# Groundhog in my yard...what to do? Are they harmless/harmful?



## Swedishchef

Hey guys

I have noticed a groundhog hanging around my greenhouse (nothing grows in it, I store wood in the winter inside the greenhouse) and a couple of wood piles. It it about 80 feet from my house and this morning the little guy wondered within 20 feet of the house. Of course my 3 year old loves it...

Now, I know that they are herbivores. However I am quite concerned about damage it can do to my property such as decks, siding, etc. ANd what if they dig into my septic lines/leach field/septic tank?? Am I paranoid (first time having a groundhog in my yard....) or are these possibilities?

Thanks in advance!

Andrew


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## Highbeam

Wild animals wandering near your house and near people? Could be sick or rabid. Either way, kill it. Just this morning I killed a mole (groundhog of the NW) as he was making his way toward my garden.


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## lukem

I'd give it a dirt nap.  They are pretty destructive little critters.


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## Badfish740

I've never heard of one damaging a septic tank but they certainly could.  We had a mole tunnel under our pool (sand bottom with plastic liner) that caused havoc once.  If you have a garden or ornamental plants and shrubs you care about you'll soon find out why they are so hated in some parts   Rabies is a concern, but they are not nocturnal, so seeing one out in the daytime is not necessarily indicative of such.  My dad shoots them a .22, but his property is conducive to that (no neighbors behind, neighbors to the side are far away), your situation might not be.  There are lethal (Conibear, etc...) and non-lethal (Have-a-Heart) types.  You could trap him with a Have-a-Heart and relocate him to a field somewhere, but A: that makes him someone else's problem, and B: you'd be surprised how far they'll travel to come "home."  Also, if you have a dog, beware.  Should your dog ever corner the little sucker as dogs are wont to do, they can be NASTY.  I have seen dogs with chunks taken out of their nose by groundhogs simply because the dog smelled it out and started rooting into the den when Mr. Groundhog happened to be home.  They may be herbivores by they can do quite a bit of damage with their claws and teeth.


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## Adios Pantalones

Swedishchef said:


> Hey guys
> 
> I have noticed a groundhog hanging around my greenhouse (nothing grows in it, I store wood in the winter inside the greenhouse) and a couple of wood piles. It it about 80 feet from my house and this morning the little guy wondered within 20 feet of the house. Of course my 3 year old loves it...
> 
> Now, I know that they are herbivores. However I am quite concerned about damage it can do to my property such as decks, siding, etc. ANd what if they dig into my septic lines/leach field/septic tank?? Am I paranoid (first time having a groundhog in my yard....) or are these possibilities?
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> Andrew


 
They are no bother, unless you have a garden. They can tunnel under things, but are unlikely to destabilize a foundation or anything.

I have killed/composted many of them- but only for crop damage. Other concerns about them are overblown. Kill it- another will move in anyway. Just leave it be, IMO.


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## blades

If you have the option take it out.  I've had them tunnel down next to the foundation And that caused some problems during heavy rains and spring thaws.  Neighbor had a whole family living under their shed. took most of the summer but got every one of them with a combination of bow,air rifle - .22, & .22  rifle ( that was the best shot I have made in a long time, 80 yards off hand)


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## Swedishchef

Highbeam: I do live in the woods so that makes it somewhat expected...I have simply never seen a groundhog around here. I just don't want it digging into my plastic septic tank! I saw him around the risers/lids eating grass.

Lukem: thanks for the blunt answer   I may be looking to borrow a riffle (sad, I don't own one...yet I am in law enforcement...kinda odd eh?)

Badfish: there are no neighbors for 800 feet around me in either direction.   Sorry to hear about the pool issue!

Adios: I appreciate hearing "the other side of the coin". I may simply live trap and drive it out far into the woods.

Blades: That is one thing i DO NOT WANT. SOme kind of tunnel straight down along my foundation to create some relatively good water pressure against the wall in a rainstorm....

I will see if he comes back....

Andrew


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## Badfish740

Swedishchef said:


> I have simply never seen a groundhog around here.


 
That's interesting.  I would expect they'd be all over Canada, but maybe the shorter growing season has something to do with it?  Every spring here in the Northeast you see them munching along roadsides looking like giant ticks about to burst.  



Swedishchef said:


> Adios: I appreciate hearing "the other side of the coin". I may simply live trap and drive it out far into the woods.


