What would you be willing to do with a predator?

[DucksOhio]

Okay, not really a predator to ducks, but I’ve dealt with a nuisance groundhog for years. It is always trying to get to the duck’s food, and eats my garden vegetables.

The last straw(s) for me was 2 days ago, when it burrowed a huge hole under the door of my duck barn. I didn’t see it till I let the ducks out, and one girl fell in it (fortunately not hurt).

I filled the hole with rocks and topsoil. Last night it apparently started chewing at the bottom of the barn door to get in.

I researched some humane options like havahart traps, but what would you do with a groundhog then? I also read that groundhogs can’t survive well if displaced. Poison or other chemicals are out of the question due to the ducks.

i do love animals, but I can’t help but think a quick use of a shotgun might actually be most humane. One way or the other he has to go.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Definitely shooting is the best.

 

[Sally PB]

Anything I set a trap for will probably be shot. Quick, done, and I don't have to worry about getting bitten or scratched. I love animals too. If they stay out of my space, they're fine, and I leave them alone.

 

[Birdielee]

Groundhog tastes good, by the way. Closest to beef wild meat I've tasted.

 

[Rldad1]

Contact your wildlife office and ask. Some animals can be relocated easily. What is the Groundhog eating? I had one that was eating the pears that dropped off my trees. When the pears stopped he left the country. If the wildlife office can't help then a loud noise and he goes away.

 

[Pullet Press]

Definitely shooting is the best.

Ditto.

 

[Pullet Press]

Groundhog tastes good, by the way. Closest to beef wild meat I've tasted.

(Hmm, I'll have to try that...)

 

[CluckerFamily]

I caught a groundhog in a live trap a couple years ago. They love cantaloupe, the riper the better.

 

[Birdielee]

It's not in my skill set, but while we're at it, the Foxfire books say groundhog hide is the best for banjo heads.

 

[springvalley123]

A ground hog burrowed under my house and worked its way in through the hole in the concrete slab foundation, that the bathtub drain goes through (there has to be a small gap to allow for movement when you build the house). It was making noises under my bathtub, he had full access to the inner walls of my house!

Moral of this story: A ground hog can and will dig an extensive den/tunnel system under your house. I agree, shoot it if legal, but do something. And take a walk around your house and garage and look carefully to make sure he's not setting up house under your house!