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

[Winemaker]

I have eliminated over 18 groundhogs in my backyard garden over a three year time period. I have 2 apple trees in yard and use them for bait; I use the ones usually that have fallen or are blemished. Once in the trap, I have used Red Badger"s method above, but have had better success with a .22 using Sub-Sonic ammo. If you are worried about neighbors calling the law, wait til they go off to work or late in evening. Sub-Sonic ammo is quieter than a balloon popping. I have also been known to put the .22 in a beach umbrella bag, so one sees the weapon.


Another method is to break up some glass into real small shards and mix up with cheap grape jelly, with an apple or two on top.

My garden has been saved for three years now.

 

[Red Badger]

I have eliminated over 18 groundhogs in my backyard garden over a three year time period. I have 2 apple trees in yard and use them for bait; I use the ones usually that have fallen or are blemished. Once in the trap, I have used Red Badger"s method above, but have had better success with a .22 using Sub-Sonic ammo. If you are worried about neighbors calling the law, wait til they go off to work or late in evening. Sub-Sonic ammo is quieter than a balloon popping. I have also been known to put the .22 in a beach umbrella bag, so one sees the weapon.


Another method is to break up some glass into real small shards and mix up with cheap grape jelly, with an apple or two on top.

My garden has been saved for three years now.

Why stop there? Groundhog is better than... | Kentucky Hunting

I like Whole Foods PB where you grind it with the machine. Too expensive to share with varmints though....

 

[JoeWras]

There are outliers, and then there are outliers.

I enjoy yellow jackets and hornets. I call them over and have them roost on my arm. Fascinating creatures! They really don't produce any honey, per se. It is more just an ooze.

Some mornings I dig up the yellow jacket nest and bring it inside so we can all enjoy them.

 

[HFWR]

i enjoy yellow jackets and hornets. I call them over and have them roost on my arm. Fascinating creatures! They really don't produce any honey, per se. It is more just an ooze.

Some mornings i dig up the yellow jacket nest and bring it inside so we can all enjoy them.

 

[brewer12345]

Why stop there? Groundhog is better than... | Kentucky Hunting

I like Whole Foods PB where you grind it with the machine. Too expensive to share with varmints though....

I have heard the younger chucks are the tasty ones. We don't have them here so I don't know personally. Have yet to get up to the nose bleed elevations where I could harvest their near cousin the golden marmot. Generally by the time I am free from beekeeping in the summer to hunt the markets are hibernating.

 

[braumeister]

I enjoy yellow jackets and hornets. I call them over and have them roost on my arm. Fascinating creatures! They really don't produce any honey, per se. It is more just an ooze.

Some mornings I dig up the yellow jacket nest and bring it inside so we can all enjoy them.

I think you may have missed the spelling on "outliers". You seem to be spelling it with an A rather than an E.

 

[tmm99]

I think Jif and other regular brands have either sugar or hydrogenated oil or both in them. I get a jar of just peanut butter with nothing else in it (in the natural food aisle), and add salt when I eat it.

 

[RAE]

Why stop there? Groundhog is better than... | Kentucky Hunting

Actually, I have eaten groundhog, and the meat is delicious. The only problem is they are a real bear to clean.........hide does NOT come off easily, as it does on a rabbit. I know these things because, if you eat my garden, you risk being eaten by me

 

[MRG]

Actually, I have eaten groundhog, and the meat is delicious. The only problem is they are a real bear to clean.........hide does NOT come off easily, as it does on a rabbit. I know these things because, if you eat my garden, you risk being eaten by me

My neighbor has eaten marmot with indigenous folks that live above 10,000'. They worked around the cleaning issues with creative cleaning, cooking, and eating techniques.

Basically they remove the entrails, fill the cavity with hot rocks. Then stitch the critter back together and put its hairy backside in the fire to burn and singe the hair off! The feast starts when the whistle pig is declared done by an elder. They eat the pig from the inside out, so no one's dealing with the hairs!

 

[ransil]

box trap and apples , I get off any tree leave a trail from out in front of trap.
there is more than one around

 

[RAE]

My neighbor has eaten marmot with indigenous folks that live above 10,000'. They worked around the cleaning issues with creative cleaning, cooking, and eating techniques.

Basically they remove the entrails, fill the cavity with hot rocks. Then stitch the critter back together and put its hairy backside in the fire to burn and singe the hair off! The feast starts when the whistle pig is declared done by an elder. They eat the pig from the inside out, so no one's dealing with the hairs!

Sounds good to me. I would not hesitate to try (and enjoy) a meal of marmot cooked like that!

 

[JoeWras]

I think you may have missed the spelling on "outliers". You seem to be spelling it with an A rather than an E.

 

[zedd]

.
What we do. Close the drapes and act like nobody's home. Eventually he'll go away.

 

[gettingthere]

Years ago we had a woodchuck we wanted to get rid of. Used a large Havahart trap and relocated it (I've since learned this is not legal in my area).

I watched what plants they were eating, and used what appeared to be their favorite as bait. Violets. Dug them, potted them in a shallow tray, placed them in the back of the trap, and had no trouble catching the woodchuck. (We had a rather weedy lawn, and the violets were easy to come by).

 

[ivinsfan]

.
What we do. Close the drapes and act like nobody's home. Eventually he'll go away.

