Groundhogs

[LengerichKA88 1,881]

Every time someone’s had a ground hog problem it’s been in an area where shooting them was an option. That’s the quickest, easiest way to get rid of them. My neighbor has them living under his shed, and they venture over to my yard to eat. We are within city limits, where shooting is a no no, especially since it’s across property lines. I’ve never trapped one, so those of you who have, or have use a method besides a firearm to get them, share your tips with me please. I want these suckers gone for good. I can get within 30 feet of their den, but that’s about it. 

 

Groundhog skin cap goes to the successful suggestion 

[ebinmaine 63,923]

Silencer??

 

I'm kidding.....

 

Have you called whatever version you have of "Animal control"?

 

[WHNJ701 4,164]

trap them, bait with canned peaches

[Mike'sHorseBarn 2,727]

I have trapped a lot of groundhogs with a 220 body trap. Easy to set up right over the hole where they come in and out of the shed. DO NOT get your fingers in one of these because it will break them. Ask me why i know that...........lol You can use foot traps, but that is a little hit or miss and you still have to kill them once they're caught. If you have neighbors they may not like the 2x4 to the head killing method.....

 

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/duke-no-220-body-trap?a=1587309&pm2d=CSE-SPG-15-PLA&utm_medium=PLA&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=CI&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3Nyv0oHp4QIVkorICh0kKwyuEAQYASABEgJeDPD_BwE

 

You'll also need one of these to set it with unless you have really strong hands....

[LengerichKA88 1,881]

14 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Silencer??

I have a buddy that has the appropriate paperwork to own one, but the only thing he has one for right now is for some rifle chambered in .458 SOCOM. That’s a bit big for a ground hog. 

15 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Have you called whatever version you have of "Animal control"?

 

They don’t do wildlife unless it’s something like a coyote in an urban area. 

 

8 minutes ago, jabelman said:

 canned peaches

Added to the grocery list. Have you had trouble with other animals getting themselves caught coming in for the peaches? Do you set it and leave it till it’s tripped, or do you bring it in at night? 

 

When I was trapping opossums I had to wait till 11ish to set it out otherwise I’d get a racoon.   

 

9 minutes ago, Mike'sHorseBarn said:

I have trapped a lot of groundhogs with a 220 body trap. Easy to set up right over the hole where they come in and out of the shed. DO NOT get your fingers in one of these because it will break them. Ask me why i know that...........lol You can use foot traps, but that is a little hit or miss and you still have to kill them once they're caught. If you have neighbors they may not like the 2x4 to the head killing method.....

 

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/duke-no-220-body-trap?a=1587309&pm2d=CSE-SPG-15-PLA&utm_medium=PLA&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=CI&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3Nyv0oHp4QIVkorICh0kKwyuEAQYASABEgJeDPD_BwE

 

You'll also need one of these to set it with unless you have really strong hands....

With little ones running around three of the four yards (the den is right in the corner where the four yards meet), I’ve ruled out “open” traps. I don’t want to be liable for a little kids toes, but I did consider it. Single door box traps of multiple sizes are at my disposal though.  

 

Once they’re in the trap, I will dispose of them. The population won’t suffer, and I’m not inflicting them on someone else’s lawn. Less I have to spend on fertilizer anyway. 

[Ed Kennell 36,361]

I trap about 20 every year for the farmer.    I have Conibear body traps but prefer to use the box trap so I can release the rabbits, possums, , cats and dogs.

I dispatch the hogs with a .22 , but a decent air rifle would also do the job.   Or if you prefer, they can be released in a more desirable area.   I use any fruit for bait.  They love cantaloupe and apple peelings.

 

BTW, our local pair of bald eagles luv groundhog, so they do get recycled.

Edited April 24, 2019 by Ed Kennell

[LengerichKA88 1,881]

2 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

I trap about 20 every year for the farmer.    I have Conibear body traps but prefer to use the box trap so I can release the rabbits, possums, , cats and dogs.

I dispatch the hogs with a .22 , but a decent air rifle would also do the job.   Or if you prefer, they can be released in a more desirable area.   I use any fruit for bait.  They love cantaloupe and apple peelings.

Good to know! 

Its gunna look like I’m making fruit salad when I run to the store! 😂

 

I have a .22 pellet rifle I used to dispatch opossum and raccoons, works like a charm 👍🏻 

[JAinVA 4,619]

Had a hog eating my bush bean plants.Hava Heart box trap worked great.I used the bean plants he destroyed as bait. Getting old I guess but released the 2 we caught in a remote area that had no farms or gardens around.Good thing about the trap is anything we aren't targeting  get released unharmed.

Edited April 24, 2019 by JAinVA

[LengerichKA88 1,881]

3 minutes ago, JAinVA said:

Had a hog eating my bush bean plants.Hava Heart box trap worked great.I used the bean plants he destroyed as bait. Getting old I guess but released the 2 we caught in a remote area that had no farms or gardens around.

Normally I would release a trapped animal, but there’s no where I can think of where I could dump them off and not cause damage. Here you have to release them in the same county they were caught in, and I’d be the ONE person a Conservation Officer would roll up on as I was letting them go. That’s just the kinda luck I have 😂

[Ed Kennell 36,361]

1 minute ago, JAinVA said:

Had a hog eating my bush bean plants.Hava Heart box trap worked great.I used the bean plants he destroyed as bait. Getting old I guess but released the 2 we caught in a remote area that had no farms or gardens around.

