Inside Job - woodchuck !!!

[Billy NY]

With all the garden posts, and similar about dealing with these particular creatures, I though maybe y'all would get a kick out of the latest woodchuck "follies" around here

So a few days ago, I see a row of lettuce mowed right down, well it will probably come back but a nice even trim job, same height like a mower did it, got to hand it em, they are neat LOL !

Ok, set a live trap, at the front of the house where I saw him, and the darned thing has a hair trigger, but I get it set but the bait pan won't balance, ok, add some extra bait & wait. He shows right up and is in the trap, it does not go off, I sneak around, good cover, have a nice round staghorn sumac burl, closest thing I could grab that would work, try and get close enough to lob it in, hit the trap and set it off, closing the doors. Nope, he knows something is up, trap still set, less bait, next day he has to reach further for the bait, got him !!! Seeing its good exercise, I walked him down back across a field, 1000 yards or so, sent him packing, doubt he will be back, too far and too disorientating for them. Well great, that's done, now I can plant another row, not worry...... whoa, not so fast, head out the back steps this morning, there's a 'chuck poking out under the 2nd to last tread !!!

%$!@#.... not the same one either ! Get trap, set it, while doing that, its a hard to reach place, vines growing in there, and buckthorn been trying its luck to grow there too. Clear what I can reach out, and he's got the concrete blocks the stairs rest on strewn about, big rocks and pile of dirt, small hole. So I start in on moving a few things in there he comes right out, and wants to leave, had I welders gloves I'd have grabbed him, but had short leather drivers, not the best angle to reach, pounce etc., he's cornered a bit too, but finds a way out, runs off, I pack the hole up. I've handled and caught them many times, you need to get em by the back of the neck and have long thick leather gloves on and a clear path to grab or pounce, they will lunge at you sometimes, you miss, it could hurt !

He's been in there the whole darned time, total access to the garden, inside job, as that is where the fence ends and it can be breached, will be demolishing and rebuilding the stairs, can fix that problem then.

The lettuce had not been touched, 30 days growing, I did notice some nipped tomato branches but thought it to be horn worms, which should not be, I tilled in the fall, never found a one at night, was 'chucky all along ! Spinach growing in there, he never touched it, bell peppers, egg plant nope, just waited til that lettuce was ripe. Some ripe tomato's nope. Trap still set in case he comes back, banana's and the one I did catch sure liked one of my pears ! Overripe banana's, even in the trap, could not resist, excellent bait for these.

Inside job, these 'chucks are definitely smart, can see good. Thats 6 so far this year, 4 killed, 1 released, another run off.

Just the fact that this guy had full access to my garden this whole season, inside job, secret bunker set up, totally out of sight, juvenile 'chuck too, born this year, they sure are not stupid and this one knew enough to get out of dodge, I figured he hid in the den when he saw me, did not take much to run him off !!!

Well that sure tastes good, kept right on chowing on that banana, which was like baby food at this stage, out in the heat etc.

Ok... seeing as I put aside my hatred of what they can do, just a row of lettuce, been real dry, can't blame ya, now don't come back y'all...

 

[Nancy Howell]

Good story and glad you posted pics. We don"t have chucks down here.

How big do they get?

 

[glennster]

about 10 to 15 pounds for a typical "chuck" little bigger than an armadillo.

 

[old]

They get fair sized. The one I have been gunning for is about the size of a coon and runs very fast.

 

[Anonymous-0]

(quoted from post at 08:49:20 08/31/12) They get fair sized. The one I have been gunning for is about the size of a coon and runs very fast.

Did you eat the one you caught?????? Like it???????

 

[Billy NY]

I think about like Glennster said, though I have on occasion seen really big mature ones that looked every bit of 20 lbs.

I know most take a hardline stance on any critter considered vermin, and agree with that, especially mice, rats and the like. Not so much these, and sometimes its a conflict for me, as I get sick of deciding what lives and dies, meaning I'm not a hateful ruthlesss kill everything kind of person, won't hesitate just the same, if overun or its me, my produce or them, but I've never had this many around here so intent on what I'm growing, has to be the dry weather.

I find these interesting, used to have a friendly one, he was just something and was never any trouble. I enjoyed having him around, now I had to protect a few things, fenced the garden with chain link, that and having a lawn with more things they like to eat than grass, these and rabbits never are a problem. I'll never stop them, the terrain is loaded with them, just have to make sure to deal with them near the house.

