Holy woodchuck, Batman!

I'm hoping to put in raised beds for some vegetables this season. I only have one problem...

Our yard is home to the biggest ol' woodchuck you'd ever want to see, and he's a very hungry guy. Every one of my neighbors has tried to live trap and relocate this fella without success. And my neighbor who has rather high raised beds (I'd guess the walls are about 18" high at least) still suffered major damage to his veggie crops thanks to Mr. Woodchuck. (He caught him going at the beds once, so we know the damage wasn't caused by deer. Plus we don't have many deer wandering around this particular neighborhood.)

Has anyone had any success using using edging plants or other repellents to chase off woodchucks? Tips appreciated!

Well a bullet would do it but if you're like me you live where you can't shoot them or don't have a gun anyway. I would trap it in a have a heart trap, then drive it at least 5 miles or more away, preferably on the other side of a river or creek. That's what I do. In some states or areas this is not legal though. Here where I am you're not supposed to take them off your property but I'm not paying animal control to do it every time I trap one, I'd go broke! I got rid of at least 8 babies in the last 2 years. The adults are harder to catch.

No repellents work for very long. I've tried some of them. They may work for a few days but chucks are pretty smart. They get used to them.

Any tips I'm sure would be appreciated by all!

We're a bit overrun with 'em. They have tunneled under the chicken house, the porches, and the outhouse, which is now leaning over a bit!

Sprays and gadgets sometimes work for a while - until they figure out there is no real danger.

Here, they love beans of all kinds. So, after several years of losing crops, this year we plan on isolating our bean plot (about 20x20') with a quick fence - we will dig a trench about 6-12" and pound in fence posts around the perimeter, then attach 3' high chicken wire, burying the wire and then backfilling the trench. This goes up pretty fast. The only part I haven't figured out is a gate of some kind.

We once had this fence up all around the whole garden, but it was not dug in and they could just nose their way underneath. Otherwise it worked fine (except baby bunnies can still get through.) Where it was a little more taut the woodchucks didn't get in.

Annoying to do, but I think it's the only way for us. We're not hunters (my neighbor shoots them if he gets a chance), transporting them is illegal here, and professional trappers have not had any success. Many get run over in the road - I think this is the main way their population is curtailed somewhat.

I do think they are very cute. In nature, they do aerate the soil. They don't really bother anybody except for raiding the garden. They will happily eat weeds, grass, and dandelions if they can't get into the garden.

I did buy a trap and I have "Critter away" stuff and dried blood - only because we have to get them out from under the porches. If there are babies under there, we'll wait until they are grown. If I can trap them, we'll have to quickly dig wire in all around the porch, then just let him loose on our property. We shall see. Not pleasant for us or the woodchucks.

I edited to add - an electric fence would work too. I know that neither wire nor electric is very attractive. My neighbor once suggested a half-used toilet paper roll soaked in gasoline - put down the hole and covered with dirt ruins the hole for them - but, I would never do this, especially near the house - duh - does the word flammable mean anything to ya? : )

This message was edited Mar 15, 2008 10:09 AM

2 cents to add- tips I've read
Cantalope is best bait for the trap
Someone grew buckwheat, and G hogs loved that so much they didn't eat her garden.
They need water and will eat your veg to get it, so leave water out there
Dog waste in the tunnel will drive them away

I sympathize! We have them. Also HAD an old horse farm behind us- when they started to bulldoze it last year, we went walking in the woods and found about ten burrows- A ready refill to any we might have trapped.

CompostR--our 'chuck lives under the outhouse in our backyard. He's made some serious tunnels there.

Sallyg--I have plenty of dog waste to put in the tunnels under our outhouse. You'd think our two greyhounds would be scary enough, but since they're never allowed outside the fence (except on a leash), Chuck has learned that they're not as intimidating as they look.

Thanks for the tips! I'm going to try fencing around raised beds to see how that works. A friend mentioned taking apart tomato cages to enclose her raised beds. Sounds easy enough, cheap enough, and not so difficult to move for weeding and harvesting. I'll post here later on this year if (when!) it works.

