4 ground hogs have met their maker with a .22. I do not mess around with growing in a 3700 square foot garden. We preserve everything that we grow, along with fresh eating. We've also had a fisher cat that came after the chickens, he too met his maker. I understand not everyone will feel that this would be their first choice, but when you see one ground hog, there is normally 10.
Love this! We have had numerous raccoons and possums who have found themselves on the business end of a 22. They were dismantling our barn cats’ feeder. My 18 yr old son has spent many an evening in a hunting blind across from our barn. I have zero tolerance for any intruder be it man or animal.
I am with you, tried everything to get rid of moles! One i got the scissor trap i got em right away! Best trap! Learning the proper place and position is a huge part of success.
I was told by our pest control guy that moles are there because of grubs. If you use grub control on your grass, you will get rid of their main food source. It may reduce their numbers. Thanks for the trapping tips.
Our best rodent trap is called Lucky. He’s a barn cat. He catches moles, voles, mice, and rabbits. He has caught a crow and makes sure no bird builds a nest within his reach. We do use mice bait that takes care of mice but will not hurt anything that eats them. Live traps really help with raccoons but sometimes it catches somebody’s barn cat. We allow Fred O’Possum to stay in the barn occasionally. He is quiet and doesn’t bring his extended family over. While we have a lot of groundhogs around us, they don’t seem to hang out on our property. We have skunk, fox, coyotes, bobcats and large birds. You just have to build your chicken runs withe a wire top for the birds. The only other thing is the snakes that will go after eggs.
I lost my Muscovy ducks and a full grown goose to a racoon this year. It was huge and bent the flap on the live trap when I finally caught it. Thanks for the marshmallow tip
Those Hava heart traps work really well! And, at the end when you mentioned the groundhog, I immediately pictured you as Bill Murray in Caddyshack!!😂 Great information Todd! Thank you
I lost all my carrots in my raised bed from moles. Every day I would go out and a couple carrot tops were pulled down into the hole. Next spring I am going to pull all the soil out and put down hardware cloth about a foot down. I have also had them eat the pepper roots. I had 3 big beautiful bell pepper plants they were about 18 inches tall, I went out and one by one they got shorter until one day they were just gone. I have had luck with Juicy Fruit gum, or maybe they just moved along. I used to have them in my yard until I got chickens again and I let them free range so they eat the bugs that lay the grubs that the moles eat. I will try the trap you showed that you step on. Thanks for the information.
I am also in Michigan and the only way I have been able to trap ground hogs is with a combo of apple and carrots sliced in bite size pieces. Also you have to use a trap that is free of urine smell from other animals and the scent of humans. Best time to trap in during the day when the sun is out. Watch to see where their favorite spot is in the sun. I have also caught them close to their hole. Good Luck.
I used cantaloupe as my bait for groundhogs. Set the live traps as close to or in their runs or paths to help increase your odds of a catch. Thank you again for another great video!!
Todd we have the best luck trapping groundhogs using a live trap and put a head of iceberg lettuce that’s just starting to get some brown slime on it in the way back of the trap!! Good luck!!
In Michigan too-the U.P, (lots of hungry critters in the woods here) best thing we did to protect our chickens was a trip to Tractor Supply to get a solar panel that we use with 2 strands of hot wire surrounding the bottom part of the run. That took care of everything, including our 3 big high prey drive dogs.🙄 Very unpleasant as my husband can attest to.😂 It even encouraged a very large bear to move along last summer.😂 Super easy install, no electricity needed.
We are on a heavily wooded property in the ozarks. This time of year we go to war with mice. We use the Victor electronic mouse traps from Amazon. They have two sides. One side contains the batteries. The other side is where the mouse gets trapped. Afterwards detach the mouse side and throw away. There is a metal plate inside. Beyond the metal plate is where the bait goes. The mouse steps onto the metal plate on the way to the bait and is instantly electrocuted. Instant without any prolonged suffering. Peanut butter has worked every time for bait.
Cats work wonders for rabbits. We had a large rabbit problem and our 1 cat took care of a large portion of them on our 5 acres. Our neighbors have even seen her helping them out and have appreciated it!
