Huge NEST in the attic, would fill half pickup bed!

[RSKY]

I called the local "Skunk Catcher" and talked to his secretary/wife. She started laughing when I told her what I had found. She said it is starlings doing the huge nest building. They remove several of these nests every year. They remove the grass, sanitize everything, and patch the screen so they cannot get back in. I had noticed that the new pavement on that side of the house was covered with bird droppings but didn't put two and two together until what she said.

She said the main problem with those huge nests was in warm weather snakes get into the attic to eat baby birds. So wife said not matter how much it costs we are going to hire them to get rid of the nest. I did mention snakes dropping from the ceiling.

Anyway, they are coming out sometime today or tomorrow to take a look and give us a price.

After our experience with the skunks a few years ago we are very cautious with wildlife around the house.

RSKY

 

[BravoXray]

So I don't think shooting them will make much of a difference. They'll just keep coming. Best to keep them from getting into the house or out buildings.

I've heard they make a good stew, though.

My neighbor and I have shot six or eight groundhogs in the last few years. They wander in from the hay field across the road from us. I had one dig a big hole in the terraced area at the back of the house one time. When I found it, I stuck the garden hose in it and turned it on, after about 30 seconds he came out and developed a fatal case of lead poisoning. Another one i saw nosing around the bird bath in the front yard one day, he succumbed to the same affliction.
Gophers I can tolerate, not groundhogs, skunks or coons.

 

[MossRoad]

My neighbor and I have shot six or eight groundhogs in the last few years. They wander in from the hay field across the road from us. I had one dig a big hole in the terraced area at the back of the house one time. When I found it, I stuck the garden hose in it and turned it on, after about 30 seconds he came out and developed a fatal case of lead poisoning. Another one i saw nosing around the bird bath in the front yard one day, he succumbed to the same affliction.
Gophers I can tolerate, not groundhogs, skunks or coons.

We have sandy soil. If I put a garden hose into a ground hog hole, it never fills. I can come back an hour later and it's still taking water.

I've developed a system for groundhogs.

First, if there's flies buzzing around the hole, it's probably home. They stink! Weird, but no flies = no groundhog home.

Second, I'll dig out the entrance to the hole, making it a bit like a ramp. Then I'll lay the live trap in the trench so it has to go out through the trap.

Finally, I set several cement blocks and/or patio pavers around the trap so the groundhog won't be tempted to dig around the trap to get out.

Works pretty well. I take the ground hog and give it a good scare, then let it go in the woods, then fill in it's hole. They don't come back to the same spot. I don't care if their back in the woods. But when they get under the garage, shed, or house, they get hassled.

Really, in the 25+ years we've lived there, I've only had to deal with about half a dozen near the house. Best one was getting a skunk in the trap in our shed when I was expecting a groundhog. I managed to get the trap out and let the skunk go without getting sprayed by using a tarp in front of me. Hide behind the trap, the skunk just waddles around in the trap. Peak out from behind the tarp and the skunk lifts it's tail and points its butt at you. Duck behind the tarp, and it goes back to waddling around. I forget the term, but my biologist kid tells me they have some deal where they only perceive threats they can see. As soon as they can't see it, they return to normal activities. Pretty weird, but fun to experiment with.

 

[bdhsfz6]

We have sandy soil. If I put a garden hose into a ground hog hole, it never fills. I can come back an hour later and it's still taking water.

I've developed a system for groundhogs.

First, if there's flies buzzing around the hole, it's probably home. They stink! Weird, but no flies = no groundhog home.

Second, I'll dig out the entrance to the hole, making it a bit like a ramp. Then I'll lay the live trap in the trench so it has to go out through the trap.

Finally, I set several cement blocks and/or patio pavers around the trap so the groundhog won't be tempted to dig around the trap to get out.

Works pretty well. I take the ground hog and give it a good scare, then let it go in the woods, then fill in it's hole. They don't come back to the same spot. I don't care if their back in the woods. But when they get under the garage, shed, or house, they get hassled.

Really, in the 25+ years we've lived there, I've only had to deal with about half a dozen near the house. Best one was getting a skunk in the trap in our shed when I was expecting a groundhog. I managed to get the trap out and let the skunk go without getting sprayed by using a tarp in front of me. Hide behind the trap, the skunk just waddles around in the trap. Peak out from behind the tarp and the skunk lifts it's tail and points its butt at you. Duck behind the tarp, and it goes back to waddling around. I forget the term, but my biologist kid tells me they have some deal where they only perceive threats they can see. As soon as they can't see it, they return to normal activities. Pretty weird, but fun to experiment with.

