How does this thing work and can I buy one at any home center? Thanks.

If you live in an area where there are pets on the loose, do not use this kind of trap. It can severely injure and kill an animal unfortunate enough to trip it. That would include any children that might happen to see it and not be able to resist the temptation to see what it does. Probably not fatal to the child but definitely seriously harmful!

The best solution for groundhogs is a good marksman. If that's not possible, check with your local game commission and see if live trapping and relocating is legal in your area. It's not an ideal solution either but better than the suffering that can be inflicted by conibear traps. Do a google search on them and you'll see what I mean.

A Havahart trap is much kinder and very easy and safe to use. You can trap him and try to relocate him. Though I would call animal control and see if they can help out.

In my neighborhood, dropping a groundhog off near someone else's place is fighting words! I cut the population by 16 this year, trap and .22, and my garden is shaping up nicely. I place the traps out of the path of people/animals and usually have what I'm looking for within 12 hours of placing a trap.

Which ever of these procedures you decide on, you're likely to repeat it often as there's no such thing as one groundhog.

Nicole

The best way to completely rid yourself of groundhogs forever is to get a dog. Groundhogs will assiduously avoid properties where dogs (even little dogs) have free roam. Occasionally, if your dog is very fast, it may force encounters between your dog and the groundgo... as a dog and animal lover this makes me nervous. However, our three lazy canines keep the groundhogs away with a lot of peeing and barking. Our historic property is riddled with evidence of great groundhog civilizations from the barn to under the front porch. These tunnel systems are vacant now, and the joy of having a dog in your life is far more rewarding than this incidental capability.

Groundhogs, rabbits, deer, geese... get a dog.
Rats, mice, moles, voles... get a cat.

I have a dog and she goes after the groundhogs like crazy - they are apparently her mortal enemies - but her presence has done nothing to keep the groundhogs from showing up.

I have two cats, both terrific mousers and I wish having cats would keep the field mice and voles at bay.

I have dogs who chase the groundhogs, but they can escape and come back at night to do damage. What has worked for me is deer netting -- the plastic kind -- strung on the bamboo poles sold at Gardeners. Leave about 8 inches at ground level kind of folded outward. Since I've been doing this the groundhogs haven't gotten any of my vegetable garden (3 years). I had previously buried fencing, etc. etc. to no avail.

tdev_riverbend: do you have a picture of what your deer neeting strung on bamboo poles looks like? I would really like to get rid of my ground hogs. Thanks

Apparently Mr Zumbo lost his job at the NRA for suggesting that hunting prarie dogs and such with assault rifles (ie semiautomatic rifles) was unsportsman (and "terrorist") like.

If you let him keep it, my Jack Russell Terrorist, Toby, will do the job for free!

Jack's generally love to dig and go after varmints...consider getting a JRT! They are the cutest, smartest things.

Julie
web manager
www.drdavestein.com
Mathews Co.

if you can trap him in his burrow, you can pipe exhaust from your automobile via a garden hose or similar. Heard it's worked for others.

The havahart type traps have only caught juveniles for us. My son had to stake out the garden for days before finally getting an adult--thankfully after that they didn't come back the rest of the summer. But I know this year they'll be back again . . .

Having a dog didn't work for us either. I am afraid we will have to fence eventually.

One suggestion I've heard is to sprinkle cayenne or other hot pepper on their route to your garden. It's worth a try, but if they've already found out how great your vegies taste it may seem worth it to them.

I haven't any idea if it would be effective outside or for groundhogs, but I use Pine-sol [original formula] to keep mice, rats and squirrels out of the house and toolsheds. About a cupful poured into a shallow container (recycle a cottage cheese container) and placed so that the fumes can circulate seems to be sufficient for an attic approximately 1900 sq ft. If there are children or pets in the vicinity, the open container should be keep unreachable in a locked cabinet. I've been using it for about 20 years, and only have recurrent mice or squirrels when the solution has evaporated and I forget to refill, about every 3 or 4 months.

Everyone is missing the obvious solution........

Just show him his shadow. Ha HA. Sorry. I couldn't help myself.

Thanks for all the answers. Funny tomatoes4ever LOL. We didn't see this groundhog but once or twice after posting this message. Last time I saw him, he went under our storage building. I turned on the water hose full blast, and sprayed all under the building. Haven't seen him since. Not saying I won't see him again, though, but hopefully it was the last time.

Give him 30 days eviction notice,that should give him plenty time to find a new apartment.

