Under a deck or shed
A dry cavity at ground level fills every spring.
Skunks, opossums, groundhogs, and foxes all den under decks and sheds. In most cases the tenancy is seasonal and ends on its own.
The space under a deck is dry, dark, defensible, and has a roof. To a female skunk in February it is better than anything else within a quarter mile. Once one animal has excavated an entrance, later animals reuse it — a hole under a deck can pass through several species over a few years.
What you are hearing
A single well-worn entrance with a fan of earth is a burrow in use. A faint musky smell without any spray is a skunk in residence and is not a problem. Multiple small holes and clipped vegetation suggest a groundhog. Squabbling at night, in April or May, means young.
What to do
- 01Confirm whether the burrow is occupied: rake the soil smooth across the entrance and check for tracks the next morning.
- 02If young are present, do nothing until they are mobile. Skunk and fox young are out within eight to ten weeks.
- 03When the burrow is confirmed empty, dig a trench and install a hardware-cloth apron, bent outward in an L, buried at least a foot down.
- 04Leave one exit while you work and close it last, at night, when the animal is out foraging.
What not to do
- Do not flood a burrow or use smoke.
- Do not seal an entrance without proving the burrow is empty — the smell of a dead skunk under a deck lasts months.
- Do not trap: Georgia regulates it, relocation is usually fatal, and the burrow simply gets a new tenant.
Stopping it happening again
- Screen the perimeter of decks, sheds, and porches with buried hardware cloth before anything moves in.
- Remove the reasons to stay: pet food, fallen fruit, accessible compost, unsecured bins.
- Cut back dense cover directly against the structure so nothing can approach unseen.
When to call someone licensed
If an animal appears sick, if a burrow undermines a foundation, or if you cannot determine whether young are inside.
Find a rehabilitatorUnderstand the animal
A skunk under a deck sprays far less than its reputation suggests, and spends its nights eating grubs, wasp larvae, and mice.