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[femmelf]

Jerk Groundhog:

There is a groundhog under my old broken down back shed. He comes out to sun himself and eat anything anyone grows. I would like to fix this broken down shed, but before I can, I thought I should get rid of him, because he is probably digging around and messing up the foundation. Also, he is eating everyone's vegetables, etc.

Exterminator:
I hired an exterminator. $175 for the trap, and $95 per animal.

So far we have set the trap twice and gotten 2 raccoons, which have to be killed by state law (there was a rabies incident about 8-10 years ago). 

1.) This is a fairly wooded area, and I bet there are raccons galore. I can't keep setting this trap and paying $95 per animal, because there are probably who knows how many raccoons around here.

2.) How do I get the groundhog?
I was told he could be released into the woods far away from everyone if he was caught in a trap (unlike the raccoons).
At this point, I don't care anymore. He does not seem to care about the trap and is not falling for it. I would almost shoot him if I could.

What do I do?

[EuchreJack]

Are you allowed to buy and fire some sort of firearm?

The cheapest firearms + sufficient ammo should cost the same as two traps.

You can shoot him the next time he comes out to sun himself.  You can also hopefully avoid shooting any racoons.

[anewaname]

Groundhogs are not stupid and as soon as they consider you to be a threat, they will start hiding from you. When they are in their burrow they have a keen awareness of nearby seismic vibrations. It really is a matter of how far you want to take it, because they know where the loot is and their biology demands it. But like any animal, if they are in a state of terror and not crippled and not protecting their young, they may move out.

Read this article about groundhog frustration before you buy farmer's overall and a gun.

Also, if you have groundhogs, you might get rabbits too or even deer. How you protect the veggies will vary according to your opponent's method of attack. As mentioned in the article, animals may wait for some plants to bear fruit before they snack on them.

[Fortressmaker]

Bad luck with this huge problems, i understand you. My home is full of cockroaches, ants, rats, but they don't break my basement and usually i feel good having companions so i feel okay, but a groundhog can break through your basement destroying all the work of the builders. I even give names to cockroaches, try naming the groundhog and calling it few times, and if he comes out TAKE OUT A SHOTGUN.

[King Zultan]

Sometimes dead is better when it comes to this kind of thing, and a gun is the best way to make them dead.

[McTraveller]

I have a groundhog (I think?) or rabbits digging holes right next to my house along the cement foundation.  I'm astonished at how much dirt they can excavate.

Do I need to fill it with gravel?  Can I scare them off with nasty chemicals?  I don't have firearms.

I have considered trying to flood them out with a hose, but I don't want to eat dirt away from my foundation.

[King Zultan]

You could turn the hose on low and slowly fill the holes with water, shouldn't damage the foundation anymore that the critters have.

[EuchreJack]

Also: Get Cats.  They like killing other things.
Do you need cats? I have plenty.  Please take my cats...

[King Zultan]

Also: Get Cats.  They like killing other things.
Do you need cats? I have plenty.  Please take my cats...

+1 To cats, they're natures exterminators.

[anewaname]

Nothing gets your attention like the screaming of a young rabbit when a cat catches it... horrifying.

[nenjin]

Young possums too. My cat turned them into a socket puppet.

[femmelf]

For some reason, there are cats hanging around and they could care less about the groundhog. They'll get bunnies and birds, but for whatever reason, they don't seem to pay attention to the groundhogs. $500 later, the exterminator caught three racoon, but no groundhogs. I have half a mind to buy one of those stupid big traps like he used. The groundhog runs whenever it sees me, because it knows I'm not happy with it. At this point, I'd consider using poison or something, because nothing else has worked. I tried to pay to have him humanely relocated.... Apparently, no dice.

[King Zultan]

For that much money you could have bought several live traps.


Also why don't you take a hose and flood the holes the groundhog goes into?

[nenjin]

It works but it can also damage your yard and create subsidence areas. And it can displace them but it won't necessarily stop them from coming back unless their burrows and the entrances to them were collapsed. Which, again, can lead to subsidence.

[EuchreJack]

Hm, the cats probably don't like hunting the groundhogs because the cats don't want to go into the tunnels to kill the groundhogs.

Essentially, the groundhogs are the Viet Cong.