[Kamicosmos]

I was going to put this in the Hunting section, but after remembering lots of Shooting Feral Cats/Dogs/Bears/Moose threads here, figured this is where it goes:

My dad has a groundhog (woodchuck) problem. Three of them in the backyard. They come up from their den in the creek bank, get through and over the fence and into the garden and flowerbeds.
He wants to get rid of them because of the floral damage, plus the creekbank collapses a little each year as they dig deeper into it.

Now, the question is how to get rid of them.

He lives in city limits, so we were discussing various ways to do this. Gunshots will get the police on the scene literally in about 30 seconds. He called Animal Control, and they will not come out to trap the animals. He'll have to hire someone to do that (that's what they said!). I suggested getting a hold of a high powered pellet gun, or maybe...if he can get a good shot (former Marine Sharpshooter) maybe use a .22 Short in his single shot .22 rifle.

Now, to further complicate this, my mom (and dad too, but he won't admit it) has grown a bit attached to the cute little hedgehogs, and would prefer not to shoot them. So, is there a non-toxic spray or Old Farmer's Trick to keeping them on the other side of the fence?

TIA, and mods, feel free to move this if needed.

Kamicosmos
Kansas City, Missouri

[Reason]

.22 rifle and a Gemtech silencer.

[sidearm]

Didn't you ever watch "Tom & Jerry" my good man? Some good ol' TNT should do the trick. :evil: That said, I think you're probably on to something with the high powered pellet gun idea.

[Pilgrim]

Move them into public housing. :)

[J Miller]

Personally, if I didn't want to harm them, I'd buy or rent a live trap and relocate them.

No sence in killing something for trying to live.

[zahc]

Isn't it great that we are forced to use a less humane way to kill animals? I meant, when you hit a groundhog with buckshot or a frangible .223 they just go up. Poof. Dead groundhog. And now because of the laws you are considering using a pellet gun to hopefully humanely dispatch a pest animal, not nearly as easy to be humane IMO. so where's PETA when you need them?

[gburner]

use claymore...blame the damage on a
rogue asteroid.;) Seriously, get some live traps and relocate them.

[sidearm]

"No sence in killing something for trying to live."

There's plenty of senSe killing those buggers. They destroy property and can end up putting livestock down. Cattle on my grandfathers ranch used to break legs all the time due to their holes etc. - they multiply ten fold in no time. Shoot em and forget em.

[makdaddy03]

Awe Hell!! Kill'em all and let God sort'em out.

ps
Pellet gun should be ok.

[Kukri]

Shoot, Shovel and Shutup
SSS

[Horsesense]

Fix a hose to the exhaust of your truck, lawn mower etc (get the aluminum flex pipe) and run the hose into the hole (stop up the hole's before starting the gas). It's a humane kill and you don’t have to dispose of the carcass.

If that is not practical, get a crossbow.

I recently read in "farm show magazine" about a guy that made a gizmo that will fill the hole with hot-pepper foam that will kill prairie dogs, you may try a search on the Internet for it.

[Mark Tyson]

Aguila subsonic .22 ammunition. Use in a bolt action gun, NOT in an autoloader; it may not cycle.

I don't like killing critters, I'd rather relocate them, but they are destructive pests and it's got to be done.

[Crimper-D]

"WOOF!!! ":p If you want a specific breed for burrowing varmints, take note that DASHOUNDS were bred that elongated low-slung way to go down Badger holes and take on those nasty customers in their own turf. Groundhogs??? = NO Problem!:D
Good watchdogs, people who don't take them seriously because of their size and shape live to regret it (usually);)

[Coronach]

This was discussed elsenet...

Step 1. Map out the complex of holes and tunnels. Be thorough. Make very sure that you have found every hole. Assuming that none of the holes are near a building or other item that you don't want damaged, proceed...

Step 2. Block up all of the holes but two, preferably two that seem to be at opposite ends of the complex, and are fairly remote.

Step 3. Build a fire near one of the holes. Nothing big, just something long lasting...a nice source of open flame.

Step 4. Open the vent of a propane cylinder and toss it down the other open hole.

Step 5. Hastily cover this hole and leave the area.

Watch and enjoy.

Mike

Mike

[sm]

Groundhog Hunting

see Caddyshack:D

[dinosaur]

Hav A Hart trap. Use melon, they love it. Take to a rural area and release. Then terminate with extreme prejudice!:evil:

If they take up residence under a shed, moth balls will run them off. Never tried them down a hole and I guess you`d have to find them all.

[Feanaro]

Some sort of tasty treat outside one of their high traffic holes and a few rounds of sub sonic .22 and a little patience.

