"So... what kind of peanut butter does a groundhog like?"

[Walt34]

That's what I said while standing in the grocery store peanut butter aisle today among the dizzying array of peanut butter possibilities there. A guy standing nearby just gave me a weird look and walked quickly away. Same to you, buddy.

It seems we have a groundhog who has decided to take up residence under the front porch. This is not good of course because groundhogs dig and excavate. A lot. To the point that if we ignore it there is a good chance of structural problems arising with the porch, if not the whole house. We know it's a groundhog because we've seen him/her/it a couple of times.

We called the pest control company we have a current contract with about it and they don't do groundhogs. Well, they do, but state law says they can only set traps that have to be checked (by them) daily. At $50/day. Hmm... hold that thought while we consider other avenues.

Shooting them is a popular solution in many areas, but we live in an area where that isn't an option. Not unless I want to spend some time in jail, so that's out.

Last night I looked around online at various stores - Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, etc. - and it seems that groundhogs aren't a huge market around here because they don't stock much. We did get some repellent stuff from Lowes today but from reading I gather that's a mixture of luck, old wives tales, and the phase of the moon whether it works. But other than spending a few bucks it won't hurt anything so we bought some of that and I spread it around today. We'll see.

So I went online to Amazon and got more serious about it. Some poison and gas cartridges (these are the last resort because we don't want a stinky dead groundhog under the porch) were some purchases, and a couple of traps, which is where the peanut butter comes in. We also got some sunflower seeds to mix in with the peanut butter, but I didn't look too closely at the label and accidentally got the salted kind. I do hope the groundhog isn't on a low-salt diet and turns up his nose at them.

Normally for myself I only get the finest peanut butter. That's Jiff, extra crunchy. But for the groundhog I cheaped out and bought the store brand, creamy style. I do hope he's not a connoisseur of fine peanut butters.

Your thoughts on a groundhog's taste in peanut butter, and any other thoughts you may have on persuading him/her/it to take up residence elsewhere are gratefully appreciated.

 

[RobbieB]

A dog? How about a large cat?

 

[JoeWras]

Cheap is fine. I like the natural stuff, but it will melt away off the trap. Cheap has all the stabilizers and will stick.

I think it is good to get rid of ground animals near the house. The reason is that those holes tend to later host other problems -- I'm mostly thinking yellow jackets.

 

[target2019]

hav-a-heart trap comes in groundhog size. open the trap for early morning. If you don't catch, close trap and repeat next day.

throw a tarp over the trap and take him/her to luxurious digging grounds far away.

 

[Jerry1]

If you know where it has taken up residence, you can use these:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ATLAS-CH...MIi4qN66X74gIVWbnACh2qUweHEAQYAyABEgKZJPD_BwE

 

[gamboolman]

We like HEB brand here in Texas.

We eat lots of peanut butter oversea's vs eating local mystery meat from the Bush....

We don't scrimp on Peanut Butter.

And that Nutella brand of what is charitably called peanut butter is so bad that I will eat the local food with the mystery meat vs eating that stuff.

As far as the ground hog.... You could set your own trap and/or snares and just be quiet about it. A 22 short don't make much noise....just saying..... the old triple S, SSS = Shoot, Shut Up, Shovel.....

 

[grasshopper]

Peanut butter creamy and sunflower seeds also work on mice and packrats.

 

[Alan]

The cheapest peanut butter stuff worked for us when trapping a raccoon, although the first 2 nights we caught 2 neighborhood cats.

 

[MissMolly]

We have a groundhog that comes around periodically. Up until last year we had an apple tree and he would come and eat the apples that fell. Last year I saw him slowly dragging himself across the yard. It was evident he had been badly injured and his back legs weren't working. He was so pitiful. I researched on the Internet and it says cantaloupe is their favorite food, so I borrowed a Have-A-Hart trap and stocked it with cantaloupe. My plan was to take him to a local vet that does wildlife rehab. Every morning I would set trap and every night I would bring it in - except one night it was raining so I didn't and caught a possum by accident. This went on for 2 weeks. Never saw the groundhog again and I assumed he died. Until last week - there he was trotting across the yard looking as healthy as ever. So anyway, the point is they like apples and cantaloupe. Put your peanut butter on some apple slices.

 

[MRG]

Do groundhogs eat peanut butter? I've never seen them eating any. Some folks think they like their healthy veggies.


http://www.havahart.com/groundhog-baits


Best Groundhog Baits

One of the best foods to use for baiting your trap would be that which your groundhog steals from your garden. If you aren't sure, groundhogs are attracted to herbaceous green plants and sweet fruits - choose a ripe, nutrient-rich food or vegetable as bait.

 

[braumeister]

hav-a-heart trap comes in groundhog size. open the trap for early morning. If you don't catch, close trap and repeat next day.

throw a tarp over the trap and take him/her to luxurious digging grounds far away.

I've done this in the past. Very effective as long as you relocate it about ten miles away.

 

[Walt34]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I did get some Golden Delicious apples today (which we like, in case the groundhog doesn't like them) intending to use apple slices but hadn't come across the haveahart web site. Next trip out we'll get some cantaloupe.

 

[braumeister]

One of the best foods to use for baiting your trap would be that which your groundhog steals from your garden. If you aren't sure, groundhogs are attracted to herbaceous green plants and sweet fruits - choose a ripe, nutrient-rich food or vegetable as bait.

Shouldn't this be combined with the Beyond Meat/Impossible Burger thread?

