Groundhog removal
We have a mess of them on our property, but one now living under our front deck (ground level deck)
Anyone have tricks to get them to move out? I have been reading that moth balls may work.
Stan I doubt you will get them to "move out" on their own. They'll have to be trapped or killed.
Swampy I've captured lots of critters with live traps. You can buy them at home depot or lowes. Worth a shot.
sackalso read NJ has stiff fines if caught relocating them... sounds like a lose - lose...
@A good day
Just want to remove the one that is burrowing under our deck.. Read too many stories of the burrows causing havoc around foundations and support structure for footings.
The moth balls work. Spread them all around the house and under your deck. they do not like the smell. BUT watch snakes do not like them either.
Christine I didn't realize there was fines for relocation.....whoops. I wonder what the purpose of the Have A Heart traps are then.
M & K Actually it looks like you are allowed to relocate within a 5 mile radius.
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/relocation_policy.pdf
Rabies Vector Species
Bats are protected under the Endangered and Nongame Species Conservation Act and therefore may not be controlled by lethal means. Evictions and exclusions of bats should only be conducted prior to mid-May and after mid-September to prevent injury and death to young bats. Raccoons, skunks, fox and woodchucks are currently classified as rabies vector species for the raccoon rabies strain currently endemic in New Jersey. Due to the rare occurrence of rabies in opossums, this species is no longer classified as a rabies vector species. As mentioned above,
release locations for foxes must be approved by the Division. If release at the site of capture for the rehabilitated raccoons, skunks and woodchucks is impossible, the following restrictions apply.
Rehabilitated Juvenile Rabies Vector Species
All young of the year must be released within the county of origin in suitable habitat and with permission of the landowner. No releases are allowed on federal, state, county or municipal land without prior written permission. If no private land is available for release, the Division may approve a release on the closest state Wildlife Management Area on a case by case basis.
Adult Rabies Vector Species
Releases of adult rabies vector species must take place within the township of origin in suitable habitat and with permission from the landowner. No releases within the township may be greater than a 10-mile distance from the capture site for raccoons and 5 miles for skunks and woodchucks. No releases are allowed on federal, state, county or municipal land without prior written permission. If no private land is available for release, the Division may approve a release on the closest state Wildlife Management Area on a case by case basis.
that is the link to the state site of what is acceptable. M & K from what I read if the animal need to be disposed of the have a heart trap is just to catch it then humanly euthanize it. Most of the document explains that cathcing and releasing is consiidered cruel if the animal is unfamiliar to find shelter and food in the new surrounding and second point was risk spread of disease.
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/relocation_policy.pdf
jdem If your worried about fines for moving them, remember dead groundhogs tell no tales.
Some advice: When ridding your grounds of pests...don't ask anyone. The critters have more rights than you do. Research it on the internet and take care of it yourself.
hjc Get a dog. Then when his little groundhog rump comes waddling to his home under your deck, let Fido out. It will scare the poop out of him and he will find another deck to live under. Just make sure to strap that dog into a car seat on the way home from the pet store though...
I agree with hjc.
Goundhog season is open March 1st through September 26th and a few days later in the year depending on what you use. There is no limit on how many you take. If you're going to use a rifle make sure you have your rifle permit up to date.
I have a couple of them living underneath my shed, which rests upon a layer of QP (rocks). There is approximately a 4 inch gap between the floor of the shed and the rock surface. Is there any reason why I shouldn't let them be?
Clawdia I guess if your in a residential area they're not a big problem aside from the holes and piles of dirt. Worst thing they might do is wipe your garden and flowers out in a day and then your neighbors the next day. In the fields the holes and piles of dirt they leave behind are hard on equipment.
Natalie, groundhogs will fight back when cornered by a dog. They have very long front incisors. A friend of mine had a German Shepherd that had to have several stitches in the dogs lip and nose because of a battle with a groundhog.
All I know is I'm going to keep trapping and relocating. If the state can relocate the nuissance bears to my town.....then I will release my nuissance groundhogs as I please.
Don't relocate them near my place unless you give them some vitamin .22 first. I don't want the dumpster diving bears either
FYI I had a neighbor that eveicted a groun hog only to have a skunk move in. If he isn't causing a problem he might be the better of guests.
CJ. Stan
A neighbor's daughter was tanning on their deck in her bathing suit and a groundhog living under their deck bit her and she had to undergo rabies shots. I've read that groundhog families will kick out the adolescent males and they need to find a new home and they will be territorial and attack any interlopers.
