Woodchuck / Groundhog Removal and Control - Professional Wildlife Management

GROUNDHOG BIOLOGY: Groundhogs (Marmota monax) are rodents, and adults average 8-10 pounds. They give birth in spring to 3-6 young. They can live up to six years in the wild. They are primarily herbivorous, eating a wide variety of plants.

GROUNDHOG BEHAVIOR: Groundhogs are diggers. They excavate tunnels and burrows underground, in which they live and raise young. The tunnel may have up to five entrances and 50 feet of total tunnel distance. They create a den to live in, and to hibernate in. They are primarily active during the daytime. They can climb and swim, but they mostly stay in fields, foraging. When they sense danger, they retreat for the tunnel. Woodchucks can create a wide variety of vocal noises. They grow fat during the summer, lethargic by autumn, and in winter, they hibernate. They emerge in spring and start the mating process.

NUISANCE CONCERNS: Woodchucks are considered agricultural pests, since they love to eat a wide variety of crops. However, their burrowing habits often cause a bigger problem. Horses can break their legs by stepping into burrows, and when a groundhog digs under a house or deck, the removal of soil can undermine the foundation.

GROUNDHOG DISEASES: No important diseases associated with groundhogs.

HOW DO I GET RID OF GROUNDHOGS? The best method is trapping and removal. If you simply block off their holes, they will dig them out again. They can't be poisoned. They can be live trapped in cage traps or caught in lethal body grip traps.

CAN'T I JUST USE A REPELLENT? Many people try various repellents to get rid of groundhogs - everything from mothballs to fox or coyote urine. However, none of these are effective. The only sure means of woodchuck control is trapping and removal.

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Groundhog Email From Reader: Ron Smith at the extension service, suggested that I check out your website because I asked him about groundhogs and he, of course, is a plant man! Unfortunately, I live in Indiana, but have these groundhogs that have dug holes under my hottub! In the past I have used a live trap and caught many woodland creatures (I live right by a park with a creek). This summer, it seems the groundhogs aren't interested in my trap. I've used fruit, veggies. I've plugged the holes, tried mothballs, but neither of those little things worked! I'm wondering how deep they dig, if I tried to put a barrier down into the ground around my hot tub. OR, will they just go as deep as they need to? Do you have any suggestions? The hot tub is sunk in my deck, so there's not a lot of space for humans under there. Plenty of room for groundhogs to set up housekeeping! I think they have a lovely palace and have sent the word out to all their friends to come and party! Any help/suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much. Bea

My Response: If you want to install a steel barrier into the ground, it only needs to be a foot deep, but curve the bottom of the steel screen outward about six inches. That way, when the animal digs down, it will hit this curve, and it won't know enough to move backward to try to dig underneath it.

Groundhog Email From Reader: hi. you helped us enormously a month or so w/ some groundhogs under our deck here in Tallmadge. you gave us the # of someone who does lattice work WITH the heavy screen in back of it to prevent this from happening again. I lost that #--could you please resend? thanks much. Delese

My Response: Oops, I think you meant to email a wildlife trapper from my directory, in your area. I'm just the guy who created this website, and I trap animals in Orlando FL.

Groundhog Email From Reader: Just wanted to pass along another groundhog story for you. My husband and I were living in the Philadelphia area and our backyard sloped down to some open space with woods and a small creek running through it. We had a small wood deck with a wood railing on the back of our house and kept our gas barbecue grill out there, covered for winter. Well, early one spring we happened to step out on the deck and smelled gas -- come to find out a groundhog had decided that our deck and deck railing were perfect for gnawing his teeth -- he just got carried away and gnawed right through the hose from our propane tank. Good thing we weren't smokers or the whole place could have gone up with a bang! We had a wildlife trapper come out to help us, but that wily groundhog refused to be trapped. Every once in awhile I spotted him waddling down to the woods, but he never came back to our deck again.

My Response: Wow, thanks for the story! These critters can cause some real damage sometimes.