HELP getting rid of groundhog!

[Red Mountain]

Anyone else have a groundhog problem? How did you get rid of it/them???
We have a bench on our front porch that SOMETHING has been chewing on for a couple months. We finally saw the varmint: a groundhog! He has also dug holes under our ground-level deck. I tried using ShakeAway and it didn't work (I think he thought it was a condiment). We filled in the holes in with rocks and he just moved them away. We got a have-a-heart trap but he didn't go for it (baited with apples). My husband said better he chews on the bench than the log home, but I want the critter GONE! Suggestions?

[northernss454]

Fine his runs undergroung by using a long sharp rod or stick, poke around his mound and when you find the trail dig a hole and set a trap. Cover hole with a piece of plywood and you should have him the next day,make sure he can't see no light through plywood.. Done it many of times its the only way or anhydrous works if you have access to it.Just fill the hole with the nastly gas and he will die.

[GordonMcAlister]

We've had many Groundhog problems in our NJ yard, over the years, raiding our Veggie and Flower gardens. We use to set a "Have-A-Heart" trap (available from Home Depot, get the Large one) with lettuce, to capture and then relocate the Groundhogs to other wooded areas far, far away. Then one night we caught a Skunk instead of those pesky Groundhogs. Called in the local Animal control experts, as we didn't want to be sprayed. Animal control, upon extracting the Skunk advised us that we faced fines for catching and relocating Groundhogs, so we stopped (check with your local Animal control department before you set any traps, to make sure your not in any violation of current laws). We just had a Groundhog set up home under our deck and he took to chewing up the waterline to our sprinkler system. After a few 100 $ repair bill this spring, our sprinkler company told us to toss in a few smoke bombs in the holes and covered all but one. Then, once he exited the burrow, we dropped moth balls into all the holes and sprinkled some "Ridder Critter" in each hole before filling them in with top soil. I don't know where he moved to, but he's no longer living in our yard. Smoke bombs and Ridder Critter are both available from Home Depot or Lowe's, Moth Balls came from Sears Hardware (I wonder how they get their little legs apart? Sorry). Of course, a .22 will also get rid of them for good :eek:, but I perfer methods of relocation as a first option. Up in Vermont we don't worry about the Groundhogs, we're more concerned with the Fishercats messing with our Dogs. The Bears, Moose, Deer, and Coydogs don't bother us we live the wildlife, but them Fishercats ( http://home.mcn.net/~wtu/fisher.html ) are just plain Nasty!

Good Luck!
Regards
Gordon

www.ottersrun.com

[Jon Fife]

That's really cool Gordon! I'd never heard of a fishercat before......I see they are a smaller cousin to a wolverine. What kind of problems do they cause for you? Kill cats or something?

[Red Mountain]

Never heard of a fishercat. Do me a favor and keep them in Vermont, ok? Got enough trouble with the dang woodchuck (groundhog). Part of our problem is we haven't moved in permanently yet, so the critter has free reign during the week. I rigged up some aluminum pans hanging from strings so they clang together when the wind blows, but apparently the woodchuck thought that was lame. The ShakeAway (critter ridder?) didn't bother him. I like the smoke bomb idea. Hemmingway was right: man against nature.

[GordonMcAlister]

As I understand it, Fishercats were trapped out of existence in Vermont back in the 1930s. They were prized for their high quality pelts, much like their distance cousins the Mink. Never a good thing to trap a species out of existence, but it happened none the less. No one ever said man was the brightest bulb in the food chain (we all know it's the Space Aliens, yes the Space Aliens :eek: ).

The story goes, as it was passed down to me, that a few years back, the State Forest Management department was having a problem with pesky Porcupines. You see, the Porcupine likes to climb trees and chew on the bark of tree limbs. Once the bark is gone the tree limbs become exposed to insects, mold, fungus and disease. This causes the limbs to rot, and fall off to the ground, where they continue to decay and break down into fertilizer and mulch, which gives life to new tree seedlings, and continues the natural circle of life in the forest.

Well that's not good, as all good Government Forestry Managers know, we can't have uncontrolled Porcupines chewing on bark, why that might make a mess on our forest floor! What we need is a way to control them there Porcupines, let's see what is the Porcupine’s natural predator?

Oh, Oh, I know, I know, Pick me, Pick me!

Sir, the natural predator of the Porcupine is the Fishercat! Unfortunately, when Vermont was being developed by humans for residence, and farming, they were all trapped out, back in the '30s, but I know where we can get some! We can import a bunch of them from Canada, they got a whole mess of them up there, and those Canadians ain't to fond of them. I'm sure they won't mind giving us a few, for a fair price.

Sounds like a good plan, let's do it! Gotta keep those pesky Porcupines on the straight and narrow!

So after years and years or human development, and an Eco system that has adjusted to the lack of a species, the state of Vermont brings in a whole mess of Fishercats for a release and re-introduction program to control those rotten, bark eating Porcupines, in our State Forests.

