Groundhogs, or woodchucks, can become a nuisance with their burrows and tunnels dug in the ground. Their digging can destroy gardens, damage lawnmowers and farming equipment, and cause injuries to humans or animals that step in the holes and fall.
Winter is approaching, and groundhogs will soon be getting ready to hibernate. During the cold months, they sleep in their burrows and emerge only when the warmer weather has returned.
If you need to get rid of groundhogs on your property, you need to do it soon, before they have finished preparing their burrows for winter. The most humane time to have groundhogs evicted from their burrows is before late September.
Groundhogs often have multiple burrows and may abandon one and move to another. Before hiring a wildlife control company to get rid of a groundhog, find out if the burrow on your property is being used or if it is an old dwelling that has been abandoned. One simple way to do that is by loosely plugging all of the entrances with grass clippings, newspaper, or a similar loose material that groundhogs can move if they are still using the burrow. Wait three to five days. If the entrance has not been disturbed, you can conclude that the burrow is not being used.
If the burrow is vacant, you can seal it to prevent groundhogs from returning. Use heavy-gauge, welded fencing wire with squares no larger than three inches to close the entrance to the burrow. Cut the wire into three-by-three-foot sections, cover the entrance to the burrow, bury the fencing at least one foot deep, and use landscape staples to pin it down.
If the material that you used to plug the entrance to the burrow is disturbed, that means that it is being used. In that case, you should hire a professional to remove the groundhog. Anderson Wildlife Control uses humane methods to exclude groundhogs that are causing a nuisance and prevent them from returning.
