80 acres of brush-hogging time

[Chuck_Lind]

Just finished up about 80 acres of brush-hogging on my farm in central Pa. Used a NH TN65 with a LandPride 2572 with no problem, except for those **** groundhog holes!!! I mean, I must have counted about 80+ live groundhog holes in the 80 acre area!! You know, that plays heck on a haybine when you're making hay.

Does anyone have a "quick-fix" for ridding of those varmints other than using a .22 rifle or a shotgun??

Thank you in advance...CL

 

[Slamfire]

For the last 5 Generations my family have been unable to eliminate the groundhogs on our family farm in York County. We've tried everything that's ever been suggested. The most luck we had was an Irish Setter who'd been terrorized by a "griz" when he was a pup. He made it his mission in life to exterminate them. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Cliff_Johns]

Our English Setters would bring home dead ground hogs and leave them on our front porch all the time. There's always more.

I understand that if you go out at dusk, kneel down in front of the hole and slap your hands, left then right, to time about one whack per second that if there is a female ground hog in the hole, she will come out thinking it's a male ground hog whacking his tail on the ground to entice her. When she sticks her nose out, you grab it with a set of ground hog pliers and throw her in a bag. When you captured all the females, the males up and leave

Cliff

 

[AndyMA]

I grew up on a nursery and we used to put a spoonful of powered cynanide in the holes and seal with a scoup of soil. The moisture in the ground caused the powder to release cynanide gas. Presto, no need to even bury the little buggers /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif I don't know if the cynanide is still available but I'd check a farm supply store. BTW until recently to buy fireworks in New Hampshire you had to sign a form saying that you were using them for agricultural purposes. As I signed, I would aks what it meant and the most common answer I got was that you could shoot them down a woodchuck hole to drive the guy out the other hole. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Andy

 

[Egon]

If you have that many ground hogs it may be an indication that the hay quality and quanity will not be the best anymore. It may be time for cultivation and reseeding. The cultivation process should move the groundhogs to some other location.

Hay land, unless it is original prairie grass, will not last indefinetly. From my knowlege of 40 some years ago after about four to five years the quality started to decline. At this time the hayland would be placed into pasture for several years and then to grain production. A similar sized grain plot would be planted to grass. This method also had the benefit of reducing the fertilizer required at that time. With todays plant types it will be different.

I know this worked for Richardson Ground Squirrels [ gophers ] many years ago. There would even be the odd animal sliced in half by the plough/Plow.

Egon

 

[slowrev]

A hose from your exhause pipe and down the hole. Fill in around the hose and cover any holes with fumes coming out. Sit back and relax for about 20-30 min, then remove the hose fill in the hole and move on to the next victim. You might want to keep a shotgun handy in case one makes a break for it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Rimmer]

"Does anyone have a "quick-fix" for ridding of those varmints other than using a .22 rifle or a shotgun??"

Don't know about your part of the country, but there are folks around who are seriously into varmit hunting, and would probably love to come out to your place and spend the weekend helping you with your problem.

 

[jmc]

Where did you get those ground hog pliers? Will snipe pliers work instead? Good post.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Where did you get those ground hog pliers? Will snipe pliers work instead? Good post. )</font>

With snipe pliers the jaws are vertical, on ground hog pliers the jaws are horizintal, so they are not interchangeable. They are available at VHSC (that would be the Varmint Hunters Supply Centre -- Its Canadian)

Cliff

 

[Slamfire]

Do the ground hog pliers come with a hand shield to keep the pig from grabbing you other than the other way around, or are you expected to be dextoris? (sp)