How to Quickly & Easily Trap Nuisance Groundhogs
I’ve endured my share of groundhog conflicts, and at times they’ve even had me talking to myself, but I’ve learned a few things about the best way to trap a woodchuck from my unpleasant experiences.
If you are up against a troublesome groundhog that is devouring your garden or creating unsightly holes throughout your landscape, the preferred method to solve the problem is to trap the critter and find a new home for it.
Considering how much of a headache groundhogs can become, and how difficult it is to get close before they scurry into their underground hideout; trapping groundhogs will be a cinch if you follow the strategies that I offer in this article.
Selecting the Right Groundhog Trap
The essential piece of equipment that you’ll need for trapping a groundhog is the trap itself. I use a Havahart trap, which works great and will catch animals without harming them so that they can be relocated and released safely.
Havahart makes metal “live-catch” traps that are suitable for catching groundhogs. The trap’s dimensions should include an opening that’s at least ten inches wide and about a foot tall. There are two popular Havahart styles for you to choose from.
The first stlye is open on both ends with a bait tray/trap release mechanism in the center. This model is supposed to make animals less cautious about entering because they do not see an obstruction at the opposite end of the trap. This style can be a little more difficult to set and also tends to be easier to trip accidentally.
The second style of trap has only one entrance and is closed on the other end, with a trigger release plate towards the rear end of the trap. This model is easier to set and not as sensitive to accidental triggering, but requires a little more care and effort to release the trapped animal. For trapping groundhogs I prefer this closed end style of a trap.
Bait, Who Needs Bait to Catch a Groundhog?
Groundhogs are active during the daylight hours and spend their nights sleeping underground in their burrows. They usually don’t wander too far from their burrows when foraging for food and at the first sign of danger they will quickly dash to the safety and cover of their hideout’s hole.
When it comes to dinner groundhogs really aren’t choosy, they’ll eat just about anything. In the garden they seem to target leafy greens and succulent, tender vegetation. This season the groundhogs in my garden were especially fond of okra leaves and green heirloom tomatoes.
They also snacked on carrot tops, cabbages, and melon vines, but weren’t too fond of the peppers or eggplants growing nearby. In the past I’ve successfully baited woodchuck traps with everything from cut apples, to watermelon rinds and fresh organic carrots.
I like to use carrots as groundhog bait because they will remain fresher over a long period of time, but the quartered apples may be a little more enticing to groundhogs. However as you’re about to discover, the bait that you use doesn’t really matter if you’re wise about where you place your trap.
The Secret to Fast Groundhog Trapping Success
When it comes to trapping woodchucks the most important consideration is the location where you set your trap. I was recruited to help a co-worker trap a nuisance groundhog a couple of weeks ago. His wife posed the important question of how long it would take to trap the critter?
When I said it would be in the trap the next morning she didn’t comment but I don’t think that she really believed my prediction. Well guess what was waiting for them the next morning? Sure enough, the groundhog that had been mocking them for weeks wasted little time in falling for the enticement of the trap.
The secret to trapping a groundhog quick, fast, and in a hurry is to take the trap to him and place it right outside of the animal’s den. What groundhog is going to refuse being served breakfast in bed? This trick will also reduce the chances of unpleasant surprises on your part, such as the time a skunk wandered into my trap that was intended for Mr. Woodchuck but had been set in a general area!
And just to make sure that we get the groundhog’s full attention, look around until you locate props such as crates, boxes, firewood, or containers that can be used to set up a temporary barricade around the burrow’s entrance. In this case there were large stones nearby that were perfect for the task. The barrier doesn’t have to be tall or sturdy, just sufficient to create a path of least resistance toward the trap.
Sure you can set the trap right in the garden or where you observe the animal feeding but that could still take days or weeks to coax him into the trap. Using this technique almost guarantees a speedy capture. Set the trap in the evening after the groundhog has retired for the evening and more than likely you’ll bag him first thing the following morning.
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August 29th, 2007 at 11:10 am
Great post Kenny! Especially the tip about locating the trap right outside the den. Playing a radio 24-7 has been keeping the groundhog out of my garden until I got my trap ready. I’ve been leary of turning off the radio and setting the trap in the garden because the groundhog might still prefer the garden plants and not go in the trap. I have a pretty good idea where the entrance to his den is so I will try your method.
Thanks for the advice!
August 30th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Thanks Marc, good luck catching your destructive groundhog, or is it groundhogs. I also posted an article about relocating groundhogs after they have been captured.
April 1st, 2009 at 5:09 pm
I set the trap at night with sliced Apples. Not to bright, I caught a 15 pound coon.
My son said you don’t see coons during the day but groundhogs will romp all over the yard. I’m going to try and set first thing in the AM.
April 20th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Hi,
i usually trap the hogs and drop them in parks that are not heavily populated or that have lots of activities going on. Is there someplace that they can be taken after being traped, what is the best thing to do
Arnold Bullock
April 27th, 2009 at 7:44 am
Thanks for the info Kenny! My wife and I successfully caught and released a groundhog this past weekend. The need to relocate him occurred when we saw him climb over our 2′ garden fence last summer.
Used a medium-sized live trap that my wife uses to trap stray cats. Set the trap up by our shed (where the groundhog took up residence last spring), in an area where I knew he feeds. Used gloves to cut down on human scent transfer anytime I touched the trap or bait.
Baited with apples, lettuce and carrots. He went for the lettuce and carrots, didn’t touch the apples. I think it was the carrots that got him! Set trap Friday at 4pm and he was caught Sunday around 4pm. He was all around and actually in the trap at points on Saturday, but not far enough to trip it. Patience is the key here! Released on the edge of a large wooded area away from houses and humans — some 6 miles away from our house.
