Best way to combat whistle pigs is with a large baited trap or lead poisoning if you are in a rural area. The utrasonic devices are designed for moles, voles, chipmunks, etc. but they don't work very well either. They are usually only out during daylight hours which makes them somewhat easier to deal with. If you use a trap cantaloupe is supposed to work well as a bait. Close the trap at night so not to risk trapping a skunk!

If you saw where this groundhog went when spooked then look for a hole. Some have a pile of loose dirt around them. But I have seen secondary escape holes w/o any loose soil also - these are neatly hidden, one time within 4ft. Once you find the hole you can use a smoke bomb which create carbon monoxide to gently put the whole family to sleep.

I like to fill the hole with something, rocks, soil, etc. to keep the smoke in. Or you can place something in or over the hole to see if it gets moved daily before placing the smoke bomb. I use an empty plastic bottle or can for that, just something the critter would move to get in or out.

disappeared into the neighbors yard where I suspect he lives. I let the neighbor know.

Time will tell.

I have the same issues, but with coons and opossums. I've had the best luck with traps, with catfood, sprinkled into a container inside the trap. I use multiple traps around my garden as I frequently have multiple animals in one visit.

As Jack said, poisoning is an option, but I do believe it is illegal in some places (could be wrong). Make sure you check up with local laws on trapping and/or hunting these animals if you decide to go that route.

Sometimes I wish there were deer sized traps.

btw - while groundhogs are normally out during the daylight hours - I have seen them out well after sundown, on several occasions now. Daylight hours is a safe guide just beware if you are having problems after sundown.

IF it wasn't for my cameras and motion sense alarms I would never have seen this to believe it myself

<disappeared into the neighbors yard where I suspect he lives. I let the neighbor know.>

My first one many yrs ago did that - under her shed.

Gumby - good to know that. It may depend on your area, how many predators there are and how safe the critter feels out after dark. They are pretty defenseless when out at night and their night vision is not supposed to be very good.

<They are pretty defenseless when out at night and their night vision is not supposed to be very good.>

Exactly what I thought which is why I was soo surprised to see it. Before that I always thought setting the smoke bombs off after sundown was a safe bet they would be in there.

I also wonder if there was another critter crawling thru their tunnel they were running from?

I am trying to trap one now (who I saw the other nite) that seems to visit intermittently for some reason. I am beginning to think he is a traveler and navigates some of the many, many tunnels up on the hill in my area. He doesn't seem to be using the hole I found which is puzzling.

Between this guy(s) and the deer this year is not being very good for me.

Found this today so thought I'd share it here....
<Males may travel long distances, and occasionally at night, in search of a mate. >
From here http://icwdm.org/handbook/rodents/Woodchucks.asp

This may explain why I only see this guy sometimes and seems to go many days in between sightings making him extremely hard to trap as he only shows if I forget to set the trap. But I still haven't found his hole either. I would much rather just smoke the den so I don't have to do anything with him/her/them.

I think LoneJack's "lead poisoning" means shooting the groundhog...at least that's what the term means around here. It's one way to get rid of the groundhogs if shooting is legal and safe around your garden area.

I don't think there is any question what "lead poisoning" means.

IMO that requires time and patience among many other things.

so far, cat pee and dog pee is keeping the varmint away.

Not sure where you are putting this stuff but I have a colony of feral cats who frequent my yard/garden daily but that doesn't seem to discourage this woodchuck I see.

Tho I have tried things like fox (& coyote) urine in the past. One year I placed a fox tail near the entrance and a fox leg where he was feeding and thought that worked.

These days my goto is the smoke bombs but that requires you to find their hole.

Trapping requires the varmint to play along and enter the trap. IF it has been trapped and transported that is not likely to happen again - which is another reason not to make your problem someone elses problem by relocating the critter. (Some) People seem to think that is humane.

Woodchucks are food for fox, coyote and raptors. Thank you for not resorting to poison. Would chicken wire (buried and tall enough to keep the climbers out) help?

I think so much depends on the varmint and your setup. Always worth a try while you try something else. Hunger and food supply will determine the outcome.

I have (already) tried most of the urban garden legends like leaving a radio on a talk channel or leaving juicy fruit gum, etc. and on and on.

I guess this will be a season for the farmers market which I go to just to see my buddies even if I'm not buying.