They're smart, they don't seem to panic when in a bind either, will hold their ground, thats when many people let dogs at em and get em by the neck, shake em til dead, is what happens. They actually are affectionate to a degree, one I had loved attention and would wait on the front porch, you could set your watch by his timing of this.

As long as I keep a fence, (just that set of steps is hard to block up holes, will have to stuff chicken wire, hardware cloth, til I rebuild them) they're not a problem at all. This year, they've arrived in numbers and dug up around the porch, built 3 dens on the edge of the yard, unreal.

With horses/livestock and pastures, zero tolerance, can't have both, as their holes will break legs, the place here used be a lot cleaner, just pastures, hedge rows and ag fields, but now there is so much cover, they chance coming across the lawn, nearby grass field and move in near the house, a dog would prevent that.

They live 8 years or so, just eat green forage, but like fruits, apples, pears, bananas, melons, they have a "bathroom" compartment in the den, territorial, but when they mate they visit other dens, also when they see each other, they wave their tail at one another. Hibernate from late september though you will see some til November, most by october are hibernating, then on warm late winter or early spring days, they come out.

They climb trees

They make friends with the unsuspecting homeowner, whom dislike being ruthless with critters unless they really have to, they beg for food, even take things like brooms, this guy tried to take one into a den under the porch.

Probably sounds odd, he was just a lot of fun to have around, wild but friendly, used to lay on the porch, put some chicken wire around the flower pots, no trouble or worry of it, of course we had no shortage of rain too, that is what really changes things.

I used just shoot every one I saw and I mean every single one, walk up on one and I could draw my heavy old Springfield M1A up and nail one at close range instantly or like we used to set up at the end of a 500 yd field, rest up, take them at 400 yards measured by a range finder.

I find that meadow mice or voles, behave very similar to these guys, I have a small cage with a few, kind of a novelty, but they do the same things, one of things with taking a closer look at all these critters is you learn all about them which does help when there are problems, I was over run and as of right now, 17 chipmunks killed, 6 woodchucks gone, and 25 mice killed, been cleaning up and eliminating habitat, this is what happens at home when you work too many hours and let things go, critters take right over, thankfully I've had ample time to deal with it and clear em out.

 

[Billy NY]

I was wondering that too Rich, and the one you are after sounds like a mature healthy one, I mean they eat the best stuff, clover, some grasses, all kinds of supple young weeds and that reddish/pink soft with small leaves, that spreads out, not up, one I ran off this morning would have been good eating, young and feeding off my garden !

 

[old]

Haven't yet but plan to bake it a bit latter today. Had to get some bacon since the recipe I have calls for bacon to be wrapped around it

 

[GeneMO]

But inquiring minds want to know, How much wood can they chuck?

Gene

 

[Ken Macfarlane]

This mama was the size of a large fat cat and managed to raise about 5 of the little hogs. The eagles got a few of them, the foxes got a few too. Good thing as she digs up a field I have.

 

[Billy NY]

They don't mix with hay fields well either. I find be it a hay field, pasture or what have you, if you have to cut it, one had best go out in the spring and mark those dens, eradicate, hunt/shoot or what have you. They are about the only thing that really does a number on the disc mower blades around here in otherwise clean fields, which I have reversed and changed when I was helping my farmer friend on his JD disc mower. His son had already encountered enough den "spoil" with small rocks and dirt mounds, so on the 2nd cut, after reversing, installing new blades, when I was mowing, I could spot those areas and just lift up over the mounds, and avoid trashing the blades. I find that a clean field to the hedge rows, most established den networks stay the same, as they are territorial, so new ones are not all that common, they are also sometimes abandoned, then eventually re used, you can minimize or eliminate hitting those mounds or sinking a wheel in one, a collapsed one or what have you by scouting the dens in the spring befor the grass starts to grow. I hit one last year right here, dropped the front end in, stopped the tractor and killed the engine while bushogging hay grasses, that was a new one, and I thought I hit a tank trap, darned lucky I did not break something on the front end of that tractor, could have been another larger animal den but was a total surprise and I've cut this field since I was a kid.

