does any one know how to catch a woodchuck? it has been living in my garage,dirt floors and a old chicken coop, for a while now. we have a live trap out there right now. we have tried fish,vegies,fruit, cat food. NOTHING has worked. we have been trying to get the little sucker out for over a week now. we store the kids summer toys in the garage and that is where i park my van. i am afraid to let the kids go into the garage and get toys out or even the oldest boys bike.we also don't have a clue as to what the little bleep is eating.
thanks to every one so far.it has about 3 different spots that it has dug up in the garage. i wouldn't have even known the critter was in there but i got home from picking my oldest up from school and some thing was rattling round in there. hubby got home and checked nothing. next day went to put van in garage and noticed dig marks. so that night we decided to "clean" the garage and the little bastard charged @ us.
my husband finally got rid of it last night. it did die but we don't really live close to any where we could release it and it would not go into the live trap we had set up.it was maybe 1-2 yrs old and kinda small. but thanks everyone for the help.
Could you call an exterminator? Maybe he could fumigate it before you have a whole colony of em in there this spring...
Are you sure it's a woodchuck (ground hog)? Ground hogs dig burrows in the ground (I can't think they'd like living IN a chicken coop - they would dig in underneath one though) and they are vegetarians. Broccoli, carrots, corn on the cob are foods ground hogs like. A raccoon would go for tuna or cat food. A possum would like bananas. A skunk would like tuna, cat food or eggs. I'm not sure what other creatures you might have in South Dakota. Also, when you finally catch the critter, do you have a place (far away) where you can release it? Some animal rehabilitaters will give permission to release animals on their property. Check with animal control in your area.
Additional Comment:
Woodchucks are not nocturnal. They sleep at night in their burrows. The animal in your garage felt either cornered or it's sick, and both those situations are dangerous. It might be time to call an exterminator. You do NOT need anyone getting bit or coming down with rabies.
So I won't tell you that it took us 2 years, 2 professional and 1 friend to try to catch our woodchuck/ground hog. Unfortunate for him, he happened to show up and our normally mild mannered golden retriever/lab was out.
I agree with another poster, make sure you know what you are dealing with. This little sucker was mean and actually went after our dog (which is what probably got the dog going) so I'd be careful with you and the kids.
Good Luck.
Try putting mothballs in the garage. I know mothballs will get rid of mice and skunks, I'm not sure about woodchucks. Of course that's only putting the problem in someone's yard but a least you would get rid of it. If that doesn't work I would call an extermanator and or the DNR.
I grew up on a farm and saw occasional woodchucks, also have had them living under sheds in the suburbs but they never were a problem. On the farm, my Dad would have used a .22....
Here is a link with some suggestions (they like tomatoes, fruit, and brocolli - who knew??) - http://www.bugspray.com/articles99/woodchucks.html
They also talk about how to prevent a new one from moving in after this one is gone.
Another suggestion I found is to borrow a big dog. I'd guess you'd end up with even more holes dug, but it might get the thing.
Glad you got rid of it, and I'm so sorry as well, but the last sentance got me!! I was laughing so hard! It brought back memories of being charged by a skunk-it was very dark outside and we though it was an injurd cat!! Not funny at the time, but we can all laugh now.. :)
Maybe go to an externinator website or google to try to determine exactly what it is that you are dealing with. That may help figure out what you need in order to get rid of it.I think they make some stuff that you can buy that smells like fox urine, maybe spraying that might scare it off.
I know its not funny to you at the moment but boy did that last scentence put a smile on my face.
Good luck!
Wood chucks/rock chucks eat crops, like hay, barley, wheat, etc.--any new growth. I don't think they are agressive to people. :) Mabye if you start parking your van where it goes, and rummage around in the garage he will naturally be frightened away.
