What Attracts Skunks to Your Yard (and How to Make Them Leave)

Skunks are one of the most common backyard visitors across Southern Ontario, and after a decade of crawling under decks and reading the holes left in lawns, they almost never show up by accident. A skunk picks your yard over the neighbour’s for specific, predictable reasons. Once you understand what’s pulling them in, you can usually make your property far less appealing without ever seeing the animal up close. Here’s what draws them in, how to spot the signs, and when a problem has gone past the do-it-yourself stage.

Why Are Skunks Attracted to Residential Yards?

Skunks are opportunists. They’re not picky, they don’t travel far, and they’ll settle wherever four basic needs are met within a short waddle of each other. When a yard checks all four boxes, a skunk has little reason to leave.

Shelter. Skunks are diggers, and not climbers. They want a dark, enclosed space at ground level, and a raised deck, a shed on bare soil, or a gap under a porch is close to ideal. They rarely dig their own burrow when a ready-made void exists.
Food sources. This is usually the deciding factor. Reliable food keeps a skunk coming back night after night until it decides to den nearby. Grubs, pet food, fallen fruit, and open garbage all read as a steady buffet.
Water. Pet bowls left out overnight, dripping outdoor taps, and standing water in low spots make a yard a stronger draw, especially during dry summer stretches.
Safe nesting areas. Females look for quiet, undisturbed spots to raise young in spring. A low-traffic corner with dense cover and a sheltered void underneath is exactly what they’re after.

Common Things That Attract Skunks to Your Property

When we do skunk inspections, we are really doing an attractant audit. Here are the things we find most often pulling skunks into Brantford and Hamilton homes.

Pet food left outdoors. A bowl of kibble on the back step is one of the most reliable skunk magnets there is. Even an empty bowl that smells like food will draw a curious nose.
Garbage and compost. Bins without tight lids, bags set out the night before pickup, and open compost piles full of food scraps all feed skunks easily.
Lawn grubs and insects. This is the big one people miss. Skunks dig for beetle larvae living in the top inch of soil, and a grub-heavy lawn is a nightly feeding ground.
Bird seed. Spilled seed under a feeder, or seed that scatters on the ground, gives skunks an easy meal long after the birds have gone to roost.
Fallen fruit. Apples, crabapples, and berries dropping from backyard trees rot on the ground and attract both skunks and the insects they eat.
Dense vegetation. Overgrown shrubs, woodpiles, and tall grass along fence lines give cover for moving around unseen and double as potential den cover.
Decks, sheds, and porches. Any structure with an open gap at the base is a standing invitation. These voids are the number one denning spot we deal with in the region.

The pattern that matters here is overlap. A single attractant rarely keeps a skunk around, but food plus cover plus a sheltered void in the same corner is what turns a passing visitor into a resident.

Signs You May Have Skunks Living Nearby

Skunks are quiet and nocturnal, so most homeowners notice the evidence before they ever see the animal. Watch for these signs of skunk activity around the house.

Small holes in the lawn. Skunks digging holes in lawns leave shallow, cone-shaped divots about the width of a golf ball, usually scattered across the grass overnight as they hunt grubs.
A faint, lingering odour. You don’t need a full spray to know a skunk is around. A low, musky smell that comes and goes, particularly near a deck or shed, often means a den is close.
Tracks. In soft soil or fresh snow, skunk prints show five toes with visible claw marks on the front feet, a bit like a tiny hand.
Activity around decks and sheds. Freshly dug soil, flattened gaps, or a worn path at the base of a structure points to skunks under the deck or shed.
Sightings at dawn or dusk. Skunks are most active in the low light of early morning and evening. A skunk seen calmly foraging at those hours is usually a local one, not a stray passing through.

If you’re seeing fresh digging combined with a den entrance, the skunk has likely already settled in. That’s the point where prevention alone may not be enough, and a professional skunk inspection helps confirm whether anyone is living under your structures before you seal anything shut.

How to Make Skunks Leave Your Yard

Getting rid of skunks is less about chasing them off and more about quietly removing every reason they had to stay. Work through these steps in order, starting with food.

