Whistle Pigs

[Lt.Mike]

I don't often use a live trap, but have found that cantalope is a good bait for groundhogs.

I use apples or bayberry leaves as those are the trees I have on my property and what it’s likely to find . I’ve loaned my traps to friends who tried apple with no success but then yes cantaloupe worked for them. The ones I’ve trapped I’ve relocated deep in the pine barrens away from farms or people.
If they don’t go in the trap quick enough I’ve got no problem Shooting them especially the ones digging under my barns concrete slab to come and raid my garden.
In fact with those I don’t play around, the traps get set but if I get a shot I take it !

[SamsFarm]

Whistle pigs,etc. seem to have a problem swimming in a alive trap.

I bet!

I had one standing on my wood pile, gnawing on the plywood siding on my shop. Next time I heard it out there scratching, I crept around the corner with the nearest weapon, a junior 20ga with bird shot. Came around the corner, and it was only 5' away. BOOM. Then I had to spend some time on top of the wood pile removing 'soiled' logs. Ooof. I'd never shot something that close with bird shot before. Brutal.

Soiled logs burn too...... Lol!

I think my ground hog tally was up to 4, 5, maybe 6 last year!

[ScottyD'sdad]

Mine can't seem to pass the Navy swim test. (With what you're wearing, like a live trap)
I don't catch many, but those that do, get the "test"

Ed

[Don McCombs]

I have found a live trap for groundhogs to not be very effective. The Conibear is much better.

[SamsFarm]

I have found a live trap for groundhogs to not be very effective. The Conibear is much better.

I have tried the live catch once with no luck!
I have thought about setting a connibear over the hole.....

But have not tried it yet!

[Urbish]

I have found a live trap for groundhogs to not be very effective. The Conibear is much better.

I have tried the live catch once with no luck!
I have thought about setting a connibear over the hole.....

But have not tried it yet!

Conibear is very effective. Make sure you use the staking chain to attach it to something sturdy. I had one staked to the ground and checked it daily. One day it was gone! I found it a week later clamped to the head of a groundhog that had ran with it about 150 yards before expiring.

[Don McCombs]

Yep. All mine get chained to something solid.

[SamsFarm]

Conibear is very effective. Make sure you use the staking chain to attach it to something sturdy. I had one staked to the ground and checked it daily. One day it was gone! I found it a week later clamped to the head of a groundhog that had ran with it about 150 yards before expiring.

Do you set and lay them over the hole, or stand them up vertical supported by stakes in the spring holes?

You using 220's?

[SamsFarm]

I had a stubborn one in a large dirt mound over the summer.

I could never see it to get a shot!

Tried the live catch trap, putting sticks and leaves on and around the hole to make the trap part of the tunnel.
But, that did not work.

One night I filled the holes with dirt, but it just dug back out.

Then another night I shoveled some fresh cow poo in each hole, then filled the holes back in and packed it down.

Dont know what happened, but it never dug back out then!

Figured it was either not home that night, the cow poo emitted some methane gas that did it in, or maybe it just did not want to stick it's paws in the poo!

The cows like the dirt mound like it is some kind of play ground, and the last thing I needed was a broken leg!

[Don McCombs]

I use 160’s. Both sets, depending on conditions.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Several years ago my tractors were still in a shed at the farm about a half mile away from my house. Ground hogs were a problem in that shed, but the noise of working down there would cause them to keep out of sight. I set a small radio in the shed and left it playing all the time to let the ground hogs get used to the noise, Using a single action Colt .22 revolver I eliminated 4 of them before I wounded one rater than killing it out right. After that the ground hogs would run at the click of the cylinder indexing. After 3 or 4 more tries I replaced the revolver with an older single shot .410. I could silently cock it by holding the trigger back while I cocked the hammer, then releasing the trigger.That resulted in the elimination of 5 more groundhogs before the weather got cold enough I quit working in that shed. That fall and early spring my shed at my house was built.

[SamsFarm]

Several years ago my tractors were still in a shed at the farm about a half mile away from my house. Ground hogs were a problem in that shed, but the noise of working down there would cause them to keep out of sight. I set a small radio in the shed and left it playing all the time to let the ground hogs get used to the noise, Using a single action Colt .22 revolver I eliminated 4 of them before I wounded one rater than killing it out right. After that the ground hogs would run at the click of the cylinder indexing. After 3 or 4 more tries I replaced the revolver with an older single shot .410. I could silently cock it by holding the trigger back while I cocked the hammer, then releasing the trigger.That resulted in the elimination of 5 more groundhogs before the weather got cold enough I quit working in that shed. That fall and early spring my shed at my house was built.

Wow John,

Thats a lot of groundhogs in one area!

Glad to hear you cleaned house!!!

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

yeah, that many really surprised me, but that was spread over an entire summer, and there was a barn close by that I suspect was home to a lot of them that met their end while exploring. I suspect there was at least one tunnel, maybe more that ran under the graveled road and came up under the wooden floor of the old grainery that was attached to the shed.