He's way too comfortable IMO, don't underestimate what damage they can do....I'm hoping you were joking...

 

[Walt34]

The saga continues.

I know that he/she/it is still here because he/she/it buried the repellent stuff I spread around the burrow. Didn't really expect that would work anyway. The two live traps (Havahart) arrived today from Amazon. One is the cheaper single entry and the other is the luxury two-entry version. The directions suggest leaving them outside where you intend to put them, but not set, for a couple of days to let the animal(s) get acclimated to it. I intend to put some food, apple slices and cantaloupe slices, nearby but not inside the traps to (hopefully) make them associate those funny-looking wire thingys with yummy food. At least that's the way it's supposed to work. While handling them I did wear some new disposable gloves to hopefully keep my scent off them - some people seem to think that helps too. Can't hurt.

And without even reading the directions I figured out how to set and spring the traps. Nice to know that I'm smarter than a rodent.

Well, we'll see. By most accounts they can be difficult to capture.

 

[CardsFan]

Nice to know that I'm smarter than a rodent.

But, as Yogi says (Not Berra) are you "smarter than the average bear"?

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[braumeister]

Here's an interesting page on it:

WHAT KIND OF BAIT TO CATCH A GROUNDHOG?

Bait is not important. Trap placement and set is more important. Set the trap on the normal runway between burrow and entrance to your garden, for example, and line the bottom of the trap with grass to make it look natural. If you must use bait, the best bait is fresh vegetables: broccoli, peas, corn, etc.

The challenge with choosing bait is that animals, like people, will have a preference when it comes to taste, and one food that proves irresistible to one groundhog may not be as successful with another animal. Some of the most successful vegetables that can be used as groundhog bait include peas, lettuce sweetcorn and string beans, while fruits such as cantaloupe, strawberries and beaches are also popular.

While bait can help to decide whether or not a groundhog trap is successful, the location of the trap is an even more important part of the trapping process. It is best to locate the trap around six feet away from the entry hole to the burrow,

 

[Walt34]

Here's an interesting page on it:

WHAT KIND OF BAIT TO CATCH A GROUNDHOG?

I'd seen that page somewhere else, evidence that plagiarism runs rampant on the Internet. Who knew?

For now I'm going to go with apples and cantaloupe simply because that's what I have on hand and it's been suggested. If it's still there in the morning I'll conclude he's turned up his nose at it and stop by the grocery store on the way home from the gym tomorrow and hope to find something more suitable for the discerning groundhog palate.

 

[MRG]

I've never trapped a groundhog but years ago we were overrun by moles. The Only thing that worked was the spring loaded spike of death type, which no one said worked. Somewhere I found a little book a guy wrote on moles and their behavior. He then used the behavior to identify how to set the "spike of death" traps and it worked! I mean I was suddenly overrun by dead moles.

So you need to think like the groundhog. Why would that groundhog bury the repellent? Maybe you have insulted him? An apple might set things right.

 

[CardsFan]

So you need to think like the groundhog. Why would that groundhog bury the repellent? Maybe you have insulted him? An apple might set things right.

Why do I suddenly have visions of "Caddyshack"? I think you need to hire Carl, the groundskeeper.

 

[RAE]

The saga continues.

The directions suggest leaving them outside where you intend to put them, but not set, for a couple of days to let the animal(s) get acclimated to it. I intend to put some food, apple slices and cantaloupe slices, nearby but not inside the traps to (hopefully) make them associate those funny-looking wire thingys with yummy food. At least that's the way it's supposed to work. While handling them I did wear some new disposable gloves to hopefully keep my scent off them - some people seem to think that helps too. Can't hurt.

Well, we'll see. By most accounts they can be difficult to capture.

They're not all that difficult to capture, in my experience. I'd set your traps right away, using apple slices in one, and cantaloupe in the other. Put the traps a short distance from an area where it looks like they travel frequently, not right on top of the burrow entrance. Then wait. They will smell the bait right away, and either go right in, or avoid it for a couple days, while they try to figure out what the trap is. But eventually, they should go in. Just remember to keep the trap set only during daylight hours (not at night). Otherwise, you run the risk of catching other unwanted critters (think skunks and racoons).

 

[braumeister]

I've never trapped a groundhog but years ago we were overrun by moles. The Only thing that worked was the spring loaded spike of death type, which no one said worked.

The urban neighborhood I lived in about 30 years ago had moles in everyone's back yard. We discovered the most effective detector was our cat. I just had to watch the cat and when it alerted on something it would stare straight down into the grass, moving an inch or two at a time because she apparently could hear the mole. When I saw that I went out and plunged a pitchfork into the lawn where the cat was looking and that was the end of it. The cat immediately lost interest (because the mole was dead).

 

[ransil]

They are stupid, dont worry about gloves or not setting the trap, set and bait.
I take them for a ride and let them out in country., cover the trap if you catch one with a towel if you catch one.

 

[MissMolly]

I'd seen that page somewhere else, evidence that plagiarism runs rampant on the Internet. Who knew?

For now I'm going to go with apples and cantaloupe simply because that's what I have on hand and it's been suggested. If it's still there in the morning I'll conclude he's turned up his nose at it and stop by the grocery store on the way home from the gym tomorrow and hope to find something more suitable for the discerning groundhog palate.

Groundhogs are diurnal - just like most people, they sleep at night.