Want to find out how to keep a skunk away? Even if it looks quite harmless in photos, the last place where we want to see a skunk is in our backyard. It is therefore important to know how to get rid of a skunk under a shed or any other place in your yard.
Why? Because as adorable as it is, this wild little beast could cause significant damage to your landscaping, gardens, and lawn. The skunk hole is distinguished by its shallow oval shape. It allows it to smell the scent of food sources, such as worms, and sucks them up with its thin snout and forelegs.
Also, the striped skunk can also pose a threat to your pets. When she decides to defend herself with musk, a very foul-smelling yellow liquid, the smell will take several days to disappear. This fluid can also cause burning eyes and nausea.
When homemade repellents are not enough and the skunk has established its burrow under your shed or porch, our skunk capture service intervenes with approved cage traps and relocation in accordance with Quebec regulations.
2. Keep your yard clean
When you see a skunk in your yard, you have to react quickly and above all take the necessary precautions not to be sprayed with a foul smell! Discover our homemade recipe to remove the smell of skunk.
Before calling an experienced exterminator to capture a skunk, you should know that there are many methods to scare away a skunk. Find out how to keep a skunk away in no time with our expert exterminators!
It goes without saying that if you leave bags of garbage lying around, you will attract insects… and animals that eat insects! In addition, the skunk is an animal with an omnivorous diet. In addition to insects, it may also be attracted by the smell of your rubbish , which is a good source of food.
To learn how to keep a skunk away, the easiest trick will always be to cut off its supplies! The skunk comes out of its hiding place to feed. If she can’t feed herself in your yard, she’ll move to a place that will feed her more fat. This tip will also help you avoid the presence of another rather disturbing nocturnal animal: the raccoon.
A tip for autumn, don’t leave large piles of leaves on your land either. The leaves attract insects which in turn attract unwanted animals.
2. Lay out human hair in your garden
If it’s not the smell of your garbage cans that attracts your junks, it may be the tempting and fresh smell of your garden. Skunks are often attracted to places where they can find food. However, a good solution to keep them away is to add human hair to your garden!
If you have a hairdresser friend, ask them for a bag of human hair. Ideally, you should take natural hair. Indeed, dyed hair contains chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide or baking soda that could leave chemical traces in the soil of your garden.
How do you get rid of a skunk with human hair? Human hair is an excellent natural repellent. They get tangled up in their food or shelter and skunks hate it. She will move quickly if she finds hair in her food!
3. How to keep a skunk away: repellents
You can also find skunk repellents at department stores. These include ultrasonic repellents that keep away all types of invasive animals, coyote urine, and more.
Ask local pet stores or contact an experienced skunk exterminator for advice on the best skunk repellent products.
You can also use mothballs to keep skunks away. These are particularly effective at getting rid of the pest, but you will need to make sure to change them in case of rain, as water greatly reduces their effectiveness.
You can also use a very simple repellent to repel the animal. Did you know that water is also a natural skunk repellent ? Here’s how to get rid of a skunk with water.
- Find its shelter and water it intensely with liters of water. When the skunk returns and finds its shelter full of water, it will relocate. Make sure the small mammal is not in its shelter when you water it… or you’d risk being the sprinkler being watered!
- Install an automatic sprinkler system that works at night. Not only will water not evaporate as easily, but skunks hate water jets and nighttime showers… That’s enough to get the striped skunk out of its shelter very quickly!
If the skunk has already released its scent in your garage or porch, also check out our guide to trapping a skunk without triggering a second spray: the choice of trap, the bait and the timing of the intervention make all the difference.
4. What to do when you don’t know how to get rid of a skunk?
Have you tried every possible and unimaginable trick and your skunk keeps settling in your yard? It’s time to call a specialized exterminator to take advantage of a professional and humane animal capture service. Sometimes these small wild animals can be persistent. Before resorting to less humane means to dislodge them, it is best to contact a professional.
Intervention schedule according to the season
The striped skunk follows a specific annual cycle in Quebec, with legal intervention windows strictly regulated by rabies and animal welfare regulations. The table below shows month by month what is recommended and what is strictly prohibited.
| Month | Skunk Activity | Recommended Intervention | Prohibited Intervention |
|---|---|---|---|
| January-February | Group wintering under gallery or shed | Scaring (light, ammonia), access inspection | None |
| March-April | Mating period, increased nocturnal movements | Capture and exclusion (before calving) | None |
| May-June | Birth, females with litter of 4 to 6 young | No intervention possible | Exclusion under gallery (condemns babies) |
| July-August | Nursing and learning of young | Scaring only, no exclusion | Capture of the female |
| September-October | Emancipation, young people seek their territory | Capture, exclusion, closure of access | None |
| November-December | Search for a wintering burrow | Permanent closure of access points | None |
The golden rule: the best interventions are done in March-April (before giving birth) and September-October (emancipated young). Any attempt between May and August risks separating a mother from her cubs, which is inhumane and illegal.
Three test cases and their resolution
Skunk installed under a residential porch
Typical situation: for 2 to 4 weeks, recurrent smell in the evening, droppings on the perimeter, sometimes barking from the dog at night. If it is March-April or September-November, the intervention combines scaring (constant light on day and night, radio on, ammonia cloths placed at the entrance to the burrow) for 7 to 10 days, then permanent closure of the accesses with a metal mesh driven 30 cm into the ground and folded outwards. Complete resolution within 14 to 21 days in the majority of cases.