That's interesting. I've trapped many groundhogs and released them in the nearby woods but they always come back and dig out the hole again. At first, I thought it was a different animal but when I trapped one without a tail for the third time, I changed my mind.

I peacefully coexisted with the critters for over 25 years and actually enjoyed watching them with their young. All of a sudden, for some reason, they started undermining my barn floor slab and concrete patio. Repeated trapping and blocking their holes got to be a futile waste of time and unfortunately, I had to resort to shooting them.

I think the problem was overpopulation. I shot 22 the first season and 10 the next. Now, I see them in the fields but they stay away from the house & barn. We now have a few red foxes in the area and I think they control the population somewhat. Thankfully, I haven't had to shoot any groundhogs for several years.

 

[lman]

My dog loves to kill groundhogs and bring them up to the house. I usually take them down the road and dump them in the cornfield. Not many groundhogs on my property now.

 

[MossRoad]

That's interesting. I've trapped many groundhogs and released them in the nearby woods but they always come back and dig out the hole again. At first, I thought it was a different animal but when I trapped one without a tail for the third time, I changed my mind.

I peacefully coexisted with the critters for over 25 years and actually enjoyed watching them with their young. All of a sudden, for some reason, they started undermining my barn floor slab and concrete patio. Repeated trapping and blocking their holes got to be a futile waste of time and unfortunately, I had to resort to shooting them.

I think the problem was overpopulation. I shot 22 the first season and 10 the next. Now, I see them in the fields but they stay away from the house & barn. We now have a few red foxes in the area and I think they control the population somewhat. Thankfully, I haven't had to shoot any groundhogs for several years.

Yep. You have to do what you have to do. Animals can cause a lot of damage. I killed well over 300 moles on my 1 acre in about a 6 year period. It was nuts. Now I see maybe a few each year and haven't set a trap in 3-4 years.

 

[hube2]

Fox are good at controlling groundhogs and other things you don't want, but they will also go after small pets like cats and small children that are not attended. I will not let fox live if they are visiting my property regularly. Females will go back to the same den every year, so if you have one you generally have it for life. If you get rid of the moma the pups will not return.

I have no problem with groundhogs as long as their not doing damage or destroying my garden. When this happens I kill them as well.

I don't mind coexisting with wildlife as long as they are not a nuisance.

 

[MossRoad]

We had foxes until the coyotes moved in. Now no foxes. Always had groundhogs, no matter which fox or coyotes around.

 

[Oaktree]

That's interesting. I've trapped many groundhogs and released them in the nearby woods but they always come back and dig out the hole again.

I have no problem with groundhogs as long as their not doing damage or destroying my garden. When this happens I kill them as well.

I don't mind coexisting with wildlife as long as they are not a nuisance.

Same here. Don't have a huge problem with them, might get one every 4-5 years. They're really stupid and easy to trap, I'll just take them a few miles away & let 'em go far from anyone else's house. Don't really want to kill them.

 

[the old grind]

Yes starlings came to mind as soon as I heard of the grassy nesting 'pile'.

Replace a live trap over an entrance with a conibear and there will be no dispatch, no mess, and no unlawful dumping of your catch to be someone else's problem. (eg: Indiana) I use #160s for skunks, 'coons, groundhogs, feral cats, & muskrats. None have ever made it to the end of the chain. I've used #110s for starlings, rigging a platform for them to land on and setting wooden snap traps on it as well until new siding and soffit denied their entrance. I'd laugh in Springtime when some of the young returning to the nest were cowbirds.

My friend Doug (RIP, Brother) did extermination on the side for many years. For skunks he'd use a small live trap as one would for squirrels. If the skunk can't raise its tail high enough in the confines it won't/can't spray.

I hate to take my live catches for a swim, but there's less mess to rinse off the trap than when shooting.

btw, last week neighbors asked me to set for a possum that was raiding the chicken coop and now getting into their garbage. They'd walked in and shooed it out once and I said to just call me if you see it in there again. Two days later they asked me again, after shooing it out again vs calling me. I was PO'd that they hadn't called me that time, and I'm in no rush.