Chickadee I say relocate. You are correct in the possible issues regarding footings and the foundation. I had one make an enormous hole along side the foundation which in turn allowed a perfect inlet for water into the basement. They are great little excavators!
Greg I wouldn't recommend Natalie's advice about letting the dog out. They are scrappy little animals and have no problem fighting a dog.
MB I agree about not letting a dog scare them away. Our german shorthaired pointer cornered one and got his tongue pierced in return. He did end up killing it though. Not a pretty sight.
lola Our dog took a groundhog out last week. It was pretty amazing to watch. We came out the front door when the groundhog was on the front walk. In a split second, our dog jumped to where the groundhog was, held it down and grabbed it by the neck and proceeded to snap the neck.
She was so proud of herself that she wanted to parade her conquest around the neighborhood. So the one under our front porch is gone. now just have to get the one at the back of the property - but that has a nest under a tree that would not do any damage if it fell, so we are not as anxious to get rid of that one.
We just now need to get rid of the family of rabbits that is under our porch as well.
Coralie Are you kidding me? My dogs scare the crap out of them, they chase them into the woods. Has anyone honestly seen a groundhog stand up to two snarling dogs? They just run away. Get a grip.
Get rid of groundhogs?! I can't imagine living without my adorable groundhog companions, Nadia and Ivan!
LoneWolf Natalie - if a groundhog is cornered, it will get very nasty and put up a fight, often leaving the dog good and bloodied. Otherwise, if it has a route of escape, it will try to do so.
Rebecka shoot them with a .22 and then bury them in the yard.
you can also take ashes from the fireplace and mix them with old car oil and dump that down the holes, they don't like that, it's a toxic brew that clings to their hides and they will 'self-deport'
dogs are a good option but they have to be big enough to take them out, and they will do it
BrotherDog As I stated, the dogs chase them into the woods, so there is plenty of area to escape. Otherwise, if my dogs got hurt, I would have to strap them down in my car and drive them to the vet. Haha, I just can't let that silliness go!
I read a story about an 80-year old getting hit by a rabid groundhog. Think of it as a long sausage muscle. She couldn't get it loose, had to wrestle with it into the pond, hold it under and drown it before it would let go.
My lab used to grab em and shake em to death, much fun to watch. However, the dog kept doing it even as she aged and finally one escaped the grasp, turned in the air and bloodied her up pretty well. So be careful with setting the dogs on em.
Holes are the real danger, bad for horses and humans, makes for a nasty break.
Havaheart, apple, works great. Do not try to smoke em out. Just makes them crack addicts and you might burn your shed or deck down. If you can see the holes, I find that putting long sticks, like 6-footers in, lots of em, makes them move. Later I remove the sticks and fill it. Fireplace ash works pretty good too but need to wet it to get that cement action going.
mistergoogle Yes, Natalie, I have. I have two pit bulls and they have been injured in the past when they confronted a ground hog.
going to try the moth balls. saw a ground hog the other day - its living under my ground level deck - - (thought my dog scared off all the wildlife in my yard - havn't seem my chipmunks or rabbits since I got her ) . as soon as I let my dog out she is barking and trying to reach it. afraid she is either going to go under the deck after it or get bitten. she's a terrier mix not very big (20 lbs) and I'm afraid she is going to get hurt or stuck under the deck. she's fearless for her size and won't back off until I grab her by the collar and pull her away.
margaret You can always use the farmer's solution. Plug up one side of their lair (they always have an emergency exit) and then pipe in exhaust from your tractor (car) into the other hole. Puts them to sleep, permanently.
I had a German Short Hair that used to kill them regularly, and leave them on the front lawn. Like he wanted us to skin them or something for his dinner. It really was something to watch. He would stalk them until he was a few feet away. Then pounce and snap their necks. They never knew what hit them. Man that dog was quick. He would catch rabbits, weasels, possum. He was undefeated until he met a porcupine. Poor guy had quills everywhere. Tongue, nose, snoot. You can't pull them out yourself. Vet time.
MeisterNJ All of a sudden? LOL
Sadly, I agree that the .22 is probably your best option here.
Calico696 I do not think it is legal to discharge a firearm in your back yard. Even if it is hunting season I believe you will get in a lot of trouble. One animal nut loving neighbor will call the police and you will have serious problems.