I also live in Michigan, and last year, we had a terrible problem with skunks digging up our front lawn... looking for grubs, no doubt. We contracted with a lawn service to get rid of the grubs this past spring. Last summer, the skunks dug up our side and back yards. Any tips on how to get rid of skunks? The DNR was no help.
I had a groundhog under my garden shed and tried unsuccessfully to catch it in a live trap also. I was finally successful getting it to leave my dumping a 1/2 gal of ammonia where it was coming and going under the shed every day for a week. That was two years ago and haven't had one since!
Todd ths was so helpful to me as my problem animals is Cats & possums. I have a great trap & have caught quite a few but lately the trap is not working so I will get my Husband to reconfigure my trap as per yours. Cheers Denise- Australia
Groundhogs can really cause damage to a building by burrowing under the foundation. I have an uncle who says they are delicious, even the fat. A year ago last fall, I saw one out in the yard eating acorns. My husband put baby carrots in a live trap. We were excited we soon had something in it. It was a rabbit. My husband turned it loose. The next day the same thing. This went on for several days until the rabbit didn't panic. Just sat and waited each time for my husband to release it. It got so tame it would just casually hop away. Havent seen the groundhog since then but not optimistic he is gone. The green plastic mouse trap looks like a good idea!
We have a lot of predators here in KY. We have pretty good luck with trapping/deterring them. However, the groundhog battle is no joke. We have been at war with them the whole 9 years at our current property. We were able to trap 3 but after they destroyed my garden multiply years even with traps out, a 30-06 was the winner, dispatching about 10. Even so, they still show up every single year. Good luck!
Have you tried sweet peas and vanilla? Strawberry might work. Your groundhog knows the tricks. Appreciate the tips. My vole pushed the peppermint out and Castrol oil is the only thing we found moves them. It's too expensive to use frequently. Stay warm.. four days of fun weather.❄️
I do know for rats, I use bacon grease soaked sponges. The cheapo sponge cut into small squares. I think it's slow but they get stopped up and die. Learned it from a farmer long time ago.
Groundhogs love melons too. And if nothing else works, a box of moth balls in the hole will send them packing. Rabbits and the like may move into those holes later, but much easier to contend with. As for mice, we love the Owltra traps. It’s super quick and super easy. To clean and reset. Have gotten tons of mice with these. Happy hunting!
Another alternative with regards to mice is a small piece of milk chocolate!!! With regards to the groundhog, try to find someone with a hunting buck ferret or a Jack Russell terrier.
Repeatedly throw ammonia soaked rags made out of old towels into the entrance holes under the shed and the ground hogs will move elsewhere. An exposed towel make it easy to pour more ammonia on to it and hold the scent.
Our latest aggravating pests are moles. I cannot believe the damage those tiny creatures can do. We ordered the traps you have in this video and they arrived today. Moles, it’s time to get right with the lord because you are on your way out! 😂
If you are loosing chickens to small predators inside your coop or run, you need to build a more predator proof area. At minimum, coops should have hardware cloth around the perimeter, below ground to prevent digging into the area. Your run needs to be fully enclosed with hardware cloth, sides and top, to stop critters from getting into the run.
Put a jar or two of minced garlic down the holes....they hate it ....drop garlic in a few spots and you'll drive him away....we had King Kong living in the back yard and he packed his bags and waddled on down the road🎉....ground hogs hate garlic....also gets a few bundle packs of Irish spring ....rabbits, deer, mice pretty much all animals hate it😂😂😂😂❤
If you know where the groundhog holes are get to the store and buy the huge one inch round bubblegum!! Fill them holes with them and before you know it they're gone!! Thank me later!! Our hay fileds had too many of them and when it comes to loosing tires in the holes or getting jolted off of a stooker trust me you'll do anything to get those bugger lol... hope this helps groundhog issues for you!
I dislike it when people relocate groundhogs out to the country. I have enough of an issue without more being dropped off! I caught 5 this year with whatever crop they were stealing: strawberries and ripe red peppers.