Skunk in an unfinished shed or basement
A rarer but more delicate situation: the skunk entered through a poorly closed door or a broken basement. High risk of watering if closed prematurely. Intervention: open only one obvious exit (large shed door, basement window), place an ammonia cloth near the preferred route, wait 12 to 24 hours for the animal to come out on its own at night, then check in the morning with a flour area on the ground to confirm the departure before closing again.
Dog sprayed near the family home
Emergency situation: the dog comes home covered in jets, the smell permeates the carpet and furniture if the animal enters. Immediate decontamination with the peroxide-bicarbonate-soap recipe (see our complete guide on skunk smell), then treatment of the responsible skunk the following night: if the animal has an identifiable burrow, schedule an intervention within the appropriate legal window. If the encounter was fortuitous, monitor for two weeks and intervene only if it is recurred.
Why not relocate a skunk yourself
The temptation to take a cage, capture the skunk and release it in the forest far from home is strong. There are three practical reasons why this approach is risky and often illegal in Quebec in 2026.
The regulations on raccoon rabies are active until June 6, 2026. In several municipalities in southern Quebec, the movement of a live skunk is strictly prohibited to limit the spread of rabies. Violators are subject to fines from the Ministry of the Environment.
The survival rate of a relocated skunk is low. Wildlife studies: Less than 30% of animals survive beyond one month after relocation, due to stress, loss of familiar territory, and conflict with residents of the new site.
The risk of watering and biting is real for the amateur handler. A stressed skunk in a cage can spray through the bars up to 3 meters away, or bite during a poorly managed transport. A suspicious bite requires high-cost post-exposure rabies monitoring.
Calling on a certified trapper guarantees compliance with the legal framework, the use of adapted cages that reduce stress, and a final decision (release on site, relocation outside the risk area or euthanasia) in accordance with the situation.
Questions
What smell scares skunks away?
Three substances effectively keep skunks away: peppermint essential oil applied around access points, coyote urine sold in granules (to be renewed after each rain), and ammonia in rags placed near burrows. Skunks have a very developed sense of smell and associate these smells with the presence of a predator. However, the effect diminishes after a few days and needs to be combined with exclusion measures (fencing, blocking of accesses) for a lasting result.
What to do if my dog has been sprayed?
The reference recipe (Krebaum) neutralises the volatile thiols responsible for the odour. Apply immediately, in this order:
- Prepare the mixture just before application : 1 litre of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of dish soap.
- Apply to dry coat , avoiding eyes and mouth. Massage into the undercoat.
- Leave on for 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with warm water.
- Then wash with a mild dog shampoo. A second application may be necessary for severely affected dogs.
Tomato juice is ineffective. For irritated eyes, rinse for 15 minutes with warm water and consult a veterinarian if irritation persists.
When are skunks most active in Quebec?
Two critical periods: March to April (mating, increased nocturnal movements) and late August to October (emancipated young looking for their own territory). The babies are born around May-June after a gestation period of 60 to 77 days, a period during which exclusion under the gallery is prohibited: dislodging the mother condemns the young stuck in the burrow. Skunks are nocturnal and solitary the rest of the year, except in winter when several individuals may share a burrow to keep warm.
Is it legal to capture a skunk in Quebec?
Trapping is allowed for individuals on their property if the animal causes damage. Relocation is strictly regulated: until June 6, 2026, it is forbidden to move a live skunk in several municipalities located around known cases of raccoon rabies. If capture is impossible to avoid, two legal options remain: release the animal on the spot outside a building, or resort to euthanasia as a last resort. The ministry strongly recommends using a certified trapper rather than going it alone.
How long can a skunk settle under a gallery?
If nothing is done, a family of skunks can occupy the same burrow for several years. The female returns to the same calving site each spring and raises her litter of 4 to 6 young. Occupation becomes particularly problematic between May and August: excrement accumulates (health risk), the smell permeates the subfloor, and any attempt to exclude it during this period is illegal and inhumane. The best intervention is done at the end of February to the end of March, before the birth.
Can skunks transmit rabies?
The striped skunk is one of the main vectors of rabies in Canada after bats and raccoons. Transmission occurs by bite or contact with saliva on an open wound. In case of exposure, wash the wound with soap for 10 to 15 minutes and call Info-Santé 811 for medical follow-up. A skunk that is circulating in broad daylight, appears disoriented or is not afraid of humans shows possible signs of rabies and should be reported to the municipality or ministry.
When should you call an exterminator for a skunk?
There are three situations that justify calling on a certified trapper:
- Active presence under a porch, a shed or in an attic : homemade techniques are no longer enough.
- Exposure of a human or pet to the jet : complete decontamination and medical verification require an expertise.
- Abnormal behaviour of the animal that could suggest rabies (daytime movement, disorientation, lack of fear).
A certified trapper has the necessary permits, adapted cages and exclusion protocols that respect the breeding periods.
Areas Served
Our skunk capture teams cover the entire South Shore and Montérégie. We operate throughout the South Shore, in Longueuil, Brossard and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, with increased availability in the spring (births) and fall (search for a home).
