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groundhog in the backyard>>> what to do

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like I said before I am a new house owner and still trying to figure things :)

I have a groundhog living under a shed in the backyard. what should I do with it? and should I do anything with it? it doesn't bother me at all but I got 2 lil boys who finally can enjoy the backyard space. so those things known for bitting kids or any kind of deceases or anything bad towards the kids ?? and if I do have to get rid of it >>> what's the best way. thank you for a noob question :)

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Few choices... a.. get a cage... relocate... b poison peanuts and anti freeze (irs gunna die in its hole. If u have dog or outside cat do not use this plus its probably illegal) c... good old 22lr or a 177 pellet gun... check your disharge laws... still probably illegal haha..

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They usually will run and hide when they see you but if cornered they will attack and they are nasty. Get a have-a-heart trap and bait it with veggies. When you do catch him I'd use a broom handle to lift the cage, he will attack the cage as you reach fror the handle. Take him several miles awy and release him

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I've had one living under my shed since before I bought the place. I figured since he was around before me, I wouldn't bother him. Mostly he comes out of his hole, grazes on some grass and hides back into his hole if there's any commotion. I've never seen any aggressive behavior. Quite the opposite, he's very shy.

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I have never heard of groundhogs attacking people. If it doesn't give you any problems leave it alone, he probably lived in that backyard before you moved in.

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I have never heard of groundhogs attacking people. If it doesn't give you any problems leave it alone, he probably lived in that backyard before you moved in.

 

Same here. The only damage they do is dig, and once their burrow is comfy, they stop digging. Now muskrats are another problem; they never stop digging :mad:

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If you don't want him, then get to the hardware store and buy a "have a heart" trap and relocate the critter to a location far from home.

 

The last critter that caused me trouble was a Racoon. He kept tossing my trash at night! My wife thought that I was going to off him, lol. I trapped him in the have a heart trap, and set him free behind a local Chinese Restaurant... I called my wife and said "he's in a better place now" and she yelled at me, "I knew you were going to kill it!" . When I told her what I did she got all happy and said, "he'll be happy living there and eating from the dumpster". hahahahha.

 

Good luck with him. If you do decide to trap and release him, let the kids participate and learn to appreciate nature :)

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they are vegatarians, they won't bother you, they run away when they see people. they will destroy foundations with their tunneling

We have a lot of them on our farm, they pose a threat to our horses because of the holes.

I shoot what I can, and havahart trap the others with broccoli. used cat litter also supposedly chases them away

 

We had a couple guiys who used to hunt them here and said they were good eatin

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the damage is usually annoying holes I have trapped them for people when they wore there welcome out by undermining sheds causing them to shift ,an a/c unit shifted and caused a leak and once one toppled an oil tank.yhe real concern is fleas and ticks being brought close to your home

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like I said before I am a new house owner and still trying to figure things :)

I have a groundhog living under a shed in the backyard. what should I do with it? and should I do anything with it? it doesn't bother me at all but I got 2 lil boys who finally can enjoy the backyard space. so those things known for bitting kids or any kind of deceases or anything bad towards the kids ?? and if I do have to get rid of it >>> what's the best way. thank you for a noob question :)

 

I have a large Hav--A - Hart trap if you want to borrow it.

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If you are going to try and have a garden, forget about it. They will eat everything. If you move him out fill his hole with rocks barbed wire broken glass. If the hole is left open another one will move in. It's much easier than having to dig a new hole. Typically they have three holes per den. Two closer to each other and a third one that serves an an emergency exit.

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I have no pity for the bastards, they love to destroy my garden. Resilient though. Hypothetically, I tried throwing smoke bombs in its hole a few times to suffocate it. I hit it in the head with a 5lb stone and it played dead but when i went back to pick it up, it was gone. I just saw him again in the spring and he looked like crap so I let him be. I also noticed something happened to it and it is now lame in its back 2 legs. I cant hurt a lame animal. Feels wrong. Although it may be another ruse.

 

He continually destroyed an entire bed of carrots and tons of broccoli.

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Welcome to Groundhogville. We have one or more living under the deck for years. I used to trap them, drive 5 miles and release them. Our population decreased dramatically after the town built a dog park where the majority of them lived in my area. There were holes everywhere.

 

One warning, there are laws in NJ about releasing wild animals that could get you in trouble, so be careful when you let the critter go. Also watch out for them biting as you open the door, wear heavy gloves and have stick ready.

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