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.