does anyone know of a proven method to repell groundhogs? thanks.

In article sMh0e.17652$I16.296@trndny03,
"FREDERICK INDICTOR" wrote:

does anyone know of a proven method to repell groundhogs? thanks.



Shotgun? ;-)

I've heard they are tasty....
--
K.

On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 17:34:16 GMT, "FREDERICK INDICTOR"
wrote:

does anyone know of a proven method to repell groundhogs? thanks.

As best I can tell, we've had good luck with fencing. We found out
the hard way that you need a horizontal strip of fence along the
ground, to keep them from digging under.

We've tried traps (Havahart, large). We always catch them,
eventually; but, sometimes it takes a while, and they can do a lot of
damage in one night. One time - before we put the horizontal strip of
fencing in - we had the trap right at the hole they'd dug under the
fence. Nothing: they walked right by it.

If it was legal (& safe) to shoot here, I think I'd get a pellet gun.

George

ge wrote:
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 17:34:16 GMT, "FREDERICK INDICTOR"
wrote:


does anyone know of a proven method to repell groundhogs? thanks.


As best I can tell, we've had good luck with fencing. We found out
the hard way that you need a horizontal strip of fence along the
ground, to keep them from digging under.

We've tried traps (Havahart, large). We always catch them,
eventually; but, sometimes it takes a while, and they can do a lot of
damage in one night. One time - before we put the horizontal strip of
fencing in - we had the trap right at the hole they'd dug under the
fence. Nothing: they walked right by it.

If it was legal (& safe) to shoot here, I think I'd get a pellet gun.

George

First George, I don't think that you'd have much luck against a chuck
with a pellet gun. Those guys are tougher than they look.

Also don't you mean a horizontal fence *under* ground level? I've never
seen a fence at ground level that they can't/won't dig under if they
want to. Come to think if it, I don't think I've seen any that had been
sunk down that they couldn't get under.

--
Steve

On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 12:51:36 -0500, Steve Calvin
wrote:

ge wrote:
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 17:34:16 GMT, "FREDERICK INDICTOR"
wrote:


does anyone know of a proven method to repell groundhogs? thanks.


As best I can tell, we've had good luck with fencing. We found out
the hard way that you need a horizontal strip of fence along the
ground, to keep them from digging under.

We've tried traps (Havahart, large). We always catch them,
eventually; but, sometimes it takes a while, and they can do a lot of
damage in one night. One time - before we put the horizontal strip of
fencing in - we had the trap right at the hole they'd dug under the
fence. Nothing: they walked right by it.

If it was legal (& safe) to shoot here, I think I'd get a pellet gun.

George

First George, I don't think that you'd have much luck against a chuck
with a pellet gun. Those guys are tougher than they look.

Also don't you mean a horizontal fence *under* ground level? I've never
seen a fence at ground level that they can't/won't dig under if they
want to. Come to think if it, I don't think I've seen any that had been
sunk down that they couldn't get under.

No, we just laid it on the ground - about a foot wide, coming out from
where the vertical fence touched the ground. AFAICT, it worked for
us: they'd dug a hole under the fence, which they'd clean out when we
tried to block it. That stopped after we put the strip of fence along
the ground.

But, maybe, as time goes on, we'll find that was just wishful
thinking. They do seem to change feeding patterns; maybe, they just
found something more appealing. Or, maybe we won't have woodchucks
this year. Every day is a new adventure.

George

ge wrote:
snip

No, we just laid it on the ground - about a foot wide, coming out from
where the vertical fence touched the ground. AFAICT, it worked for
us: they'd dug a hole under the fence, which they'd clean out when we
tried to block it. That stopped after we put the strip of fence along
the ground.

But, maybe, as time goes on, we'll find that was just wishful
thinking. They do seem to change feeding patterns; maybe, they just
found something more appealing. Or, maybe we won't have woodchucks
this year. Every day is a new adventure.

