trapping groundhogs?

oooOOOHhhh! I know where our fireplace ashes will go from now on... thanks!

I caught groundhog #5 yesterday. A big one. Must be Mum or Dad. I thought the ordeal was over. Now I'm just going to make an evening drive with a groundhog part of my expected routine! Again, I caught every one in the daytime. Most were probably caught in the afternoon.

Thanks for the tips on how to discourage a new family from moving in. I am going to use BOTH wood ashes and gravel. I don't want to take any chances. Also maybe a couple of yards of CEMENT! Or tar or nails and tacks.

Well- we tried cement & it didn't work!
I do like the tar, nails & tacks idea though.
Tam

I guess another option would be to do some proactive feeding by going to the Farmer's market everyday, buying a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, and then shove it all down the burrow holes. Then they'd probably be so well fed they wouldn't disturb my garden. But I guess that would defeat the purpose of having a garden, eh? Oh well, tar and tacks it is. With my luck it'll result in a trip to the ER to have tar removed from my hair, and tacks pulled out of my shins.

I read on another thread that human male urine will discourage groundhogs.

Gee. My garden is in kind of an exposed area but I guess I could try it at night! :)

Hmmmm perhaps a container?! ~ Suzi ♥

Color me embarrassed and dumb! :)

I know you would have thought of that too, given a little time!! ~ Suzi :)

I mentioned this to some guys I work with and they all said they would have thought the same thing that I did. Must be one of those Neandertahal guy things. Claiming our territitory, like wolves!???!!
Of course they also said they would have shot the darn groundhogs and wouldn't have a sissy garden in the first place! Sometimes it's hard defending people of my gender!! :)

Actually, I heard that it was urine from meat eaters that would do it. So, I guess vegetarians can't participate... LOL ~ Suzi :)

I went to a Rodale "GardenFest" a few years ago (when Mike McGrath was the editor).
There was a session with Mike McGrath "answers a 1000 questions" or some such.
He was asked for organic ways to control deer damage. His suggestion was to have a
BBQ (lots of meat & beer) for a bunch of guys. And then have them all "mark the perimeter".
I guess the idea was the same - "carnivores live here".

Tam

Hmmmmmmmm. Food for thought. The things that you learn at Dave's Garden. I'll bet the most foolproof deterrent would be make the BBQ a GROUNDHOG BBQ in case the groundhogs don't make the connection. Then have all of those beer drinking, groundhog eating male carnivores mark the territory real good. I'm sure the 'hogs would be warning all relatives to steer clear of that garden. {If the truth be told, I'm such a softie I'd be more inclined to throw a BBQ FOR the groundhogs. Grill them up some nice sugar snap peas (their favorite) and make them an apple salad.

BTW I haven't caught any more of them in my trap, and my zucchini plants are rebounding. All's well for now. I am going to make some icebox pickles tomorrow b/c my cukes are coming on strong. Hey, I got an idea, I could serve them at the groundhog BBQ.

this is a hilarious (though tragic!) thread. i thoiught it was terrapins eating my melons, or rabbits. but it must be a small ground squirrel, as i covered one with a milk crate, & they still got in... next i will see if it can climb over a fireplace screen!

flooding & wood ash sound good, then i may be calling animal control for a loaner!

tf

I just read in Organic Gardening that some folks grind up their hottest hot peppers
with a little water to make a paste and put this in mole holes. Might work with
ground hogs too?
Tam

Tammy - Great idea. My jalapeno plants have produced a bumper crop this year and I was wondering what to do with the excess, other than rubbing my eyes with them after I cut some up (I've done that twice --- not good --- it hurts).

TamaraFaye - I never heard of anyone having a problem with turtles eating their garden. Are you being serious?

that is what i was told. i din't believe it myself. well, a turtle coulddn't have gotten through the milk ctrate, so i put a fireplace screen around it thinking must be field mice. then later i caught a glimpse of a GROUND SQUIRREL found one of his holes. flooded it, then sprinkled wood ash around it. oh, also put chewed up Juicy Fruit Gum in his hole...

we are out of city limits, can't borrow a trap. all my friends are using theirs, can't buy one right now. so this morning i broke the rules & turned the dog loose. don't know if she caught anything though...

In the 70's I lived in Maine and we had a Golden Retriever and NEVER had a groundhog problem. Our dog would patiently lay in wait at the entrance to the burrow and if a groundhog was foolish enough to come out, the dog grabbed it by the nape of the neck, gave it one or two good shakes and the groundhog was dead of a broken neck. We don't have a dog anymore but a few years ago we had a lab who was notorious for tearing up the garden. That's the primary reason that I fenced the garden, to keep the dog out. But, unbeknownst to me, I fenced IN the groundhogs. I guess if you don't make mistakes, you never learn anything. Fortunately, I have made MANY mistakes, but I guess I'm getting smarter. At least now I know a heck of a lot more about groundhog trapping than I ever did before.