[redneck2]

groundhogs are incredibly tough. When we were kids on the farm, my brother emptied a 22 auto into one, and it almost got back down the hole after at least 8 hits to the body. Unless they're real small, even a real high powered pellet gun will have a hard time

my mom had some in her barn. They used a live trap. I forget what she used for bait, but the melon idea sounds good. Some may be too smart for the trap.

I know from personal experience that the deal with the exhaust works. Usually, they'll bolt from the den, so be ready (maybe with a ball bat).

I use mothballs in my garage to keep mice out of the boat during the winter, so I suspect that'd chase them off, but maybe not very far away.

One "non-toxic" solution (literally) may be what that "Master Gardener" dude Jerry Baker recommends, He mixes 1 cup of lemon dishsoap, 1 little bottle of the absolutely hottest red hot sauce, and 1 bottle of Listerine. Mix 3 or 4 spoonfulls per gallon of water and spray it around the garden. The hot sauce moves them somewhere else.

A sure fire way to keep everything unwanted out is an electric fence. You can get one at TSC or Farm & Fleet. Put the wire about 4" off the ground. Keeps coons out of the corn, too.

Personally, I prefer lead poisoning.......55 grains at about 3,750.

[stevelyn]

Throw packets of D-Con in the holes. If that don't work dump a gallon of gas down the hole wait for the fumes to spead through the tunnels then tetch it off.:evil: :evil:

[Horsesense]

Good GH bait is Apple.

If your going to set a trap, you could cut a small hole in the fence, that they have to clime over, and place the cage trap at the opening. (You could get a Conabear (SP?) trap and put it in one of the holes or a snare if legal), if you do the cut a hole in the fence thing, make sure to do a dry run first to make sure that everything works without a hitch.

[standingbear]

but it takes the fun out of it.cheap,no poison,no catch/release.ready.............get a pack of strawberry flavored bubblegum and drop it down the holes(unwrapped of course).they will gnaw on it and their digestion system cant digest it.its kinda a cruel way to go bein constapated an all but it does the job without poisons and traps.

[earl_simmons]

From my experience with these turdbags, I've found that .177 pellets and .22 Aguila Colibri's (powderless .22 LR) do not get the job done. And anything more powerful will of course generate excessive noise (depending on your neighbors).

[Kharn]

Standingbear:
Supposedly ground hogs love JuicyFruit (another brand of chewing gum) more than anything else on the planet.

Kharn

[WonderNine]

I got a hi powered pellet gun that's actually louder than my Marlin Model 60 .22lr.

[justice4all]

As mentioned, a pellet gun WILL NOT humanely kill a GH. It might inflict a mortal wound, but not before said beast can retreat to his hollow. This, and many of the other methods mentioned, will leave your folks with an awful stink, but I guess you could fill in the holes with dirt, if you can find them all.

I recommend trapping. I've caught more woodchucks with leg hold traps than with anything else, but I was able to dispatch them with a .22 to the head, while your dad is not allowed to do so. So I'd use a Conabear (sic) if they are available where you live, or a live trap that can be dunked into a large container of water.

As mentioned also, it's sad that the most humane way of killeng woodchucks--a centerfire rifle or a shotgun--is not allowed.

[standingbear]

it really works..i know a guy that had them under his barn and through all the trying to get them(water,poisons and trapping) and seeing them ruin everything in the foundation,he tried the gum trick.i know of a disgruntled farmer that had them everywhere and they were getting into his basement in his home even.i volunteered to shoot them but he insisted on burning them out.he said he would try it in an old field because it was away from everything,he dumped a few gallons of gasoline down a hole in an old wheat field and tossed a match in there.eyebrows burnt off and burnt his face and burnt down a portion of the field as the buggers came out a fire..though amusing for bystanders not the way to go about it even if they have destroyed machinery,foundations and cost $$ on vet bills for farm animals.i did eventually get to shoot some of them-got the gum idea from a sewer worker that replaced my water line.guy was a naturalist or something and knew habits of groundhogs,how they will puff out if you gas them to escape or have raised areas in their tunnels to keep water out if you try flooding them out.

[Kamicosmos]

Thanks for all the tips guys! I think we are going with a live trap, and take them out to a new environment. (Where they will probably become someone else's problem! sigh)

I sure would like to try my Bushmaster Varminter on them though...it is a shame that I'm unable to use a tool made specifically for this situation.

My dad said the same thing about the subsonic 22 and pellets. He's seen the critters take too many. He is tempted to just use his .410 on them, but is going to look at some traps. He figures more will be along in the future, so the investment in a trap is probably worth it.

[Soap]

Jeeze, just use a crossbow or a bow.