Striped skunk
Mephitis mephitis
- Identification
- Black with white stripes; dens under decks, sheds, porches, and foundations. Announced by odor.
- Lifecycle & behavior
- Dens in spring to raise young; digs for grubs and shelters in sheltered ground spaces.
- When it's active in Central NY
- Common under CNY decks and outbuildings, especially in spring denning season; spraying and digging are the main complaints.
- Risk & damage
- Odor, digging damage, and a rabies-vector concern; young may be present under the structure.
- Why DIY falls short
- Cornering a skunk risks spraying or bites, and sealing a den with young inside creates a worse problem.
- How we treat it
- Humane removal accounting for young, then exclusion of the under-structure den space.
Skunk or woodchuck under the deck?
Both dig burrows under decks, sheds, and porches, and the burrow itself often tells you which. Skunk entrances tend to be smaller, roughly six to eight inches, with a low mound of excavated soil and often a faint musky smell even without a spraying event. Woodchuck holes are larger, ten to twelve inches, with a substantial mound of fresh earth.
Timing helps: skunks are nocturnal, woodchucks are active in daylight. Small conical divots across a lawn — the marks of a skunk digging for grubs — are another reliable skunk sign.
Skunks in Central New York
Skunks den under decks, porches, sheds, and outbuildings throughout the region, and denning season in spring means young are frequently present — the same consideration that applies to raccoons. Sealing an entrance with a female and kits underneath is both inhumane and results in a serious odor problem in a very awkward location.
Lawn damage is often the first complaint rather than the animal itself: skunks dig small conical holes hunting grubs, and heavy grub pressure in a lawn will draw them. Addressing the grubs sometimes addresses the skunk.
Skunks are a rabies vector species in New York, so any skunk showing daytime activity, disorientation, or unusual boldness is worth reporting rather than approaching.
Dealing with striped skunk?
Our wildlife removal handles it — guaranteed, family-owned, and local.
Striped skunk — common questions
Something is digging small holes all over my lawn overnight.
That pattern — small conical divots appearing overnight — is characteristic of skunks digging for grubs. The lawn damage is a symptom of a grub population, so dealing with the grubs often reduces the skunk visits along with it.
Can the burrow under my shed just be filled in?
Not without checking first, particularly in spring. Sealing a den with a female and young inside is inhumane and produces a severe odor problem somewhere very hard to reach. The occupancy needs to be confirmed and the animals out before anything is closed.