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#Post#: 5840--------------------------------------------------
Gosh damned woodchuck
DIR By: guest13
Date: September 26, 2020, 4:35 am
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Also known as groundhog, marmot or whistlepig.
Got one living on my lot. There's a 3' wide decked area behind
the back of the house and the side of the shed---the 'chuck has
created a burrow down one side of it and under the skirting.
Got a live trap baited and set. So far it has turned its nose up
at celery, tomato and pear bait. I would much rather trap and
relocate this rascal than do it any harm---but something has to
change and soon, these critters are very destructive.
#Post#: 5841--------------------------------------------------
Re: Gosh damned woodchuck
DIR By: AJ
Date: September 26, 2020, 8:50 am
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--- Quote from: Danocoustic link ---
>
> Also known as groundhog, marmot or whistlepig.
>
> Got one living on my lot. There's a 3' wide decked area behind
the back of the house and the side of the shed---the 'chuck has
created a burrow down one side of it and under the skirting.
>
> Got a live trap baited and set. So far it has turned its nose
up at celery, tomato and pear bait. I would much rather trap and
relocate this rascal than do it any harm---but something has to
change and soon, these critters are very destructive.
>
--- End Quote ---
In Kentucky....,Some folks eat ‘em. My late wife’s Granny did
anyway.
#Post#: 5843--------------------------------------------------
Re: Gosh damned woodchuck
DIR By: dinkleburg
Date: September 26, 2020, 11:52 am
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Lemme know when you find out just how much wood it can actually
chuck. :D
#Post#: 5847--------------------------------------------------
Re: Gosh damned woodchuck
DIR By: guest13
Date: September 27, 2020, 3:51 am
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Well, I don't really want to eat the lil bugger, I just want it
to go away. Don't want to hurt it. These animals belong in the
ecosystem, just not under my house.
The trap was sprung when I checked it dark and early this
morning---no 'chuck, bait still there. I'll reset it once it's
light.
Been researching ways to repel them. Going to try flooding the
burrow with ammonia.
And klendurbig---*thpphthth*!
#Post#: 5869--------------------------------------------------
Re: Gosh damned woodchuck
DIR By: guest13
Date: October 1, 2020, 1:56 am
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No trap results. Boarded over the space behind the house---it
moved to under the shed next door. Bricked over its burrow (just
piled up, no mortar)---it burrowed under my back deck steps'
lattice. Laid a piece of scrap 4x4 across that burrow, it just
pushed it aside.
No more Mr. Nice Guy. S&W model 422 semiauto .22LR target pistol
locked and loaded. Didn't want to hurt it but ENOUGH. It won't
go away.
Oh, and now I have chipmunks burrowing under the house too.
Looking for a winter den, I reckon. Not here, rodents. A handful
of mothballs in a cut-down scrap can usually deters them.
#Post#: 5872--------------------------------------------------
Re: Gosh damned woodchuck
DIR By: AJ
Date: October 1, 2020, 6:22 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Danocoustic link ---
>
> No trap results. Boarded over the space behind the house---it
moved to under the shed next door. Bricked over its burrow (just
piled up, no mortar)---it burrowed under my back deck steps'
lattice. Laid a piece of scrap 4x4 across that burrow, it just
pushed it aside.
>
> No more Mr. Nice Guy. S&W model 422 semiauto .22LR target
pistol locked and loaded. Didn't want to hurt it but ENOUGH. It
won't go away.
>
> Oh, and now I have chipmunks burrowing under the house too.
Looking for a winter den, I reckon. Not here, rodents. A handful
of mothballs in a cut-down scrap can usually deters them.
>
--- End Quote ---
In Kentucky, woodchucks, (aka) groundhogs, are considered sport
animals.
#Post#: 5878--------------------------------------------------
Re: Gosh damned woodchuck
DIR By: guest13
Date: October 1, 2020, 12:36 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: AJ link ---
>
> [quote author=Danocoustic link=topic=654.msg5869#msg5869
date=1601535414]
> No trap results. Boarded over the space behind the house---it
moved to under the shed next door. Bricked over its burrow (just
piled up, no mortar)---it burrowed under my back deck steps'
lattice. Laid a piece of scrap 4x4 across that burrow, it just
pushed it aside.
>
> No more Mr. Nice Guy. S&W model 422 semiauto .22LR target
pistol locked and loaded. Didn't want to hurt it but ENOUGH. It
won't go away.
>
> Oh, and now I have chipmunks burrowing under the house too.
Looking for a winter den, I reckon. Not here, rodents. A handful
of mothballs in a cut-down scrap can usually deters them.
>
--- End Quote ---
In Kentucky, woodchucks, (aka) groundhogs, are considered sport
animals.
[/quote]
Again, I bear this critter no ill will. I would rather not hurt
it. I just don't want it living in my yard/under my house.