 
If you do, paint his hind end with orange survey paint first (it will wash off eventually)-you may get a surprise


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## BrianK

If you don't want to buy a .22, get one of the live traps from your local home improvement store. Use cantaloupe for bait. Groundhogs love the stuff. Trap it and release it away from civilization. 

Or.. 

http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/Groundhogs-Day-2011-Recipes/2011/02/02/id/384547


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## Badfish740




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## Swedishchef

Badfish: they are all over Canada. I have seen them often on roadsides, etc. Simply not in my back yard.

Brian: thanks for the tips on Cantaloupe. I didn't know that.

I just chased it to see where it went/lives. It lives in a friggin wood stack! I presume if I move it, A- I get bit B- He runs C- There's a nuclear bomb that goes off in my woodpile.

Andrew


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## BrianK

We have a ground hog in my back yard this summer. We've had several under our tool shed at my office for years. I could trap or kill them but I ignore them. If I had a small hunting type dog I would probably try to get rid of them. I've seen what they can do to a dog when cornered. Otherwise they are shy and generally run away as soon as they see or hear humans. 

Honestly they are nothing to be too concerned about unless they are destroying your garden or crops or their tunnels cause your draft horses to break a leg. Don't worry about it. If you want to trap it or dispatch it go right ahead but certainly don't worry over it. They're harmless for the vast majority of homeowners.


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## hossthehermit

Mmmmmmmmmm, Mmmmmmmmmm . Tastes like chicken ..................


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## Badfish740

hossthehermit said:


> Mmmmmmmmmm, Mmmmmmmmmm . Tastes like chicken ..................


 

In all honesty they probably do taste good, given their diet.  I'd rather eat a groundhog than a possum!


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## firefighterjake

We had one living under our back porch for a few weeks . . . I have a live and let live philosophy for the most part and since he wasn't bothering me, my wife, cats or what passed for a garden I let him live . . . but that said . . . I think he moved on shortly thereafter . . . maybe my cats scared him off.


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## mattjm1017

I would shoot it they are very destructive. Before I bought this house the previous owners were elderly and couldnt really get around to take care of things. The barn floor was destroyed by them and there was nothing but tunnels under one of the sheds and a dead groundhog. If I see one its going to meet the wrong end of my Henry 22


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## Backwoods Savage

They don't last long around here. Do too much digging damage besides the eat the wrong things... Either trapping or shooting works well. We don't use iive traps though. Trouble with live traps is that most animals will just come back to their home range anyway so it isn't worth the time in most situations.


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## Swedishchef

Backwoods Savage said:


> They don't last long around here. Do too much digging damage besides the eat the wrong things... Either trapping or shooting works well. We don't use iive traps though. Trouble with live traps is that most animals will just come back to their home range anyway so it isn't worth the time in most situations.


 Not if I let it free in my friend's garage while he is away at work 

I will see what happens in the next couple of days. My buddy said he will come shoot it for me (he has like 15 guns..) since I don't have a license. Nice of him! It sat in my backyard and ate grass/leave most of the evening. They have quite the hearing ability though!! He could hear me washing dishes at the kitchen sink!


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## btuser

Groundhogs are cute.

When they're dead.


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## JustWood

Had one close to the house one summer 5 or 6 years ago. Never did anything about him as I was working long hours. One Friday I finished up work early and was gonna head into town in my Camaro. Wouldn't start so I popped the hood and Mr Woodchuck was snacking on some wires. Got a stick and prodded him out. Bastage headed for my pickup and you guessed it,,,, pickup wouldn't start. By the time the carnage was over that phuqer cost me $1400 in wiring and coil packs !
Woodchucks no longer have a shelf life of more than 3 or 4 sightings after the first on my property


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## blades

One was in my garage, scared the the beejeezes out of my 6 year old daughter at the time ( it was a bit funny but also a bit dangerous as it was cornered).  Air rifle made short work of it. They can mess a dog up real bad if the pup doesn't know how to handle them. They will protect their den to the enth degree.  Where I reside ( wisconsin, usa)  the touchy feelly groups got them protected, I have no idea what the rational for that was. any chucks on my place are dispatched asap do not give a damn about the state. They were vermin when I was on the farm still are.


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## Swedishchef

An air riffle will take care of one of those? They are pretty big for an air riffle, no??

Andrew


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## Badfish740

Swedishchef said:


> An air riffle will take care of one of those? They are pretty big for an air riffle, no??


 
A good .177 caliber air rifle would do the job with a well placed (head) shot.  They make .22 air rifles as well.


