WOODCHUCK CONTROL

   This article is about WOODCHUCK CONTROL.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   This article will detail the woodchuck.
You will learn a brief biology of this pest,
how and why it is a nuisance around the home
and how to control them. Any place a product
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   Woodchucks have long been a problem for 
farmers. When populations surge, they will
damage crops and food plots. Farmers have wide
open areas on which they can practice woodchuck
control by shooting. However, such control
measures are not an option when woodchucks move
in around our homes in residential neighborhoods.
This problem seems to be on the rise. As 
woodchucks learn to live in populated areas,
they have become more difficult to control. They
have few natural predators and their shy personality
makes them difficult to deal with. Around the home,
woodchucks will feed on just about any plant or
flower. Woodchucks will damage plants quickly
with this feeding. They particularly like
tomatoes, fruit or any ground growing vegetable.
Most weekend gardeners will attest to the 
persistence these stocky creatures will demonstrate
when trying to get to a certain crop they want.
   Woodchucks are members of the squirrel family.
They are the largest of all squirrels and are
commonly known as woodchucks or groundhogs.
Though distributed across the United States,
there are some regions which don't have any
of the six species. Woodchucks are stocky. They
weigh 5-15 lbs when mature and have short ears
and legs relative to their body. In northern
states, woodchucks will hibernate. They like
to feed in the early morning and late afternoon.
However, it is common to see them lying in
the sun around their burrows. Woodchucks reproduce
once a year and produce litters which have 
4-8 young. Populations usually don't grow too
large yet they mere existence can cause 
economic damage. They will readily burrow
under the slabs of homes which leads to structural
problems. More devastating are the broken legs
and other injuries horses and cattle sustain
from stepping in a burrow. This is why horse
farms, cattle ranches and any farm which 
has large livestock must keep woodchuck
populations to a minimum.
   Around the home, most woodchuck problems
are due to damage they cause eating plants.
There are two ways to deal with this behavior.
If they have a lot of other food available
to them, you can treat desirable plants
with a product called ROPEL. This spray tastes
terrible and will stop the woodchucks from
feeding on any treated surface. When other
food sources are available, Ropel will cause
the animal to find another plant for dinner.
Simply spray the Ropel directly on leaves,
flowers or whatever part of the plant the
woodchucks are eating. Ropel is not a poison;
it simply tastes terrible. Expect to get
2-6 weeks of results. Rain will break it down,
but it has such a strong flavor that even 
trace amounts are usually enough to keep
animals away. In a short period of time,
the woodchuck will find another food supply
to keep it happy. This will allow you to
keep the plants you want to grow and not
have to remove the woodchuck. Additionally, the
installation of some ANIMAL NETTING will assuredly
keep targeted plants protected. This light mesh
plastic works great at stopping woodchuck, rabbit,
deer, birds and any animal from foraging on 
plants, vegetables, fruit and anything you want
to protect. Just wrap it up with the netting, cut
it to size and you are done. The netting will
let rain and sun filter through yet protect
the plants underneath enabling them to grow
right and preserve their production.
   If there is little food available for the
nuisance woodchuck, spraying Ropel may not
work. This is because the need for nutrition
and water is too great. Woodchucks will 
tolerate the taste if they are stressed and
need food. Since they derive water from the
plants on which they feed, bad tasting food
may not stop them. If they are thirsty and
are not able to get needed water and
nutrition from adjoining vegetation, you
will have to resort to trapping if you don't
install the protective netting.
   Trapping woodchucks is easy. In most cases,
all you need is the plant on which they have
been feeding to use as bait. If you want to
make the attractant even more alluring, use some
broccoli. Woodchucks like this vegetable. 
Live traps need to placed alongside the burrows
where the woodchuck lives. The LT111230 is a great
trap for live catching. It is easy to set
and carry and will fit any size woodchuck.
If you have a lot of animals and expect to
be trapping on a regular basis, you should
consider the NH2361. This is more commercial
and is constructed with a heavier steel frame for
added life. Another trap to consider is the
LT111236BD. This is a very unique design and may
be the only one available which makes it perfect
for trapping woodchucks. Many woodchuck dens have
holes which go down into the ground. This trap
takes advantage of this characteristic. First, the
trap has sliding doors on the back and on the front.
The back sliding door is good for quick access to
where you have to bait the trap. It also comes in
handy for easy release of trapped animals. The front
sliding door will be used or not used depending on
the type of set you want to make. If you want to
use it like the LT111230 then you would simply remove
the front sliding door, bait it and set it where
you expect to have a woodchuck active. However, the
real advantage of this trap is when you have a hole
or den which has the woodchuck you want to trap.
By keeping the front sliding door in you now can
use this trap for a set which is done directly over
the hole! This is because the trap has no bottom in
the front quarter of it's design. When placed over
the entrance/exit hole the woodchuck will have to
enter the trap since it will have no where else to
go. Once inside it will get trapped and the bottom
entrance is NOT PART OF THE HOLDING SECTION. This
prevents any possibility for the trapped animal
to get away. This trap is so effective you generally
don't have to use bait it but we still recommend you do
just to insure you have confused and distracted
the target. This will make it all the more vulnerable.
You will pay a little more for this trap but
it's effectiveness makes it worth the extra cost.
   If you order a live trap, pre-bait an area close
to where you have seen the animal active or by its
den. By pre-baiting, you will be getting the animal used 
to feeding at a particular location. This will prove 
helpful making it all the more easier to catch once
the trap arrives. Additionally, the use of our special
lure will make it that much easier to catch - particularly
if there is a lot of food available around its den.
TRAPPERS CHOICE FORMULA I and FORMULA II
are two strong scented bait lures which work
great at releasing a smell woodchucks can't
resist. Simply add an ounce or two on top of some 
broccoli or other leafy food they have been eating.
Your catches will be quicker and more consistent.
This is because the odor of the Bait is strong
and will get the attention of any woodchuck that
passes close to the trap. However, if the area
in which the woodchuck has access is large, the 
use of some TRAILING SCENT can really help. This 
is another food based scenting lure but different
in that it does not work on sight as much as it 
works on volatility and dispersion. It comes 
packaged in small eye-drop like dispensers which are
designed to release single drops with good control.
Use it by placing a drop or two at the traps
entrance and then out and away from the trap.
Squeeze a single drop every foot and in a line
10-30 feet out. The idea is to create a large area
which smells good to the chuck. Once it enters the
area it will find the scent trail you have created
and follow it back to the traps entrance. This
product works great when used in conjunction with
our either Bait Lure Formula 1 or 2.
   Once caught, relocate the animal at least
5 miles away. Try to release it early in the 
morning in an area where it will readily
find food and shelter. Since woodchucks are
easy targets once removed from their den, you
must be careful when relocating. If left
with no food or ground suitable for a burrow,
they will quickly die.
   If you are not interested in trapping the animal
alive, consider a kill trap. These are devices
generally used by professional trappers. They work
by snapping shut over the animals head leading to
an instant death. Woodchucks are easy to trap this
way since the trap can be set right over their
dens. When the animal tries to exit, it will hit
the trigger of the trap with it's head leading
to its death. These traps come in many sizes but
the BODYGRIP 220 is the best one suited for woodchuck.
You will need to secure it to a stake which should
be alongside the den. A tree or stump will do as
well. The use of a BODYGRIP TRAP STAND may make
the set easy. This device will enable you to set
the trap up in a "standing" position, which could
be helpful, particularly when the chuck is
entering through some kind of access hole you
might find through a fence or thick vegetation.
The Trap Stand comes with either a long rebar
stake for securing it to the ground or a wood
screw for securing it to wood. Additionally,
it is suggested that you attach the traps
chain to another stake or other secured anchor.
This will help prevent the chuck from falling back
into the den with your trap. It will also prevent
a predator dragging the trap away which they will
do just to get a meal. Use a pair of SETTERS to 
set the Bodygrip. The springs of the Bodygrip are 
quite strong and the Setters will give you much needed
leverage. The good thing about this type of trap
is that you are able to position it over the 
den which means the targeted animal has no choice
but to exit to its death. This trap works well
for dens which under patio slabs, barns, sheds
and just about any structure. Be aware that they can
injure other animals as well like dogs so be sure
to use them where non-target animals won't have
access to your set.

