# groundhog repellents- does predator urine work to keep them away?



## russellsmom (Nov 13, 2002)

I realize the gardening season is going to be here fairly soon and I had a deal of time with groundhogs last year. They ate every single pumpkin I had growing in the field behind the barn, they attacked my cauliflowers, cabbages, and broccolis and ate every last plant to the ground. I tried mixing up a nasty tasting concoction and painted my remaining pumpkins with it. Those groundhogs learned to chew off the yucky skin and spit it aside until they reached the center where the yummy seeds were. 
I have tried shooting them and trapping them. They always appear while I am around and I have lousy aim. Trapping didn't work because they were way too smart to have anything to do with the bait even when I put the trap in the middle of one of their trails it didn't catch them. 
One was audacious enough to place his hole directly in the garden. I filled up that hole and I think he moved, but probably only to a few feet on the outside perimeter of the garden. 
I am thinking of using a predator urine to repell them. I have no idea how well it works though, have any of you tried it? The garden is also fenced, but they seem to find or create holes plus the area behind the barn that I'd like to plant with crops does not have a fence around it. 
I can't use any sort of poison bait because of the risk that farm animals or other wildlife I don't want to kill may get into it.


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## rufus (May 25, 2006)

Using what I have learned from observing groundhog physicology, I noticed that when ever I would cover thier hole up, they would just dig out the same hole and use it again. Having said this, I went and bought a couple 220 conibear traps and just placed them over the hole. Now be warned, these traps will kill a cat or small dog, but these hogs just think it's some obstruction to be cleared from their den. Might want to try to put an obstruction to keep other small animals out. Don't get discouraged if you don't catch anything right a way, they don't use the same hole all the time. In fact my trap was there for around two weeks before I caught anything. I also ran a metal hose from the exhaust on a push mower and tried to gas them....will only work if you see them enter the hole. WARNING!!!!! don't use this method if the hole is anywhere near your home. Exhaust could leak into your basement/home and well make you go to sleep too. I caught two in a live trap baited with the salad mix they were stealing in the garden. I just used a paper plate with the bait placed on the trigger and placed the trap in the row. Those went for one last swimming trip.


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## russellsmom (Nov 13, 2002)

rufus said:


> Using what I have learned from observing groundhog physicology, I noticed that when ever I would cover thier hole up, they would just dig out the same hole and use it again. Having said this, I went and bought a couple 220 conibear traps and just placed them over the hole. Now be warned, these traps will kill a cat or small dog, but these hogs just think it's some obstruction to be cleared from their den. Might want to try to put an obstruction to keep other small animals out. Don't get discouraged if you don't catch anything right a way, they don't use the same hole all the time. In fact my trap was there for around two weeks before I caught anything. I also ran a metal hose from the exhaust on a push mower and tried to gas them....will only work if you see them enter the hole. WARNING!!!!! don't use this method if the hole is anywhere near your home. Exhaust could leak into your basement/home and well make you go to sleep too. I caught two in a live trap baited with the salad mix they were stealing in the garden. I just used a paper plate with the bait placed on the trigger and placed the trap in the row. Those went for one last swimming trip.


I think I know the type of trap you are talking about my father-in-law used one like that last summer and caught oodles of groundhogs. I don't think it's a good option for me though. Most holes are in the pasture where I've got livestock so I try to fill up holes to prevent broken legs. I am concerned the livestock would accidentally put their foot in the trap and we also have barn cats that might accidentally get caught too. 
Never heard of that method of gassing the groundhogs out. We got some sort of gas bombs to use but never did get to use them. Those things knew exactly how to avoid detection. 
I kept the dog in the garden part time too last year, but I think he made friends with the groundhogs.


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## CGUARDSMAN (Dec 28, 2006)

they tend to get lead poisoning at my place...