George

Well, I've never heard that one before! Sounds easy enough! I may give
it a try. Can't hurt! ;-)

--
Steve

On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 22:18:39 -0500, ge wrote:

On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 17:34:16 GMT, "FREDERICK INDICTOR"
wrote:

does anyone know of a proven method to repell groundhogs? thanks.

As best I can tell, we've had good luck with fencing. We found out
the hard way that you need a horizontal strip of fence along the
ground, to keep them from digging under.

We've tried traps (Havahart, large). We always catch them,
eventually; but, sometimes it takes a while, and they can do a lot of
damage in one night. One time - before we put the horizontal strip of
fencing in - we had the trap right at the hole they'd dug under the
fence. Nothing: they walked right by it.

If it was legal (& safe) to shoot here, I think I'd get a pellet gun.

George


How far down did you place the horizontal strip. I have bricked them
in, down to a depth of 3 bricks and they have still dug out from
under.

We trap & release in the woods.

Boron

Boron Elgar wrote:
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 22:18:39 -0500, ge wrote:


On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 17:34:16 GMT, "FREDERICK INDICTOR"
wrote:


does anyone know of a proven method to repell groundhogs? thanks.

As best I can tell, we've had good luck with fencing. We found out
the hard way that you need a horizontal strip of fence along the
ground, to keep them from digging under.

We've tried traps (Havahart, large). We always catch them,
eventually; but, sometimes it takes a while, and they can do a lot of
damage in one night. One time - before we put the horizontal strip of
fencing in - we had the trap right at the hole they'd dug under the
fence. Nothing: they walked right by it.

If it was legal (& safe) to shoot here, I think I'd get a pellet gun.

George



How far down did you place the horizontal strip. I have bricked them
in, down to a depth of 3 bricks and they have still dug out from
under.

We trap & release in the woods.

Boron

Believe it or not you have to be careful with that... in some areas
(including mine) it's perfectly legal to live trap an animal BUT it's
illegal to take and let it go into the woods. You're supposed to call an
animal relocation service and pay to have it done... yeah, right.

How freekin' stoopid is that.

--
Steve

On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 13:31:12 -0500, Steve Calvin
wrote:

ge wrote:
snip

No, we just laid it on the ground - about a foot wide, coming out from
where the vertical fence touched the ground. AFAICT, it worked for
us: they'd dug a hole under the fence, which they'd clean out when we
tried to block it. That stopped after we put the strip of fence along
the ground.

But, maybe, as time goes on, we'll find that was just wishful
thinking. They do seem to change feeding patterns; maybe, they just
found something more appealing. Or, maybe we won't have woodchucks
this year. Every day is a new adventure.

George

Well, I've never heard that one before! Sounds easy enough! I may give
it a try. Can't hurt! ;-)

A couple of things:

- We bent the wires on the cut edge of the horizontal fence, so they
could lock into the vertical fence - that kept anyone from forcing
their way between.

- Be careful if you mow over the horizontal part. That can get ugly.
Not that I would have done anything like that.

George

On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 16:25:10 -0500, Steve Calvin
wrote:

Boron Elgar wrote:
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 22:18:39 -0500, ge wrote:


On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 17:34:16 GMT, "FREDERICK INDICTOR"
wrote:


does anyone know of a proven method to repell groundhogs? thanks.

As best I can tell, we've had good luck with fencing. We found out
the hard way that you need a horizontal strip of fence along the
ground, to keep them from digging under.

We've tried traps (Havahart, large). We always catch them,
eventually; but, sometimes it takes a while, and they can do a lot of
damage in one night. One time - before we put the horizontal strip of
fencing in - we had the trap right at the hole they'd dug under the
fence. Nothing: they walked right by it.

If it was legal (& safe) to shoot here, I think I'd get a pellet gun.

George



How far down did you place the horizontal strip. I have bricked them
in, down to a depth of 3 bricks and they have still dug out from
under.

We trap & release in the woods.

Boron

Believe it or not you have to be careful with that... in some areas
(including mine) it's perfectly legal to live trap an animal BUT it's
illegal to take and let it go into the woods. You're supposed to call an
animal relocation service and pay to have it done... yeah, right.

