BS: Woodchuck is Back!

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 May 07 - 09:29 AM

Nothing in the trap this morning except for the "bait" I put in, and the trail of carrots leading to the throne room.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Mickey191
Date: 29 May 07 - 01:18 AM

If anyone is interested there is a lovely site where one can hear the various sounds of woodchucks/groundhogs (same thing) and watch videos of them. There are descriptions of their habits, mating, enemies,dens,food, etc. Did not know they like bread & eggs on occasion.

   http://www.hoghaven.com/watch.html
   
My little guy, Roscoe, has not been seen for 5 days now. This would be his mating time. He has a favorite spot on a cinder block which holds the heat on chilly morns. He is usually there every morning. Something new lately- he turns his posterior to my kitchen window. Used face me.

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 28 May 07 - 07:58 PM

Heh! I think they're delightful creatures. Just put him where there is lots of nice grass to eat, a few trees for cover, and ground dry enough to support woodchuck holes. And hope it isn't all staked out already by other woodchucks. At this time of year a resourceful woodchuck should be able to sort things out, I think.

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 May 07 - 07:51 PM

Little Hawk-

I'll probably transport him over the Kennebec River to Dresden from our town of Richmond. No doubt he'll be more vulnerable outside of his "home territory" but I'll try to find him some place nice.

If I discover that "he" is a nursing "she" I may have to rethink the whole scenario.

Maybe I'll ship you the whole family!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 28 May 07 - 07:40 PM

Where do you plan to relocate the woodchuck if the trap succeeds? I'd love to take him, but I'm afraid our yard isn't the right site for a woodchuck hole...too high a water table here.

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 May 07 - 02:00 PM

The trap is set, no easy job to figure out but I suppose it needs a hair trigger. Now we'll see if someone wanders in, hopefully not the neighborhood skunk!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 May 07 - 12:23 PM

Ranger 1-

The correct spelling, I suppose, would be "phlox" which I never tried to spell before. We just got back from a weekend of opening up the family summer cottage, and the offerings I left of carrots and lettuce have disappeared. I wonder where?

Now I'll see if I can clean up the Have-A-Heart trap so it operates smoothly. You only get one chance to trap a woodchuck before they wise up. The raccoons used to think such traps were fun. Mother raccoon would stick her head in the trap and then hunch up her back while the little ones scrambled in and scarfed up the goodies. Then she'd back out and take a bow!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 27 May 07 - 07:23 PM

How many nuts would a nuthatch hatch if a nuthatch could hatch nuts?

Now say that quickly, 10 times in a row...

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: ranger1
Date: 27 May 07 - 06:11 PM

Charley, Bandit would love to come help guard your house from marauding woodchucks. As for what he's eating in your yard...would that be phlox as in flowers or flocks as in groups of birds? Inquiring minds want to know...

And the varmint in the picture accompanying the recipe for fried woodchuck is actually a marmot.

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: bobad
Date: 27 May 07 - 01:19 PM

Fried woodchuck.

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 27 May 07 - 01:01 PM

How much ground would a groundhog hog if a groundhog could hog ground?

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: tarheel
Date: 27 May 07 - 12:53 PM

HOW MUCH WOOD COULD A WOODCHUCK CHUCK IF A WOODCHUCK COULD CHUCK WOOD?

just put a little saw in his paw and chuck the would he could!
tar...

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 27 May 07 - 12:34 PM

Say, I just realized why there are no woodchucks on or around this property. It's the water table, it's not far under the ground here. If you dig down a few feet anywhere on this property, you find water. Lots of it. This makes it completely unfeasible for a groundhog to live here, as his burrow would be flooded. No wonder I haven't seen any of the little rascals hereabouts. (sigh) We do have a lot of moles, however, and they do their level best to damage the lawn.

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 27 May 07 - 12:08 PM

I have a large backyard and would be willing to take the groundhog... ;-) But you may be too far away to make this a practical scheme.

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 May 07 - 10:50 AM

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll see if I can get a photograph of him, chewing down one of the flocks. He seems to favor their tender tips. I don't know if there is a family involved. At some point I may explore his burrow.

