woodchuck problems

[gerard]

Anyone know of a way to get rid of woodchucks other than shooting them? I have a couple on my property in the horse pasture and near them (not a good thing!) and would like to evict them. So far they've ignored my eviction notice (filling up the hole with the loader) and just dig out. Idea's??

 

[Mikemas]

Do you not want to kill them? or is it that you just cannot do it with a firearm? I have other methods, but the result is always the same, a dead varmint.

Mike

 

[TomG]

About this time of year, at least around here, the females distribute their young to old burrows, and then visit them for awhile. The young hang around for about a month and then go elsewhere. If you've got a young one it might move on it's own. I don't think filling burrows works--ground hogs can dig really fast. I read they are known to excavate 700 lbs. of soil for a burrow.

We've got one on the edge of our bush right now. Comes into the yard to mow the red clover and several other broad leaf plants. We're just going to leave it alone unless we get a burrow under one of the buildings, then it'll be time to borrow the neighbou'rs .222. However, understandably you can't tolerate ground hog burrows in a horse pasture.

Shooting is perhaps the most humane method, if that's a consideration. I think one of my cousins used to use leg hold traps-- I wouldn't.

 

[Von]

My grandfather used the gas treatment on them to get the ones that would get into his garden. Find all the holes and fill them all but two, put a screen or cage of something that will let air out but not the woodchuck on one hole. On the other take a hose and put one end on the end of your tailpipe of your car or truck and the other end in the hole and fill around the hose. I think you get the idea of what to do next. After 15min. all will be dead in the hole and you just backfill the holes to intomb them. Always worked for grandpa!

Von

 

[gerard]

Thanx for the ideas. I didn't mind shooting them, it's just there's a lot of tall grass around and I didn't see them out that often. I think the gas idea has a lot of merit, pretty humane too. Just puts them to sleep.......

 

[Thomas]

gerard,
Maybe a have a heart trap w/ lettuce might help,than relocate them.

Thomas..NH

 

[CraigM]

Shooting them works, but who has time to sit and wait for them to show up? A box trap will wait patiently, and hold them till you can disposition them. Best bait I have found is a chunk of cantaloupe. I put a small chunk at the entrance of the trap and another on the trigger plate. Putting the trap near the burrow seems to speed things up. The only problem I have had with this is that the kittens living in our barn like cantaloupe. I wouldn't have believed it either, but it's true.

Craig
Hershey PA

 

[gerard]

If I can live trap them that's even a better option since I'm not a hunter type anyway. I just didn't know if they would respond to "bait". Now to borrow a box trap......

 

[Mikemas]

Gerard,
The gas method that Von recommended works very well. There is also an item on the market that does the same thing. (I think it's called a Gopher Gasser at Agway) It's like a smoke bomb that depletes the oxygen in their burrow. I personally use a Conibear 220 trap in the hole. It works every time.
Mike

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Another method of getting rid of groundhogs is to offer them antifreeze cocktails. Learned this from an old farmer. Put small butter tubs of antifreeze in their holes. Just be sure to protect it from other friendly animals as it will really mess up any animal that drinks it. I have used it on holes around barns, and put screen over the hole to keep the dogs out.