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Thread: groundhogs

  1. #1
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    groundhogs

    Our happy family of groundhogs who have been living under the big shed for years are now spreading the family to closer to the house. We have traps, haveaheart, and have relocated previously but are thinking that is NOT fair to the woods where we would drop them. My husvand shot 3 several years ago when they started excavating under the front porch. That has been taken care of, so far, with hardware cloth around the edges and out 12 inches. L shaped. But now we have a few very determined young ones and cannot seem to get them with the 22. Our last resort is to trap, then shoot in the trap. It seems unfair, but maybe more humane. I also looked at kill traps for the big shed to get rid of the family matriarch or patriarch. Any one else have ideas. Thanks.

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    First of all, thank you on behalf of all the people who do not need your groundhogs becoming their problem.

    you can live with them, get permission from another landowner to relocate them if that is legal where you live, or trap and shoot (again, check the law) - somehow there doesn't seem much point to considering how "fair" your execution method is.

    what do you mean by "kill trap"? What are the odds it will kill the wrong thing?

  3. #3
    Senior Member CathyA's Avatar
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    We used to have a problem with them in our woodshed. DH used a couple smoke bombs to scare them.....since they have more than 1 exit. Seems to have worked.

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    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    When the groundhogs got to be a problem, we found that our family dog reduced their numbers and discouraged them. Do you have a dog that can help?
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

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    Razz, I've seriously considered borrowing a dog. CL, the kill trap goes to the entrance of their hole/den and works like a mouse trap. There is a danger of catching a rabbit or cat, although I have not seen either of those checking out the groundhog space. Cathy, did you have to use the smoke bombs regularly or was it once and they left? I read that the cartridges are not to be used under sheds..fire hazard? Thanks all.

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    The only dog we ever had that killed a groundhog was a Great Pyrenees. I don't think the others were big enough.

  7. #7
    Williamsmith
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    Trapper John had a good remedy for groundhog problems. I personally had no trouble shooting them with a Marlin 25N ....22 caliber scoped rifle. But if you are having problems getting the woodchucks to stick around long enough to get a shot...try Trappers method:

    GROUNDHOG

    Remember. . . if you can get out of bed, it's going to be a good day!

    To kill a groundhog, you must first locate all their holes. They usually have two or three and the one with all the dirt piled out front is the main entrance. Fill in all the holes you find, except the main entrance, with dirt and stomp it down good. Then slip a cotton sock over the end of a piece of stiff garden hose and shove it down the main entrance hole as far as you can. Don't pull it back or you will lose the sock, and if you lose the sock, the system doesn't work! Now fill the hole in around the hose with dirt. Insert a funnel into the hose and pour a quart of chlorine bleach down the hose. Immediately pour a quart of ammonia after the bleach. Pull the hose out and stomp the dirt solid. If you did it right, that woodchuck will never see the sun again.

    WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
    DO NOT MIX THESE ITEMS TOGETHER ABOVE GROUND. THE FUMES KILL
    NOTE: Some folks have used a plastic freezer bag instead of the cotton sock and report that it worked just as good, provided you don't poke a hole in it. Give it a try if you don't have a cotton sock.

    If you just want to keep them from eating your garden, spray the plants with the following mixture.

    2 ozs. Of fish oil
    1 tablespoon of dish soap
    1 pint of warm water.

    Mix all ingredients together in a clean bowl and strain through several layers of nylon stocking to remove any solids. Put the mixture into an old spray bottle and spray the plant leaves, top and bottom and the stems. This mixture works well on all rodents.

    http://asktrapperjohn.com/images/sto...groundhogs.htm




  8. #8
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Remember to remove the scent glands carefully:

    http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,woodchuck,FF.html

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    I've seen the close the other holes then run a water hose down the hole, but that could be expensive. Also they make a reusable flash bang, that uses blanks for noise and there are civilian grade smoke grenades that put out more smoke then fireworks smoke bombs.
    Then of course you could provide them with a one way ticket to Punxsutawney, maybe via some c4 friends....
    But all you may end up with is a show
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  10. #10
    Senior Member CathyA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nswef View Post
    Razz, I've seriously considered borrowing a dog. CL, the kill trap goes to the entrance of their hole/den and works like a mouse trap. There is a danger of catching a rabbit or cat, although I have not seen either of those checking out the groundhog space. Cathy, did you have to use the smoke bombs regularly or was it once and they left? I read that the cartridges are not to be used under sheds..fire hazard? Thanks all.
    I can't remember for sure.....it's been quite a while ago. They are much easier to scare than are beavers! We had those off and on through the years in our big creek. They even came up in the yard and chewed the trees! We didn't want to hurt them. They are so intelligent and such good parents. Our woodshed had a dirt floor, so I guess we weren't worried about a fire.........(or maybe we didn't think about it!). Oh......DH also used cherry bombs to scare various things off. Just be careful with them.

    Interesting side-story about the beavers. They built a small dam in the low creek. I decided to put a drainage tube under the dam, since everything was going downstream, thinking it would lower the water and they'd go elsewhere. Well, they pulled the drainage pipe all the way out and repaired the dam. They are so smart.

    I wonder if you could play a radio near their entrance? I'm thinking just noise of any kind might chase them away. We had also considered buying lion poop from a zoo......but never got around to it.

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