 

[Billy NY]

they don't chuck any, but leave any pile of wood here long enough, one will dig under it and build a den, guaranteed or your money back LOL !

 

[Rick Kr]

Isn't funny how much time we spend trying to catch vermin that get in the garden, etc. Growing trees, my main enemies are deer, rabbit, and mice. Woodchucks are fine as long as they don't get around the foundations of the buildings.

I no longer use my live trap, my two mountain fiest terriers, want to hunt non-stop. They take care of all the mice, rabbits, and the occasional chuck. They make quite a team when they corner something. I do have a few battle scars to fix on them now and then from bites and claws. So far this year they have harvested 2 oppossums, 3 rabbits, 2 chucks, and 1 skunk (not cool).

Rick

 

[Anonymous-0]

(quoted from post at 13:59:00 08/31/12) they don't chuck any, but leave any pile of wood here long enough, one will dig under it and build a den, guaranteed or your money back LOL !

I grew up along a little river that was lined with campers and a few diehards like us that lived there... Floods 2 or 3 times a year and I'd make some pocket money by catching the stuff that floated off up river.
Boats, propane tanks, picnic tables, etc... Always a nicely stacked and tied pile of firewood now and then also. And 3 or 4 out of 10 wood piles or tables would have a groundhog on them that was madder'n hell. Had a baby one once get scared and jump in the water then climb on my back and road while I swam/pulled the table in....

 

[Billy NY]

Thats pretty much the cure all, he'd have had a field day here. I'd also have to say when dogs get to em, 'chucks will stand and fight, til that dog sees an opportunity and does exactly whats in the picture, which is pretty quick, but if that chuck gets a bite in, its going to be a nasty puncture wound. I'd vote it being humane, about the same thing that happens in the wild. Personally, and to be honest, and I don't know why, I hate when it has to come to that, yet I know sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, I always think what it must be like to be in the other guys shoes, and when I can, I will go the extra mile to be fair, I just feel better knowing I'm not judge jury and executioner of animals that really don't know any better and am just trying to survive. Heck, he had the run of my entire garden and upon closer look he just nipped some eggplant leaves, and spinach leaves, like since yesterday, I have seen them in my garden years past, no greens like lettuce, spinach or the like, never bothered a thing 'cept weeds, he did get the lettuce but he could have decimated my garden, really surprised he never touched the cucumbers, not a one. How in heck I missed this guy was right under my nose, I take my hat off to him, one smart little 'chuck LOL !!!

We get soft as age creeps or something, will also admit, earlier this summer, after taking a hit from them, I was thoroughly enraged, doused their dens with gasoline and put a lid on them, let the vapors kill em and that was the end of that, I just guess a persons conscience and values never change, I hate having to do it, always a conflict with me, but I won't hesitate when its time, just wish it did not have to be like that is all.

 

[OH - 961]

In a lot of the country they are known as goundhogs. Same thing, just the local name for them.

IMO, the only good groundhog is a dead groundhog. They can do an unbelievable amount of damage. Horses and cows break kegs when they step in a groundhog hole, and they can do a LOT of damage to buildings and farm equipment.
A nice pole barn on a property behind mine had dump truck load sized piles of dirt just outside the walls that the critters had dug out from under the concrete floor. It was about to the point of collapsing the floor.
A friend broke the frame on his tractor when it ran into an unseen hole in a field he was brush hogging.
I equally despise racoons because of their insistence on climbing up on anything stored in a shed or barn to take a dump. A royal mess to clean up, and hazardous to your health as well.

Myron

 

[Fergienewbee]

A farmer let me trap on his farm and as a way of saying "Thank you" I trapped his woodchucks. He had 80 acres. Another guy hunted them with a .22-250. The farmer's wife kept score. I don't remember the exact number but I know we both got over 30. A Conibear trap in the entrance hole is awesome!

Larry

 

[Wile E]

Barnes bullets makes a varmint grenade. That is what I think of when I see a woodchuck.

 

[Rick Kr]

I don"t disagree with you Billy, I am soft sometimes too. The dogs run non-stop so they keep things under control.

I like the picture of your "pet" woodchuck, wouldn"t mind one around here as long as he wouldn"t did up foundations and eat the whole garden.

With the dogs though, not much stands a chance. I did get the dogs solely for the purpose of eliminating the mice and rabbits. They do that job excellent. Problem with their hunting instinct, anything that moves is fair game.

