Groundhog Nuisance

[302w 83]

Since this is the place to ask....

 

I recently had a groundhog take residence in my yard, which had evidence of the things everywhere when we moved in. Oddly enough he decided to tunnel through the snow then into the ground, but kicked massive amounts of dirt outside his snow tunnel. Weird. I also don't know how far how his tunnel goes, but I noticed a similar looking hole 30' on the other side of the property in my neighbors yard.

 

Suggestions on how to make it GTFO?

 

Acute lead poisoning isn't a option really. I rarely see it, and the only thing I have in 22 short is my Henry that I can't carry outside and raise suspicion. I also don't have any windows other than my garage on that side. 

 

Poisoning with either rat poison or antifreeze isn't an option either, since there are a bunch of squirrels, cats, deer, raccoons and occasional coyote around. The latter two I don't mind but I can't poison a doe or my neighbors cat and I like the squirrels. 

 

Propane is heavier than air but I don't think that would work. 

[ogfarmer 138]

ground hogs should be hibernating atm but with warm week they could be out

 

havaheart trap with broccoli.

 

used cat litter dumped down the hole

 

gopher bombs

[Heavyopp 167]

Pool chlorine tablets in the hole work too...  for awhile 

 

problem with woodchuck hole is you eliminate the immediate occupant and another takes he hole of opportunity in a month

 

I've dug them up before with backhoe --  usually go down about 4 feet to a 2'x2'chamber -- not straight down but a wondering tunnel for 8 or 10 feet laterally

 

every one I've ever opened up had plastic shopping bags inside as bedding -- seen that more than 3 times

[dwamp2006 1]

Could you flood it and get him out then fill with dirt?

[maintenanceguy 440]

We have lots of groundhogs here.  It's a constant battle. Kill one and another moves in.  I shoot them but I'm not in town.

 

I've flooded them out before - had one in it's hole watching me through the water with just 1/2" of it's nose sticking above water.  That one got away - he made a run for it and I was too slow.

 

I tried the smoke bombs - threw the dynamite looking stick down the hole, filled in the entrance and went out to dinner.  Came back with the dirt I had shoveled into the hole next to the hole with the smoke bomb stuck in the top of the mound like a victory flag.

 

I've chased them up trees before and shot them there.

 

I have not tried to trap any but I have baited them with tomatoes to bring them out in the open so I could shoot them.  They were steeling them from my garden so I figured it would work - it did.

 

My nephew likes to shoot them at long distances with his .223.   He'll set up a mat, lay down prone with his tripod and spend the afternoon scanning the farm.  He's made a bigger dent in the population than I have but there are always more.

[tom catman 0]

i have had a family of groundhogs live in my yard for over 35 years,live and let live buddy.its nice to see something alive in the yard.....

[brocglock23 0]

i have had a family of groundhogs live in my yard for over 35 years,live and let live buddy.its nice to see something alive in the yard.....

+1. I completely agree with this............. If the groundhog is willing to put a flag where the hole is so I don't fall in it and he is willing to pay a percentage of my property taxes for living on the land I pay for. Also doing the gardening instead of just eating it.

 

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[jm1827 271]

If you do live trap them make sure you move them more than a few miles away, I am 99% positive that some of the ones I trapped and took to a local park made their way back to my yard.

[greatgunstatenj 32]

There little legs make great "wings" if marinated just right

[mipafox 438]

Rodenator.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcC2mxio32Q

[BCeagle 12]

I saw one crossing the road yesterday, so they are out.  I wouldnt mind them but they destroy my vegetable garden.

 

They are tough to kill, I tried the smoke traps after they ate all my broccoli and lost my shit when I saw him munching on carrots when I turned around.  I hit the SOB with a 10lb rock, square in the back of the head, he looked dead but when I went back with a shovel to dispose of him, he was gone.

[Zack 17]

I had one take up housekeeping under the cement pad for my A/C unit this past summer.  I used a have a heart trap baited with a peach, about 2 hours later the little bugger was mine.  I drove him a good 10 miles away and turned him loose.  10 miles might be over kill, but If you don't take them far enough away they will come back.

[Worn_Holster 2]

Just trapping them with a have-a-heart trap is fairly effective unless there is already a large family present

[fishnut 2,357]

^^^ Wow great idea. possibly harm your self and your neighbors and contaminate your soil or even your well if you have one. Great idea. why don't you just drop a match into a can of gas to be able to see to the bottom while your at it? I would suggest that everyone should read my post titled "What to do with nuisance wildlife" before posting any other suggestions that are illegal and or downright stupid

[djg0770 470]

They're so cute until they undermine your foundation.

[Barms 91]

One of these days I will get s summons for trapping/releasing the groundhogs I'm sure. Trying to find an area where no people around to open that cage up. I took one wayyy back to the corner of a park one day. But still random cars parked way back in the corner of the park. Just random middle aged guys alone parked in their cars. (I guess that's for a different thread). :-)

[DeerSlayer 241]

My favorite one was my neighbor that trapped a skunk because he didn't know not to leave his have a heart set at night. So of course he knocks on my door knowing im a hunter and believing I would come right over with a gun to kill it for him, that was a good laugh. I came over with an old comforter and held it up in front of me and slowly and calmly laid it over the trap while talking softly and calmly to the skunk. Then put it in the back of HIS pick up not mine. And drove it down the road to the woods to release it. He couldn't believe I didn't get sprayed. There should be a law against people from the city moving to Sussex county without taking a rural neighborhood test first lol...