It's illegal to discharge even an airgun inside my village
limits, let alone a firearm. It's fairly rigidly enforced. I'm
loathe to push it. I agree with the ordinance and prefer to
abide by the law. BUT. This can't continue.
In fact, my next-door-neighbor took a couple potshots at it with
his 9mm S&W M&P pistol the other day---missed, the mook!---and
we had local PD cruisers prowling the neighborhood for 36 hours.
Me: "No, officer, I didn't hear anything *shrug*".
Just went out and re-blocked the burrow under the back steps
with a hunk of 4x4 cutoff, this time backed up with some paver
bricks and a chunk of concrete waste block. If it can move that,
I've got a bigger problem than I realize!
Set a small live trap (I have several of different sizes) baited
with bird seed for the chipmunks. Not sure they're heavy enough
to trip the pedal. We'll see.
#Post#: 5987--------------------------------------------------
Re: Gosh damned woodchuck
DIR By: guest13
Date: October 17, 2020, 12:40 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Caught a dang possum in the birdseed trap. Gave it a stern
talking-to, let it go.
FINALLY got the whistlepig in the live trap. Drove it out to the
boonies, released it. It got kinda ornery with me when I opened
the trap, had to kick it in the head. Good thing that deterred
it, because my cane went out from under me when I kicked and I
fell down.
Now, I believe there's a skunk living under my house. No stink,
but I can see something has invaded a weak place in my skirting
and had been denning under there, and Le Pew has been sighted in
the neighborhood several times recently. Soaked some rags in
ammonia and hung them around the now-repaired opening. I'm told
they hate the smell.
Haven't seen any chipmunks lately. The moth balls seem to have
worked.
Jeeze, critters, I don't want to hurt ya, but you can't live
here!
#Post#: 5989--------------------------------------------------
Re: Gosh damned woodchuck
DIR By: AJ
Date: October 17, 2020, 4:19 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Danocoustic link ---
>
> Caught a dang possum in the birdseed trap. Gave it a stern
talking-to, let it go.
>
> FINALLY got the whistlepig in the live trap. Drove it out to
the boonies, released it. It got kinda ornery with me when I
opened the trap, had to kick it in the head. Good thing that
deterred it, because my cane went out from under me when I
kicked and I fell down.
>
> Now, I believe there's a skunk living under my house. No
stink, but I can see something has invaded a weak place in my
skirting and had been denning under there, and Le Pew has been
sighted in the neighborhood several times recently. Soaked some
rags in ammonia and hung them around the now-repaired opening.
I'm told they hate the smell.
>
> Haven't seen any chipmunks lately. The moth balls seem to have
worked.
>
> Jeeze, critters, I don't want to hurt ya, but you can't live
here!
>
--- End Quote ---
You must live in some seriously open country huh? You have a
lotta varmints to contend with!
#Post#: 5993--------------------------------------------------
Re: Gosh damned woodchuck
DIR By: guest13
Date: October 18, 2020, 5:43 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: AJ link ---
>
> [quote author=Danocoustic link=topic=654.msg5987#msg5987
date=1602956417]
> Caught a dang possum in the birdseed trap. Gave it a stern
talking-to, let it go.
>
> FINALLY got the whistlepig in the live trap. Drove it out to
the boonies, released it. It got kinda ornery with me when I
opened the trap, had to kick it in the head. Good thing that
deterred it, because my cane went out from under me when I
kicked and I fell down.
>
> Now, I believe there's a skunk living under my house. No
stink, but I can see something has invaded a weak place in my
skirting and had been denning under there, and Le Pew has been
sighted in the neighborhood several times recently. Soaked some
rags in ammonia and hung them around the now-repaired opening.
I'm told they hate the smell.
>
> Haven't seen any chipmunks lately. The moth balls seem to have
worked.
>
> Jeeze, critters, I don't want to hurt ya, but you can't live
here!
>
--- End Quote ---
You must live in some seriously open country huh? You have a
lotta varmints to contend with!
[/quote]
Well, kinda. We're far enough north of the Detroit urban sprawl,
and far enough south of Flint, to be mostly rural. My village is
only about 6000 souls; the township, about 12000. Lots of
farmland, State land, woods, swamps, lakes, rivers, creeks. I'm
on the northern end of the village limits. It's not at all
unusual to see wild turkeys, deer galore, and every variety of
small furry mammal in the area. Birds of every variety, in fact,
from migratory waterfowl to songbirds to raptors. Reptiles,
amphibians and fish aplenty too. You absolutely cannot walk a
straight line for half a mile here and keep your feet dry,
except on the roadbeds.
It's mostly a blessing. I enjoy the flora and fauna that we have
here. But I have to draw the line when critters invade my
gardens and home. I try to deter them rather than kill them,
but sometimes I have no choice.
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