First night I caught this year's 'hog under a cabin. Next night, an adult female skunk in the same trap and a smaller male skunk (but not this year's) in the back door on the other side of the cabin. The back door has leaves and debris in it but I set it anyways. The main entrance is very well used.

Is there a chance the groundhogs and skunks are using the same hole under the cabin at the same time? If it had been an adult groundhog, I might have chalked it up to wandering, but it seems strange to have (presumably) a litter of groundhogs in the same hole as skunks. Is this common?

Are you sure there aren't 2 dens under there?

Have experienced similar findings...possum and skunk using same den....weird.

Burrow inhabiting animals don't strictly segregate. They are opportunists by trade and can share areas given adequate space to retreat to perceived by them as acceptable.

Crawl spaces and such sharing a common entrance to that space can give several opportunities to different species of wildlife.

Thanks for the responses. This is under a slab, so no crawlspace. I was thinking two dens also but given the front door trap caught one of each, I'm not sure. Anxious to see what enters/exits next.

I am working some jobs right now that are both. The one thing I notice is that unless the skunk is a family group of young age, my skunks will be there 1 to 3 days then gone for 5 to 8 then back again. Groundhogs will be there most of the time unless the yards are close and the sheds /decks are near each other with different foods sources close by, then they will bounce from den to den then again unless the family group is young. By the way in the last 2 weeks I have had young groundhog dispersal movements so that can cause a change in patterns also. I find for me the hogs dig a hole down into the ground under sheds and decks where if the shed or deck is low to the ground the skunks may just stay between the ground and deck or shed floor. then again if real hot they are going down with the hog LOL

Yep, it's kinda like a Democrat and a Republican coming out of the same bar.

No activity at the holes today. Picking up coon in baited cages nearby. I don't have any more double doors to swap for the traps already there. Will the skunk odor keep the hogs holed up? They didn't spray but I'm sure the hogs know they were in the cages. This job is far from home and the cabin owner is leaving soon. Don't want to leave anything undone but can't continue to check every day either. Trips rack up the bill quickly...

If it is only one or two holes you should consider putting one way door systems up over the holes for a week or so and return to pick up your devices. Then sell them a barrier install as insurance if that would be a consideration. If not the site will be reoccupied in short order once again.

I agree with Bob in terms of animals being opportunists and Ron in terms of it can happen, but in this case I think it's hard to say what is happening if you're using double door traps and not single door traps. Since the animals can enter from either end, you can't differentiate between an animal being curious, running for cover, or actually using the den site.

To do so, you'd need a positive set with a single door.

Eric I was going to say something like that, but every one knows I hate double door traps and didn't what to be negative LOL

Well, no more catches at the hole since the skunks. I tried to sell the barrier, but for now he would rather not. The plan is a soft fill for now and see if it reopens in the near future. He said he'd rather have me back to catch the next round than do the barrier. Either way is fine with me - I figure as long as I explained the possible outcomes it's on him to decide.

I have set cameras on holes in barns and have seen skunks, raccoons, chucks and rabbits use the same entrance. I think maybe one inside there may be different chambers. Of course that is only a guess

Oh and mice going in too. And a cat and a fox use to check the hole, I suspect for dinning purposes, on a occasion

I've read from several sources - and my own experience - that skunks will pretty much walk into any old burrow they want to. Think about it: what animal is gonna pick a fight with a skunk (other than a domestic dog)?