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## Ashful

Adios Pantalones said:


> They are no bother, unless you have a garden. They can tunnel under things, but are unlikely to destabilize a foundation or anything.


I need to send some of our groundhogs your way!  I have had them do foundation damage on two separate structures, both old hand laid stone foundations.

I trap them in a Have-a-Heart trap, and then they eat the muzzle of a .22 cal.


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## Adios Pantalones

Swedishchef said:


> An air riffle will take care of one of those? They are pretty big for an air riffle, no??
> 
> Andrew


You need something more than a standard Crossman 10 pump- a pellet from one of those won't do much to a groundhog, even with good placement.


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## Ashful

I wouldn't bother with an air rifle.  You're likely to just injure it, which is just cruel.  Whatever your weapon of choice, do the dumb animal the favor of killing it quickly.

A .22 cal at point-blank range will still sometimes take two shots, if you don't hit him right in the head.  A .22 cal at 25 yards will only injure him (learned that as a teenager  ).


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## BrianK

Adios Pantalones said:


> You need something more than a standard Crossman 10 pump- a pellet from one of those won't do much to a groundhog, even with good placement.


http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/


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## Adios Pantalones

BrianK said:


> http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/


LOL- well, not any more safe than discharging a cannon at that point  

Ruger and other companies make some .177, .22, and other caliber air guns that will dispatch a groundhog, but don't have the same energy as a .22 rifle.


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## MasterMech

You can get 'em from close range real easy.  They're not all that bright.  Just chase him back to his hole.  When he dives in, position yourself so your out of sight but have a clear shot when he pokes his head out 3-5 minutes later. Which he will do nearly every time.  Super easy to dispatch him via pistol, a .22 rifle, air rifle, whatever you have available.


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## ironpony

live out in the country, have ground hogs, possum, fox, racoons etc. never seen any reason to kill them. but thats just me..............
can they be a pain somedays? yup, still no reason to kill them......
I'm not a greenie either, just do not kill stuff


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## Adios Pantalones

ironpony said:


> live out in the country, have ground hogs, possum, fox, racoons etc. never seen any reason to kill them. but thats just me..............
> can they be a pain somedays? yup, still no reason to kill them......
> I'm not a greenie either, just do not kill stuff


 
I figured out how to really stop them from getting into my garden- I haven't killed one since. I agree with ya. I always felt bad when I did kill one.

I still have to take out a squirrel every now and then, as they try to move into my log home. Silly bahstids.


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## billb3

One can wipe out a good sized garden in an afternoon.
I found a fresh hole from where one started digging under a foundation.
I cleared all the weeds from the proximity so it didn't feel secluded and then annoyed the heck out of it by constantly piling the rocks back up over it's entrance hole.
It was a young one and hadn't dug a lot yet so gave up.
It did come back and try again about ten days later but I was watching and kept at it and never saw it again.

One time it was inside when I was piling the rocks and I could hear it moving around.


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## privatejoker75

We have them here, they pretty much destroy the yard but wife won't let me kill them.  The cool part is that they're constantly digging up dirt and we live in an old mining area so i've found some old keys/glass/metal on top of their dirt mounds (trying to find the positive side of them here)


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## firefighterjake

privatejoker75 said:


> We have them here, they pretty much destroy the yard but wife won't let me kill them. The cool part is that they're constantly digging up dirt and we live in an old mining area so i've found some old keys/glass/metal on top of their dirt mounds (trying to find the positive side of them here)


 
You need to work with 'em . . . see if they can't dig up some gold nuggets for you.


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## privatejoker75

firefighterjake said:


> You need to work with 'em . . . see if they can't dig up some gold nuggets for you.


 

lol i wish.  maybe one of these days


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## Backwoods Savage

Swedishchef said:


> Not if I let it free in my friend's garage while he is away at work
> 
> I will see what happens in the next couple of days. My buddy said he will come shoot it for me (he has like 15 guns..) since I don't have a license. Nice of him! It sat in my backyard and ate grass/leave most of the evening. They have quite the hearing ability though!! He could hear me washing dishes at the kitchen sink!


 
Andrew, do you need a license to shoot on your own place? Perhaps things are different there but we can shoot small game without a license and any time an animal is threatening to do damage or has done damage, they are legal for shooting. For example, what a joke if one were raising chickens and hawks kept picking them off one by one....and that does happen.

Speaking of woodchucks, twice this summer one has came up on one of our porches. Sadly, he got away before I could get out there.