There is potential here for much adventure, and Memorial Day Weedend is too busy for initiating any particular strategy.

My bottom line is that this varmit is going into someone else's backyard (well, probably dropped in a more remote location). He'll be perlexed but woodchuck's are survivors.

As Walt Kelly used to say:

How much ground round
Could a hound dog hog,
If I groundhog was ground round?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Mickey191
Date: 27 May 07 - 12:21 AM

Charley, I had a thread titled "Animals Wanting In"-4/21/04    There were many suggestions as to what to do with my groundhog.

He is still living under my shed & made his first appearance since late last fall, about 3 wks. ago.   He loves my clover grass & has sired 3 litters in these last 3 yrs. This fellow evidently kicks wife & kids out after a short time. Prefers bachelorhood. I rather like having him around-he is not the gnawer that was the impetus for the above mention thread.
Course he might have lost his teeth & is gumming my house to death.

Hope this turns out the way you want.

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 26 May 07 - 09:18 PM

LOL! I didn't think of that angle, Kat. Either way would be really great, though. Groundhogs are so totally lovable in every way that I can't imagine why people don't want them around, frankly.

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 May 07 - 05:12 PM

Charley's family or his own?!

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 26 May 07 - 05:05 PM

You are well on your way to a close relationship and a lifelong friendship with a groundhog, Charley. Such things happen rarely. Don't screw it up. Forget about the cage. Keep on with the veggie offerings, and in a month or two the little rascal will be eating out of your hand and posing for pictures with the family.

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 May 07 - 01:05 AM

We have assorted wildlife here, but none of it is slow. The slow critters have been dispatched by the pit bull. She's a sweetheart, but the prey drive in these dogs is strong and if you're not with them all the time there isn't much point in trying to teach them to leave the squirrels and possums alone. Perhaps you should get or borrow a neighbor's dog for a while?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Deckman
Date: 25 May 07 - 10:49 PM

One hundred years ago, when I was younger, I was raised in a home in the woods. Part of our bounty was all kinds of woodland kritters: skunks, possems, flying squirrels, and yes indeed ... woodchucks.

They really are quite pleasant animals.

We also had a very large white (dumb) cat named "Phooey." One summer, Phooey and this woodchuck fell in love. True story. They would sit, hour upon hour, and simply stare at each other.

I'm sure they did "other things" after dark, but it was a hundred years ago and I didn't know about such things ... still don't actually! Bob

Subject: RE: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 May 07 - 10:49 PM

Oh, sure, Charley. Feed it and get it used to depending on you for its fresh veggies then just drop it off out in the wilderness! He'll be scarred for life. Are you going to pay for the psychotherapy?**BG**

katlaughing!

Subject: BS: Woodchuck is Back!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 May 07 - 09:56 PM

I could swear there was a recent thread on this topic, and I don't mean the ones related to Woodchuck's Revenge. Our resident woodchuck has returned to beneath our back porch where he has a burrow. I noticed him fleeing from his morning brunch of flower greens, and 15 minutes later when I re-checked he sped away again (in the broad daylight!). Now I'm not overly fond of any varmint eating our flowers, although he hasn't touched the blooming daffidills or the tulips. He also hasn't touched the newly planted tomato plants. He seems to like the flocks which are still in an early stage of growth. But I just don't trust him/her.

Well, I dropped an old head of lettuce off the porch, did some dishes, and when I re-checked it was gone. I then dropped off some carrots, the nicely shaped ones for snacks, and they disappeared one by one. I think I have a plan, or at least some effective bait. I've picked up a couple of Hav-A-Heart traps from my mother's farm, small and large; she didn't have medium which might be just the right size for a woodchuck, but with a little luck I'll be able to trap the little beast and transport it to some alternative universe. And using lettuce and carrots for bait is not going to attract our cats. Apparently the cats are also not interested in catching a woodchuck either. They seem to respect the wild things, with the exception of grey squirrels.

Has anyone had any success with woodchucks?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble