Does anyone have any secrets to get rid of woodchucks? I know I can shoot them if they're out in the field, but many times they are near buildings or my gas wells where I can't shoot them or use any kind of fire. Any suggestions that you have used that work?
Thanks,
Blake
Quote from: "Blake"Does anyone have any secrets to get rid of woodchucks? I know I can shoot them if they're out in the field, but many times they are near buildings or my gas wells where I can't shoot them or use any kind of fire. Any suggestions that you have used that work?
Thanks,
Blake
I had one living in my garage (dirt floor, and stonewall foundation) - it came in under the garage door, then burrowed in through the old side foundation wall (inside the lean-to addition). I bought Rodent Smoke bombs, lit one and threw it in the hole - then closed up the opening. You just have to be sure the animal is in there first. It worked very well for us.
Quote from: "Blake"Does anyone have any secrets to get rid of woodchucks? I know I can shoot them if they're out in the field, but many times they are near buildings or my gas wells where I can't shoot them or use any kind of fire. Any suggestions that you have used that work?
Thanks,
Blake
Also, to discourage them from visiting the vegetable garden, I also use a mixture of creosote & used motor oil / kerosene and dip 2" wide cloth strips into it, then hang them around the garden - not dripping on or touching the veggies, of course. The biggest challenge is to find creosote nowadays. It's been banned for a good 20+ years.
I had a Springer Spaniel/Black Lab who was chasing down and catching woodchucks until she was about 15 years old. She was the kindest, sweetest, gentlest dog a person could ask for, but she thought it was great sport to chase squirrels and snap their necks. She applied those skills to the groundhogs later in life. She was quite the hunter. Never saw her get hurt by one.
We set out Hav-a-Hart traps and get some that way too.
A combination of methods works best. My father-in-law sat in a lawnchair with a shotgun by the garage for a week. That groundhog was so wary of people he wouldn't show his face as long as my FIL was there. That's when we resorted to the smoke bomb. Quick cheap and easy.
Thanks for the replies John. I did try the smoke bombs several years ago (probably 20) and I recall some worked and some did not. I think the ground absorbs some of the fumes. Same with using exhaust gas from an engine. The chuck's system is designed to run on very low oxygen levels and they can tolerate a lot.
I'll try to pick up some of the smoke bombs, though that won't work around the gas wells.
Creosote can be had by cleaning out the chimney on a wood stove. Dissolve the powder from the chimney in kerosene. That could be worth a try. I have tried used cat litter with some success. Dump it down the holes and fill them in. It won't kill the chucks, but does make them want to move. But again, it only works on some chucks.
One idea I got was to get some drip gas or hydrates from gas line drip tanks. It's composed of very light liquid hydrocarbons - probably around butane, heptane, hexane range. I think 5 gallons of that stuff poured down chuck holes would kill them.
One thing I know that works for sure is steam. Put a steam hose in their holes and just turn the steam on until it comes out all the holes. It would cook them in there. But I no longer have a steam engine! A friend used to fill the holes with sewage after he pumped tanks, but that was years ago before there were any regulations on that.
Blake
A Conibear trap at the entrance to the hole is very effective. Almost gaurenteed if you know your on an active hole. Do not use in residential areas where you risk catching domestic pets. They do not come out alive....... Seems to be a lot of woodchucks around here this year too. Must be the year for them !
Thank Eric! I never used any Conibear traps, but I have caught them with leghold traps. Years ago I rigged up some kind of cone-shaped screen that I put over the hole with the trap in it. The screen kept cats out of the hole, but let the light in so the chuck didn't get suspicious. It worked. I guess it is time to resurrect my old idea.
Blake