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dliw
Premium Member
join:2003-03-09
Elsewhere

dliw

Premium Member

Groundhog problems

We are beginning to have a real problem with groundhogs around our home. One in particular causes concern it may undermine the bank the left side of the house sits on.

We live on about an acre within city limits so I can't shoot them. We don't have the resources to flood them out. Can someone recommend a poison or other substance to get rid of them.

Thank you in advance.

cdru
Go Colts
MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN

cdru

MVM

Trap. Poison pellets. Deterrents such as ammonia.

The most fun would probably be The Rodenator.

Spork35
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA

Spork35 to dliw

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to dliw
Even in city limits there are normally exceptions to the rules. We can't use a firearm within 150 feet of a building/road/etc. here but if it's a .22 caliber firearm, we're doing it after dark, and for the purpose of removing creatures that are impacting our property then it's legal.

That said you can normally rent a 'Havahart' trap locally for like $5-10 a week. That will allow you to capture them. The downside is in most places it's illegal to transport the creature. Once captured you need to kill the creature or release it.

"Giant Destroyer" is a smoke bomb designed to kill creatures as well. The downside is you don't know if they are in the hole and if you actually killed them. Most creatures have a few ways to get in/out of their place so unless you block them all to trap them before smoking they can just escape.

I'm pretty sure poison for anything over the size of a mouse/rat is illegal almost everywhere. The volume of poison you'd need to kill a groundhog would be substantial!

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine to dliw

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If you have a groundhog problem you have a grub problem. Kill the grubs. No grubs, no groundhogs.

Otherwise I've used revenge smoke bombs.

Spork35
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA

Spork35

Member

said by fifty nine:

If you have a groundhog problem you have a grub problem. Kill the grubs. No grubs, no groundhogs.

Otherwise I've used revenge smoke bombs.

You don't have to have a grub issue to have a ground hog. The person next to you could have the grub issue. They just happen to have a hole on your property. I got this t-shirt last year. Lucky for me all I had to do is place a 12"x12"x1" paver square over the hole. I tried filling it in but the ground hog just redug it. The paver over the hole kept the ground hog next door. It's still there and we see it once a week.

Msradell
Premium Member
join:2008-12-25
Louisville, KY

Msradell to dliw

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to dliw
Just get some of these: »www.amazon.com/The-Giant ··· 8&sr=8-1 or ones like them. They're very effective and easy to use.

dliw
Premium Member
join:2003-03-09
Elsewhere

dliw

Premium Member

Is this effective on groundhogs as well as moles?

Spork35
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA

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I'd imagine so but never tried the smoke bombs on ground hogs. You can normally get them at Home Depot for like $4-5 so worth trying for the cost.

pende_tim
Premium Member
join:2004-01-04
Selbyville, DE

pende_tim to fifty nine

Premium Member

to fifty nine
said by fifty nine:

If you have a groundhog problem you have a grub problem. Kill the grubs. No grubs, no groundhogs.

Grubs + Groundhogs, that is a new one, never knew that.

I have an neighbor that has experienced Grubs and Skunks, but thought groundhogs are more vegetarians.

A find a .22 LR HP is the best deterrent, but then again I am in the country. It is not unusual to hear shooting from high capacity magazines ( 10-15 shots) on weekends here so an occasional .22 pop is no big deal.

Tim

indeedy
@videotron.ca

indeedy

Anon

said by pende_tim:

said by fifty nine:

If you have a groundhog problem you have a grub problem. Kill the grubs. No grubs, no groundhogs.

Grubs + Groundhogs, that is a new one, never knew that.

I have an neighbor that has experienced Grubs and Skunks, but thought groundhogs are more vegetarians.

Skunks, racoons and ground hogs will feed on nice juicy grubs. Part of their natural diet.

Cat urine works well for ground hogs (ie emptying a litter box near their hole or nest). But for a large parcel of land, best to just has a few cats loose.

Spork35
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA

Spork35

Member

said by indeedy :

said by pende_tim:

said by fifty nine:

If you have a groundhog problem you have a grub problem. Kill the grubs. No grubs, no groundhogs.

Grubs + Groundhogs, that is a new one, never knew that.

I have an neighbor that has experienced Grubs and Skunks, but thought groundhogs are more vegetarians.

Skunks, racoons and ground hogs will feed on nice juicy grubs. Part of their natural diet.