I have a thirty pounder living under my house. Icant shoot him in city limits. Although still likely. They tell me ill never flood or plu all thirteen of his wholes. Hes becoming a threat to children and too smart to trap Welcome To wild and wonderful west virginia

I'm trying human hair. I have a groundhog that lives in a field right on the edge of my backyard. He is a frequent visitor in the yard. I bang on the window to scare him but he sits up and looks at me. He doesnt run back into his hole until I come out and chase him...the little bugger! If that doesn't work I'll try something a bit more drastic. Don't want to hurt him but it may be my last resort. There were a family of 3 babies living in the hole last year and I've had it with there snooping around the yard. I think one tryed to did under my deck.

We have about 15-20 goundhogs living in our backyard--under our deck and our shed. It is not legal to shoot in the city limits and I have tried moth balls, bubble gum, amonia rags--NOTHING WORKS. We have tried live trapping, but with that many--there is just more and more--we cannot have a garden or flowers--we have about 3 acres and they are everywhere!!!!!

For the person who has several groundhogs living in their back yard under the deck and shed. In the spring or fall when its wetter our, try flooding them out. Another method is to insert a exhaust pipe into the hole, closing up the sides with dirt. As long as there are no children around. I know it sounds mean, but I figure, It's me or the groundhogs. I choose me.

I use a havahart live trap all the time to catch coons, skunks, opossum and groundhogs. I keep it set most of the time around my barn, shed and house. Of course I shoot the critter before I relocate it to the brushpile, its more effective.

I have a groundhog and this wk end came back to my cabin AND HAVE 5 babies to add to the list, I have 6 dogs but i have a 4 pound yorkie that thinks he weight 80. I dont know what to do? getting ready to fence the yard, but there under the shed. Love my pups more than them, even though there cute!

I have a family of 5 living under my front porch cause havoc on my flower beds. I can't shoot the little devils because we live in city limits...I swear they know it too bacause Momma makes it her business to sun herself on the top step. It's madening! We've tried live traps, and organic spray deterants with no results. I even bought a very expensive bottle of fox urine and spayed the perimeter hoping they would think their natural preditor was a new neighbor. It, so far, has slowed them down, but hasn't run them off completely. But it's only been 2 days. I'm hoping they just need time to completely evacuate.

We call him Gus the groundhog ..we have a trap with tomatoes in it (which is what he was stealing from our veg containers on deck)..have a corgi she has not scared him away! Was told to soak cotton in ammonia. In a glass plate and put under deck!! Any help is appreciated. Do not want a family of groundhogs living so close!!

Here's another idea that might work for some folks. We had a groundhog living under our storage shed too. We waited until we knew he was out of his den, then filled in his hole (the only entrance we ever found) with rocks; then covered it with a large piece of chicken wire, secured in place with heavy rocks. He couldn't get back in, and even if he had tried, we were committed to repeating the process. Never had to do it again; he departed and we haven't seen him since.

Vaherbmom THANK YOU!!
meldy_nva Pine-Sol! The smell is overpowering but makes so much sense!!

I was going to run a hose about 10’ into their hole and funnel a quart of ammonia followed by a quart of bleach. Bend the hose into the hole and cover it with dirt but the exhaust is so much cleaner:) The University uses dry ice at the same time on multiple holes covered with A LOT of wet dirt and then they hold. They standby because the students would remove the dry ice (the non home owners felt it to be cruel) My issue is living between immigrants that believe animals have a place in the world. They do! But not when they damage your property! So she continued to feed them by dumping her table scraps and compost in the alley behind our houses. She felt differently when her yard was excavated for a sewerline break. The workers explained that the absence of support structures caused it to snap. I have used conibear traps in the attic for squirrels, just be careful to do so when there is no chance youll be leaving behind unfed helpless babies.

For folks that have groundhogs in open fields contact your local Jack Russell Terrier club. They might have to dig a hole or two to get the dogs out but GO TO GROUND is what JRTs were bred to do. My 16lb baby caught the 30lb animal she was feeding and I left it for her to bury so she could see what she created. Point being if your neighbors arent on board, theyll just comeback later.

16lb JRT foot, 30lb groundhog under the first step closest to the ground.

JRT 1: Chuck 0

Also, if you LIVE trap and have non working group dogs, let them smell the enemy intruder anyway so they know who wasn’t invited!

I have a groundhog chewing on my porch. Went out and spread dirty cat litter around the porch and sprinkled half a pound of cayenne pepper by the wood posts and he doesn't seem to be back.

I presume the groundhog is gone now. Members of the Qarsherskiyan Tribe would often catch them and release them miles drive away.