How smart are groundhogs/woodchucks? - How good is their memory? - Trying to get one

They tend to be pretty dumb. Many times I've seen people miss and then sit there until they came back out. Sometimes 2-3 times.

I'd guess you got him and he made it to his hole to die.

Try one of these, they work wonders
https://www.acehardware.com/departm...er&gclid=COfwiffyu-sCFTaVxQId91wPkQ&gclsrc=ds

I've used this for ground squirrels and moles. Never seen a woodchuck so idk how big they are but the thing is named after gophers so if they're comparable in size I guess it'd work.

Back when I lived in ND for 2 years, foxes and similar critters were dealt by going to the IGA or Coast to Coast and buying M-80s and tossing one or two down the burrow. One time we poured a little gas down there first, a nice fireball also showed us his escape second entrance................. You could always smoke him out

We used to use zinc phosphide for prairie dogs in the pastures and that worked pretty good. There's gas pellets too which are even more effective.

Are you guys kiddin' ???
RODENATOR !!


The only way to go!

LD

They're smarter than some folks think. They also have good eyesight. Try patterning him..... They usually come out in the early morning and early evening to feed. Get that 22 sighted in at about 50 yards or use another one that you can verify the zero on. If there's a spot where you could hide that's within 50 yards of his hole a .22 LR to the head will generally stop a 'chuck in his tracks. I culled 'chucks for years on a friends property with a 22LR and 50 yards was about my limit for that. From 50 to about 125-150 yds. ( about the longest shot possible on those meadows ) I used a 22 Hornet. You may have spooked him pretty good and he'll be ultra cautious for awhile. They sometimes just peek over the edge of their hole and look around for awhile before coming out. If you have one 'chuck it wouldn't be unusual to have more. I have a few about 120 yards out back..... Earlier this year I thought there was only one out there until I saw two out there one day. Then a month later I discovered there's at least three of 'em.

You mighta scared him to another den. Groundhogs generally have several dens across their territory.

I don’t know what y’all call these but there’s one less now

If I want to fill a woodchuck hole and not have it open again, I put a bunch of used cat litter (cat cigars) into the hole then fill it up. They don't like them anymore than we do. They will just dig another. We had one that was digging under the fence in the back yard. A few cigars discouraged him. I was going to terminate him, but he disappeared before I had a chance.

buck460XVR said:

You mighta scared him to another den. Groundhogs generally have several dens across their territory.

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....... That's another possibility. Each den will almost always have more than one entrance / exit hole too.

I’ve used firecrackers, water, smoke bombs, wiener dogs, gasoline, kerosine, diesel, oven cleaner spray, ammonia, just off the top of my head. These have all worked in one way or another.

Some of these are not recommended if they have burrowed under a building.

I've seen some pretty smart ones, seems there the older ones tho. My dad had 2 as pets when he was a kid, he said they were like little dogs. I'll see if I can find the photos when I go to his house this weekend.

I've seen as far as 30 ' if there's a good colony of woodchuck a hole field could be connected together.

If you keep trying traps, use tomatoes. I caught a bunch of them out from under a shed that way. I also supplied the neighborhood kids with firecrackers to disguise other noises that may have happened. The sad thing about it is that I know a guy who actually wanted them on his place so he could work his dogs, that live trap broke the back of most of them and I had to put the critter down rather than turn it loose.

Aim1 said:

When would he come back to the den I scared him from?

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I'd back off a far as you can and watch over the hole, if they think your gone they may come out pretty quick.

The second hole is probably his back door. Fill in both holes and you'l know the next day if he's still there. If he is then just watch early and late and eventually you'll get a shot. Take the head shot unless you want him to self bury. They can carry off an awful lot of .22 lead sometimes. As far as trapping goes, I usually surround the hole with debri and build like a cubby over it leaving him just one way out. No bait in the live trap just a little dirt in the bottom to disguise the steel mesh. I've taken a lot of them both ways.

Aim1 said:

So.....how far would this den be?

I found another home but its only about 10 feet away....I suppose that's not another den? Just another entrance to the one den?

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We've got one down a the cabin that has a burrow under the wood shed. He also has a den several hundred feet away across the road on the hillside. Seems he moves over there when there is activity at the cabin. Because Groundhogs are very territorial, so I'm pretty sure it the same animal.

At 10', you probably have just found the other entrance to the one den.

Apples and a wire tent stake. Stake a couple apples 5 or 6 feet from the entrances. If he's still around, he will find and eat them. Its simple to see if he came by and took some bites. They are creatures of habit. Get him used to eating an apple away from the hole (staked down so he cannot pick up and run back with it). After a couple days, either set out another and watch to shoot him or bait a live trap with one.

I think the trap is too small for a 'chuck. Why not a 110 Conibear and have done with him?
I like the idea of baiting with apples. Start near the hole. Give him a couple free ones. Then start to get them further out. Then with the Conibear laying there. Then set up just beyond the apple. THEN between the den and the apple, with a couple sticks to guide him squarely into it.

Aim1 said:

This is what I bought. Wondering if it's too small for a chuck?


View attachment 938642 View attachment 938643

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I got a 2 pack and those dimensions seem like the smaller size of mine. When I was ridding the property of the vermin I had trouble catching adults in one that size, but I caught a lot of juveniles in it. The adults got caught in the larger size where the ends are more like 10”x10” (guessing at size, it’s not where I can measure it)