 

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[maintenanceguy 440]

The groundhog blaster was legal in NJ and several farmers in our area had them.  Outlawed a few years ago.

 

And they won't contaminate soil - it's propane gas that is combusted and turns into carbon dioxide and water vapor.  Is the ground under your barbeque grill contaminated?

 

It's a quick, and effective way to kill groundhogs.  

[maintenanceguy 440]

... There should be a law against people from the city moving to Sussex county without taking a rural neighborhood test first lol...

 

 

 

We get that down her in the rural areas of Cumberland County too.   People want to live out in the country but want us to change our ways so it's just like the city.   Next thing we know, AR15's are illegal, you need permits to purchase handguns, there are 15 round magazine limits, and other urban blight.  Wish we could form our own state.  

[CMJeepster 2,063]

Carl Spackler.

[fishnut 2,357]

maintenceguy- my response was to Wornholster who before he edited his post suggested pouring one gallon of bleach and one gallon of ammonia into the groundhog hole to gas them and that is what I was saying would contaminate the ground

[302w 83]

I'm on my phone so I can't quote multiple people at once.

 

Anyway, I generally don't mind them. I used to have a family of them living underneath my shed at my old house for 10ish years. I would even feed them my rejected garden vegetables.

 

Now they have a few holes, the newest one is in the middle of my yard where I wanted a garden, and an old one close to my foundation.

 

Also, since someone mentioned skunks, when I was younger one of my friends captured a baby skunk with his hands. We kept it around for awhile before releasing. Apparently it was too young to spray.

[DeerSlayer 241]

We get that down her in the rural areas of Cumberland County too. People want to live out in the country but want us to change our ways so it's just like the city. Next thing we know, AR15's are illegal, you need permits to purchase handguns, there are 15 round magazine limits, and other urban blight. Wish we could form our own state.

^^^^^ditto!

 

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[Big Jay 0]

If you're going the humane route with a Havahart trap...i have a tip. We tried everything to catch one that got into a fight with my dog and ruined my mother's garden. We caught squirrels, rabbits, and even a rat in the trap. Tried veggies, fruits of all sorts, etc. Finally i went online and researched...cantaloupe...yes cantaloupe. Baited it up, came back the next day, and there he was.

 

They are mean SOB's, and that is putting it lightly. I was charged by one and one got into it real good with my dog. They also can carry rabies. If you have a garden or flowers? Kiss them goodbye.

 

Trap em and set them free at least 5 miles away.

[Night Prowler 0]

However you get rid of them if you don't fill their holes in somebody else will move in. Typically a groundhog will look for an existing den before making a new one. Don't just fill with dirt though. Wire and broken glass. Anything that would be nasty to dig in. Rocks won't slow them down much unless it's a boulder.

[DeerSlayer 241]

http://m.youtube.com/?client=mv-verizon-us#/watch?v=ppxJ2P2pe4k

 

^^^relevant lol...

 

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[Stonecoldchavez 92]

Good topic. Every year I have ground hog problems. Must be my lawn. Lol. Humanely to get rid of them is a Havaheart trap. I tried this. Problem is you get rid of one; another one (or family moves back in). I have tried everything: cementing the hole; they dug another one around it. Flooding the hole did nothing either. I have tried smoke bombs, gas down the hole; caster oil, a mixture of cayenne pepper & ammonia. Using mothballs down the hole. To putting dog/people hair in the hole. Nothing has ever worked for long.

 

To get them to not dig under my shed was I dug an 8" deep trench around my shed. I then stapled thick chicken wire around the shed base. Then back filled it with stone. This has prevented the GH's from digging underneath my shed. They run in my yard, but have no place to hide, so they run into the field underneath the fence.

 

The only thing that has ever worked at getting rid of them was my dogs. Unfortunately, it does not end up well for the GH. Some ground hogs stood their ground and fought my dogs; the jig was up as soon as they turned to run. One summer between my two dogs, they killed 17 ground hogs in my yard. Wiped out one family; another one moved in. My Dobermann used to hit the ground hogs so hard, it looked like a Great White hitting a seal. He killed one Mother (literally) that was so big, I had to use a snow shovel to pick her up.

[Barms 91]

Stonecold. I went 12 inches down with the chicken wire they are still trying. Now I have to still trap them. The chicken wire is just to keep them at bay. If I just ignored them I am 100% certain they would keep at until a valley was dug around my entire shed

 

What I believe has happene is that they are under my shed already via tunnel from my neighbors property. So they are occupied. Now just trying to make another exit. But what can I do. I'm not moving my shed.

[rifleman 87]

Easy solution. 40 lbs. of Sacrete cement powder in the hole. They really don't like the stuff and it is only $3. Worked for me, 1st try.

[galapoola 46]

Funny story, we caught one in a live trap, threw it on the back of a garden cart and walked about 1/2 mile away from the house into the woods. My kids watched me carry the cage across the stream to the other side and open the door. That groundhog ran out, swam across the water and continued running in the direction of my house. Now they go for a car ride 5 miles away before I release.