NOW THAT YOU HAVE REMOVED THE UNWANTED ANIMALS.....

   Since woodchuck dens have strong scents used for
marking territory and mating status, most will attract
attention. Other woodchucks, both male and female,
will let curiosity get the best of them and seek
out these vacated "homes". Once it is learned
that "no one is around", they will quickly try to 
seize the property as theirs. For this reason it is
important to fill tunnels and dens that are left
after you remove targeted woodchuck. Failure to
close these holes will most likely lead to some
other animal finding it and then taking advantage
of the vacated home. Though it is most likely that
another woodchuck will find it, many other ground
dwelling animals may try to move into such an
area if given the chance. These animals include
bob cat, rats, snakes, opossum, raccoon or gophers.
Though simply filling the holes with dirt will
help, adding some COYOTE URINE or RED FOX URINE	
down the hole and to the fill dirt, as it is
applied, will add the extra "scent" most any animal
will detect. Such scents will set off instinctive
warnings to these animals which will cause most
to move away and leave. Coyote or Fox Urine found 
in, around or on dens is a sure sign of danger and 
most prey animals will heed the warning and move
along. This little bit of extra work can go a long
way at stopping future reinfestations.

   Woodchucks can become a problem around the
home. In recent years, they have been found
living around small gardens which are able
to supply them with their dietary needs.
Woodchucks will eat many fruits and vegetables,
so expect them to be persistent once they
find your garden. Stop them from feeding on
your plants with Ropel. Live trap them with
either a LT111230 or a NH2361 if they continue
to feed after Ropel treatments. Consider spending
a little more for the LT111236BD which will
end up saving you a lot of time and effort -
particularly when you are able to get a 
good set directly over their den. And if you 
have no interest in catching the animal alive,
get the Bodygrip Kill Trap.

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