SO I have a woodchuck problem! I have a large yard -- about an acre -- in suburban Washington Twsp NJ. I get a lot of wildlife thru -- lots of deer, occasional fox, tons of chipmunks and squirrels, hawks even a bald eagle a couple times overhead. but I've only had one woodchuck come in over maybe 30 years. that changed this week with a regular visitor to my lawn that seems to be living under the pump house pictured for the pool. I read that they do not like garlic and epsom salts, so tried both (used deer repellant which is garlic I think) at the entry points. he seems to avoid but I dont think its deterring him. do I need to trap and release? is there any other deterrents? how about loud noises etc? I'm about to plant my pumpkin plants not too far form here and I'm sure he will destroy them. thx!

 

Trap and move him far away, they love vegetables and are pretty easy to catch/move!

 

Ground hogs are tough little bullies. Pretty much nothing will deter them short of physical removal, dead or alive. I remember one customer that called me to catch a ground hog that burrowed up against his house. The homeowner had already used broken bottle glass in the hole and runway. Bloody foot prints going in and out, the ground hog didn't care.

Live trapping, should you decide to try it, can work but be careful at night as skunks will wander into the trap and that's the first thing you'll see in the morning. I got calls about that, too. Ground hogs aren't active after dark, so close the trap and re-open in the morning. I'd put the trap parallel with the pump house, close to the runway, and I'd break up its silhouette with leaves, branches, etc so it doesn't look so dramatically different from what it was seeing. I liked apples, cabbage leaves, cantaloupe. All are attractive to skunks and opossums, so beware. Cabbage leaves have an attractive odor as well as the leafy visual appeal. Bait a little outside of the traps' door to get its attention. As far as relocating the ground hog, the legality of that will vary from state to state. They cause trouble wherever they go, so keep that in mind when choosing a place.
The other issue is transporting the trapped animal. If you have a pick up truck, that's good. Otherwise, be aware that they smell very bad and they urinate/defecate frequently. You don't want that inside an enclosed vehicle.
Start thinking about how to wrap/enclose the bottom of the pump house to prevent future infestation. I expect there will be more as they are having babies and the mother is kicking them out of the den. Hardware cloth is good, but it has to go probably at least a foot under ground or more. There may be even better materials. Search the internet for plans/ideas for the pump house. Don't hinder ventilation any more than you have to.

 

great thx both.

 

Check with your DNR, just saw this for the state of MI.

 

thank you! I'm the catch-and-release type anyway so inclined to go that route.

 

When I had a large garden woodchucks were a real PITA. They would decimate a crop just as it was getting ready to harvest. Probably not PC for some, but the easiest and most efficient solution is to shoot them. If you are in an area where a gun may be used a .22 works fine. If not, a bow works well if you are proficient.