Groundhogs Spotted

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve personally spotted some groundhogs out and about.  And since today is about 6 weeks after Groundhog’s Day, it makes a lot of sense.

Groundhogs are hibernators.  Since the temperatures are warming up and the days are getting longer, the groundhogs’ biology has them emerging from their winter lairs looking to eat and mate.

Breeding happens very quickly after their spring wake up.  Male groundhogs travel quite a bit during this time period looking for receptive females.  The earlier movers and farthest travellers are the ones who end up with biological success.

This travel brings them into contact with cars on the roadways and that is where we’ve seen some of the first groundhogs of the spring; as roadway casualties.  We suspect that most of the ones seen on the road in this early stage of the spring are males out on the prowl.

The mature female groundhogs are making sure they have good dens that aren’t prone to flooding from wet springs.  They also want to have plenty of food around.  They will accept a visiting male groundhog and produce a litter of babies.

Male and female groundhogs emerge from hibernation pretty skinny.  The need to eat is the other factor which drives groundhogs at this time.  The growing season hasn’t really kicked in yet though, so any place where they can find higher calorie meals is a good place to find groundhogs.

If groundhogs find their denning and eating spots on your property and you are not happy about it, they can be trapped and removed.

That is one of the services we offer!

Trapping Groundhogs

Whether you hire a nuisance animal removal company or want to trap groundhogs yourself, the information below presents an overview of how it’s done.

There are a number of styles of traps with which to trap groundhogs; all of which can be effective.

That said, here is a picture of the style of trap we use in most instances.

This is a two door, spring loaded, hanging-wire-triggered trap.

We believe it is the right trap because:

• It has two doors.  This is important so that when it is placed in the groundhog’s travel path (see right place below) it allows the groundhog to look through it and allows entry no matter the direction of travel.
• The doors are spring loaded.  When the trigger goes off these doors close quickly and powerfully.  A good, fast mechanism helps ensure a catch and keeps the animal in.
• Hanging wire trigger.  Bendable wire hangs in the trap and when it is moved by the animal trying to brush past, the trap fires.  Animals don’t have to step directly on a floor pan as some traps require.  We believe most animals are more conscious about what they put their feet on versus what their sides brush up against.  Most groundhogs brush past grass and sticks all the time as they travel.

We generally don’t use bait to attract woodchucks to traps.  Some people do, but we don’t believe it is as efficient as trapping travel paths.

Where to Set Groundhog Traps

The right place to trap a groundhog (especially with this style of trap) is directly in its path of travel.

Therefore, one of the best places to trap a groundhog is right where it goes in or out of a hole.

Hole entrances (like the one shown to the right by this shed) are often obvious and well defined paths of travel.

And, if a groundhog is really using that hole, it will be captured quickly.

Setting the traps described above will catch any groundhogs coming or going from under this structure in short order as long as any other entrances are covered with traps as well.

This method even work great in an open space, right on a groundhog’s entrance hole.  An example of this is pictured here.

Setting the trap in place and using some extra wire to block things off gives the woodchuck only one way in or out: right through the trap.

Other great places for traps are other well defined travel paths like right along a fence or, better yet, where a groundhog consistently crawls under a fence.

Ryan shows what that looks like in this older video.

If you get these two pieces of the puzzle right and the groundhog is actively using the area, groundhog removal is quickly accomplished.

We encourage you to give it a try yourself or call a professional nuisance wild animal control operator in your area if you need help.

In the greater Akron, Canton, Kent, OH area, we offer experienced and efficient removal of groundhogs/woodchucks for homeowners and business owners alike.

If you’d like to know more about our groundhog removal / trapping services, please contact us today.