Cat urine works well for ground hogs (ie emptying a litter box near their hole or nest). But for a large parcel of land, best to just has a few cats loose.

I wonder what the odds are of a cat getting close to a 1 foot hole given a property size of say 1/2 to 1 acre. I'd be playing the lottery if I though that would solve the problem. I'd stick to traps, smoke, or a gun.

Pacrat
Old and Cranky
MVM
join:2001-03-10
Cortland, OH

1 recommendation

Pacrat to dliw

MVM

to dliw
I think there is some confusion in here between goundhogs and moles. Most of the groundhogs I have ever seen would give a good-sized dog a pretty good fight... let alone an averaged-sized cat. I don't think a cat would tangle with a groundhog. Moles... yes, but not a full-grown groundhog which can grow to as large as 30#. Moles which are quite small... their weight is usually expressed in ounces, burrow in search of food (grubs, worms, etc). Groundhogs burrow to create homes/dens. Moles burrow near the surface of the soil... in proximity to the roots of the grass. Groundhogs burrow quite deep, and other than the entrance to the burrow, they're pretty-much undetectable.

Spork35
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA

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We guesstimated the ground hog we have at ~25 lbs.

garys_2k
Premium Member
join:2004-05-07
Farmington, MI

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to dliw
Cats do have a pretty good sense of smell, good enough to find a mole or groundhog hole and stake it out, as cats do, for a pounce. But groundhogs are big enough to be nasty -- my dog took down a couple once but another bit her badly enough that she broke off the fight. She was skittish about them after that.

I guess a cat could take a groundhog but it wouldn't be quick or easy. Could imagine a dead cat pretty quickly after such an encounter.

Spork35
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA

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to dliw
I was this very close to shooting it when we first seen it. The wife didn't want me to kill it so that's when I tried filling the hole then putting on a 30 lb stone cap. We enjoy seeing it next door on the other side of the fence 1-2 times a week. I'd still like to nail it with my bow, shotgun, rifle, or hand gun. Maybe one day it will disappear when I get bored and she's not home. *egrin*

george357
Premium Member
join:2009-09-18
Marshall, NC

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If you have access to a .22 rifle or revolver got to Walmart or your local gun shop (preferably) and get some .22 CB Short ammunition. These are very quite especially when fired from a rifle at relatively close distances to the target and have enough oomph to dispatch a ground hog. This ammo will not cycle a semi-automatic action but can still be fired singly.

Bamafan2277
Premium Member
join:2008-09-20
Jeffersonville, IN

Bamafan2277

Premium Member

said by george357:

If you have access to a .22 rifle or revolver got to Walmart or your local gun shop (preferably) and get some .22 CB Short ammunition. These are very quite especially when fired from a rifle at relatively close distances to the target and have enough oomph to dispatch a ground hog. This ammo will not cycle a semi-automatic action but can still be fired singly.

I was going to suggest the CB Short also. They are very quiet and at short range will do quite well. Most people won't hear the shot if they are 25 feet away.
jfmezei
Premium Member
join:2007-01-03
Pointe-Claire, QC

jfmezei

Premium Member

Have you considered filling his hole with gravel and rocks ? (and insert moth balls in there to give the rest of his lair an unpleasant smell).

Evertime he digs a new access hole, you fill it up with gravel. Eventually he should get the hint and move to a more hospitable home.

Note: while you may see them as slow lazy creatures, they can attack humans if you get them mad enough.

bbrcat
Remembering Lisa...
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join:2000-12-09
FL
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ARRIS SBG900

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bbrcat to dliw

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to dliw
Hey Ron,

I have used ultrasonic pest controllers(for larger pests) with great success, though not sure if groundhogs might be affected by them.Widely available here and elsewhere.

»www.northerntool.com/sho ··· lpartial

»www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ ··· repeller

Jim
Tig
join:2006-06-29
Carrying Place, ON

Tig to dliw

Member

to dliw
Fill the hole with a mix of dirt and powdered chlorine. Wallyworld carrys the chlorine for pools. It should only take a couple ounces to drive them away. Repeat if he digs a new hole.
My wife came up with this idea to drive away the chipmunk tunneling under our pool. Worked first time.

dliw
Premium Member
join:2003-03-09
Elsewhere

1 recommendation

dliw

Premium Member

Thank you everyone for the replies. Very much appreciated. Definitely no grubs or moles. Just huge groundhogs. Didn't bother with them before because they never came close to the house.

