There's a skunk under my deck. What should I do?

Because under your deck is a good den. NYSDEC describes striped skunks seeking shelter under structures starting in early fall, and damaged building foundations and spaces underneath porches serve this purpose well as winter dens. A deck with lattice that's rotted at one corner, a shed on skids, a stoop with a washed-out gap or a crawlspace vent with no screen is exactly what it's looking for. Skunks also feed in lawns; NYSDEC notes they forage for worms, insects and grubs and often leave holes in the ground where they dig for insects, so the cone-shaped holes in the grass and the smell on damp mornings usually go together.

Late spring into summer. NYSDEC puts skunk mating in February and March with the young born in May, and notes it's not unusual to see a female with a line of little black and white copies following her across a lawn on an early July morning. A skunk under the deck in June is likely a mother with kits, and closing the opening then traps them. The safe approach is to confirm the den is empty first: loosely stuff the opening with newspaper or sprinkle flour in front of it at dusk, and if it's pushed out or tracked through by morning, the skunk is going in and out. Kits that are old enough follow her out on her rounds; until then, the exclusion waits.

Slowly and from the side. NYSDEC notes a skunk seldom sprays when caught in a foothold or box trap, and a skunk that isn't cornered or startled mostly wants to leave, so no one who's paying attention and moving slowly gets sprayed. The exclusion itself is a one-way door on the main opening or a nightly close-up after the skunk leaves, then hardware cloth buried a foot down and bent outward along the whole perimeter of the deck or shed so nothing digs back under. NYSDEC's remedy is to close or screen all holes and crawl spaces and keep dogs confined, and the dog part matters: most sprayings happen to the dog, not the person.

Skunks are everywhere on Long Island now, and the calls come from Massapequa and Seaford decks, Huntington and Commack sheds and the crawlspaces of older houses in Oyster Bay and Bayville. NYSDEC notes skunks have been the most commonly confirmed rabies species other than raccoons during the spread of raccoon rabies through southern New York, which is one more reason not to go under the deck yourself. Bobby Bugs removes the animal, installs the one-way door, and screens the perimeter; wildlife nesting removal carries a 6-month written guarantee with a free estimate.