 

[ivinsfan]

Goundhogs are cagey and extremely difficult to trap. You probably don't want to hear this, but if it wants to it will dig its way in your house. Maybe you don't have a basement but if you do digging is their favorite hobby.


We have a creek running through our farm and are cursed with them. Never caught one in a live trap.Or a leg trap. What you want is a Duke body trap..be sure to buy the Duke safety setting tools, both of them, check Amazon. Use cantaloupe and be patient. Now if you have any local cats or dogs and cannot put the trap in an enclosed space, that's a non-starter. Our GHs dig into our machine shed from the outside and we place the trap in the shed with the door always closed.

FWIW we have live traps and use them on coons and other varmints, but groundhogs are destructive, smarter then Sh%$, and they get the big goodbye at our place.

 

[ivinsfan]

hav-a-heart trap comes in groundhog size. open the trap for early morning. If you don't catch, close trap and repeat next day.

throw a tarp over the trap and take him/her to luxurious digging grounds far away.

Have you every trapped one that way, we haven't we've gotten coons and accidently trapped a skunk or two but never a groundhog.

 

[Walt34]

One of the best foods to use for baiting your trap would be that which your groundhog steals from your garden. If you aren't sure, groundhogs are attracted to herbaceous green plants and sweet fruits - choose a ripe, nutrient-rich food or vegetable as bait.

The thing is, we don't have a garden. To the best of my knowledge none of the neighbors do either so I have no idea what prompted it to take up residence here.

 

[RAE]

hav-a-heart trap comes in groundhog size. open the trap for early morning. If you don't catch, close trap and repeat next day.

throw a tarp over the trap and take him/her to luxurious digging grounds far away.

Yep, this is what you need to do. I've trapped FIVE groundhogs already this spring in our neighborhood, using a havahart live trap baited with chunks of cantaloupe. And as target says, open and bait the trap in the early morning every day, and then close it before dark each day also. If you don't, you may catch things you really don't want to catch at night (like skunks and racoons......been there, done that). When you catch the culprit, take him at least several miles away for release. And if you have one groundhog, the chances are good that there are more, so keep setting the trap daily until you don't catch any more.

 

[RAE]

The thing is, we don't have a garden. To the best of my knowledge none of the neighbors do either so I have no idea what prompted it to take up residence here.

They will certainly eat garden plants (one destroyed my entire garden one year), but they don't need gardens to survive. If you have lots of lush grass around, together with places to hide (buildings they can burrow under, brush piles, etc), they will be quite happy in your neighborhood.

 

[ivinsfan]

Yep, this is what you need to do. I've trapped FIVE groundhogs already this spring in our neighborhood, using a havahart live trap baited with chunks of cantaloupe. And as target says, open and bait the trap in the early morning every day, and then close it before dark each day also. If you don't, you may catch things you really don't want to catch at night (like skunks and racoons......been there, done that). When you catch the culprit, take him at least several miles away for release. And if you have one groundhog, the chances are good that there are more, so keep setting the trap daily until you don't catch any more.

We have no luck with the HAH traps...glad to hear they work for someone..do you every think that maybe you just have one really smart groundhog? They are very territorial. I am on the fence about dumping a groundhog on someone else's property, as they are so destructive.

 

[MRG]

The thing is, we don't have a garden. To the best of my knowledge none of the neighbors do either so I have no idea what prompted it to take up residence here.

They don't make sense. Groundhogs are kin to marmots, those things sometimes live above the treeline and live on roots and tubers.

My neighbor gave me a 30 minute education about marmots. His DB was a missionary some place at altitude and marmot was what's for dinner. Spent a lot of time talking about how they cooked it, not about how great it.

 

[Ronstar]

I have caught them on peanut butter and crackers in my havahart trap. I caught one in the trap with no bait. Neighbor just borrowed my trap and caught raccoons with cat food.

I have had groundhogs living under my deck for the last few years. I catch them , and DW makes me bring them at least 10 miles away before I release them. She claims that they will return to our house if I dont dispose of them more than 10 miles away. I think I have a new one under the deck - a small one based on his entrance path. I'm going to try cat food on this one.

 

[Walt34]

I am on the fence about dumping a groundhog on someone else's property, as they are so destructive.

This has occurred to me also, to the point that I've given thought to simply throwing the trap with groundhog in it, into the nearby creek and drown it. Tie a rope to the trap (before trapping!) and pull it back up later. But I don't like that idea much either.

 

[RAE]

We have no luck with the HAH traps...glad to hear they work for someone..do you every think that maybe you just have one really smart groundhog? They are very territorial. I am on the fence about dumping a groundhog on someone else's property, as they are so destructive.

I'm quite sure none of the 5 groundhogs I trapped and relocated have returned, as I took them many miles away. We live near a lot of State/National Forest land, so there are lots of places I can take them where there are no houses around for miles.

 

[target2019]

Timing is everything. First I caught the possum. Then I caught the skunk. Third time was the charm. I left mr. groundhog out by the pond, in his cage. I figured a day or so would calm him down for the big trip. He manage to shred the blue tarp and make a nice nest in a day or two. My hat is off to his abilities.

 

[ivinsfan]

I'm quite sure none of the 5 groundhogs I trapped and relocated have returned, as I took them many miles away. We live near a lot of State/National Forest land, so there are lots of places I can take them where there are no houses around for miles.

Wonder why you have so many groundhogs, forest land is a good solution.