How freekin' stoopid is that.

In my area, animal control companies are not allowed to remove a live
animal from the premises if they trap it. They have to kill it or
release it on the property.

That is why we take the trap to a unfrequented hiking area & let the
critter go.

I had a neighbor, a policeman, who offered to "get rid of the problem"
for me. How I regret not letting him do it, though, frankly, I think
it is shoveling against the tide.

I had been groundhog free for 3-4 years & my neighbors completely
renovated their yard. Heavy equipment,. waterfall, re-grading...the
whole thing. Once that began, I started getting them again. Last year,
they waited until the Brussels sprouts were just waiting for a frost.
Every leaf, every sprout was eaten. Only the stalks remained.

I keep a large sheet of plywood wedged into the stairs of my upper
deck, where I grow quite a bit in containers. The bast...
um...critters cannot get up there, then, so I can protect that.

They are not hard to trap, and if you can get rid of the whole family
group, you really can be happy for a few years.

Boron

You live trap woodchucks/groundhogs great.NOW KILL THEM.
You relocate them all you are doing is bringing your problem animal to
someone else.Think about it ,you bring them down the road a ways release
them now you have no problem animal.Now a week later(or sooner)you end up
having more than one woodchuck/groundhog problem.Why? Your neighbor down the
road where you disposed of your problem animal has now relocated his problem
animals to your place. Its a viscious cycle.
When you live trap a problem animal KILL IT and Bury It do not give it to
ANYONE ELSE.
There are some lethal smoke bombs on the market that are very effective on
controling problem animals when used properly.
DO NOT RELOCATE PROBLEM ANIMALS
"Boron Elgar" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 16:25:10 -0500, Steve Calvin
wrote:

Boron Elgar wrote:
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 22:18:39 -0500, ge wrote:


On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 17:34:16 GMT, "FREDERICK INDICTOR"
wrote:


does anyone know of a proven method to repell groundhogs? thanks.

As best I can tell, we've had good luck with fencing. We found out
the hard way that you need a horizontal strip of fence along the
ground, to keep them from digging under.

We've tried traps (Havahart, large). We always catch them,
eventually; but, sometimes it takes a while, and they can do a lot of
damage in one night. One time - before we put the horizontal strip of
fencing in - we had the trap right at the hole they'd dug under the
fence. Nothing: they walked right by it.

If it was legal (& safe) to shoot here, I think I'd get a pellet gun.

George



How far down did you place the horizontal strip. I have bricked them
in, down to a depth of 3 bricks and they have still dug out from
under.

We trap & release in the woods.

Boron

Believe it or not you have to be careful with that... in some areas
(including mine) it's perfectly legal to live trap an animal BUT it's
illegal to take and let it go into the woods. You're supposed to call an
animal relocation service and pay to have it done... yeah, right.

How freekin' stoopid is that.

In my area, animal control companies are not allowed to remove a live
animal from the premises if they trap it. They have to kill it or
release it on the property.

That is why we take the trap to a unfrequented hiking area & let the
critter go.

I had a neighbor, a policeman, who offered to "get rid of the problem"
for me. How I regret not letting him do it, though, frankly, I think
it is shoveling against the tide.

I had been groundhog free for 3-4 years & my neighbors completely
renovated their yard. Heavy equipment,. waterfall, re-grading...the
whole thing. Once that began, I started getting them again. Last year,
they waited until the Brussels sprouts were just waiting for a frost.
Every leaf, every sprout was eaten. Only the stalks remained.

I keep a large sheet of plywood wedged into the stairs of my upper
deck, where I grow quite a bit in containers. The bast...
um...critters cannot get up there, then, so I can protect that.

They are not hard to trap, and if you can get rid of the whole family
group, you really can be happy for a few years.