GroundHogDay No, it is NOT always okay to discharge a firearm in your backyard. There are laws against use of firearms in a residential area, regardless of whether you own the property. Be warned!
I would check with the local authorities. Pretty sure it is not legal if you have neighbors within a certain distance. If I'm worng, happy blasting...:)
Crazy Cat Lady You can try gas cartridges. You light it.. drop it in the hole. Plug both ends of the burrow and no more groundhogs.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Giant-Destroyer-Gas-Bomb/dp/B000BQLWCS
I myself am very upset with my great dame today, there has been a ground hog living in our backyard for weeks, today when I let her out in our fenced in yard see won the battle the ground hog could not run fast enough when I saw what was happening I went to stop my dog but it was to late she was throwing it around like a toy, I brought her into the house and went and check on the groundhog and unforuntaly it was dead, I was so mad at my dog for doing this. Yes, it was only a ground hog but my dog was mad for killing it,
saak The groundhog in my yard didn't appear to be too scared of my 50lb lab/pointer mix. Unfortunately for him, he will never again see his shadow. Dog had some nasty cuts on her face and cost me a good penny at the vet. Later that afternoon I saw another groundhog so i probably have a whole family under my shed. I don't want my dog fighting them all and they don't want to move out. I'd rather not kill em if I don't have to. Do any of the repellent products on the market work?
It appears that animals like my small backyard. I have 2 ducks that have found my pool a nice place to lounge and groundhogs that like to feast on my flowering weeds.
I have a groundhog hole in the back and found out today that they did indeed have 3 babies! I'm not bothered by them and they don't seem to be bothered by the dog either. I don't have a garden and their hole isn't near any foundation so I'm not sure what to do. Any advice? Must I get rid of them?
grapes No need to get rid of them. Especially if they do not bother you. Not to mention they like to nibble weeds! I love my groundhogs the babies are very cute and they leave my veggie garden alone with help from some hot pepper spray. On the plants not the groundhogs. :)
suzique Shoot the darn thing.
They've ripped the lip of a past dog that I had. The dog was part malamute and wolf.
Live in a residential area, use a bow and arrow! No one will no anything then. Hubby used to use the bow right out the front window and got them every time. One did undermine a neighbors deck. And, where there's one, there's more!
Magpie Two nights ago a rather large one bit my dog's tongue The dog is fine, but I would like to get rid of the nasty ground hog. It lives under my garage. (the dog was here first)
Ms Fishy Suzique,
When one of those things is rabid - especially if it is the "aggressive" rabies - watch out and have fun. They are a heckuva lot faster than you think and those teeth and claws can do some damage. Because I live in New Jersey, I couldn't get to the gun through the twenty layers of necessary security in a timely fashion and the dog had to take care of it when it decided to attack one late-summer eve.
Of course, a fox family have since moved in to the vacated den. Yet another thing to keep an eye on.
Lions and tigers and bears and groundhogs and bob cats and mountain lions and foxes and dandy lions and anything else that may frighten, attack or annoy us. OH MY! Have a safe weekend. Remember those who have served. I know I will.
"Shoot the darn thing.
They've ripped the lip of a past dog that I had. The dog was part malamute and wolf.
Live in a residential area, use a bow and arrow! No one will no anything then. Hubby used to use the bow right out the front window and got them every time. One did undermine a neighbors deck. And, where there's one, there's more!
Magpie
1 day ago"
Yeah, nothing could go wrong with that plan...
http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20121016/NJNEWS/310160023/Hackettstown-man-charged-killing-black-bear-bow-arrow
Gadfly Easiest way to eliminate is lead poisoning. Inject them with a .22 caliber bullet. This is not normally a good idea in town or if you do not have a gun there is another option.
Safest way to eliminate is a Hav-A-Hart trap in the correct size. I'm not a big fan of relocating your problem to someone else's yard, so once trapped you can drop the trap into a garbage can full of water. Harsh I know but effective and safe.
Agust since when is watching an animal kill another animal fun? If you have to get rid of these animals please be humane about it.
pumpkin43 "since when is watching an animal kill another animal fun?"
at least since 1978... i can't really speak to anything that happened before that.
ianimal Carter was president, there were 3 or 4 channels on the TV, I was still a year or two off from getting Atari... yeah, not exactly a banner year, lol. Watching my cat hunt mice and birds was about the height of excitement for my 6-year old self, lol.
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