To solve a problem, you must figure out why you have the problem in the first place. If you have a woodchuck in your yard, also called a groundhog, it’s likely because they have found a food supply. Groundhog are like most nuisance wildlife. They are searching for food, water, and shelter.
Woodchucks hibernate during the winter. During the spring, summer, and fall, you will find them to be very active during the day. They don’t stay out all day, however. They do most of their hunting for food in the early mornings and evenings.
Signs of Groundhogs
Woodchucks dig tunnels underground and use them to travel to various food sources. They will dig tunnels in fields, under homes, driveways, roads, sheds, barns, and many other places that make your property unsafe.
Burrows and their effects are pretty noticeable. For example, you may find cracks in your driveway, or the foundation of a building may shift. Other signs include ruined garden crops and flowers since they usually only take one bite out of something before moving on. Groundhogs are good at hiding the entrance holes to burrows. Some find them only after stepping in one, which can cause injury.
Homeowners rarely see woodchuck scat because they typically build extraordinary chambers underground where they will go to the bathroom.
To be certain, hire a wildlife control expert to inspect your property. While you won’t usually find a groundhog in your home, a wildlife professional can assess the outside of your home for activity and damages.
Groundhog Control Methods
Avoid trying to get rid of them during their hibernation period because they will likely have their young.
It is recommended to hire a wildlife control operator to get rid of the groundhog for many reasons:
- Trapping laws vary by state, and experts understand what is allowed and prohibited.
- Relocation is not always allowed to prevent the spread of disease.
- You must use the correct traps and bait.
- Animals can be aggressive when they feel threatened and put you at risk for harm or diseases.
- Using the wrong removal methods makes it easy for groundhogs to return to their dens.
For control, wildlife experts will block off or seal areas under decks or porches where woodchucks like to go. They also know how to seal burrows so they cannot reenter. Exclusion is the best way to prevent groundhogs from damaging your property.
Groundhog Exclusion Methods
Many wildlife experts install fencing around garden crops, and they know the fence must go underground far enough underground that the groundhog cannot dig underneath it. You may also choose electric fencing to deter nuisance wildlife.
The most important steps include habitat modification and eliminating food and water resources. Groundhogs like to travel in high grass. Therefore, keeping your lawn and fields well-manicured makes them less attractive to groundhogs. The pros at Critter Control can show you how to properly close burrows while a groundhog is out roaming around, preventing it from using that tunnel.
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Stocky in stature, groundhogs have flat heads, rounded noses, short legs, diminutive ears, and, like squirrels, bushy tails. Including the tail, woodchucks reach lengths of up to 2 feet and weigh as much as 15 pounds. Fur color ranges from yellow-gray to differing shades of brown.
Groundhogs can be found in crop fields, meadows, pastures, near wooded areas, and even in weedy patches near roadways. Though they primarily live along the East Coast and into the Midwest, woodchucks also inhabit areas further south and as far north as Alaska. They live in burrows dug straight down into the earth. As diurnal animals, woodchucks spend several hours a day feeding above ground before returning underground to their protected burrows.
Are woodchucks known to enter homes or yards?
Woodchucks are voracious eaters, gorging themselves in spring and summer to prepare for hibernation in the winter. Gardens, crops, and landscape vegetation are strong lures for woodchucks. As such, they frequently enter yards searching for new sources of food. However, groundhogs almost never enter homes, as they prefer to stay away from people.
Do woodchucks harm people or property?
The feeding and burrowing behavior of woodchucks often conflicts with human interests. Their burrow systems leave behind excavated earth and holes that can be hazardous to farm animals and equipment. As rodents, groundhogs also gnaw on wood to sharpen their teeth, which leads to ornamental shrub damage. Since woodchucks gorge themselves during summer and autumn to store fat for hibernation, infested gardens may experience devastating losses. Additionally, groundhogs can carry diseases, such as tularemia and rabies, and serve as hosts to botflies, mites, ticks, fleas, and lice.
Exclusion tends to be the most effective method of woodchuck control. Since groundhogs are effective climbers and diggers, fences placed around gardens and crop fields should be at least three feet high. Wire deterrents installed below the fence line prevent the burrowing animals from digging under the fence. Block off areas under porches and decks to preclude woodchucks from burrowing and building dens under such structures.
Woodchucks can have enough of a negative impact on yards, gardens, and crops to warrant removal. Property owners should never risk trapping and removing groundhogs without the help of a trained wildlife professional, as the pest could be diseased or evasive. Wildlife specialists from Critter Control have the knowledge, training, and tools necessary for humane and efficient woodchuck removal.