Comments on: How to Quickly & Easily Trap Nuisance Groundhogs

By: Earle

Earle — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:29:05 +0000

Jen, I’ve had good luck with the larger sized Havahart. There’s a possibility that they’re not made as well as in the past, since some have reported in this thread that animals have been able to get out by damaging the trap. I remember one poster saying that his animal managed to bend both the gate and the locking bar. The one I have has a locking bar which is at least 3/16 galvanized rod and I don’t see how it could be bent from the inside, and I’ve trapped some big ones. Whether it’s for a larger animal or sturdier built, the only one I’d recommend would be the large Havahart with only one door. Our city loans out the smaller model, but I found that the larger animals could hold up the gate with their butts and escape. However, that was mostly just a problem with raccoons, rather than the chucks. BTW, the larger trap is available from Northern Tool and Amazon, price both places at about $90…

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:18:10 +0000

Boy am I happy i came upon this website..never knew how destructive woodchucks could be..My husband & I have a double whammy..giant woodchuck & chipmunks..cant wait for spring to get them! Thanks to all your advice see it’s too late to trap..BUT am very scared because our side yard is in danger of collapse if we don’t do something..wish i knew which trap to buy for the woodchuck,but Idon’t know what to do about the chipmunks & our rock wall they are destroying the integrity of..the local mason wants $1600.00 to seal up the 2 sides of the wall..AAAACCCKK!! Will look around online for strong traps..any suggestions from anyone will be a great help..Merry Christmas & happy Holidays to all!!!

By: Earle

Earle — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 12:44:21 +0000

I’m not sure I agree. By this time of year, it will have already added all the fat it needs for hibernation and these animals are furry excavators. It wouldn’t have time to dig the elaborate burrows they usually dig, but it would have plenty of time to dig a hibernation burrow. It should be dropped in a pasture or meadow. They aren’t deep woods creatures. We’ve gone a couple of years now without one, and our house sits atop a burrow, which successive groundhogs have recolonized. Oddly enough, global warming might help us, as extreme north Alabama is the southern fringe of their natural range. Alas, we live on a mountain top, which gives the effect of being located further north…

By: Kenny Point

Kenny Point — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:11:19 +0000

Hi Heather, it probably is too late and too close to winter to trap and relocate if you want to give the groundhog any chance of surviving.

By: Heather

Heather — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:51:53 +0000

We have a groundhog living under our shed. Now that it’s the middle of October (we are in Illinois), is it too late to trap and release him? I absolutely do not want to euthanize, just relocate him away from my home (and others’ homes) so he can live a healthy, happy life away from people.

By: Earle

Earle — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 02:26:30 +0000

Bruce, probably the law has less to do with the trapped animal and more to do with the fact that eastern MA is populated so heavily that it’s impossible to relocate a problem animal without it’s becoming someone else’s problem. I have absolutely no qualms about killing them, but then, there’s the problem of doing it legally inside city limits and disposal of the carcass, so, all in all, it’s simpler to haul them many miles away…

By: Bruce

Bruce — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:19:51 +0000

In my state (MASS.) it is unlawfull to relocate live traped animals. I think that is because they may not be able to make a new home before winter and would suffer a slow death.

By: Earle

Earle — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 03:28:58 +0000

Vickie, the only answer is concrete and more concrete…