What an interesting and funny thread. I have been using my HavaHeart trap to catch the darn packrats. So far I've caught 8 of them. I'm sorry but I did not try to take them for a ride. I disposed of them permanently. They are the stinkiest animals.

I did see one ground hog a month or so ago and chased it out of the fenced in garden area. Haven't seen it since. Do have lots of bunnies so think I will try trapping them. They ate all of my pea vines earlier. Don't exactlyknow what they are eating now, I know they nibble on the cheeseweed (can't remember correct name) and clover. There were three of them on my front lawn last evening and it is only about 50 feet X 50 feet. But I will bait the trap and set it on the deck where the little rascals come to eat the bird seed. DonnaS

Get a terrier. Seriously I have groundhogs that wonder in every year and my Irish Terrier harasses them so much they move on.

Ruth - cats just LOVE bunnies. I couldn't have tulips or crocus when I lived in town.
Now I'm out in the country where lots of cats are on the prowl. (Including my own barn
cats). No bunnies eating my blooms or veggies now!
Tam

Tam, there are 1 neighbor cat that is over here a lot and 2 ferral cats, but I think they mostly live on the quail. Have seen where they kill the quail and haven't seen any evidence where they killed a bunny. DonnaS

Ah well. I guess we don't have quail for the ferral cats around here.
(And you're Donna with your "rutholive" handle? Hmmm... interesting
story there I bet).
Tam

When I joined DG several years ago, didn't realize that changing a name would be somewhat difficult, so just picked my Mother's name. Then later signed my name but there are several Donnas, so now sign DonnaS. Just to confuse everyone HeHe He

DonnaS/RuthOlive - Cut that out I have a hard enough time remembering names!!! LOL

Think I got another groundhog trying to move in. Saw that the bricks were removed from the hole under the back of the shed today. Put more there... if they are moved again - trap is being placed... not so sure I want to bother relocating anything else! ~ Suzi ♥

My boss told me today that he has trapped 15 groundhogs this summer. He lives in CT. He has 3 outdoor sheds. I caught 5 groundhogs and have just 1 shed. So, we are suggesting the following formula: you can expect 5 groundhogs for every 1 shed you own (based on our very small sample). :)

*bumping* this thread...

So far this summer, I've caught 4 groundhogs (2 in the HaveAHart trap, baited with half a banana and some apple slices, 2 in Grandpa's wooden bunny trap), 1 possum (in the HaveAHart), and 4 bunnies (in the wooden trap). There are more groundhogs out back, so I need to set and bait the trap again now that we're back in town. There's construction down the way that has made both groundhogs and voles more numerous out back this year.

Does anybody have any new advice for getting rid of groundhogs?

Jill,

I have just read all this old thread. as I searched for how to get rid of a Groundhog. Seems one has, just recently, taken abode under my front steps. I have not seen it to speak of, but it seems that this is the most likely suspect.
Something has dug this huge hole under my front steps and even if i try to fill it in or block it with bricks, it has made no difference. This creature just shoves it aside.

Do you have any new ideas that may work? I have lived here for 38 years and have never had anyone dig in my garden besides a bunch od Chipmunks.

HELP!!!!!!! Gita

You could try to make his life unpleasant with mothballs or ammonia-soaked socks... that won't do much for the atmosphere of your front steps, but it might convince him to move along. If you want to "do him in," there are smoke bombs that you can buy... maybe at Home Depot, definitely at some place like Southern States or Tractor Supply. You have to block up all the exits and have something standing by (like a plastic dropcloth and a piece of plywood to weight it down) to block the last one after you toss in the bomb. Follow the directions, and do it during the heat of the day when he's sure to be home.

Unfortunately, trapping is not always a quick procedure, and the big HaveAHart traps are $ enough that you might be reluctant to invest in one (since hopefully you'd never need it again). I wonder if animal control or the extension service would be willing to loan you a trap? T If you know anybody who deals with feral cats, they might have a live trap that you could borrow.

Thanks, Jill.

We do sell those CO2 smoke bombs at HD. They are about $5 for 4 of them. Do these really kill the vermins? I googled "Ground Hogs" and there was a product called "Shake Away" suggested. Do you know anything about it?
I want this critter's "visit" under my front steps to be as short as possible.

You know--the space under my front, concrete steps is probably the ideal area for any animal to live in. Over the years, the ground has settled--who knows how low--yet the concrete steps have stayed the same--creating a comfy living space under there. NO rain! Warm enough! Protected from all elements. The steps are a good 8' wide, so there is a lot of room.
I had a black snake under there for ONE Summer. I wish I had him back! I am overrun by Chipmunks.


