I have a rental house that has 2 large vacant lots in the backyard and it is all fenced in too. At the far end, on my side of the fence, are 3 holes that are approx. 12 inches wide. Each of these holes, which are connected underground, were created by a groundhog that digs underground tunnels. I first saw the groundhog last summer when I first bought the property. Today, I saw him again eating the grass in the backyard and when he heard me walking towards him, he ran down one of the 3 escape holes he had dug. I got within 10 feet of him. He is not aggressive.

At this writing, I don't know how extensive his underground tunneling is. He could have tunnels dug all under my property but so far, the ground hog keeps to himself and does not bother my tenants. One of my tenants told me today they have seen the ground hog on several occasions and now he has girlfriend,...so I can only assume more tunneling hogs are on the way.

Groundhogs and woodchucks have healthy appetites and can destroy your garden in no time.

Luckily they are slow, my NJ friend wacks them with a shovel and sends them to heaven one at a time. Endless battle.

In CA we have gofers, much smaller animals but a lot quicker with just as healthy appetite for grass roots.

Roy, I am a member of PETA - People Eating Tasty Animals.

You could get a fox. When we wee at glacier park we watched a fox chase squirrels in front of the lodge. He'd race to the hole they dove down, then he'd chase another, always a second or two late. Poor little guy.

Not that I condone cold blooded murder. But unless you can live trap them and relocate them to the yard of a neighbor you don't like, I'd say silenced .22, unless you are in city limits, then I don't know what you use. Explosives I think was Bill's solution. :D

LTD,

All of my properties are within in city limits, however, this is AL and the 2nd Amendment is only law here people know by heart. Like Homer, I may attempt to do live trapping and just do a self-help eviction.

Hey Homer,

I love caddy shack!

My grandfather used to smoke them with poison gas bombs. Doubt you can even buy them today. He'd light it and throw it down the hole and throw dirt on top.

Stew or BBQ'ed?

We had ground hogs in the backyard of our previous personal residence, so I bought a live trap at Home Depot. It's a large "cage" that collapses down flat but then can be set up and braced easily in place. There's an opening at one end attached to a spring that you prop open. It's connected to a trigger plate at the other end of the trap so when the animal steps on it the "gate" slams shut and latches. Animal can't escape. I just picked the whole thing up (hissing groundhog included) and toted him out to the country and released him.

Say good night.

Vehicle tailpipe, hose to hole. ( Carbon monoxide )

'what kind of redneck are you that doesn't know where to buy traps?'

Family reunions to meet women? Ha ha. Hey, why go across town when you can go across the hall?

NE,

Around here the ranchers use propane to fill the tunnels. Tube in one end and match on the other end. Not ground hogs but sod poodles (prairie dogs). The tunnels are heck on livestock and horses who often break a leg stepping into the holes.

I've heard that they are edible. I haven't tried it though. They vegetarians and practically odorless, so the meat should be clean and tasty. They are lazy, so the meat should be tender.

They are fairly harmless except for the damage they do to the yard and they love to get underneath garden sheds and remove the dirt supporting them.

I enjoy watching them, but prefer to watch them on someone else's property. I don't allow them to live on mine. I don't relocate pests, making them someone else's problem. If I don't want them, I deal with them properly.

Roy,

Live traps at any farm supply store.

PLEASE take the waaay out into the country, NOT your local city park!

BRAD BBQ'ed or Grilled?

Groundhogs lazy? Not around here. They can climb, too - the first time I saw our Mulberry tree swaying and realized that an adult groundhog was gorging itself, 15' off the ground, I was surprised!

About the Havahart traps. Groundhogs like tunnels that open on both ends, so leaving one door down doesn't work too well with them. Put the trap somewhere that it appears to the groundhog that it has a safe exit out the other end to a woodpile, bush, etc. Baiting with apples has worked best for me.

Don't forget to spring the traps at dusk, or you'll catch a skunk! If you DO catch a skunk, use a long pole to flip the Havahart upside-down, and the doors will fall open, allowing it to escape. (I have heard people say that the skunk can't spray from the trap, as it's tail will be held down, but I wouldn't risk it!)

Wish I could still trap those buggers - but our suburban county does not allow for the relocating of groundhogs any more, and the fine for doing so is stiff. So far, we live in peaceful coexistence - but it one gets into my tomato corral, they are toast!