Groundhogs

[gudrin]

Quote:
It is a fun product! My in-laws have one for gophers on their farm. Just be careful with it, as the ONE time my husband used it as an experimental thing he blew up a tunnel that actually ran right underneath him! I didn't know for sure if we were going to be able to have children after that one. But, if you like fire and a little bit of danger, it's well worth it. They haven't had an issue with gophers for a very long time.

 

[The Poultry Peanut]

Quote:
It is a fun product! My in-laws have one for gophers on their farm. Just be careful with it, as the ONE time my husband used it as an experimental thing he blew up a tunnel that actually ran right underneath him! I didn't know for sure if we were going to be able to have children after that one. But, if you like fire and a little bit of danger, it's well worth it. They haven't had an issue with gophers for a very long time.

I really want one but we don't have gopher problems here

 

[Imp]

Quote:
Looks like fun.

Can someone send me some Ground Hogs?

Imp

 

[WoodlandWoman]

All those fields are probably full of nasty tasting, stinky chemicals. I'd prefer to live and dine at your house, too! They have great taste! I'm sorry they did so much damage to your garden. That's heart breaking.

I think they're really cute, but they are not allowed to burrow under or along side the buildings, here. Unfortunately, that seems to be their favorite thing to do. We have a more natural yard and they seem to prefer to eat various native plants and weeds, so they've never done much damage to any of my plants. Plus, with our dogs around, it's best for them to NOT to go too far from their burrows or to come up by the house.

They can occasionally be a little hard to shoot at first, too, as some are very wary. Patience is a virtue. For those inclined to trap, I've heard that fresh broccoli is one of the few baits that works well for them. Cat poop is also a good thing to put down the holes.

Good luck!

 

[Chickiemama1010]

the rodenator, lol! Looks like fun. Unfortunately the smallest model is over $1500. Of course that is much less of an expense that my barn, or a broken ankle for that matter. But....the .22 was $150, and a bullet is about 8 cents. Just gotta wait.

to dragonEggs: I have a cat, and a dog(lab mix). My dog is old, and lazy and she's retired from hunting things. These groundhogs are bigger than my cat. Theyre not moles, which are mouse-size. Groundhogs are more like coon size,but not so fluffy. Bigger than rabbits. bigger than guinea pigs. Smaller than a usual standard adult chicken, but heavier.

Still waiting for him to show his face....

 

[DragonEggs]

There are groundhogs in the area too, just not as many as the moles. I tell you the first time I saw a mole near the house I thought it was a RAT! It was freaken huge and ugly and it SMELLED! It must have been in the trash outside. Then I saw it scuttle along and jump into a hole. I watched for a little while until it poked its head back up. They weren't destroying anything back then. I think the ground hogs are cuter. They're easier to be rid of because they fall for the live traps easier. The moles just slip out.

Your cat must be as lazy as the old dog, LOL! my cats are minis and have brought home birds that they could barely carry! I've seen the cats and my St Bernard team up against vultures. To them size doesn't matter, the bigger the prize you bag the better the praise!

The rodenator seems like some kind of backwoods old boys fun. "Hey guys, guess what were doin today? Wanna come? Bring a cooler of beer wit ya! Game'll be on afterwards!"

The .22 takes more skill. I would suggest taking it to a taxidermist when you get it, but there probably won't be anything left, LOL!

 

[Chickiemama1010]

Stuffed groundhog on the wall...no thankyou! i dont find them cute at all. And theres plenty left after the .22 Husband got one with the 12 gauge- it was handy- from about 20 feet not long ago. Now there wasnt much of that left. Me, I prefer to scoop up dead things with a shovel, not spray off the splatter with the hose, lol. Gross

My cat does catch mice, moles, squirrels, small rabbits, once she brought me a baby opossum about the size of chipmunk. She doesnt mess with the birds though, and I appreciate that. We have a large family group of barn swallows that nest in our barn, and come back year after year. Right now they are on their 2nd set of eggs this yr. The little ones are still looking a bit fluffy like young little birds do.When the babies leave the nest, it takes a little practice to get flying with the skill and speed barn swallows tend to have. I've seen my kitty laying in a sunny spot in the doorway of the barn and the babies perched on the windowsill above her - easy target. She doesnt make a move.The only "bird" she ever caught was a bat. it somehow got in the house. Cat was in for the nite and amidst the shrieking and swinging of the broom at the thing, she leaped up and nabbed it in midair, pinned it, and chomped its head. Again,

 

[DragonEggs]

Sounds like your cat works well for you

Some cats like the aerial challenge, some prefer to keep all 4 paws on the ground. I have 2 kittens competing over that now. The older brother is twice the size of his younger sister and cal already climb most of the trees while she can't climb any more than 3 or 4 feet up the trunk. She prefers to stalk birds and flying insects while he started off with spiders ( Thank GOD) and has graduated to mice and moles but generally sticks to the ground while shes constantly jumping after low fliers. I expect him to be like his daddy and bring me a racoon or oppossum soon. I can't imagine my mini manx being like my tabby jumping 8 feet in the air to tackle birds bigger than her and scrashing through windows after shadows. Not havng a tail makes her not so good in mid air. They all know the rules when it comes to which birds and rodents they can't hunt but I still wouldn't trust them around biddies. My St Bernard on the other hand is an angel with the tiny things. He has bigger fish to fry and prefers things his size. He's always after the deer that come around and eat the crops and he's excellent at scaring off wild dogs and hogs. Been finding LARGE paw prints near the pond behind the field. Bigger than his. Suspeting some kind of panther or wild cat. Dunno how he'll deal with that... Maybe you and your husband need to come visit for awhile. If you shoot it you can have it, LOL

Seriously, good luck with your James Bond Rodent problem. Coming from one so clumsy as to trip on level ground you can imagine what tunnels and holes do to me so I feel for ya!

 

[twentynine]

That Rodenator thing reminded me of a stunt I pulled a few tens of years ago.

I was raising hunting dogs, kept them on a concrete slab surrounded by chain link fence, roofed for sun and rain protection.

Well over a period of a few years I had noticed that rats had tunneled under the slab, but I was at a loss as to how to get rid of them. One day I was out there refueling the lawn mower, glanced over and noticed a rat headed into one of the larger tunnels.

Now this is the point where things get kinda dicey.

Not thinking things completely through has always been a weakness of mine. I grabbed the gas can and headed over to the dog yard. The gas can had maybe a 1/2 gallon in it, that 1/2 gallon went down all the rat holes I could find .

In them days I smoked like a train so I had a butane lighter in my pocket. I held that lighter down by the closest hole. This is where the story gets real LOUD. I swear I barely touched the wheel on that lighter, I didn't even see a spark. Flame came from everywhere, with a big keeerumpppp! Fire everywhere, dogs yelping, dirt and smoke comming out of the rat holes, smell of singed hair overwhelming.

Fire went right out, I found several burnt dead rats around the outside of the dog yard. My eyelashes and mullet (yeah I had a mullet) gradually grew back, the moustache well it weren't much of a moustache anyhow, was gone. The rat population I believe was devastated, didn't have a rat problem for a few years after.

Secondary effect of blast. You know dogs are smart, they can associate things real good. If I walked across that yard they would come out, bark, whine and beg to get out of the kennel. But if I walked across that yard carrying a red gas can- tails down and the whimpering would begin.

 

[Chickiemama1010]

Thanks for that story.

Made me laugh out loud. And any story that involves a mullet is always better!