Any advice on how to humanely get rid of groundhogs?

[beam me up scottie]

I use ammonia then block their burrows, here's a wiki with some good tips:

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Groundhogs





Does anyone else have any other methods, comments?

[haikugal]

1. Great! I have quite the active population that moved into the barn while I was living in Oregon...

I hope this works because I'm at my wits end...they are beautiful animals but I don't want so many..and not in my barn!

[beam me up scottie]

2. They are cute in their own way.

When I lived in the city we had one that would munch on dandelions for hours behind our apartment building.

Definitely don't want them under your barn, though.

[haikugal]

5. Is this the method you use, ammonia?

I'll post back with results..if I have any 🐝

[beam me up scottie]

7. I didn't go through the trouble of mixing it, etc.

Straight ammonia worked for me, and quickly.

If they have babies it may take longer.

Maybe sprinkle some flour around the entrances so you can see when they stop going to and from the burrows, then you can seal them up without worrying about the little ones.

[haikugal]

8. Good idea..

There's one at the bottom of the yard..huge...drives the dog crazy..he goes down the hole, or he used to before he got fat...lol.

Fingers crossed...so far none living in the horse pasture.

[beam me up scottie]

9. Dogs are a good deterrent too.

I haven't had a problem since we rescued two strays, they keep opossums, raccoons and all kinds of other rascals away, including humans.

[haikugal]

12. Yep but I can't let mine loose or he goes after the FedEx guy (who's terrified of him)'

Or joggers, horse and buggies...he has to be tied on a run and the groundhog know's it...he teases the dog with his presence. Then when the dog is off line he makes a beeline for the groundhog hole. Our place is the first 'farm' out of town, too busy for a loose dog and the wild things know it.

You have a good heart to rescue your helpers. My little fellow lives with me in the house most of the time...comes to the barn when I feed and groom, he snuffles everywhere but it hasn't made any difference to the groundhogs.

[beam me up scottie]

14. We're lucky we have five fenced in acres.

I'm with you, I would never let ours loose outside the fence, too dangerous.

Both of our dogs were dropped off and left to starve. Maggie, our GSD was almost dead when I found her. No fur left, could barely walk and had bites all over her.

She's now 90+ lbs, furry like a wolf and living out her senior years in bliss.

[haikugal]

15. We have fencing but not where we need it for the dog, yet.

I have plans.

What does GSD mean? Lucky you found each other! Sounds lovely.

People drop off animals all the time around here too, I don't understand it.

[beam me up scottie]

16. German Shepard Dog.

A beauty she is, long hair and big soulful eyes.

Our secondary back up dog is a Staffordshire Terrier.


I don't believe in torture or the death penalty, but when it comes to animal cruelty I could maybe be convinced to bend a little.

[No Vested Interest]

3. Would these work for chipmunks as well? nt

[beam me up scottie]

4. I don't see why not.

I've used ammonia to keep critters out of all kinds of places. It's pretty potent.

[haikugal]

6. Ah..there's my answer...thx

[LunaSea]

10. Trap and relocate

Has been my method of dealing with such critters. Hav-a-hart traps are inexpensive and last for years.
http://www.havahart.com/

Study up on their behavior, it'll help figure out how best to bait and locate the trap as well as give you an idea of how far they need to be taken so they won't return.

I've used a few repellants for discouraging munchers away from the outdoor plants with fair results. Cayanne pepper works well as a general discouragement for all manner of rodentia.

I've tried to avoid using toxic chemistry for dealing with pests, but sometimes a strategic spray of ammonia will do the trick. Peeing into a spray bottle, and liberally dousing a perimeter around the area where they travel can also be effective.

Groundhogs are quite wily, you'll need to be patient and observant.
Good luck!

[beam me up scottie]

11. Excellent advice!

I worry about trapping this time of year because of the young that may get left behind, though.

[LunaSea]

17. Got me a small trap for those occasions

Most of the trapping I've done has been around mating season.
Had a female skunk make her home under the house.

[haikugal]

13. Good advice but I have a skunk that makes regular rounds..

It and all the rest of the wild things here are welcome...just not in the barn, pasture or under other buildings.

I really wouldn't want to trap my skunk...I've dealt with a Rottie that got sprayed in the face..ugh.

[LunaSea]

18. I've wrangled around a dozen or so.

Only been sprayed once. They will sometimes spray when the trap closes, but if you approach them slowly with a blanket or large trash bag held (preferably dark colored)in front of you so they cant see you, and wrap it around the trap, they settle down pretty quick. As it takes a while for their 'nozzle' to reload, if they spray upon trapping, it'll be a while before there's risk of recurrence.

Babies are another story, they have to learn how to control their spray, so pending what their moms have taught them, they can go off at any time.

They are quite shy and extremely nearsighted creatures who have little fear (not surprising) of humans and do give fair warning if they consider you an annoyance. They'll jump up an down a few times with the forefeet before they turn around, but when they turn, back away, they have a range of 12-15 feet, and the mature ones can be excellent marksmen!

Best to leave them be unless they've gotten under a dwelling, particularly around Feb-March.



Number 7 getting ready for the trip to his new lakeside home.
I let him cool off a bit too long, and in his attempt to dig his way out he filled the trap with 25 pounds of dirt and sod.

[haikugal]

19. Wow..Thanks for all the good information :-)

So far only the groundhog's have been a problem, thankfully. That's pretty funny about the babies, the are such pretty animals. I have never seen my skunk but I know when they're here by the smell. I have no idea why the smell is always so strong when it's visiting. Do your skunks smell strongly?

[LunaSea]

20. As far as I know

All skunks spray smells strongly. But the scent fades in a day or so. The wind will carry the scent quite far, so they may not be as near as you think.
Another obvious clue as to where they've been is to look for small patches of overturned sod where they've been digging for grubs. They love several types of birdseed too, so I learned to put the feeders away at night.
Leaving food out for a pet will attract them, as will trash. My first close encounter happened when I stepped out on my carport to see a bag of trash moving. As I approached it, a skunk popped his head out of the bag, wriggled out, followed by another, and both came waddling toward me. I ran inside and feared the worst, which turned out to be some scattered trash. I didn't leave trash where they could get to it after that.

The two primary causes of spraying that I've seen are dogs (or foxes, or coyotes) and males working out territory or mating issues. I acquired my skunk wrangling powers after a female burrowed under my heatpump into a crawlspace, and a couple of horny males decided to seek her favors by fighting it out (skunk-style) under a bedroom. It was an awful week until I located the point of entry (sprinkled some flour around possible locations and watch for tiny footprints) and set up a trap.

Once I reduced the population, and made sure there was no way back under the house, I've not had a problem. I'll see them around on occasion, and get a whiff from time to time, but that just goes with the territory where I live. I've had them come right up and give me a curious sniff when I've been out in the yard with a telescope in the middle of the night, if you don't startle them, they'll wander off without any trouble.

[haikugal]

21. Fascinating. I had a young possum come up within inches realize I was there and lumber off back in

the direction it had come..lol Cute little fellow.

I figure this must be a male skunk who marks his territory because I can tell how far away he is by how strong the scent is and I find his holes in my lawn. Took me a while to figure out what was doing it. You may be right but in this case my nose says your not...also the smell is strong only as long as it is here. When I wander the place the next day I get nothing, no residual odor.

I hope I never have your experience with skunk wrangling or your reasons to learn...lol

Thanks for sharing, very enjoyable.