into fall, when skunks start scouting winter dens.

How do you know if a skunk is living under your deck?

The smell is the obvious one, but a faint, steady skunk odour around the deck is different from the full blast of a spray. A den gives off a low background smell all the time, strongest near the entrance. If it seems to be coming from one fixed spot rather than drifting through on the breeze, something's living under there.

Then check for the physical signs. You're looking for a hole about the width of a grapefruit dug in tight against the deck, often with a little fan of loose dirt kicked out behind it and the opening screened by grass. Flattened tracks or a worn path leading in and out tell you it's in active use. To be sure, loosely stuff the hole with a wad of newspaper in the evening. If it's pushed out by morning, you've got a tenant. If it sits untouched a few nights running, whatever was there has likely moved on.

How do you get a skunk out from under a deck?

The goal is to make the spot feel unsafe so the skunk leaves on its own, then close it up behind them. Skunks hate light, noise, and the scent of a predator, so a bright work light aimed at the entrance, a radio left on nearby, and rags soaked in cider vinegar tucked near the hole will usually convince one that the neighbourhood has gone downhill. Give it a few days of steady pressure. They don't leave on the first night.

Timing is the part you can't rush. Through late spring and into summer there may be kits down there too young to follow their mother out, and if you seal the entrance, you trap them inside, which turns a smell problem into a much worse one. This is exactly where professional pest control expert earns its keep. We confirm whether young are present before anything gets closed off and handle the eviction without anyone, including your dog, getting sprayed in the process. While most residents already don't feel comfortable with a DIY approach when it comes to these pests, if you see a skunk that looks sick, is wandering around during the day, or simply seems off, do not try to remove them yourself. Bringing in a licensed expert for your skunk removal in Barrie is the safer call.

How do you keep skunks from coming back?

Once the skunk is out, the job is making sure the next one can't move in. The permanent fix is to block off the space under the deck or shed. The trick most people get wrong is that skunks dig, so mesh has to go into the ground, not just across the gap. Run galvanized steel mesh along the base and bury the bottom edge down and outward in an L-shape, so when a skunk tries to dig at the edge it hits wire instead of soft dirt. Screening the gap at ground level alone won't hold.

Then take away the reason they showed up. Treat the lawn for grubs in late summer while the larvae are still feeding near the surface, since that's the food source doing the work. Keep pet food indoors, clean up under bird feeders, and lock down the garbage. Do both, seal the space and cut the food, and you're not just moving this skunk along, you're making sure your yard stops being the one they pick.

Dealing with a skunk under your deck?

You don't have to crawl under there yourself. Mr. Exterminator handles skunk removal for Vaughan, the GTA and most of Southern Ontario, from confirming whether there are kits down there to sealing the space so nothing moves back in. Call us today and we'll take it from here.