Remove food sources

Bring pet food and water bowls indoors before dark, clean up fallen fruit, and sweep up spilled bird seed (or pause feeding for a couple of weeks if activity is high). Take away the meal and you take away most of the motivation.

Secure garbage bins

Use bins with locking or weighted lids, store them in a garage until the morning of pickup, and keep compost in a closed container rather than an open pile.

Address lawn grub issues

If your lawn is being torn up night after night, grubs are the cause. Treating them with beneficial nematodes or a targeted lawn product removes the food layer skunks are digging for, and this single step solves a surprising number of recurring skunk problems.

Reduce hiding spots and tidy landscaping

Move woodpiles off the ground, clear clutter from fence lines, trim back dense shrubs, and keep grass cut so the yard feels exposed. Skunks travel and den where they feel concealed, so an open, tidy yard works against them.

Seal potential denning areas, when appropriate

Gaps under decks, sheds, and porches can be closed off with buried wire mesh that prevents digging underneath. Never seal a void until you’re certain nothing is inside, especially in spring when young may be present, because closing a den with animals trapped inside causes far worse problems. This is where timing and a proper inspection matter, and where many homeowners bring in skunk removal experts to handle the exclusion work safely.

When to Call a Professional Wildlife Removal Company

Plenty of skunk situations resolve with the prevention steps above. Some don’t. Here’s when it makes sense to bring in help.

Recurring activity. If skunks keep returning no matter what you change, something on the property is still drawing them, and a trained eye can find what you can’t.
Skunks living under a structure. An active den under a deck, porch, or shed needs proper, humane removal before the space is sealed, not after.
Ongoing property damage. Persistent lawn destruction or burrowing near a foundation tends to get worse, not better, when left alone.
You need real exclusion. Long-term results come from wildlife exclusion, sealing entry points so the same den can’t be reused season after season. Done right, it’s the difference between a one-time fix and an annual headache.

A reputable company uses humane methods, confirms the animal is out before closing anything, and backs the work with cleanup and repairs where needed. At First Class Wildlife Removal, we’re a local, owner-operated team with more than ten years of hands-on experience and a strong base of community reviews, serving homeowners in Brantford, Hamilton, Cambridge, Woodstock, Burlington, and surrounding communities. Skunks are part of life here in Southern Ontario, and our focus is solving the problem in a way that’s safe, humane, and built to last.

Conclusion

Skunks settle into yards that offer food, water, cover, and a quiet place to den, usually all in one convenient corner. Take those away and most skunks move on with little fuss. Start by clearing food and water, deal with lawn grubs, tidy up hiding spots, and seal off den sites only once you’re sure they’re empty.

If activity keeps coming back, or skunks have already moved in under a structure, it’s far easier to address early than after the digging and odour have settled in. Whether you handle it yourself or call in humane skunk removal, the sooner you act on the attractants, the sooner your yard stops looking like a good place to stay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do skunks come back to the same yard every year?

They can. Female skunks in particular will return to a den site that worked well before, often to raise young in spring. That’s why closing off old den spaces with proper exclusion matters more than simply waiting for one skunk to leave.

Will a single skunk attract more skunks?

One skunk finding good food and shelter is a sign the yard meets their needs, which makes it appealing to others too. During breeding season especially, an established den can lead to several animals using the same area, so it’s best to address the conditions early.

Are mothballs or ammonia a reliable way to keep skunks out?

Strong smells may unsettle a skunk briefly, but they rarely work as a lasting fix and can be unpleasant or unsafe around pets and children. Removing food and cover, then physically sealing den sites, gives far more dependable results than any scent deterrent.

How quickly can a skunk problem develop?

A skunk can go from a passing visitor to a settled resident in a matter of days if food and an open den space are both available. The faster you remove those attractants, the less likely a casual visit turns into a long-term tenant under your deck.

Is autumn or winter a better time to deal with skunks?

Late fall and winter are generally simpler, since young have grown and skunks are less active, which makes exclusion work more straightforward. Spring is the trickiest time because of the chance of young in the den, which is exactly when a careful inspection pays off before anything gets sealed.