Woodchuck in the garden...

[flagmanruss]

Appears to be living under an old chicken coop... Wife is renewing fencing around the vegie plot but I could be a hero if I could eliminate the pest (not to mention eating well). He's pretty shy and too far from the house... the few times I've seen him, he disappeared before I could deploy the .22 Hornet. There just isn't enough open space to hunt him... too many concealed ways for him to get to the garden.I'm thinking of gassing him. A flexi exhaust, a lawn tractor. (Carbon monoxide) As far as we can tell, all the holes are under the chicken coop or adjoining horse runout shed. I suppose I could set up a seat & wait with a scatter gun in case he has another exit. Ideas?

[War Eagle]

Would a couple of traps work? A box kind is what I am thinking rather than a leg trap.

[CSM]

Would a couple of traps work? A box kind is what I am thinking rather than a leg trap.

Conibear trap if you can find one nearby... Once upon a time I liked them for muskrats. Or, get your class three and get a can. :spend:But then, by the time the ATF got your permits done and you get your stamps... You will be overrun with woodchucks!

[flagmanruss]

I haven't had luck previously with a Have a Heart... chuck is pretty wary. Not sure what a Class 3 gun would do for me. An explosives license perhaps... but then I have enough Black Powder to relocate the coop to the back 40.

[CSM]

I haven't had luck previously with a Have a Heart... chuck is pretty wary. Not sure what a Class 3 gun would do for me. An explosives license perhaps... but then I have enough Black Powder to relocate the coop to the back 40.

Well, if you go that route... Please take video. On a more serious note, I did some looking at this a while back. Some of the new pellet guns are pretty darn fast, and a friend of mine with a squirrel problem in TX has been eliminating them with a beeman .177 and .22 pump pellet guns with headshots at 25 yards.

[hex0rz]

How many means of egrees does this little critter have? I would try and limit the amount of exits he has and leave him with only 2-3.Get some live traps and bait them. Block the exits with them so it only leaves him with one exit that he can use to walk out with. Camp at that exit and wait. Shoot him if he reveals himself, or relocate if trapped.Find out what they like to eat, learn their habits and preferences. If they like to burrow and like dark places, cove the traps with tarps, etc. Make it an irresistable haven for him. He will come!

[flagmanruss]

I don't believe in relocating problem critters... a racoon that raided the hen house & ended up in my Have a Heart. I took said trap to the lake, attached a (horse) lead rope & threw it in the lake for 5 minutes. When I retrieved it, the trap was nice & clean. A buddy told me that a guy on the other end of town, caught a troublesome racoon in his hen house... released caught racoon in the Wildlife Management Area, directly opposite our house. I had my buddy tell the guy that I'd caught the racoon & I'd released it by HIS farm!

[Rogan]

flood the holes.

[bh115577]

Here is a bit of info that may help. http://icwdm.org/handbook/rodents/Woodchucks.asp