I put a fence around my garden before I set the plants.      I like to watch the rabbits trying to find a hole to get at those blue lake bean plants.

[LengerichKA88 1,881]

9 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

I put a fence around my garden before I set the plants.      I like to watch the rabbits trying to find a hole to get at those blue lake bean plants.

I do the same with my grapes the first few years.....I make sleeves for them out of utility wire. I also started using Liquid Fence and it seems to work. Just have to spray it with the wind. 

I usually apply liberally every couple weeks 

Edited April 24, 2019 by LengerichKA88

[WVHillbilly520H 10,369]

Norwegian Elkhound...when I was a young lad say around 7-8 my parents got me a mixed breed Elkhound and for 12-13 years that 45# dog decimated the ths ground hog population almost entirely by his own self from about the time he was a year old till he passed there wasn't a ground hog that moved in that didn't get it's eviction notice served by Rusty...still not quiet as a trap but ground hogs disappeared, just my experiences good luck.

[JAinVA 4,619]

I have a 5' fence around the garden to keep deer and dogs out.We have 3' chicken wire fence around the bush beans.Hogs dug under the fence.Made it easier to trap them.They popped right up at the trap entrance.I could have taken them for a swim in the stream but they are just trying to survive. 

[LengerichKA88 1,881]

14 minutes ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

Norwegian Elkhound.

I had a dog once...... I found I like them at other people’s houses instead of mine 😂

Wonder if our new Domestic Short Hair would be up for a challenge though 🤔😂

 

We had a St. Bernard at one time. He was great for finding the raccoons, opossums, and foxes, but he wanted to play with them. He only made the mistake of trying to play with coyotes once though. 

14 minutes ago, JAinVA said:

I could have taken them for a swim in the stream but they are just trying to survive. 

 I trapped and released over 30 chipmunks last year. Some didn’t make it because they ran right out of the trap into traffic, but I tried. I don’t like putting down an animal if I don’t have to, but I like my grapes, peach trees, and herbs more. I have asked a couple people with an acre plus if they’d let me release them and was told no. The chipmunks are small, no one minds them being released, but unless I’m gunna build hutches for these guys, I’m short on options. 

[The Tuul Crib 7,332]

Go to goggle . I found a site there that has lots of ways to get rid of them furry bast....

!!   One that comes to mind is sound vibration in the ground they don’t like that. Another way is to pour ammonia down the hole they don’t like that either .  If that don’t work....   dynamite !!!!! Well not near the shed tho. 

[ohiofarmer 3,202]

If you want an easy way to catch them outside to avoid waiting.  Get a harbor freight drive way alarm and you will know when they come out. 

I have a sniper blind set up and approach it from the blind side

 

He never knew what hit him from a long range prairie dog Hunter

[LengerichKA88 1,881]

If only there were a way to combine every suggestion into one all out assault on them. 

 

Edited April 24, 2019 by LengerichKA88

[LengerichKA88 1,881]

6 minutes ago, ohiofarmer said:

If you want an easy way to catch them outside to avoid waiting.  Get a harbor freight drive way alarm and you will know when they come out. 

I have a sniper blind set up and approach it from the blind side

 

He never knew what hit him from a long range prairie dog Hunter

That’s a good idea

[formariz 11,912]

There is a "smoke bomb" that you put into the entrance to tunnels. That works wonders. You do need to find all entrances. There are always more than one around here. I seen one come out from another entrance about 150 feet away.

[bc.gold 3,399]

Twenty pound propane bottle with a hose attached with out the regulator so when it's turned upside down liquid comes from the hose, insert hose into ground entrance pack with dirt. Turn on propane with bottle upside down and watch for other open holes with gas escaping then you know the tunnel has been filled.

 

Propane is heavier than air and the stinky stuff is added to alert for leaks. Stinky stuff will also coat the walls to the tunnels the beats don't like it and will not return.

 

A few tubers ( idiots ) get carried away by adding oxygen then blow up the tunnels, no need to do this as propane gas does not support life as we know it.

Edited April 24, 2019 by bcgold

[LengerichKA88 1,881]

Just now, formariz said:

There is a "smoke bomb" that you put into the entrance to tunnels. That works wonders. You do need to find all entrances. There are always more than one around here. I seen one come out from another entrance about 150 feet away.

We’ve tried those before with little success. We had them under the foundation of our lake place, and we found every hole, but they hung on. That’s the worst I’ve ever seen em though, my grandma ended up having to have people out to get em and install a barrier... they still found a way to come back 😳

[ebinmaine 63,923]

Just occurred to me with all these awesome answers I can't believe none of us had suggested calling Bill Murray yet

[Herder 2,354]

Ok here's a little story.  My grandfather put-up with those furry pain in the A** for years they would get into the garden, dig holes ect.  Well one day he found that they had dug under the footing of the garage and that was it.  He backed his truck up to the hole and ran a length of hose from the tailpipe down into the hole and filled in around it.  You know how this played out, Right?  Well he fired up his old truck, went inside and eat lunch, come back out smoked a cigar and did a few things around the yard.  25 years latter there are still no woodchuck!       

Edited April 24, 2019 by Herder

[LengerichKA88 1,881]

I want to be a little less conspicuous than that @Herder 😂

 

[LengerichKA88 1,881]

10 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Just occurred to me with all these awesome answers I can't believe none of us had suggested calling Bill Murray yet

Let me have my own Cinderella story 😂😂