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At first glance, this looks like a fairly typical groundhog removal job. A homeowner in the Akron-Canton area has a hole underneath the front porch, and earlier in the summer, three groundhogs are removed from the opening. After several days without any additional activity, the homeowner seals the hole with rock and brick.
Problem solved, right?
Not quite.
About six weeks later, the homeowner notices that the rock and brick have been moved again. Naturally, the first thought is that the groundhogs are back. But before assuming that the original animal is responsible, a game camera is put in place.
What the camera shows is much more interesting.
Over the course of roughly twelve hours, the camera records multiple different species using the area around the same porch entrance. What initially appears to be a simple groundhog problem turns into a much more complicated wildlife-removal situation involving a groundhog, squirrel, skunk, raccoon, and opossum.
The Game Camera Tells a Different Story
This is an excellent example of why a game camera can be one of the most useful tools in nuisance wildlife removal.
Without the camera, it is easy to look at the moved rocks and bricks and conclude that the groundhogs have returned. Groundhogs certainly are capable of moving material and reopening an entrance. In this case, however, the camera tells us that the location is attracting considerably more wildlife than just groundhogs.
The camera records different animals moving through the area at different times. Some are simply passing by, while others appear to show a greater interest in the opening.
That distinction is important.
Wild animals are constantly moving through yards, under decks, along foundations, and around porches. Seeing an animal near an opening does not automatically mean that animal is living there. The camera helps us determine whether we are looking at a travel route, an attractive shelter, an active den, or several animals using the same location for different reasons.
And in this case, the location certainly appears to be popular.
A Timeline of Activity
The camera sequence provides a fascinating look at what happens around this entrance in about the first 12 hours after the camera was placed. Note the date and time in the lower right of the pictures as they are accurrate.
The first animal pictured appears to be a groundhog. So it seems like there is another groundhog that is using this under-porch area occasionally and probably is responsible for the rock and brick moving and a little digging.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Just an hour later, a gray squirrel is in the area. This is just random and the gray squirrel isn’t getting into the house and not living under the porch. Its just funny that it is in the vicinity.
Then, after dark, a raccoon is captured on camera coming out from under the porch. This wasn’t even suspected but is interesting to note. The groundhog, if its still under there would be asleep, but the raccoon is going out for the night.
Then we get this picture:
Now we know there is at least one skunk in the area and this one knows about this porch entry as well. The homeowner and neighbors frequently see skunks and this knowledge that they are aware of this hole is disturbing.
And just when we think we’ve seen a variety of animals- here comes an opossum! Could it know about and be using this hole as well?
And for good measure a skunk (is it the same one?) gets caught on camera again before the twelve hour window is up.
That is an active spot!
Earlier in the Summer — Three Groundhogs Are Removed
The original problem was much more straightforward.
Three groundhogs are using a hole that leads underneath the front porch. The animals are removed, and after several days without additional activity, the homeowner decides to close the entrance.
Instead of installing a permanent wire exclusion (which was offered) the opening is sealed with rock and brick.
At the time, this did appear to solve the problem.
Came Reveals a More Complicated Story
After one day of observation by the camera, this job took on a different level of complexity.
This is no longer simply a question of, “How do we get the groundhog out?”
It becomes:
What animals are actually using this location, and which ones are going underneath the porch and living?
Is it possible a groundhog, raccoon and skunk all have some sort of accommodation under this front porch? The answer is probably yes. And while it may not be there permanent address, it seems as if multiple species know this sheltered hide-away exists.
The Animal Species Matter
Different wildlife species behave differently, use different types of openings, and require different approaches to trapping and exclusion.
- A groundhog may dig and enlarge an entrance under any sort of porch or foundation.
- A raccoon may take advantage of an existing opening and use the area beneath a porch as a den or shelter.
- An opossum may investigate the same protected space.
- A skunk may be attracted to the sheltered environment or simply use the area as part of its travel route.
That is why identifying the animal is not just an interesting detail.
It directly affects the removal strategy.
A trapping setup that makes sense for a groundhog is not necessarily the same setup used for a raccoon. Likewise, knowing that multiple species are visiting an area can change how we approach the entrance and how we determine whether the location is actually vacant.
Removing the Animal Is Only Part of the Job
There is another important lesson from this situation.
The original entrance is sealed temporarily, but the repair does not prevent wildlife from returning indefinitely. Once the rocks and bricks are moved, the same attractive space underneath the porch becomes available again.
And now we have evidence that wildlife finds this location very appealing.
This is exactly why wildlife removal and wildlife damage repair need to go together.
Once the current animals are dealt with and the area is confirmed to be clear, the opening needs to be sealed in a way that prevents animals from simply reopening it or finding another weak point.
For an entrance underneath a porch, that often means considering a properly installed wire exclusion rather than relying on loose rocks, bricks, or other materials that an animal can move.
The goal is not merely to remove today’s animal.
The goal is to prevent the next animal from moving in tomorrow.
Sometimes the Camera Is the Difference Between Guessing and Knowing
This case is a great reminder that wildlife removal is often detective work.
The homeowner sees moved rocks and reasonably suspects that the groundhogs are back. The game camera tells a much bigger story.
And at least some of the activity appears to be occurring directly around the entrance, with the groundhog and raccoon appearing particularly likely to be using the space underneath the porch.
That changes the conversation.
Instead of simply repairing the hole again, the next step is to determine which animals are currently using the space, remove them appropriately, monitor the entrance, and then permanently secure the opening.
At Frontline Animal Removal, We Look at the Whole Problem
At Frontline Animal Removal, we work throughout Stark, Summit, and Portage Counties, including the Canton, Akron, and Kent, Ohio areas. When wildlife is getting underneath a porch, into an attic, behind a wall, or into another part of a home, identifying the animal is an important first step.
A game camera can provide information that we simply cannot get by looking at an entrance during the middle of the day.
And sometimes, as this porch demonstrates, the answer is not one animal—it is several.
This location starts with three groundhogs earlier in the summer. Six weeks later, the camera reveals a small wildlife neighborhood developing around the same entrance.
Once the current occupants are gone, this popular entrance needs more than another pile of rocks and bricks.
It needs to be properly sealed and excluded so that the next raccoon, groundhog, opossum, skunk, or other animal does not see the porch as an open invitation.
Because when one entrance attracts this much wildlife activity, the best repair is not simply the one that closes the hole.
It is the repair that keeps the hole closed.