Tomorrow I will call the local "Extensions Service" and see what hey can offer. I am not even 100% sure it is a Ground Hog, as I have not actually seen it, but the hole is pretty big and anything I tried to put down to block it just got shoved aside--including a 4x4 two foot long piece of post. .

You are saying "he" might be home during the heat of the day, yet I have noticed activity at all different times of day in this sweltering heat we are having. He sure is a sly creature! Have not seen him/her!

Thanks for all your suggestions!

Gita

I think "Shake Away" is castor oil... In my running battle with them, I haven't noticed any scent that discourages groundhogs for long, although chopped mint and lavender did keep the damage to the edge of the veggie bed (cucumber vines got "pruned"). However, I have an endless supply of groundhogs here, whereas if you can get your one groundhog to move along you're (hopefully) unlikely to have another one move in under your steps.

They may stir themselves to unblock their hole at any time, but in the middle of a hot day they'll probably be in their hole rather than out foraging. I think the bombs we've used in the past have been more lethal (and a bit more expensive) than the CO2 ones, but since you probably don't have an extensive burrow to block off, the CO2 bombs sound like they'd be worth a try. However!! Remember that if the bomb works, you will now have a dead animal under your steps. I guess you could try to remove the body, or you could hope that you can shovel enough dirt over the top that its presence won't be, umm, noticeable.

When I googled "Ground Hog" and they talked about how to get rid of it, they said that "Shake Away" contains Coyote urine and even some other predator's urines and said that the Hogs would not go in again if that is sprinkled around.

I will also continue to put those 1" square, green, waxy poison bait cubes in the vicinity of the burrow. They are sold for rats and mice, but--hey!--a rodent is a rodent1

If, and when, I feel that i have eliminated this creature, I will fill in the dug out hole and then block off the entry with a couple of cinder blocks on both sides of my concrete steps, as there were openings on both sides. I'd like to see any critter move those!

I do not think that the smell will bother me much as it will be, almost, underground.

Whacha think?????

GIta

I think I'd try driving him off with the "Shake Away" or ammonia-soaked rags before putting poison down... yeah, you can probably bury him deeply enough if you do him in... but have you ever had a dead mouse in the house? Imagine that smell multiplied by a thousandfold... I would try a nonlethal approach first, if it were my front steps!

Definitely stay away from moth balls too. Nasty nasty poison you don't want
so near your home.

Tam

I just shoved Ammonia soaked rags up the hole. did not go too far--I think the hole angles up

Then I closed off the entrance and added a couple more bricks to the front. Of course I know what the critter will do. He will just dig under the bricks and then he will be digging into the roots of my beautiful Camellia bush.

Today at work I will see if HD carries that Shake Away. If not, there is a farm supply type of a place close by as well.

Wish me luck! Gita

Gita - do any of your friends have a have-a-heart trap?

And a friend of mine (who is amazingly knowledgable about such things)
swears by wood ash. He says they hate digging in it. If you could collect
a enough of it, you could throw it under the bricks and around the entrance.

Tam

The trick is to try to close off the entrance when the critter is out to lunch....

If he/she would put up a sign that says "Out to Lunch" that would be easy, no?

I checked at HD for a product that might deter all kinds of critters. We have one called "Critter beater". It comes in a spray bottle and a couple of the active ingredients I remember were Oil of Black Pepper, capsaicin and some other stuff. BUT! It was $18!!!!! . I'll try some other ways before I spend that kind of money.

If all else fails, I will call some animal control and see if they would come and trap it.

Gita

If he's still around... I'd suggest using the ammonia or other deterrents for a couple of days to drive him out *first* and then blocking up his hole so he doesn't return. If you block him *into* his hole and then make it smell bad, you're just giving him extra motivation to move your bricks out of the way.

Ammonia is said to work on driving skunks away, so I'll bet it would work on a groundhog also (did you ever verify that's what you have?). He also probably wouldn't care for pine sol, any citrus scented cleaners, any essential oils you might have around for potpourri, cayenne pepper, etc.

Have to go to a picnic today. Will mess with this later. I may try Moth balls in the hole. Nothing else will get them there--I have no pets.

Still can re-do the Ammonia stuff. Have lots of Cayenne Pepper which I never use. I will sprinkle it around. Don't know where I can get wood ashes this time of year????

I think there was some "action" at the entry yesterday, but it was dark when I came home from work last night. Don't know if he "tried" getting in and went away or if he really got in. The 4x4 was moved.

NO! I cannot verify what it actually is. Going on my first "sighting" whoosh--and also on other people's opinions after I described what has happened.

It is rumbling outside. Picnic is supposed to start at 10AM and go until dusk.. It is a Picnic through HD.

Gotta get stuff ready before it pours.

Gita