Going to review all the suggestions here and go from there. Once again, thanks to you all.

Spork35
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA

Spork35 to jfmezei

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to jfmezei
said by jfmezei:

Have you considered filling his hole with gravel and rocks ? (and insert moth balls in there to give the rest of his lair an unpleasant smell).

Evertime he digs a new access hole, you fill it up with gravel. Eventually he should get the hint and move to a more hospitable home.

Note: while you may see them as slow lazy creatures, they can attack humans if you get them mad enough.

Our ground hog just kept redigging the same hole we filled. I filled it with rocks once, packed dirt, a combo. Nothing worked. A 30 pound 1 foot by 1 foot stone over the hole was what finally worked.
Spork35

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said by Tig:

Fill the hole with a mix of dirt and powdered chlorine. Wallyworld carrys the chlorine for pools. It should only take a couple ounces to drive them away. Repeat if he digs a new hole.
My wife came up with this idea to drive away the chipmunk tunneling under our pool. Worked first time.

Ouch killing the soil to remove an animal? I'd never advocate anything ILLEGAL and/or HAZARDOUS like that to anyone.
Tig
join:2006-06-29
Carrying Place, ON

Tig

Member

It only take a whiff to get rid of them. You really need to read up on pool maintenance, shock, back flush, muriatic acid etc.. to put this in perspective before tossing around your soil murder accusations. Perhaps flooding them out with distilled water would be better than using a municipal water source which may be (gasp) chlorinated.

Spork35
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA

Spork35

Member

said by Tig:

It only take a whiff to get rid of them. You really need to read up on pool maintenance, shock, back flush, muriatic acid etc.. to put this in perspective before tossing around your soil murder accusations. Perhaps flooding them out with distilled water would be better than using a municipal water source which may be (gasp) chlorinated.

Maintained a pool for over 20 years. I know exactly what happens when undiluted chlorine hits the soil or muriatic acid. I know your trying to protect your views but they have no place here in public.
W7RMS
join:2002-06-06
Veradale, WA

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These look like fun. »www.rodenator.com/

Spork35
join:2011-07-13
Methuen, MA

Spork35

Member

said by W7RMS:

These look like fun. »www.rodenator.com/

I'd love to rent one of those for the day.
iknow
Premium Member
join:2012-03-25

iknow to Spork35

Premium Member

to Spork35
said by Spork35:

said by Tig:

Fill the hole with a mix of dirt and powdered chlorine. Wallyworld carrys the chlorine for pools. It should only take a couple ounces to drive them away. Repeat if he digs a new hole.
My wife came up with this idea to drive away the chipmunk tunneling under our pool. Worked first time.

Ouch killing the soil to remove an animal? I'd never advocate anything ILLEGAL and/or HAZARDOUS like that to anyone.

it DON'T kill the soil, and it is NOT either ILLEGAL and/or HAZARDOUS. i've done that many times, no problems. you have problems if you put it right over the grass.. but only in that one area.
Tig
join:2006-06-29
Carrying Place, ON

Tig to Spork35

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to Spork35
said by Spork35:

said by W7RMS:

These look like fun. »www.rodenator.com/

I'd love to rent one of those for the day.

So to clarify, killing critters appeals to you, but a shovel full of soil should not be put at risk.
Don't get me wrong, I did hunt once (deer) and I do fish pickerel, when I can. I just don't preach.

indeedy
@videotron.ca

indeedy to Pacrat

Anon

to Pacrat
said by Pacrat:

I think there is some confusion in here between goundhogs and moles.

I think the confusion is what cat's do, and how groundhogs react.

I don't mean the cats will eat them, unless the groundhog is old or diseased. Groundhogs, if cornered will put a man in a hospital with it's teeth.

The magic with cats is all in the cat urine that groundhogs despise. They will move nest. Moving out is what you want.

Why? No clue. Maybe cat's are a predator and it doesn't want to be around one when it has pups? Or it could be the ammonia in cat piss?

No clue really. But it works. Tried, tested and true.

I was originally going to live trap them one fall, but then was advised they don't relocate well when live trapped and released elsewhere. They die. Unless it's spring (ie. like now) where they can stake out their territory among the others and nest. But in spring, you just don't know if they have pups in their nest.

That's when I discovered the thing about cat urine on some Canadian Gov environmental website.

Worked like a charm. It moved out on it's own.

But a whole acre? As said above, don't know.