GroundhogS !

[Dale Finch]

It was bad enough when we were pretty sure a groundhog was living under our farm cabin, but today first one, then 2, and now THREE younguns have emerged!!

Actually, the worst part is that they really are cute!!! Oh dear...

Time to call my friend with her traps. Hey guys, we're going for a ride!!

[Eugene]

Varmint elimination; poison, fumigation, rifle slugs.

I only take cute rabbits caught in the garden for a ride.

[Barnyard]

Every groundhog I have encountered trespassing in the barnyard have met one of my border patrol members.

[Indy4570]

I have heard the young ones taste pretty good on the BBQ....jus sayin



I remember a girl at school got permission to bring one she adopted, it would follow her down the hall! I have raised raccoons from before their eyes were open, and they can become endeared to you. If you take the babies for a ride before they are weaned and trained by momma they may not survive anyway.

[MiCarl]

We used to have a problem with them getting into the garden. Then the neighbor found some living under her deck. Whoever she hired to deal with the problem seems to have eliminated them from the area.

Unfortunately she doesn't do anything about the deer, which have apparently decided my rhubarb leaves are tasty. I guess I'm going to need to cage the rhubarb.

[Indy4570]

25 years ago I rented an old farmhouse, the garage was added on with a dirt floor, ground hogs had a den under what was the porch, they had a small depression dug under the garage door. I used to set a live trap in front of that hole. I caught a few and one night after a long day away i got home late and there was a chuck in the trap. I was exhausted and didn't want to deal with it so I turned it loose in the back yard. HE SNITCHED ON ME!! I never caught another one in that manner again! Moral of the story is never educate your pests!

[Urbish]

I live-trap them and plug them with the Marlin .22. Three so far this spring! I had a huge one leap out of the wood pile inches from my face while I was grabbing a load for the house in the dark.

Now my problem is huge raccoons raiding the live trap at night, preventing me from capturing woodchucks during the day. They're so big that they manage to keep the door from closing all the way when they trigger it. I set up a trail camera to see what was going on. On two occasions I have captured a raccoon, only to have their buddy open the trap up, setting them free. They're so smart! NOTE: I am not interested in catching or killing the raccoons, only the woodchucks.

[Don McCombs]

You need a couple of conibear 220s set in the entrance holes. No muss, no fuss, no sound and no ammo expenditures.

[Slim140]

Jim, what are you baiting your trap with? I have a friend who traps for a living and he told me to use lettuce or cabbage, that way the cats won't go in it. I know raccoons eat anything and it's hard to keep them out.

I been trying to catch a groundhog for a lady for 3 weeks. I caught something the other day in the trap but it somehow managed to tear the trap apart enough to get out, the trap was turned over on it's side too. I've caught a opossum twice and let it out both times, third time will be different.

[Urbish]

Jim, what are you baiting your trap with? I have a friend who traps for a living and he told me to use lettuce or cabbage, that way the cats won't go in it. I know raccoons eat anything and it's hard to keep them out.

I been trying to catch a groundhog for a lady for 3 weeks. I caught something the other day in the trap but it somehow managed to tear the trap apart enough to get out, the trap was turned over on it's side too. I've caught a opossum twice and let it out both times, third time will be different.

Sliced apples, lettuce, and cantaloupe. I've been getting opossums along with the raccoons. I had to cover the bait end of the trap with hardware cloth (1/4" openings) to keep the raccoons from simply reaching through the wire, fishing out the bait without setting foot in the trap.

[Urbish]

You need a couple of conibear 220s set in the entrance holes. No muss, no fuss, no sound and no ammo expenditures.

I like the catch then decide to kill method as I don't mind the raccoons and opossums (they eat mice, voles, and insects). In my area ammo expenditures are common and don't bother anybody. I do like the conibear 220 though. Very effective as long as you don't mind the lack of a discretionary kill. I've seen several cats on my trail cam, but none have ventured into the trap. Not sure if they're wild or somebody's lost pet.

[Don McCombs]

Not much chance of a raccoon going into a groundhog hole, but possums will. I trap groundhogs on a friends property where there are cats. I use a live trap baited with cantaloupe there.

[SONNY]

I dispose of groundhogs/coons/possums/rabbits/deer/coyotes/ etc.--- don't want any of that crap hanging around! --- 220 conibears are best if you don't have cats or dogs. I am stuck with live traps, which are only effective 75% of the time. 12 ga 3" mag bb loads work best at longer range! --- not everybody can shoot in their areas, so you are limited to the methods that you use!

[Bill]

I threw a critter out in the field last week, an eagle had first picking, then several buzzards finish it.
Bill

[Mac AR]

Best to kill 'em now, before they do damage to your foundation. My preferred 'chuck weapon is a Marlin 22 Magnum, out to 150 yards. As they are that close, and let you take pictures of them, I would suggest that you use an automatic shotgun loaded with 1.25 oz of #4 lead shot (I use Winchester SuperX high brass) and don't quit until they're all dead. If you ever educate one, you're in trouble. I had one that I thought was never gonna give me a shot because it could hear me open the kitchen door. So one day, I got smart, taken the screen out of the kitchen window, and sat at the table with my rifle until he made the (fatal) mistake of poking his head out of his hole. Afterwards, I started having tomatoes again.

Btw, the young ones are quite good parboiled, then dipped in egg, rolled in flour, and fried in good hot grease. Serve with a side of fried potatoes, fresh cream-style corn, or any other garden-fresh vegetable that you've "saved" from his thieving little paws!

Mac