After finding 52 broccoli plants just at the producing heads stage, eaten down to the ground, we got an electric fence. We saw the enemy and met him where it hurts...in his butt as he tried to crawl under our fence. Have had no more problems.

There was an article in our weekend paper about nesting eagles in a park near us (Lake Cordorus). I know the park if full of woodchucks and I have often wondered if woodchucks were preyed upon by big birds. In the article it says they do, and that farmers have even observed eagles waiting near woodchuck holes to pounce on the critters. Smart birds! This is great - just what we need!

Now, how to attract eagles to our little place... ?


editid becauze om a teribul speler : (

This message was edited Mar 18, 2008 2:29 PM

There have been eagles sighted in Oconomowoc, very near where we live. I wish they'd come take care of our woodchuck friend. I couldn't kill an animal because it's just not in my nature, but I'm all for the Circle of Life. ;)

I'd bet that woodchucks are too big for our redtailed hawks to eat. At least the hawks take care of smaller pests like gophers.

I wondered if the hawks could get baby woodchucks? But, it must be hard because they are very alert and mom watches over them - like a hawk!

The article said eagles can lift a 20 lb. woodchuck!

I'd check out your local TSC and pick up 4' welded wire fencing. Bury a good 6" into the ground. This will keep out woodchucks and bunnies! I've personally seen a chuck jump up 2' to get through a fence(it was cattle fence w/ poultry wire run along the bottom 2'. A 4' fence would be too high for the fat guys to scale and the space is too small for a bunny to get through! Good luck and happy gardening.

I've had many gardens and many woodchucks in my yard, and the woodchucks have never touched my garden, no evil eye. I think there are two reasons for this. I always am lazy about mowing my lawn, and so I have a high lawn with lots of succulent weeds for them to eat. I have watched them, and they do seem to prefer broadleaf weeds to anything. So don't overmow and certainly don't use any herbicides on your lawn. Leave them something to eat.

The other thing I do is to spray my garden regularly with liquid kelp. I think they don't like the smell or taste. I read a study that it helps keep insects away as well.

They love dandelions.

They are eaten here. I haven't tried it but that's not to say I wouldn't. The cajun's motto, "Anything is edible if it's cooked right". LOL

Woodchucks or dandelions?

I've got just the woodchuck for a hungry Cajun! ;)

Somehow reminds me of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and the squirrel scene.

"Where's Eddie? He usually eats these $#%^! things!"
"Oh, not recently. He learned that squirrels are high in cholesterol."

Both, now that you mention it. They also eat a wild green called "speckled britches". Lots of poke salad on the menu, too. Wish I could find some fiddle head mushrooms.

When they eat dandelions they look like little dandelion flower vacume clearners.

They are good to eat according to my neighbor.

With the cost of food going up, we're all going to have to be more resourceful about our food supply. I've never tried woodchuck, but if someone knew how to cook it I probably would.

Likely it's like eating rabbit. I LOVE rabbit.

Beware of the armed woodchucks!

Mimi

I found this site about wood chuck controls http://www.bugspray.com/articles99/woodchucks.html

Here in WV the natives have an annual Roadkill Festival. If they can shoot it, they will eat it. (They also eat an onion-type wild green called "ramps" this time of year. They're not bad...a little strong-tasting.) The varmints know that they are more or less safe from gunfire within city limits and they are a MENACE to all plant life. On my little half acre I have racoons, possums, rabbits, deer, and the biggest woodchuck I have ever seen in my life--and all of her babies. I fence, spray repellent, and live trap but they all keep coming back...oh well. I've heard that the only effective woodchuck deterrent is a .22. Do NOT try smacking one of them over the head with a 2x4. My neighbor--who is a building and landscape contractor and definitely not a wimpy guy--tried that technique one time and the woodchuck turned on him and chased him across the yard back to the house.

pam

Doccat that for that link, those traps are nice! I have a small have a heart but need a larger one to catch mom and dad...