Rick

 

[willys53allis]

It may sound crazy but the next time you see one, grab a shotgun loaded with bird shot. Run out into the field and follow the chuck back to its hole. Point the shotgun at the hole it went down and wait. It will pop up out of the hole to look around, blast'em! then shove him back in the hole. problem solved... Killed 15 of them on spring/summer like that.

 

[scotc]

In spring the first batch of new ones are an easy target, they have never seen people (or tractors) before. I could usually walk right up on them when switching silage wagons.

 

[Hammer house]

I am like Nancy down in E. Texas, I think we do not have the chucks, {woodchuck} , As for as I can remember I have not seen any.

We do have the beaver & nutria, {nutria rat}.


Hammer Man

 

[mazemeister]

another thing that works pretty well is if you have him in the hole, run a water hose-biggest you got- down the hole. be ready at the top with the bird shot though, cause he's comin out pretty quick. make sure there's nothing valuable nearby that he can hide under before you get the shot off.

 

[Billy NY]

LOL, I have flooded chipmunks out like that, eventually they do come out.

I've seen chucks rooting around near the entrance of the hole and not be bothered by a spectator either.

The one I just ran off, he was in the hole, maybe he was not there the whole time this summer, cause when I starting moving things around under the steps, he came out and wanted out of there, possible he was still under construction and did not feel comfortable, not a sign of him today near the den under the stairs, trap still set too.

 

[Billy NY]

He was actually fun to have around, and being territorial, if and when another went under that porch, he got what for and "Woody" as I called him always won, though one of these confrontations did leave him missing a finger and thats how I could tell it was him every year, from 2001-2008.

Those dogs certainly provide a good service, as keeping the populations in check so they don't overrun ones place.

'chucks are interesting, kind of like beaver, they sure can do some work, the friendly one described above showed up not long after I buried my dog, he liked the same spot in the sun where the dog used to sit, and is buried, I met him eye to eye in that tree, soon after he was climbing up on my lap, to me it was as if someone knew the sadness of losing a great dog, a rhodesian, and he was the best, this guy came along and was like having a new pup, just a little different, so I let it ride and like was said, he really was no trouble at all, people used to get a kick out of him, and since then he's softened me up about them LOL, you do what you can and when you can to be fair, or kill quickly and humanely which is fine, I don't care for those who torture, abuse or treat animals inhumanely, and some do with dogs or other means, people like that are plain rotten I hate to say.

 

[Rick Kr]

I have read your story about the one woodchuck showing up after your dog died. Really wierd isnt it? Almost too coincidential. I had to put my two english mastiffs down due to age. I swear these fiests i have now are re-incarnations of my mastiffs. The male acts just like my big male and the female like the female. Too wierd. Only thing i dont miss is i use 20 lbs of food per month now vs 100+.
Rick

 

[Billy NY]

Probably coincidental, he was just a mellow, 'chuck, made his rounds in the vicinity but he owned under the porch, one year he brought the wife and kids to visit, another adult and 1 young, neither of them would take any food, and they did not like the scent on me, they were not here long, but all 3 were under the porch, that was odd, as once the young are weaned, I think they get pushed out like beaver.

You'll like this, left that trap set and low and behold the under the back steps dwelling, lettuce thieve done got him self caught, returned to the scene of the crime he did! He's really calm about it but still very defensive, fed him some pears/bananas, he already nailed my greens LOL or I'd have shared some, key word "some" LOL Going to head down the hill and across the field, he'll have all day to find new digs, not sure he'd last the night with predators like coyotes though, but thats up to him.

It'd be easier to shoot him and toss him over the bank, but odd as it sounds its not a bad thing to do something nice seeing I've got the room and that other one did not come back.

Will just make sure to jam up the works around the stairs until the season ends, time to rebuild, then I can incorporate a way to barricade the new stairs.

I left one side of the garden fallow, but the red/pink lush weed that we can also eat, and some other weeds did take after awhile, I have to believe he was eating mostly just that, because after I removed a bunch of those weeds before they went to seed, it seems like he went a bit further and started on my plants, was gradual, 'cept the lettuce, they sure are not greedy, or take it all at once, had I only seen him earlier, he kept a low profile, just took what he needed, still say they are smarter than they look.