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Post by binnylou on Sept 6, 2021 11:05:28 GMT -5
Does it ever end? Sometimes I wonder just how many freakin groundhogs there can be in our neck of the woods. I knew there was one visiting…and I knew there was a new tunnel headed under my garden shed. Yesterday, there was a pair of them on the yard, playing/scuffling/fighting behind the garden shed. I must have the whole family. They can’t stay…gotta go. And I don’t mean relocate. I was reading about the damage they can do…electrical lines, hoses on RVs, water lines. There’s been a lot of damage to the field corn across the road. I figured it was raccoons doing the deed. We were finding corn cobs on the yard and in the ditch. Do groundhogs eat field corn? Only when it’s still tender? Hubby ordered a strobe light that he thinks might encourage them (and others) to move along. Me? I’m setting the cage trap. I do hope nobody is relocating their groundhogs to our corner.
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Post by reuben on Sept 6, 2021 12:49:39 GMT -5
Groundhogs are like rabbits - there's never one. And with their multiple entrances/exits, some tactics just won't work.
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Post by martywny on Sept 6, 2021 13:05:15 GMT -5
binnylou, reuben, I saw a groundhog coming out from under my shed a few weeks ago. Somehow he became deceased right there in my yard and a few days later I watched a vulture devour him over about an hour time span. Vultures are amazing birds, nothing was left but a couple of tufts of fur. No bones, no skull, nothing. Groundhog #2 showed itself two days ago in the same place, will be interesting to see what happens.
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Post by gianna on Sept 6, 2021 13:07:49 GMT -5
No ground hogs here, but the battle with plant-eating critters is never-ending. If you build it, they will come. And you can't really blame them. But if you want a crop, they have to be controlled. I'm currently battling a gopher who is taking down my broccoli one by one. I trap them, but can't find a good run for this one. But his days are numbered....
Good luck controlling your groundhogs.
edit: I just looked them up. They are a type of ground squirrel. We have smaller ground squirrels, and they do a lot of damage. And they can climb so screening them out along the sides of a bed does not work. Trapping is the only thing that works for ours.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Sept 6, 2021 13:07:56 GMT -5
They like lettuce - that's what I use in the trap when I catch them. Only one this season, so far.
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Post by gianna on Sept 6, 2021 13:17:06 GMT -5
When I was trapping bunnies and ground squirrels, I also used lettuce. Romaine held up well. A few years ago, in just a couple weeks in one part of the yard, I trapped a total of 21 bunnies and ground squirrels... I really hate doing it, but there isn't an alternative when there are so many, and they are damaging so much. It did not help that someone living 3 houses up thought they were cute (they are) and was feeding them. !!!
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Post by reuben on Sept 6, 2021 13:22:49 GMT -5
Cantaloupe or most any melon is great groundhog bait. You'll need a large or extra large trap.
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Post by binnylou on Sept 6, 2021 13:38:43 GMT -5
reuben, I have a large live trap (previous GH fit comfortably) and a bunch of honeydew rind in the freezer. And carrots. Carrots was what worked last time. Hubby dislikes the “ doin them in” part, and I feel guilty asking him to take care of it. Thinking that if I didn’t garden, the GH wouldn’t be an issue. I know better…they are still going to do their damage. My garden shed is resting on blocks and anchored to secure from winds. If this pesky guy keeps tunneling, my garden shed may develop a tilt. Can’t have that. I really like my garden shed.
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Post by breezygardener on Sept 6, 2021 17:20:06 GMT -5
I have a full family here at the moment. The only thing I can tell you is that groundhogs are VERY territorial. Once the youngsters mature, they'll be booted out to find their own homes elsewhere.
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Post by binnylou on Sept 7, 2021 21:51:05 GMT -5
Well, the groundhog family has an obvious front door now. And they dumped one of my planter pots. Nothing was growing in it. Can’t imagine why it was dumped.
Hubby’s strobe lights should arrive tomorrow. It would be great if the lights make the GHs uncomfortable and they just pack their bags and move on down the road. I should give my neighbor a heads up and tell her to expect them.😁
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Post by wargarden2017 on Sept 8, 2021 0:16:03 GMT -5
the solution is kill the creature then put it back dead into its's hole.
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Post by binnylou on Sept 8, 2021 11:41:27 GMT -5
Strobe lights have arrived…I should warn the neighbors.
I think this will be hubby’s entertainment for the day. I did suggest that the walls in his bathroom needed a wash. We will see…he’s never washed walls…at least not since we’ve been together.
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Post by breezygardener on Sept 8, 2021 16:27:55 GMT -5
And they dumped one of my planter pots. Nothing was growing in it. Can’t imagine why it was dumped. Unfortunately groundhogs are like the proverbial "bulls in a china shop". Unlike raccoons, who are like North American monkeys & only turn things over on purpose, groundhogs are just naturally really clumsy.
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Post by binnylou on Sept 10, 2021 20:11:30 GMT -5
Well, the strobe lights are still strobing. They are almost blinding for me. Hubby said “somebody” moved one of the lights. Probably a snoopy groundhog. I just came in from watering the flower garden and noticed a vehicle coming up the road , faster than they should be traveling. I saw they braked pretty hard about the time they would have noticed the flashing lights.
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Post by binnylou on Sept 16, 2021 23:17:52 GMT -5
Well, the garden shed ground hogs have had a few days of rest. Strobe lights were removed and resident gardener 👩🌾 was otherwise occupied. She is persistent…tonight the live trap was set and baited with carrots and honeydew melon. There’s a trail of carrot slices from the tunnel area to the trap. If he/she can’t find it’s way to the trap, we must have a really dumb ground hog.
Maybe tomorrow…
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