My husband started watching for groundhogs and sneaking out with a slingshot. It took most of summer but we’ve had several months now not seeing them. We had no success with live traps. Best of luck with the groundhog. They are a pain chipmunks are just as bad they dug a hole under my Cherry tree I think they’ve killed it. We took a water hose and just let it run they finally started coming out one was completely drenched. Then I found these pellet that repelled them. Will see how successful next year. Thanks for sharing
I've learned that rats are too smart, but they like to run songs walks or barriers. And they tend to go around traps. So I find where they enter, and set 2 traps, side by side. When they try to jump over one, in a hurry, they usually hit the 2nd one.
I loved raccoons, until 2 got in my coop and slaughtered 5 ducks and a peck of chickens. Those things killed for sport, and left dead chickens everywhere- including up on my barn. I know it was raccoons because of footprints and a Ring camera. I was never able to catch them, but my coop is like Ft Knox now. I still cringe every morning when I go out tho. We had hawks take a couple chickens until we put net over the whole coop and run area. We let them free range out of the run area, but hawks seem to leave them alone because of the net.
Todd yes raccoons and opossums are a problem in the chicken yard. Let me tell you this story…about a month ago I had a hawk just walk in my automatic door. My chicken yard is 12x40 covered, the door is attached to a fenced garden area. It killed one hen, got his tummy full and was trying to get out now that’s the end of story.
I just lost 2 3 month old chick's today. One missing the other killed, no blood on it. The only ground hog I've seen here was in day light. It tried climbing a tree and fell. My dog got it.
@@1870s That's my biggest concern about using live traps. We're in an HOA that has banned firearms and arrows. I'll move before I have to deal with an angry walking stnkbomb.
I have also had issues with raccoons an used those kind of traps . The raccoons would always get out or eat the food an leave . The one i had they would put there little hands in an get the food an not even go in . They are smart . So i would put an old towel over the back where the food was so they couldnt see it an they would have to go threw the door . Then they would go in an pull on the door an bend the metal an get out ruined the whole cage it's terrible. They are terrible creatures an also ruin the yard digging . Plus when caught what to do with them . That part is the worse part.
We are in Pa. Over the last 2 years we have been successful with trapping several groundhogs and bunnies. We have used kale, cabbage leaves, and broccoli leaves. Our bunnies like these leaves too.
4 ground hogs have met their maker with a .22. I do not mess around with growing in a 3700 square foot garden. We preserve everything that we grow, along with fresh eating. We've also had a fisher cat that came after the chickens, he too met his maker. I understand not everyone will feel that this would be their first choice, but when you see one ground hog, there is normally 10.
Love this! We have had numerous raccoons and possums who have found themselves on the business end of a 22. They were dismantling our barn cats’ feeder. My 18 yr old son has spent many an evening in a hunting blind across from our barn. I have zero tolerance for any intruder be it man or animal.
Awesome info! Very different from the normal content, but just as valuable. You handled the "controversies" with grace. Thank you.
I am with you, tried everything to get rid of moles! One i got the scissor trap i got em right away! Best trap! Learning the proper place and position is a huge part of success.
I was told by our pest control guy that moles are there because of grubs. If you use grub control on your grass, you will get rid of their main food source. It may reduce their numbers. Thanks for the trapping tips.
Our moles eat our plants. We don't have grubs. I wish we did our chickens would love them.😊
Our best rodent trap is called Lucky. He’s a barn cat. He catches moles, voles, mice, and rabbits. He has caught a crow and makes sure no bird builds a nest within his reach. We do use mice bait that takes care of mice but will not hurt anything that eats them. Live traps really help with raccoons but sometimes it catches somebody’s barn cat. We allow Fred O’Possum to stay in the barn occasionally. He is quiet and doesn’t bring his extended family over. While we have a lot of groundhogs around us, they don’t seem to hang out on our property. We have skunk, fox, coyotes, bobcats and large birds. You just have to build your chicken runs withe a wire top for the birds. The only other thing is the snakes that will go after eggs.
