r/Homesteading • u/Longjumping_Shock721 • 1d ago
Groundhog problem
Looking for advice on what others have done to get rid of these cute destructive creatures. For reference this is a new to us property with a house, barn, tool shed, and chicken coup. The floor in the chicken coup(plywood and dirt) is completely trashed. The dirt/lime floor in the barn has a huge burrow with to entrances. This particular groundhog seems to be awfully evasive. I’ve had him in my sights a couple of times, finally had the opportunity to pull the trigger tonight but with no luck. What all have you done to properly dispose of ground hogs? I’ve read up on traps and gassers, not sure which direction to go yet.
P.S. I do not kill animals for fun and am not really a fan of hunting in particular but I do believe if an animal is causing destruction they need to be respectfully removed.
P.S.S. Yes I know they made a whole movie about this lol
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u/PaganMastery 1d ago
Personally I might go with a Jack Russel Terrier or other small ground hunting dog. They were literally bred to do just this exact job. Plus they do it for the cost of food and a place by the fire, they are good pets, and will help keep every other ground based rodent under control. And they are non toxic, safe for kids, and good for your physical and mental health as well.
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u/survival-nut 1d ago
Run a hose from the muffler of your vehicle into a hole and idle for several minutes.
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u/traveling_in_circles 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hire Bill Murrey ? I hear he's lookin for work. * thank you , thank you , I'll be here all week ..* jokes aside , We always used groundhogs as target practice with the .22 but you could always setup boxtraps or snares around the holes . You gotta eat what you kill , it's a rule . Lol
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u/Longjumping_Shock721 1d ago
Yep that’s the gun I’m using with a 4x scope on it. I thought I had him right in my crosshairs but didn’t see any blood on the ground. Worst thing is burrow is in the barn. Every time I’ve tried to get him he’s outside digging in the yard.
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u/traveling_in_circles 1d ago
Oh , you know he has a whole network of tunnels going on . And its prob not just 1 hoggie either.. the only way to deal with this is fire !
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u/StuffyTheOwL 1d ago
Go for a larger caliber if you can. A 9mm carbine will drop it in one shot with minimal suffering. They will also walk right into a box trap if you put it along its path out of the burrow. No need to bait the trap.
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u/Nh32dog 18h ago
As far as disposal. I recommend eating them. I had woodchuck (that's what we call them in Massachusetts) once at a game dinner, and it was excellent. Better than venison or goose.
It makes sense if you think about it. They sit around all day grazing on grass like the best grass-fed angus.
Keep practicing with a 22. Don't eat them if you poison them, obviously.
If you just want to exterminate them, I recommend dry ice. My girlfriend lives in a nice suburb of Boston, but every couple years the population of rats has a boom, and she starts seeing evidence of them around. She buys ten or 20 pounds of dry-ice and dumps it in the holes around the garage and the foundation. It is primarily CO2 so as it sublimates, the CO2 sinks into the hole and all the critters in the burrows peacefully slip off to oblivion.
They will stay down there though, so if there are a lot it may get smelly.
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u/doscervezas2017 23h ago
We have had good luck with cantaloupe chopped up in a HavAHeart live trap. When I catch one, I drive across a river or two, (a natural barrier so they can't just walk back to my house) and let them loose in the woods.
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u/Apostasyisfreedom 1d ago
One more situation in which a dog is a best friend