Skunk under the deck, or an opossum? How to tell, and what actually fixes it
Published Updated
By John Stopka, Co-Founder & CEO · Reviewed by John Stopka
Something is living under the deck, and around here it is usually one of two animals. Skunks dig their own way in and leave cone-shaped holes in the lawn; opossums move into a space something else opened and dig very little. Neither one is a permanent resident. In both cases the fix is closing the space once the animal is out — and the thing that goes wrong is closing it while young are still inside.
Why is anything living under my deck in the first place?
Because a deck, shed or porch built close to the ground is exactly the space both animals look for: dry, enclosed, at ground level, with an open edge.
Neither is fussy about the address. University of Kentucky describes a skunk's den as one "that may be found in vacant buildings; under house porches, culverts, brush piles, tree stumps, lumber piles; or in abandoned fox or woodchuck burrows" [2]. Opossums are less particular still — they "do not build their own shelters" [4]. What decides which yard is food: grubs in the lawn for a skunk, garbage and bird feeders for an opossum [3] [4].
How do I tell a skunk from an opossum?
They look nothing alike, but you usually never see the animal. You read the evidence instead, and the evidence differs.
The digging. The clearest split. Kentucky's extension publication describes it precisely: "Skunk diggings normally appear as 3- to 4-inch cone-shaped holes or patches of upturned earth" [2]. Skunks also "burrow under buildings" and "dig holes in lawns while hunting for grubs especially in the late summer/early fall" [3]. Opossums move into a space rather than making one. One caution most pages skip: "many other animals, including domestic dogs, also dig in lawns" [2].
The tracks. A skunk's print looks like a cat's, but "skunks have five toes, and cats have four toes," and skunk claw marks show where a cat's do not [3]. An opossum's you cannot mistake: "An opossum's rear tracks resemble a baby's handprint" [4].
The smell. A strong, musky odour points to a skunk — and is the clue to stop looking and call someone.
Is it living there, or just passing through?
Mostly passing through, and that changes how to think about the problem.
A skunk keeps no single address: skunks "use a variety of dens for loafing during the day, for giving birth and raising young, and for periods of inactivity during the winter" [2], and in warmer months they "often rest above ground" [3]. Opossums say the same from the other end — they build no shelters, and range over "12 to 264 acres" [4].
So the space under your deck is not a home either animal is attached to. It is a vacancy — and a vacancy left open gets filled again.
Why is closing the space the fix, rather than removing the animal?
Because removing the animal does not change what attracted it.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife lists sealing entry points among the ways to prevent wildlife conflicts at all, alongside securing trash and keeping pet food indoors [1]. Illinois says the same for skunks in one line: "Seal off all openings along the foundation to keep skunks from burrowing under buildings." [3] For opossums it is put more strongly still: "Habitat modification and exclusion techniques are usually sufficient to prevent problems with opossums." [4]
Removal is what you do when prevention has not been enough [1]. The animal is the symptom; the open edge is the problem.
When is it the wrong time to close the space?
When something is still behind it — and the sources say it plainly: "Be sure that the skunk is not still inside when the opening is sealed." [3]
And in the same breath: "Openings should not be sealed if young are present." [3]
The calendar says when to be careful. A skunk has one litter of four to eight young in May or early June [3]; University of Kentucky puts the births in May and June and adds that "Families break up during August and September when the young leave to find their own homes" [2].
Opossums spread it wider: they breed in late January and early February, some again in May, and young are "weaned and on their own" at about three months [4].
Close a den in the middle of that and nothing is solved — you have made a worse problem, in a space you cannot reach.
How does Liberty handle a skunk or opossum under the deck?
Skunks and opossums aren't part of our pest control plans. Wildlife Control starts with a free wildlife inspection.
A local Service Advisor does a thorough inspection to see how bad the problem is, where skunks are denning, like under decks, porches and sheds, and what draws them, like grubs in the lawn, pet food and open trash.
The work then runs in order. When needed, we trap and remove skunks from under decks, porches, sheds and crawlspaces. We close off the openings opossums use, like gaps under decks and sheds and broken crawlspace doors or vents.
After the skunks are out, we come back to check for new digging or activity and check that the closed-off openings are holding.
Crawlspace doors, vents and cleanouts are handled separately, through Liberty Home Services. Wildlife control is available in the Paducah area, Southern Illinois and the Hopkinsville area, and is not offered in the Bowling Green area.
When to call a professional
Call when you find a hole under a deck, shed or porch with soil pushed out in front of it, when cone-shaped diggings appear in the lawn, or when a musky smell settles around one corner of the house.
Call before you close anything. An inspection settles which animal it is, whether it is still in there, and whether young are behind the opening. Call a wildlife control professional instead of approaching a skunk or its den.
Common questions
Why is there a skunk under my deck?
Because it is dry, enclosed and at ground level with a way in — what a skunk looks for in an old burrow or under a porch [2]. Grubs, pet food and open trash keep it there [2] [3].
How do I know whether it is a skunk or an opossum?
Read the ground rather than waiting to see the animal. Cone-shaped holes three to four inches across, and digging under the structure itself, point to a skunk [2] [3]; opossums move in rather than dig [4]. A skunk's print shows five toes and claw marks; an opossum's hind print looks like a small handprint [3] [4].
Is it safe to just block the hole?
Not without knowing what is behind it: make sure the animal is not still inside, and do not seal an opening if young are present [3].
Are skunks and opossums covered by a Liberty pest control plan?
No. Skunks and opossums aren't part of our pest control plans. Wildlife Control starts with a free wildlife inspection, and is offered in the Paducah area, Southern Illinois and the Hopkinsville area.
Sources
- Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. "Living With Wildlife." https://fw.ky.gov/Wildlife/Pages/living-with-wildlife.aspx (opens in a new tab)
- University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. Thomas G. Barnes. "Managing Skunk Problems in Kentucky" (FOR-49). https://publications.mgcafe.uky.edu/files/for49.pdf (opens in a new tab)
- University of Illinois Extension and Illinois Department of Natural Resources. "Striped Skunk" (Living with Wildlife in Illinois). https://wildlifeillinois.org/identify-wildlife/striped-skunk/ (opens in a new tab)
- University of Illinois Extension and Illinois Department of Natural Resources. "Virginia Opossum" (Living with Wildlife in Illinois). https://wildlifeillinois.org/identify-wildlife/opossum/ (opens in a new tab)