Boron

JRYezierski wrote:
You live trap woodchucks/groundhogs great.NOW KILL THEM.
You relocate them all you are doing is bringing your problem animal to
someone else.Think about it ,you bring them down the road a ways release
them now you have no problem animal.Now a week later(or sooner)you end up
having more than one woodchuck/groundhog problem.Why? Your neighbor down the
road where you disposed of your problem animal has now relocated his problem
animals to your place. Its a viscious cycle.
When you live trap a problem animal KILL IT and Bury It do not give it to
ANYONE ELSE.
There are some lethal smoke bombs on the market that are very effective on
controling problem animals when used properly.
DO NOT RELOCATE PROBLEM ANIMALS


Valid points, but not everyone lives in urban areas. I have access to
vast tracts of woods. Take a chill pill.

--
Steve

Steve Calvin wrote:

JRYezierski wrote:

You live trap woodchucks/groundhogs great.NOW KILL THEM.
You relocate them all you are doing is bringing your problem animal
to someone else.Think about it ,you bring them down the road a ways
release them now you have no problem animal.Now a week later(or
sooner)you end up having more than one woodchuck/groundhog
problem.Why? Your neighbor down the road where you disposed of your
problem animal has now relocated his problem animals to your place.
Its a viscious cycle.
When you live trap a problem animal KILL IT and Bury It do not give
it to ANYONE ELSE.
There are some lethal smoke bombs on the market that are very
effective on controling problem animals when used properly.
DO NOT RELOCATE PROBLEM ANIMALS



Valid points, but not everyone lives in urban areas. I have access to
vast tracts of woods. Take a chill pill.


Oh, and since you're so interested in doing things "right", please don't
TOP POST! Very poor usenet manners to top post.

--
Steve

And it holds true even if you live out in the sticks.Unless you happen to
own thousands of acres than sure relocate them somewhere else on your own
property.
Wether you have access to vast tracts of wood you are still giving someone
else your problem animal.Along with that I have not heard of any state that
allows people to just relocate animals without permits.Must be a reason they
require the permits.

"Steve Calvin" wrote in message
...
JRYezierski wrote:
You live trap woodchucks/groundhogs great.NOW KILL THEM.
You relocate them all you are doing is bringing your problem animal to
someone else.Think about it ,you bring them down the road a ways release
them now you have no problem animal.Now a week later(or sooner)you end up
having more than one woodchuck/groundhog problem.Why? Your neighbor down
the road where you disposed of your problem animal has now relocated his
problem animals to your place. Its a viscious cycle.
When you live trap a problem animal KILL IT and Bury It do not give it
to ANYONE ELSE.
There are some lethal smoke bombs on the market that are very effective
on controling problem animals when used properly.
DO NOT RELOCATE PROBLEM ANIMALS


Valid points, but not everyone lives in urban areas. I have access to
vast tracts of woods. Take a chill pill.

--
Steve

JRYezierski wrote:

And it holds true even if you live out in the sticks.Unless you happen to
own thousands of acres than sure relocate them somewhere else on your own
property.
Wether you have access to vast tracts of wood you are still giving someone
else your problem animal.Along with that I have not heard of any state that
allows people to just relocate animals without permits.Must be a reason they
require the permits.

"Steve Calvin" wrote in message
...

JRYezierski wrote:

You live trap woodchucks/groundhogs great.NOW KILL THEM.
You relocate them all you are doing is bringing your problem animal to
someone else.Think about it ,you bring them down the road a ways release
them now you have no problem animal.Now a week later(or sooner)you end up
having more than one woodchuck/groundhog problem.Why? Your neighbor down
the road where you disposed of your problem animal has now relocated his
problem animals to your place. Its a viscious cycle.
When you live trap a problem animal KILL IT and Bury It do not give it
to ANYONE ELSE.
There are some lethal smoke bombs on the market that are very effective
on controling problem animals when used properly.
DO NOT RELOCATE PROBLEM ANIMALS


Valid points, but not everyone lives in urban areas. I have access to
vast tracts of woods. Take a chill pill.

--
Steve



yeah, to make money for their relocation buddies.

I do not normally reply to top-posting yahoos and typically killfile
them if they choose to continue being rude so if you don't hear from be
again, don't be surprised.


--
Steve