Now, anyone who has lived in, or visited the Great State of Vermont knows, man has built towns, farms, resorts, and homes peppered throughout the States forests. This is what makes Vermont so special, man living in harmony with nature and being good stewards of all the God has given us (yes some of us have learned from past mistakes, and actually take care of building our homes to coexist with nature and the surrounding wildlife). So, now we have homes, towns, farms, resorts, and people living in areas that did not exist back before the 1930s, and now we have a re-introduction of the Fishercat, a species with retractable "bear like" claws and snarling teeth to match, a low rider that, silently weaves in and out of brush, and in and out of trees, with the speed of a bullet!

Well, shortly after their arrival, our new friends the Fishercats had their first annual meeting of the, "International Fishercat Union, and the Cats Into Organization" at the local Vermont Forests. Here, deep in the woods under a canopy of Red and White Birch, and tall dark Pines, witnessed only by a bunch of bark munching Porcupines, high up in the tree tops, the leader of the "IFU-CIO" proposed the following:

"Welcome to all our distinguished members from all the surrounding forests of Vermont. As you all know, we were brought here against our will from our Northern home, and are now expected to rid this place of Porcupines, all for meager wages, with no hope of advancement in the natural order of things. I say this will not do! As you all are keenly aware Porcupine do not taste very good, in fact they are quite gamy, and those pointy quills are extremely painful. After, catching one, and if you’re lucky enough to avoid multiple pricks, and you do finally get through all those quills, you'll find there isn't very much meat on those bones. Well, I've been over the ridge, and I've seen the promise land with my own eyes. Yes, just over there, and downtown are a whole mess of soft, fuzzy, and meaty house cats, small dogs, chickens, and other small domesticated animals just waiting for us. In fact many are chained to back porches, or penned up in fences, there’s no chase involved, it’s as easy as shooting fish in a pond! I say, if we, the members of the IFC-CIO, work together we can forget those pesky Porcupines and live fat off the
community at large. We can greatly expand our numbers, and eventually rule this place know as Vermont! Who’s with me! Can I get a Grrrrr! GRRRR! Ok let’s do it guys, and don’t forget Union Dues are due by next Thursday’s meeting!”

So here we have it, our Forests are being over run by these “Union Thugs”, and the towns, homes, and farms are being raided nightly, as family pets and livestock are dying in fights, and being eaten by our new friends the Fishercats! And now, what of our old friends the pesky Porcupine, well they just shrug their quilled shoulders and happily go about doing, what they do best, munching away on the bark of old tree limbs, bringing new life and growth to the Vermont forests.

So, what’s a Forest Management Department to do? Well, there was talk of bringing in the natural predator of the Fishercat for re-introduction to our States Forests. Oh, what’s that you ask, why it’s the friendly Timber Wolf!...... No, no, not good, Timber Wolfs have been know to eat little human babies, and there’s a bunch of them living downtown....Let’s stop while we’re ahead! Ok guys, just leave well enough alone.

Government Management! Stupid is as Stupid does! It’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature! :mad:

Regards
Gordon

PS. I had a Fishercat face off with me last Sunday AM while I was gardening. Not the first time I’ve come head to head with these critters. They are getting very bold these days, and I’ve taken to strapping on a .45 side arm when working in the yard.:D Frankly, they scare the poop out of me!:eek:

[Jon Fife]

hahaha!! Great post Gordon!:D

That sounds like an interesting critter to say the least! Is it against the law to shoot them?? I don't necessarily like killing animals, even if hunting, but I don't object to it either especially if they are causing you damage.

Red Mountain---I am assuming you don't have any dogs or cats?? I'd think either of them would get rid of a groundhog. My dogs are boxers and are the farthest thing from aggressive, but when something like that or a rabbit, etc makes it way into my yard, they just instinctively kill it----I actually don't even think they mean to, but that is the end result. But as far as a nuisence goes, I'd prefer to let that happen and it be more in line with nature as opposed to just shooting it.

One other thing---I believe you said the only thing he is really doing that bothers you is gnawing on wood---I've seen stuff at the pet store that you can spray on furniture, etc. that tastes terrible to the pet if they touch it. Or maybe try ammonia? Cedar chips/shavings will also keep a lot of pests away.


Gordon---you are obviously a dog lover----what about getting yourself a pair of outdoor Huskies that have a higher-than-normal percentage of timber wolf in them? IMO, they are great outdoor dogs and tend to be far less of a "pet" than most dogs, due to their tendacy to be more distant. IMO, dogs do great when they have a purpose in life, and the huskies would probably thrive on that task!

[GordonMcAlister]

Hi Jon,

Shooting a Fisher is illegal in VT, but you are allowed to trap Fishers without limit from December 1st thru December 31st. (Oddly, I have never seen a Fishercat in the winter, they usually appear in the Spring, Summer, and early Fall, so I get the feeling Fisher Season is not to productive, plus the State makes a big deal, that you be real careful not to trap any Bobcats when targeting Fishers). All carcasses and pelts must be presented to the state Wildlife department for tagging.