April 28th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I caught the first two with a live trap. They were smaller. Today I check the trap and I must of had the big one. He chewed through the wire of the trap and escaped. Any more suggestions for this mighty powerful groundhog? They are burrowing under my garage and I am affraid my concrete slab is going to cave in.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Tom, sounds like you need a stronger trap, there’s no way a groundhog could chew through a Havahart trap. Fix your trap and continue what you are doing since you seem to be doing just fine at catching the groundhogs.
May 8th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Forget the bait. I trapped five last summer with a small circle of chicken wire with a square cut out of it the size of my have a heart trap. Set that up around the hole and throw a running hose down the hole. They’ll be out and trapped in a couple of minutes. Bait takes too long.
July 6th, 2009 at 9:10 am
I have tried all of your methods but they dont seem to work for me because the groundhog lives under a shed what should I do? I have set up a trap and a barricade to stop the groundhog and tried to flood the den to make it come outside but all it does is make another way to get out. Should I set up more traps?
July 6th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Hi Walter, what are you using as bait for the groundhogs and what type of trap are you using? Try alternating your baits until you come across something that attracts their attention enough to entice them into your trap. I’ve had success with sliced apples and carrots.
July 7th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Walter,
If you have a Home Depot near, they sell these wonderful little sticks called Gian Destroyer. They are the best thing I have ever found for getting rid of gophers, ground squirrels, rats, etc. You simply light one, place it in the hole, then place dirt over the hole, and the stick gases them so you don’t have to bother with getting rid of the dead carcasses. The only thing you have to be sure of is to look for any smoke coming from other holes and hurry to cover them up so the gas smoke can work. Good Luck, I had over 100 ground squirrels last year and not one this year after using this product.
July 11th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Just wanted to say thx a mint for the detailed explanation & pics; your efforts really help others – I’m sure many more lurk and gain then post. In our town, Animal Control staff come out and help homeowners set the trap. After 3 days of the groundhogs frolicking around the cage, I had no success so I searched the web. I googled your article and tried it and yes, indeed, much to my delight I’d caught one the next morning. I reset the trap when the staff brought the trap back, and this morning, it caught a big one. I think there may be one more so I’ve set it again. BTW, they like carrots a lot more than the cinnamin spiced apple slices the staff suggested.
July 11th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
You are welcome Karen, thanks for visiting the site and I’m glad that I could help you trap and relocate those groundhogs.
July 27th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Just wanted to say that this method works! My grandparents have been trying for several weeks to catch a groundhog that had been burrowing under their back deck, and driveway, which was causing the stone to cave in when walking on the drive. This was causing a dangerous situation for them, as they are both in their 70’s. I found your website, and went over to their house this morning to set up your trapping method. I just used some scrap wood about 6 inches wide and several feet long to set up alongside the den. I just created a funnel like shape straight into the trap, baited with sliced apples. This evening when my grandparents returned home, the groundhog was trapped! Thanks for your site.
August 13th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
I had a groundhog problem, a family of them were living under my shed. Then they moved to a neighbors yard, but dug a hole under the fence and come back into my garden. I bought a trap, just 1 open end. So far I have caught 6 possums, 4 groundhogs, and 1 raccoon, but there is still at least 1 large groundhog that refuses to be trapped, I have tried a variety of baits. I haven’t tried carrots yet, it or they ate all the green beans when they were a few inches tall. What else can I do?
August 13th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Belle, I would try setting the groundhog trap right at the opening of the fence where the groundhog is entering your yard and see if you can catch the last critter that way. Good luck!
August 18th, 2009 at 8:49 am
I’ve got some interesting ideas, thanks. Now the battle will continue. I’ve set my trap many times with diff. bait. No luck he is either smart or dumb. He is under my shed. I will clean my trap, set up barriers and place carrots in the trap. I’ll let everyone know !!
August 18th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
I have tried putting the trap right up against the fence, the groundhog will not come near it. I’ve tried all kinds of baits. This morning I went out and there was a full size raccoon in it. I have caught 13 critters so far, but this big groundhog (s), refuse to be caught. About 5:30 every evening it comes into the garden. The coon had chewed the wire clips at the other end, and I tied it back up with nylon ties, some of those were chewed by the coon today. Any suggestions?
August 19th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
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August 21st, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Belle, I would continue to try and try the remaining groundhog. If you know where he is entering the garden or where his den is located, set the trap right there and place some type of barricade along the sides to coax him into the trap. Also alternate the bait that you are using from carrots, to apples, celery with leaves, etc. and maybe even add a bit of peanut butter to the bait.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:46 am
I think havahart needs to make stronger traps. I finally caught that very large groundhog, I picked the trap up, and it was moving back and forth, plus the weight of the groundhog, it came right through the closed end of the trap. I guess I’m going to have to take a coat hanger and pliers and tie that closed end shut. I have been after this groundhog for months now. They like pears. When do they go into hibernation? Also, when do they have a litter of young ones?
September 2nd, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Belle, I would contact Havahart and explain what happened to them because there is no way the trap should malfunction like that or that you should have to wire it shut to keep it from opening in that situation. I also wouldn’t use the trap again until the problem was determined and resolved. I’ve used a number of different styles of Havahart traps and have never had a trapped animal even come close to escaping before I released it.
October 25th, 2009 at 10:53 am
OK I got one for you, groundhogs are terorizing my moms neighborhood by getting into the engine of their car’s and chewing up the wires, I opened the hood and there he was, had to poke him out with a stick. one car was totaled, exposed wires caused a fire. I have tried traps but only caught coons and possoms. I think he lives under her shed by her garden. Think Ill try carrots. thanks for your post