Good info on quite a few predators! Thank you.
I lost my Muscovy ducks and a full grown goose to a racoon this year. It was huge and bent the flap on the live trap when I finally caught it. Thanks for the marshmallow tip
Those Hava heart traps work really well! And, at the end when you mentioned the groundhog, I immediately pictured you as Bill Murray in Caddyshack!!😂 Great information Todd! Thank you
With groundhogs we use squash , they love it...We caught 3 so far.. Thank you for the tips on the moles I will be using that tip..
Winter squash or summer squash?
I lost all my carrots in my raised bed from moles. Every day I would go out and a couple carrot tops were pulled down into the hole. Next spring I am going to pull all the soil out and put down hardware cloth about a foot down. I have also had them eat the pepper roots. I had 3 big beautiful bell pepper plants they were about 18 inches tall, I went out and one by one they got shorter until one day they were just gone. I have had luck with Juicy Fruit gum, or maybe they just moved along. I used to have them in my yard until I got chickens again and I let them free range so they eat the bugs that lay the grubs that the moles eat. I will try the trap you showed that you step on. Thanks for the information.
I am also in Michigan and the only way I have been able to trap ground hogs is with a combo of apple and carrots sliced in bite size pieces. Also you have to use a trap that is free of urine smell from other animals and the scent of humans. Best time to trap in during the day when the sun is out. Watch to see where their favorite spot is in the sun. I have also caught them close to their hole. Good Luck.
We’ve had luck with bird seed.
I used cantaloupe as my bait for groundhogs. Set the live traps as close to or in their runs or paths to help increase your odds of a catch. Thank you again for another great video!!
We have had success with woodchucks using cantaloupe and sweet corn. They are either easy or terribly stubborn. Praying for your success!
Good advice. Thank you for sharing✌️🥰🇺🇸
Todd we have the best luck trapping groundhogs using a live trap and put a head of iceberg lettuce that’s just starting to get some brown slime on it in the way back of the trap!!
Good luck!!
Very helpful info and as always enjoyable to listen to!
In Michigan too-the U.P, (lots of hungry critters in the woods here) best thing we did to protect our chickens was a trip to Tractor Supply to get a solar panel that we use with 2 strands of hot wire surrounding the bottom part of the run. That took care of everything, including our 3 big high prey drive dogs.🙄 Very unpleasant as my husband can attest to.😂 It even encouraged a very large bear to move along last summer.😂 Super easy install, no electricity needed.
Todd I use watermelon rinds to catch woodchucks. Catch a few near the garden every year. Hope this helps.
Great video! I just got a trap. I'm just afraid of getting raccoon out after. I like how your opens looks easy
We are on a heavily wooded property in the ozarks. This time of year we go to war with mice. We use the Victor electronic mouse traps from Amazon. They have two sides. One side contains the batteries. The other side is where the mouse gets trapped. Afterwards detach the mouse side and throw away. There is a metal plate inside. Beyond the metal plate is where the bait goes. The mouse steps onto the metal plate on the way to the bait and is instantly electrocuted. Instant without any prolonged suffering. Peanut butter has worked every time for bait.
Really helpful information! Thanks for sharing!!!!
You’ve given us some good ideas! Thank you! Our problem is rabbits. We have a slew of them and they multiply fast! Any suggestions for those?
Cats work wonders for rabbits. We had a large rabbit problem and our 1 cat took care of a large portion of them on our 5 acres. Our neighbors have even seen her helping them out and have appreciated it!
Got your 5 year Garden planer in the mail thank you!
Thank you so much for all the information you just gave us. I appreciate it.
I also live in Michigan, and last year, we had a terrible problem with skunks digging up our front lawn... looking for grubs, no doubt. We contracted with a lawn service to get rid of the grubs this past spring. Last summer, the skunks dug up our side and back yards. Any tips on how to get rid of skunks? The DNR was no help.
What flashlight do you use? I need a good one. Thanks
Thanks Todd for the very useful information 🙂
I caught the groundhog that was in our garage with cherry tomatoes and a cucumber. Same trap you have.
