Groundhog living under wood pile

[Isaac Carlson]

I don't usually take pictures. You can put em in the crock pot or on the grill. The next one is going on the grill.

 

[firefighterjake]

I've always had a live and let live philosophy with the critters on my property . . . then again I don't have a garden.

I did relocate some gray squirrels which got into my house though . . . and then figured out how they were doing so and the problem stopped.

Chipmunks have a few holes here and there on the property, but they tend to stick to the outskirts of the lawn near the stone wall.

Mice . . . well I do tend to kill 'em if they get in the house . . . or rather the eight cats we have seem to do a nice job of dispatching them or at the very least discouraging them from coming inside.

In the woodshed I occasionally get a critter or two holed up there . . . and in fact I was watching a red squirrel the other day running about the woodshed. As long as he doesn't come into the house or garage I'm OK with him waiting out the winter there.

 

[Country Living in VA]

It's a shame to waste woodchuck meat. It's a lot like beef. A good pellet rifle (20+ ft lbs) will kill em with a brain shot.
I used to shoot em all the time and just saw one in the shop this week. Not sure why he was in there, but he was. Not sure if I'll use the 22lr, 22-250, or 20 ga. The 22lr is quiet and doesn't hurt my ears like the other two.

like I said, it's a shame to waste the meat. Cook em up and enjoy!

I have never heard of anyone who has cooked a woodchuck and actually enjoyed eating it. To each his own I guess. I don't kill any animals just to get rid of them without good cause, but woodchucks are very bad for ground structure and will ruin a garden, if possible, I will get rid of them. I always used the smoke bomb method and been successful most of the time. It is a lot cleaner and you don't have a dead animal laying around rotting, he is just buried in his house.

 

[Dataman]

I like the Smoke em out. No Mess or Fuss. Have switched to propane torch. Lots cheaper and more effective. 3-5 min of flame and they are done.

 

[johneh]

. Have switched to propane torch. Lots cheaper and more effective. 3-5 min of flame and they are done.

Dataman I have never seen or heard of using a propane torch
could you explain how it is used
thanks

 

[brenndatomu]

3-5 min of flame and they are done.

Not very done...sounds more like rare to me!

 

[Dataman]

Light it up, turn on high and stick into the hole, but keep it enough outside for air to allow propane to burn. Exaust gases fill the hole up. Now if the little devils have Respreator that will filter out Carbon Monoxide it won't work. I spent 60 on smoke and 13 on propane. Half the propane left. No Smokes left. No Gophers left now too (close ones). Every year this battle wages on. Keeping them away from under foundation and water/power lines. I know of 13 I shot, can't say how many I smoked to death. If I had people next door that gave a damm about them.....

 

[Simonkenton]

I don't like to kill any creatures, if I can help it. Never had to mess with a ground hog.
But I have been plagued with rats, eating stuff in my basement, chewing through clothes in our storage shed, and making nests in the heater a/c blower in the car and truck. I have spent $385 getting their nests out of the car fan blower plus hundreds of dollars of damage to clothes in the shed. The insulation on the hood of my nice car is shredded, looks terrible. Still a faint smell of rat wee wee when I turn on the a/c.

I have a log cabin and the squirrels like to chew on the dovetail notches. When these beasts start eating the house that I built, they have gone too far!
I have caught dozens of rats in traps. I have caught some squirrels in traps, plus have shot a half dozen with the 12 gauge. But they keep coming back.

Two years ago I wised up and started buying electronic rat repellers off of Amazon. I just find one with a good review and buy it. I have four or five different models. I have two in the shed, five in the basement, and two INSIDE the car. Bye Bye rats.
And I put two of 'em on the big covered porches and the squirrels are also gone. I have got close to $500 in electronic rat/squirrel repellers, best money I ever spent.

I guess these devices wouldn't work with ground hogs since they are under ground.

 

[walhondingnashua]

Get you a dog. My heeler and pointer took care of one just a week ago.

 

[Dataman]

Dog is good method. I have 125lb cat that thinned our Turkey Problem (too many for Winter). 3 Less of Em Now!

 

[walhondingnashua]

"Dog is good method. I have 125lb cat that thinned our Turkey Problem (too many for Winter). 3 Less of Em Now!"

Thats a pretty big cat lol

 

[3fordasho]

At my previous property I had woodchucks/groundhogs everywhere, under wood stacks and under my storage shed. I was in city limits so the pellet gun was the only available firepower. It would take out the little ones but not the adults. Even had an idiot neighbor that claimed my wood stacks drew them in (they are not attracted to wood just things to hide under). Moved out to the country 5 years ago and purchased appropriate firepower (22,17hmr,20gauge) and have only seen one in 5 years. Go figure. Now my 6 acres are infested with moles and gophers, hard to shoot what you never see.

 

[Dataman]

125lb not too big really. Had 200LB one come thru last year. He was big feline cat (Cougar). Wish they got the Squirelle too. Just Turkey and Dogs and Cats outside.

 

[Starbrightsteve]

125lb not too big really. Had 200LB one come thru last year. He was big feline cat (Cougar). Wish they got the Squirelle too. Just Turkey and Dogs and Cats outside.

I live in north central PA, almost at the New York State Border. Used to be lots of woodchucks around. You would see them hit on the road. But not anymore. There are coyotes around and woodchucks are rare.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I wacked one last week.. my son went out on Corpse patrol and got rid of him the next day, he was to big to cook up.. the best ones are like 8lbs the larger 12lbs and up get a little tougher. got him with a 12ga 6 shot high brass my son uses a 20 with a full choke. I use a .22 here and there. The 12 is relentless and stops them in there tracks.

 

[Prof]

I don't usually take pictures. You can put em in the crock pot or on the grill. The next one is going on the grill.

I like how you think--we have a few things in common--holz hausens, wood burning, and an affinity for whistle pig. In general, I have a rule that I try to eat everything I kill (with the exception of some rodents). Groundhogs are just part of my food chain. I don't go out of my way to hunt them, but there seems to be more of a supply than I need.

 

[logfarmer]

I would be skeptical of a pellet rifle's ability to drop a woodchuck. Probably going to need a .22 or 20 gauge as stated above.

Nope, dropped a large female in the head at 83 feet away with a pellet riffle.