The raccoons keep on coming...

[bruceha2000]

So, did you get your whistle pigs with the sweet feed? I used to chow down on the sweetened oats (for horses) when I was a kid.

Yep. Don't know if there is more than one or one that has been seen in a few locations. There are so many tunnels from past years I bet they can get from in front of the big barn to outside the south side of the little barn without having to come up for air.

Try sweet feed @OhZark Biddies
Speaking of mocking, this one (or it's pal) was taking a bath right in front of the cantaloupe baited trap inside the little barn. Never even looked at the cantaloupe. Am I supposed to feel bad about taking photographs of it bathing without getting permission first? I didn't post them on the internet

 

[Folly's place]

Over many years, and many raccoons and opossums, and a few cats, caught in my live traps, I've managed to catch ONE groundhog! ONE! He was eating chicken feed in my coop. Otherwise, they are uncatchable here. Raccoons, easy. groundhogs, not so much.
Mary

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Try sweet feed

@jthornton suggested cantaloupe "guts", which sounded good to me, because I could go for some cantaloupe myself, so I guess I'll add that and sweetfeed to my wife's list so she can pick that up in town tomorrow.

.... Raccoons, easy. groundhogs, not so much.
Mary

Oh you're starting to worry me a bit... yesterday he got past it somehow... guessing he climbed over the blocking I had in place....it wasn't great but I thought: "its a groundhog, not a grey fox". Worst part was he made his sneak attack while we were at church, which makes me think he might have some devil in him!

And I missed him today as he tried to dig back into the chicken run. I think he tried to go under a well placed body grip trap... rather than through it like a normal critter. So I'm a bit worried he's going to be scared off from that spot and start digging in somewhere new.

Sorry again to @techbsmith for hijacking ... but cantaloupe and sweetfeed (molasses covered grain) will catch you a mess of coons too!

 

[bruceha2000]

If you don't have other uses for sweet feed, find someone who does and "borrow a cup". Don't need 50 pounds to catch a groundhog.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

If you don't have other uses for sweet feed, find someone who does and "borrow a cup". Don't need 50 pounds to catch a groundhog.

.... I used to chow down on the sweetened oats (for horses) when I was a kid.

Thanks! That's great thought, but according to @lazy gardner it's a good snack, and my wife's always after me about eating all of her healthy snacks, so win + win there.

Actually I have a "pet" yearling that was a fawn last fall, and would hang out with me in the yard while I was doing chores. So much so that a neighbor pulled up to visit one evening, and we were standing there for 10 minutes and he froze and said, "don't move there's a deer right over there", and I said: "oh I forgot about her, I just figured she ran off when you pulled up..." And so her and her family group ended up being regulars all winter... I'm pretty sure she would have come in the house with me if I'd have invited her, but here sister, momma, and aunt (or grandma?) were a bit more cautious.

Anyway, she and here sister came by mid morning just today, and then she came back this afternoon, and then this evening she was just on the edge of the woods (not 35 yds from me) for 30 minutes watching me water the plants and fill the bird bath... until I went in, and she went and "bird-bathed"

... so I was kind of thinking I might put just a bit of sweet feed out for her each morning... not too much, just a bit... since she's here eating all my wife's flowers anyway.

@techbsmith ...so sorry, now we're on deer... I'm sure we'll get back to raccoons, once we talk about every other mammal in north america... but be warned when we get to thirteen lined ground squirrels, I'm gonna' have a lot of questions.

 

[aart]

Researched trapping ground hogs a few year ago when I had one under the patio.
They are hard to trap, something about setting up a fence near it's trail to funnel it into trap.

It was too jumpy to open the window above for a shot.
Finally harassed it enough(flooding tunnels and wire fencing over entrance hole)that it moved out to brush pile 50-60' away at edge of woods, and didn't spook when I opened window, so finally shot it. Then dog got a youngster and I haven't seen one since.

 

[techbsmith]

Course you know that will never happen....not completely.

Sadly...yup, but a guy can dream can't he?

 

[techbsmith]

@techbsmith ...so sorry, now we're on deer... I'm sure we'll get back to raccoons, once we talk about every other mammal in north america... but be warned when we get to thirteen lined ground squirrels, I'm gonna' have a lot of questions.

I have a lot of deer in the field/woods behind my house. This year, the field is planted with soy beans, we rotate every other year between soybeans and feed corn. Our deer, turkey, hawk, squirrel, snake, and of course...raccoon population is thriving.

The newest addition to the ecosystem here is a rise in the coyote population. Until last year, I'd never seen, nor heard any coyote on our property or in the area. There are several now, and it sounds like there are a lot of pups.

I trapped another raccoon last night, but it looks like a coyote got to it before I did this morning. I'm already looking to run electricity out to the chicken area so I can put a hot wire around all the run areas.

 

[techbsmith]

Researched trapping ground hogs a few year ago when I had one under the patio.
They are hard to trap, something about setting up a fence near it's trail to funnel it into trap.

It was too jumpy to open the window above for a shot.
Finally harassed it enough(flooding tunnels and wire fencing over entrance hole)that it moved out to brush pile 50-60' away at edge of woods, and didn't spook when I opened window, so finally shot it. Then dog got a youngster and I haven't seen one since.

Groundhogs are VERY difficult indeed to trap, and they are the most alert lil stinkers there are. I've never had the misfortune of one up that close to my house tho! Mine are usually spotted out in the field before planting or after harvest. A .22 LR with a good scope takes care of them - course they are usually 200-250 meters away.

 

[techbsmith]

I The dark side is they look like bears after being so well fed.

Thanks for making me spew coffee!

Hopefully the easy meals at the landfill will keep them occupied, good luck on your issue as well.