Woodchucks! (Hollis: houses, neighborhood, living)

[NH2008]

We have a family of woodchucks living under an outbuilding on our property. I know exactly where their burrow is and there are tunnels all over our yard. The building is old and sits on a few rocks, so the area beneath it is wide open - there is no point using poison gas as it would simply dissipate.

We put up a "woodchuck proof" fence around our veggie garden but within days they had tunneled under it (from how far away I don't know, so more wire wouldn't solve the problem) and they are back to eating all my veggies. They are shamelessly walking my yard in broad daylight.

I know they are well-established here because the person who sold us our house had tunnels all over the yard and had apparently had them trapped and released before. There are others in the neighborhood as well. My neighbors are all trying to trap them with no luck.

We have now hired a service that claims they will trap them but we are worried we're going to spend a fortune and not get rid of all of them and they'll keep breeding. I'm also wondering how to prevent them from getting back under the outbuilding (we'd like to fix it up one day so tearing it down is not an option.) Even if we get all of them, something else will move in unless we block it off. The solution everyone suggests is chicken wire. but the reality is that they tunneled into our garden from so far away that wire around the perimeter wouldn't have helped.

Would filling in beneath the shed with insulating foam and then putting up new skirting help? Will anything help, or are we doomed to be outwitted by these animals forever?!

[Brave Stranger]

It's not P.C. but back in the day people would just shoot them. I used to work on a farm in central NH and we shot them in the fields all the time. If we did not they would have ruined the farmer's business.

[NH2008]

Everyone says that but I'd be scared to have anyone shooting in our yard...we live pretty close to two other houses. My husband is getting tempted though!

[Brave Stranger]

I see your point, but in the end it might be the only answer. They are relentless, and they will ruin your property if not taken care of.

[BF66389]

Originally Posted by NH2008

Everyone says that but I'd be scared to have anyone shooting in our yard...we live pretty close to two other houses. My husband is getting tempted though!

Trapping does work, but they need to be released FAR away somewhere that wasn't driven to straight...they (and squirrels) have an AMAZING sense of direction/home. I tested this with a squirrel whose tail I dyed blue in VA...definitely traveled 10 miles to come "home".

Another option is to trap & shoot- so you can determine the location where you shoot them to increase safety.

Be aware you can't discharge a firearm within 300 feet of a building in NH without the owners permission. Hollis may have additional rules. It would not be unreasonable to call the police just to double-check what is legal, in Hollis they are VERY helpful and knowledgeable in my experience.

I would not recommend "food" poisons...its a fast death for mice- but not for woodchucks.

There are also some products that woodchucks don't like...which if sprayed in their den may repel them...I don't have any firsthand knowledge of them.

[NH2008]

I did scatter the woodchuck repelling stuff all over and they totally ignored it. At this point, I am more worried about how to keep them out of their den than I am about catching them since we have called in the professionals to handle that...sounds ridiculous but one of my friends swears by this company...

[BF66389]

Honestly- with traps and good bait...catching them shouldn't be hard; so your friends faith is probably well founded.

As for repelling them...can you just fill in where they live now once they are mostly gone? Perhaps bury some wire fence a good depth down around it- so they can't get back in easily.

Oh...and throw some pet hair under there if you have pets...

[NH2NCMom]

My dad just shoots/poisons them in a trap. Sad but a necessity.

[NH2008]

What kind of poison does he use?

[buck naked]

I used to put a hose in the den and turn on the spigot....