I believe in following the rule of law, and would not happlessly shoot a Fishercat or any other Wildlife, that I was not licensed to hunt, or was out of season (Shooting or Bow). We actually enjoy the local wildlife and are always in awe when we are visited by Moose, Deer, Turkeys, Eagles, Owls, and Hawks (Had a 500 Lb Bear visit last fall, and watched "with respect" from inside the house as he tore out some landscape lights under our Bird feeders scrounging for fallen seed). Having said that if presented with the choice of stopping something from attacking one of our 3 Labs (Otter, Boone, and Flounder) or attacking me or my family, I would only hesitate about a nano second, before I fired 1, and only 1 warning shot. If the attacking critter did not move off, the second shot would barely be heard by the Fisher (or any other Critter), before he heard nothing else.

Yes, I love my Dogs (We're Lab people, but my Mom-in Law and Wife growing up, always had Boxers. Mom's last Boxer, Bambi, use to beat the snot out of my old Chocolate Lab Bailey, once you see a Boxer play, you understand why they're called "Boxers"). Problem with our Labs is, they're Lovable but sometimes stupid when it comes to other Animals, the 3 Boys either want to play with them, or try to mate with them. Yes, Huskies are beautiful and great outdoor dogs, unfortunately I can't afford anymore mouths to feed not to mention any additional Vet bills!

Regards
G

[dr.]

The first fisher I saw came flying through the edge of camp about 10 pm one night. I wasn't sure what I had seen, those things are fast.

I did see our cat go down a whistle pig hole. A fully puffed cat came backing out moments later. The dogs finally got them under control.

bottle rockets and a 22, watch for smoke from the back door ;)

[CharJohn]

Everybody agrees that Gordon needs to write books, right? Or at least, special articles for the website . . . I could read his stuff all day. Am somewhat embarassed to admit I had to think a wee bit about the moth balls joke . . . :o

Okay, groundhogs . . . I have heard (and will soon be testing this theory) that used kitty litter will make them vacate their homes very quickly. I believe we may be onto something with this b/c my sis-in-law bought a house a couple of years ago, which had a small groundhog population in the fenced-in backyard. Once her two extremely spoiled, but lovable housecats got settled in and were given access to said backyard, the groundhogs moved away in great haste, never to be seen again. They evidently hate cats. (While one of these cats could be considered a hunter - brings sis live birds occasionally - the other is too fat to give chase for more than . . . oh, about ten feet.)

We have multiple groundhogs on our property. I was willing to share when they moved in underneath a small house that will be torn down pretty soon. But now they've decided to create a new "town" under our sunporch, which has a crawlspace under it. Found a weak area in the sunporch foundation wall (added onto house in the 1940's) and next thing we knew, one got through the original stonework house foundation and into our basement. Sorry, guys, but you are most definitely not welcome! Our son married into a hunting family and would happily come and take care of them, but I subscribe to a "live and let live" policy. So it's kitty litter down the holes they've dug . . . as soon as we can get to them . . . which means tearing up the sunporch floor . . . which was in the remodeling plans anyway . . .

We actually are having groundhog problems where I work in a very developed corporate park complete with fancy homes and a golf course, to boot. Two of my co-workers have had their cars nibbled on - one had some insulation removed and the other lost an odometer cable. When I remarked that our vehicles have never been touched out here on the farm, I was asked what we drive . . . says I "two Chevy's and a Ford". Was quite surprised to hear that groundhoggies prefer foreign makes???? Anyone else ever hear this?

P.S. Keep them fishercats up there . . . we got enough fighting skunks to keep us occupied. What a racket they make!!

[Red Mountain]

Thanks for the stories, and keep them critters up north, okay? We haven't seen Chuckie (the groundhog) this week. Don't know if the noise from the contractors cleaning and staining irritated him enough to make him vacate, or maybe the coyotes got him.

As for dogs, we have two suburban shelties who haven't quite got the hang of living in the woods yet. They won't go out unless one of us goes out with them (fenced-in yard). One of them barks at the birds, the atv, the ice cream maker, the BBQ tongs (yes, the BBQ tongs) but groundhog? Nah. Might bark back. Not the sharpest creature on the planet (hmm, maybe he should get a job with the VT forest service...).

[Red Mountain]

My husband said I should have grabbed the 22 instead of the camera but, well, you know...Plus I didn't want to put a bullet into the front of the house; my aim's not so good...

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n106/arctic200/chuckie-1.jpg

[montanamike]

don't worry about the bullet hole! It will be a great conversation piece.

[Red Mountain]

That's good! I can hear him now telling all his friends, "yeah, she can't hit the side of a barn, but she sure did pretty good getting the front of the house."