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groundhog problems
Pat Kiewicz wrote:
Phisherman said: On Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:37:03 -0500, "OhioGuy" wrote: There is a HUGE groundhog living under my shed. I see it in the back yard once in a while, eating my morning glories. Today I went out to check on the kale I planted in a raised bed, and I found that every single plant had all the leaves eaten off! (about 4 inches up) I had really been looking forward to having kale salads this fall - hopefully the plants will recover, but I'm not so sure. Anyway, is there any way to ensure that this groundhog won't do it again? I live in the city, where unfortunately, I'm not allowed to simply shoot the darn thing. Groundhogs love sheds. A plain fence did not work for me--groundhogs can climb fences. The Hav-A-Hart did not work either, groundhogs and muskrats are leary of traps. A beating one over the head did not work. I electrified the fence, problem solved. Fasten sturdy chicken wire or hardware cloth around the shed base. I've successfully trapped groundhogs. I've also smoke bombed them and bludgeoned them with hoes. The key with trapping is to give them something they really want close to their den and hope for bad weather. Apples are what has worked for me. Watermelon is also supposed to be one of their favorites.. Put a taste in the entrance of the trap and the motherload in the back. *Always close the trap in the evening and reopen in the morning, so that you won't be catching opossums, racoons and skunks.* With the smoke bombs, hit the holes when you know they are in them, and use multiple bombs. Tape them to the ends of long sticks, light them, and shove them well down into the hole, then close it up. As for the hoes, a good sharp one and lots of adrenaline are recommended. Peanut butter is a universal bait. Sometimes it take a while but I've never failed to catch a groundhog doing damage to my property. Also, while bow hunting deer, I've taken a couple of groundhogs (taste like chicken) and one actually bit my boot while removing an arrow. Fortunately bite did not penetrate. You have to be carefully challenging any trapped animal. Reminds me of raccoon I caught and pictured: http://home.comcast.net/~frank.logullo/thief.pdf |
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