Woodchucks or groundhogs can greatly damage a garden.
How to Prevent Groundhogs from Invading Your Garden
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Do you have trouble with these burrowing pests? Here are tips for identifying and getting rid of groundhogs in your yard and garden.
What Are Groundhogs?
If every day is Groundhog Day in your garden, you’ll probably agree with those who call that gluttonous rodent their least favorite backyard creature. Even skunks get more respect. Speaking of Groundhog Day, find out the origins of that funny holiday.
The problem is that groundhogs—also known as woodchucks or whistle-pigs—are binge eaters who can wipe out your vegetable garden in a matter of minutes. They climb, they burrow, they swim, and they eat—an adult consumes about a pound to a pound-and-a-half of vegetation daily. Between spring and fall, they double their body weight.
Do Groundhogs Hibernate?
Yes, they do! Soon after they emerge from a winter’s hibernation, they mate, giving birth in mid-spring—at a time when the pickings are at their slimmest. Neat rows of seedlings must look like manna from heaven to hungry groundhogs, who sometimes perch on garden fence posts as if they are looking over the salad bar.
When hibernating, groundhogs—who are never speedy—really slow down, drawing a breath only about once every five minutes. Hibernation is curious behavior: Barely breathing, these mammals cool off to just a few degrees above the ambient temperature, sometimes as low as 39º to 40ºF. Their metabolic rate drops, and they sleep profoundly in their winter dens, neither eating nor drinking for four-and-a-half to five-and-a-half months, drawing all their nourishment from the body fat they accumulated during the summer. No wonder they eat so much!
How to Identify Groundhogs
Members of the squirrel family, groundhogs are squarish, stocky animals that typically weigh between 4 and 14 pounds. They have short, strong legs, coarse, grizzled, gray-brown fur, small ears, a short, bushy tail, and curved claws. Groundhogs look a bit like runaway fur coats as they waddle back to their burrows. This critter can grow to be about 3 feet long. They have large, competent, chisel-like teeth that make them efficient but not quite endearing.
Wondering where groundhogs live? See any deep tunnels in your yard, under your deck, or near your foundation? You may have a groundhog; they dig burrows to live in, and the entrances are usually 10 to 12 inches wide, with the excavated soil spread around the entrances. There are usually 2 or 3 entrances.
Groundhog Damage
What do groundhogs eat? Everything from flowers to vegetables. Favorite foods include alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lettuce, broccoli, plantain, and soybeans. Groundhogs will often devour your seedlings before they even have time to grow. Rabbits and deer eat some of the same plants, so make sure to check for burrows before concluding that you have groundhogs. If you don’t have vegetables around, groundhogs will settle for twigs, bark, bugs, and blossoms.
Groundhogs eat mostly during the early morning and afternoon, so try to see when your garden is receiving the most damage. These creatures will also gnaw and claw at fruit trees, so check your trees for any such marks.
Catherine Boeckmann
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I have a mom and 6 babies groundhogs and a vegetable and flower garden. We live in harmony. They learn quickly. They are solitary animals so the babies will leave by the age of 3 months approximately. The babies have tried three times to make a nest in the garden. I have the perfect spot that they love, with big rocks and open spaces. One has to be vigilant at the beginning and check regularly to see if they are in the garden. Any loud noise will send them running away. As for the building of their new nest, I make sure that they are not in the hole and then I put a piece of cardboard with Vick's Vapor Rub on it in the hole and refill the exit that is in my garden with the earth. I also put lavender Epson salts around the type of flowers that they like and I keep an eye on any new attempts. They have learned that my garden is a "scary place" and they avoid it. I have the pleasure of seeing them play together, they are cute, sentient beings. All you need is compassion and determination at the beginning and they will oblige.
If you live in the Rockies, as I do, and are reading this for any hints to get rid of ground squirrels, as I am, be aware: Every few years someone in Colorado dies of Bubonic Plague or of another rodent born disease, Hanta Virus. The Plague is spread by fleas. If you have a dead ground squirrel, chipmunk, mouse or prairie dog on your property, don't touch it. Don't let your dog or cat touch it. The fleas jump off as soon as the body temp of their host drops just a degree or two. Sorry to be a downer, but it is really dangerous although uncommon. Hanta is from the urine and feces of infected mice. That dust often becomes airborn when it dries out. Both diseases can be deadly. We have meds for plague, but you have to recognize it withing a couple of days. Most states are constantly on the lookout for any dead rodents that they can check for infection. So it's uncommon, but really something to be aware of.
I killed six of them with Duke Conibear 220 traps. They were destroying my garden. At first, I went out into the near-by woods patch to look for their holes. I found nine holes. I tried filling them in after using "smoke bombs", road flares, etc. It was ineffective.
Then, I put up two of these inexpensive-but dangerous conibears, one-per-side at the bottom of my garden fence. I didn't even have to bait it because woodchucks are lazy and you can guide them into the trap by putting 10-12"-high boards along the bottom of your fence (even grass clippings will work). They will walk around it rather than jump over, and try to walk right through your trap, which you must securely fasten on it's side on the ground.
When they started in on my beet greens, it was war. There were six of them, and I got them all. That was two years ago.
I agree with you Paul. When all else fails use lead. And, it usually does fail.
Build a simple box house to invite Owls to nest in your yard. It should be 11 feet off the ground with an overhang or branches for protection. There are many wonderful sites that have instructions on houses for the best owls for your area. Great predator to have around for small rodents and groundhogs!
Wonderful idea to build an Owl-nest box to control the Ground-hog / Woodchuck population; one could also plant their favorite food far from your garden;
Ok for all with this problem suck it up ive tryed every way u can think of to allow them to live and be moved or to move them out of my property just kill um shoot um sounds harsh but soon you will understand and like one of the comments rember they are super smart and learn very fast so dont miss and dont allow them to see another in a trap or die
Saw this recipe that I am going to try this year. I have a groundhog under my shed and deck
Pour 4 ounces of castor oil and 1 tbsp. of dishwashing liquid into the bottle of your garden sprayer. Add water to fill the sprayer to the top and shake very well.
Coat your lawn with the mixture. Be sure to give it a thorough coating. For large lawns, a sectional approach may be necessary to adequately coat the lawn. Simply mix another bottle and go back to spraying.
Fill in the visible mole holes with dirt, soaking the dirt fill with the mixture.
Repeat Steps 1 to 3 after about a week, filling in any new holes. Most of your moles should be gone, but a second soaking will ensure that any remaining moles move out and don't return.
Repeat the application as needed if mole activity reappears. Spray the lawn at least once with the mixture early each spring to keep moles from moving into your yard.
We’ve been waging war against these critters for four years now. We, like others, thought they were adorable at first, and attempted to coexist with these large rodents—until they destroyed our gardens. Next we tried repellents and trapping. We successfully captured a large adult and relocated it using a havaheart trap, but two weeks later another one appeared in its place. (Ever see a cornered woodchuck gnash it’s teeth in defense?! I thought about sticking my very willing terrier on them, but couldn’t after that menacing visual.) The last straw was when they moved in for good and started a family under our barn foundation. After two months of baiting traps and catching squirrels/skunks, I broke down and borrowed a neighbors .22 caliper rifle. It was one of the harder things I’ve done, but they’re definitely gone and I done have to worry about poison on my homestead near my pets. This spring so far so good, none have taken up residence in the old burrow. Sayonara suckers!
We had to use a rifle also, to kill two last year. We live out in the country and have a large garden. We also have chickens and poison is not a good idea to us. The groundhogs were eating our broccoli and other plants. None came back this year. The traps are good to catch chicken predators.