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## Swedishchef

Backwoods Savage said:


> Andrew, do you need a license to shoot on your own place? Perhaps things are different there but we can shoot small game without a license and any time an animal is threatening to do damage or has done damage, they are legal for shooting. For example, what a joke if one were raising chickens and hawks kept picking them off one by one....and that does happen.
> 
> Speaking of woodchucks, twice this summer one has came up on one of our porches. Sadly, he got away before I could get out there.


Dennis, I do not need a gaming license, I don't have my firearm license for riffles. Lol. Everyone here shoots game, we even have crow hunters! There is a season on those too! Damn smart birds...

The groundhog has a couple more days to leave on his own or I will call a moving company...lol


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## MasterMech

Swedishchef said:


> Dennis, I do not need a gaming license, I don't have my firearm license for riffles. Lol. Everyone here shoots game, we even have crow hunters! There is a season on those too! Damn smart birds...
> 
> The groundhog has a couple more days to leave on his own or I will call a moving company...lol


 
I suppose you don't carry a sidearm for work?  Or would accounting for the round(s) fired be difficult?  Easy pickin's within pistol range....

(See Post #29)


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## Swedishchef

MasterMech said:


> I suppose you don't carry a sidearm for work?  Or would accounting for the round(s) fired be difficult?  Easy pickin's within pistol range....
> 
> (See Post #29)


I certainly do carry a sidearm. But if someone heard the shot and reported me, I would be in big trouble....our policies are quite strict and we must account for every bullet and it could get me in deep chit...not worth all the paperwork.  Sad too, I am a marksman ( I had never shot a gun in my life until I joined the force). I regularly shoot in the top 0.5 percentile....ah well....


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## mywaynow

Badfish740 said:


> In all honesty they probably do taste good, given their diet. I'd rather eat a groundhog than a possum!


 Possum is the only animal I have seen that would try and cross a road with his pal, see his pal hit by a car then eat his pal all in the same 20 minute span.

I spent most of my summer days in hayfields with either a wagon under my feet, loading bales, or with a Winchester 9422 in hand, shootin' chucks!  Let it be known there are no ground hogs on my property.


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## MasterMech

I've been known to knock em off with a golf cart. You do whatcha gotta......


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## lukem

Swedishchef said:


> I certainly do carry a sidearm. But if someone heard the shot and reported me, I would be in big trouble....our policies are quite strict and we must account for every bullet and it could get me in deep chit...not worth all the paperwork. Sad too, I am a marksman ( I had never shot a gun in my life until I joined the force). I regularly shoot in the top 0.5 percentile....ah well....


 

You don't need a lot of knockdown power for a 'hog.  A tap to the head with a pellet gun will work just fine.  I've taken care of several coons without issue.


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## Backwoods Savage

Swedishchef said:


> I certainly do carry a sidearm. But if someone heard the shot and reported me, I would be in big trouble....our policies are quite strict and we must account for every bullet and it could get me in deep chit...not worth all the paperwork. Sad too, I am a marksman ( I had never shot a gun in my life until I joined the force). I regularly shoot in the top 0.5 percentile....ah well....


 
Andrew, those laws really suck. I wonder around here if folks had to account for all bullets. There is shooting being done almost daily and lots of shooting too. Well, some of that might even come from me.


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## Swedishchef

They are not laws, they are my employer's internal policies ( police force). It helps ensure responsibility and accountability with our actions. It is sometimes frustrating but it is for the best


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## Backwoods Savage

Interesting Andrew. I can understand the accountability of the employer's weapon but it seems you should be able to use your own as you see fit and is legal. Here, about the only time we have to be careful is that 5 day period of November 10-14. You could probably get away with it right by the house but one dare not be out in the field. Well, it is okay too if they go to a firing range, which are plentiful around here. Sadly, that is when most people get their rifles out to "see if they are sighted in" for the November 15 gun deer hunting day. Methinks one should do a whole lot of shooting way before then if one wants the best accuracy.


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## rideau

I haven't seen a groundhog in about ten years.  It's been bothering me.  I don't like seeing changes in animal population.  Have added turkeys, deer, fisher and bear and ticks in the past ten to 15 years.  Would far rather have the (gone) frogs and fox and groundhogs.


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## Swedishchef

I think my groundhog is only a visitor...I moved the pile of wood that he hid under. NOTHING. I walked around and didn't find any holes. Maybe he just like the clover in my back yard..lol

I do have a riffle now just in case....


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