I had a groundhog under my garden shed and tried unsuccessfully to catch it in a live trap also. I was finally successful getting it to leave my dumping a 1/2 gal of ammonia where it was coming and going under the shed every day for a week. That was two years ago and haven't had one since!
Thank you so much!
Great tips, Todd! Thanks! And great ideas in the comments as well.
Todd ths was so helpful to me as my problem animals is Cats & possums. I have a great trap & have caught quite a few but lately the trap is not working so I will get my Husband to reconfigure my trap as per yours. Cheers Denise- Australia
Groundhogs can really cause damage to a building by burrowing under the foundation. I have an uncle who says they are delicious, even the fat. A year ago last fall, I saw one out in the yard eating acorns. My husband put baby carrots in a live trap. We were excited we soon had something in it. It was a rabbit. My husband turned it loose. The next day the same thing. This went on for several days until the rabbit didn't panic. Just sat and waited each time for my husband to release it. It got so tame it would just casually hop away. Havent seen the groundhog since then but not optimistic he is gone. The green plastic mouse trap looks like a good idea!
We have a lot of predators here in KY. We have pretty good luck with trapping/deterring them. However, the groundhog battle is no joke. We have been at war with them the whole 9 years at our current property. We were able to trap 3 but after they destroyed my garden multiply years even with traps out, a 30-06 was the winner, dispatching about 10. Even so, they still show up every single year. Good luck!
Great info, thanks
Have you tried sweet peas and vanilla? Strawberry might work. Your groundhog knows the tricks.
Appreciate the tips. My vole pushed the peppermint out and Castrol oil is the only thing we found moves them. It's too expensive to use frequently.
Stay warm.. four days of fun weather.❄️
We keep electric fence on at night only around chicken run. Raccoons want no part of the area after they encounter the fence.
I do know for rats, I use bacon grease soaked sponges. The cheapo sponge cut into small squares. I think it's slow but they get stopped up and die. Learned it from a farmer long time ago.
Learn the ground hogs path and use a snare. 😁 Advice from my husband.
Groundhogs love melons too. And if nothing else works, a box of moth balls in the hole will send them packing. Rabbits and the like may move into those holes later, but much easier to contend with.
As for mice, we love the Owltra traps. It’s super quick and super easy. To clean and reset. Have gotten tons of mice with these.
Happy hunting!
Thank you
Another alternative with regards to mice is a small piece of milk chocolate!!! With regards to the groundhog, try to find someone with a hunting buck ferret or a Jack Russell terrier.
Hi I tried to find the traps in amozan it looked to me that the traps they sell now don't have the adjustment black nob that I saw on your traps???
Thank you so much! Great information and well presented, much appreciated
The struggle is real! I have mice in my garage that poop all around the mouse trap but never take the peanut butter. Thanks for the tips.
Try some milk chocolate!!!
Good information. Thank you.
Repeatedly throw ammonia soaked rags made out of old towels into the entrance holes under the shed and the ground hogs will move elsewhere. An exposed towel make it easy to pour more ammonia on to it and hold the scent.
I saw something about doretoes (sp ?) Are very flammable too, who knew??
Our latest aggravating pests are moles. I cannot believe the damage those tiny creatures can do. We ordered the traps you have in this video and they arrived today. Moles, it’s time to get right with the lord because you are on your way out! 😂
If you are loosing chickens to small predators inside your coop or run, you need to build a more predator proof area. At minimum, coops should have hardware cloth around the perimeter, below ground to prevent digging into the area. Your run needs to be fully enclosed with hardware cloth, sides and top, to stop critters from getting into the run.
Put a jar or two of minced garlic down the holes....they hate it ....drop garlic in a few spots and you'll drive him away....we had King Kong living in the back yard and he packed his bags and waddled on down the road🎉....ground hogs hate garlic....also gets a few bundle packs of Irish spring ....rabbits, deer, mice pretty much all animals hate it😂😂😂😂❤
We use the big marshmallows to tap raccoons. They love them.
We used broccoli in our groundhog live trap. Caught a mama, and 4 babies, 1 at a time!!