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## Yeti (Nov 3, 2006)

you have hit apon a subject I know well. I have shot, trapped and repelled the little buggers till I have run out of bullets. after I built my barn I poured the floor and about 2 weeks later I came home to see a tunnel started under the slab. I used an iron bar and repacked the gravel under the slab. the very next day I came home to the hole reopened and twice as deep. I hatched an idea. Grounds have three things they need to do. they eat, they mate, and they dig. so armed with that I figured out what it takes to stop one from digging, I had to find a substance so foul that not even the most ill mannered Ground hog would go near it. I am a mechanic by trade so I have worked around some foul smelling stuff, I once dumped a pan of used rear axle oil over head while laying under a car. it took 12 washings to get the smell down to "bareable". and that was my plan... I had gallons of the stuff! so I poured a 1" wide stream all the way around the barn. that was ten years ago. there isn't so much as a mouse hole dug through that stuff it stinks so bad. I figured that any animal that got that on itself was out of the gene pool when it came time to mate. so the critters stay well away from it.
the other thing I have done for the ones up under stuff that I know are in the hole. I have an 11' length of mechanics exhaust hose(they cost $40.00 at the parts store). I clamp it to the tail pipe of the truck and stick the other end down the hole about 24", then fill around it to keep the fumes in. if you have a network of holes and don't know where they all leed then use some motor oil and pour it slowly down the throat of the carb or TBI. I had smoke coming out of holes 30' away from me. I filled them in and let the truck idle out in the yard for about an hour. no ground hogs ever came out or reopened those holes.


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## CGUARDSMAN (Dec 28, 2006)

i also have a jrt and fox terrier that just love rodents


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## Sonshe (Jun 17, 2006)

I now live in the city and have an awful problem with groundhogs. Never, ever when we lived in the country did we have such a problem. They totally ruined my garden last summer.

I tried the repellant urine. Didn't work. Was expensive, too. Those groundhogs would literally walk right past the bottles of urine and continue causing devastation around my house.

Someone suggested placing transmission fluid in a dish for them to drink. So in desperation, I tried that. Something drank the fluid but the groundhogs were still around.


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

Transmission fluid?

I think somebody got their hillbilly poisons mixed up, it's usually antifreeze. Not sure if woodchucks like that, but dogs and children have to be kept away from it.


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## Bear (Jan 25, 2005)

Living down on the farm I got plently practice shooting groundhogs. If you say you have lousy aim, use a shotgun. Some of the older hogs were pretty smart and would duck into the hole as soon as they saw danger (me). The trick is stand behind the hole. They are nosey and wiil come back out of hiding usually within afew minutes. Watch the bugs and flys buzzing around the opening, when they start to fly around faster, the hog is on his way out. You can then kneel or lay down, when you see the head come up, let'me have it! I also heard that soaking rags in peanut or olive oil and than stuffing the rags in the holes sends them packing. Another tonic to make is a 50/50 mixture of pureed hot pepper and garlic with just a touch of liquid dish soap liberally sprayed around the garden, apparentally they hate it.


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## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

I've been told that a road flare down the hole will kill them, but that won't do much for keeping more away.


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## ShawneeVt (Jan 3, 2005)

Woodchucks, the bane of my existence. Grrrrrrrrr. I've tried just about every humane and "organic" option available including a radio on a timer in the garden, pee from various species, low strung electric fence, marigolds around the perimeter...all with extremely limited success. I even shot a few and felt horrible about it.

My best advice (and what has worked wonders here) is a good, hardy, barking, prey driven dog. My dog kills baby woodchucks (sorry to those sensitive to such things) and tirelessly patrols for adults. It's no longer a safe environment for them so they've mostly relocated.

Good luck!!

--shawnee at echo valley farm


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## Rocky Fields (Jan 24, 2007)

Hey.

You might pick up some pointers by watching "Caddy Shack".


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## Rocky Fields (Jan 24, 2007)

Hey.

Time for a serious answer.

I remembered this thread and came across a possible solution using a groundhog snare. Visit the following link for more info and plans:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/easterly98.html

If anybody has tried this on groundhogs, please post your input.

I used to snare rabbits when I was trapping and a snare worked quite well.


RF


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## russellsmom (Nov 13, 2002)

Rocky Fields said:


> Hey.
> 
> Time for a serious answer.
> 
> ...


This might very well be the perfect answer to my groundhog woes. Thank you!


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## garfish (Feb 21, 2007)

You know your a ******* when you get absolutly giddy about news about the death of a ground hog. I don't farm yet but I have freinds out in the country and I have to compunction about blowing their destructive little heads off. Get up early, load the .308, find a safe spot with an adequte backstop (not always possible I know) about a 100 yards away, and make a sport of it...and it only costs ya 15C per hog if ya reload. They have a right to exist, but not in my friends barns, livestock pasture or crops/gardens. And try to shoot em in the head. It saves them the burdon of a colostomy bag.


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