Groundhogs can climb

[czechsonofagun]

With a buddy of mine we were clearing the pasture of stumps and from one of them groundhog just zipped out first time the stump moved. Dogs were with us as always and he had little bit hard time to make it to the fence but he got there. Behind the fence he climbed up a tree and petrified on spot, stayed there over an hour.

Than he felt down I suppose and for a while pretended to be dead under the tree and eventually moved to some place safer.

Never knew they can climb trees.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Yes they can. We have seen them sunning themselves up on tree limbs before. I even shot one out of a tree. He thought he was safe up there

 

[wjmst]

Yep. They can climb trees. Someone once told me they can only hang on to a tree for so long before they get tired and fall off. Maybe that is what happened. The "playing dead" might have just been exhaustion or was stunned by hitting the ground. I don't know. Maybe he was playing dead, who knows.

 

[QueBota]

Not to long ago I watched one climb a 4' chain link fence, pause at the top for a bit, climb down the other side head first. Never saw anything like that before.

Dave