Pesty Groundhogs

[gmsssi]

We have a rental farm house and groundhogs have taken residency in the crawlspace. Poison is not an option cause we don't want them dieing and stinking up the joint. They are wise to traps no matter what you use for bait. High velocity lead poisioning has worked somewhat but again if wounded we worry about them returning to the crawlspace to die. Please no wisecracks about our aim!

Anyone know how to deal with groundhogs or dissuade them from moving in?

 

[LMTC]

Never failed to get them into a live trap with cut apples. I reckon there's always a first time, though.

 

[Cactus]

Put them on the dinner table..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif They are vegetarian...not like a racoon or opossum that eats garbage.... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[ShaleniFarm]

We use 'conibear' traps.... No bait needed, just put it in front of the hole....

Here is a link explaining....

Good luck!

 

[Birdhunter1]

Get a big German Sheperd and tie it near the entrance hole.

Or get something like a .45 Colt and load it with Cor-Bon personal protection loads. if you hit Mr. Groundhog you won't have to worry that much about bullet placement.

 

[edski]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Never failed to get them into a live trap with cut apples. )</font>
Check out this pic...whistle pigs sure like apples.

As you can see in my avatar, my dog like hogs quite a bit. Looks like you're close to me, W. PA. Maybe you'd like to borrow her. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I'll warn you though, she works for union wages, considers this as haz duty pay, and double time if she has to be awake. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

As for aim, use a 12 gauge with full choke. They won't make it back to your crawl space.

 

[Varmintmist]

.224 cal, 50gr Nosler Ballistic tip pushed at 3900-4000fps out of a 22-250.

As long as you hit them, anywhere, they wont run.

Its where I got the >mist< part

A Sierra 50 gr varmint bullet out of a 222 Remington is real medicine on them to.

Avoid Rem .224 bullets. I had nothing but bad luck with them unless contact with a major bone was made.

Another option that I have heard works for underhouse hogs, put fertilizer with a lot of ammonia pretty thick in the entrance. Apparently they dont like burning tootsies, they lick it and like that less.

A Jack Daniels terrier /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif is a decent option also. A lot of dogs will go after Ghogs, not many will go down the hole after them.

 

[Slamfire]

At the place I grew up there has been a groundhog war goin' on for nearly 100 years. There have been big dogs, little dogs, boys with 22s, grown men with .222s, and there are still groundhogs.

 

[edski]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( a groundhog war goin' on for nearly 100 years )</font>
The Varmint-Cong.

 

[sneaky_pete]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The Varmint-Cong.)</font>

Thanks for the first belly laugh of the day!