If you know where the groundhog holes are get to the store and buy the huge one inch round bubblegum!!
Fill them holes with them and before you know it they're gone!! Thank me later!! Our hay fileds had too many of them and when it comes to loosing tires in the holes or getting jolted off of a stooker trust me you'll do anything to get those bugger lol... hope this helps groundhog issues for you!
Can you toss moth balls under the shed? Might make the groundhog move
I dislike it when people relocate groundhogs out to the country. I have enough of an issue without more being dropped off! I caught 5 this year with whatever crop they were stealing: strawberries and ripe red peppers.
Thank you ❤
My husband started watching for groundhogs and sneaking out with a slingshot. It took most of summer but we’ve had several months now not seeing them. We had no success with live traps. Best of luck with the groundhog. They are a pain chipmunks are just as bad they dug a hole under my Cherry tree I think they’ve killed it. We took a water hose and just let it run they finally started coming out one was completely drenched. Then I found these pellet that repelled them. Will see how successful next year. Thanks for sharing
I've learned that rats are too smart, but they like to run songs walks or barriers. And they tend to go around traps. So I find where they enter, and set 2 traps, side by side. When they try to jump over one, in a hurry, they usually hit the 2nd one.
Dog food in mice traps. How I know . We had mice one and caught one eating dog food. The dry dog food,
Try fresh green beans to trap ground hogs. My husband says they work great.
I have a groundhog that I can't catch either. I will try the squash and wear gloves.
We live trapped 5 racoons...chicharonies (fried pork rinds) were the ticket!
I loved raccoons, until 2 got in my coop and slaughtered 5 ducks and a peck of chickens. Those things killed for sport, and left dead chickens everywhere- including up on my barn. I know it was raccoons because of footprints and a Ring camera. I was never able to catch them, but my coop is like Ft Knox now. I still cringe every morning when I go out tho. We had hawks take a couple chickens until we put net over the whole coop and run area. We let them free range out of the run area, but hawks seem to leave them alone because of the net.
My biggest problem are squirrels. They eat my peppers and tomatoes. I don’t know if it’s the color - usually red - but they are a menace!
Great,
Todd yes raccoons and opossums are a problem in the chicken yard. Let me tell you this story…about a month ago I had a hawk just walk in my automatic door. My chicken yard is 12x40 covered, the door is attached to a fenced garden area. It killed one hen, got his tummy full and was trying to get out now that’s the end of story.
Try using fish for trapping groundhogs.
Try dog proof traps for Raccoons. Simple to set and very effective.
I just lost 2 3 month old chick's today. One missing the other killed, no blood on it.
The only ground hog I've seen here was in day light. It tried climbing a tree and fell. My dog got it.
Have you ever wound up with a skunk in a trap?
Not yet 😁
@@1870s That's my biggest concern about using live traps. We're in an HOA that has banned firearms and arrows. I'll move before I have to deal with an angry walking stnkbomb.
Here, our predators are fox, raccoon, coyotes, hawks, and now wolves. Our birds are now confined to their run. They are not happy. 😢
I have also had issues with raccoons an used those kind of traps . The raccoons would always get out or eat the food an leave . The one i had they would put there little hands in an get the food an not even go in . They are smart . So i would put an old towel over the back where the food was so they couldnt see it an they would have to go threw the door . Then they would go in an pull on the door an bend the metal an get out ruined the whole cage it's terrible. They are terrible creatures an also ruin the yard digging . Plus when caught what to do with them . That part is the worse part.
How about rats. They are very smart
Ground hogs ate all my carrots and peas out of my garden. I haven't trapped it though
We are in Pa. Over the last 2 years we have been successful with trapping several groundhogs and bunnies. We have used kale, cabbage leaves, and broccoli leaves. Our bunnies like these leaves too.
Game rangers will come out and help trap animals and relocate it for you. That’s the best for the safety of you and the animal
If you play music in the building, ground hogs will move on. They hate it!!
What about rats? They are egg thieves!
No experience with them, as we don't really have them here that I've seen.