What should i bait a woodchuck trap with

For many people, groundhogs become a problem when they dig burrows or invade gardens. Since the burrows can sometimes be large, burrowing under a building can cause structural damage and burrows in a farm field can cause damage to tractors and equipment.

Many people notice groundhogs when they start eating tomatoes, peas and other vegetables inside their garden. Since they love fresh vegetables, a garden is hard to resist. It's pretty hard to sneak up on a feeding groundhog and they don't venture far from their burrow. To trap a groundhog you have three basic trap options. A body gripping trap known as a conibear trap , a foothold trap or a live trap.

There's two ways to live trap a groundhog with a live trap First, choose a live trap that's large enough to hold a groundhog. Single door live traps should be at least 10x10x24 inches and double door traps should be at least 10x10x30 inches. When using bait, I always prefer the single door trap.

To set one, place the trap near the groundhogs burrow. Set the trap on level ground and make sure it doesn't rock back and fourth when the animal goes inside. Place a little dirt or vegetation on the bottom of the trap where the groundhog will walk. This will help prevent the groundhog from becoming spooked when it feels the steel cage on its feet.

You can order these from several different suppliers online. Home Depot and Lowes both carry them. Most will measure 1. I prefer the flexible rubber material as it is much easier to work with. A 3 foot by 24 foot roll will be enough to get you started. Tools - All you need is a hammer to pound the stakes into the ground and a staple gun to attach the plastic fence material to the stakes.

Assembly - Attach the fencing material to the landscaping stakes as shown in the pictures above. One landscaping stake every 4 feet or so is good.. The basic goal of this woodchuck trapping method is to funnel the woodchuck into the trap. Use your landscape fencing to create a funnel and place the trap at the narrow end of the funnel. You can make the landscape fencing as long or as short as you need.

In some cases you may need to stretch it across your entire yard while in other cases you may only need short sections. You may also put fencing at both ends of the trap creating a double funnel which allows you to catch them traveling in both directions.

See Trap Placement paragraph below for more info. Cover the floor of the trap with a layer of grass. Make an effort to hide all of the metal on the floor of the trap. Woodchucks are very smart and will often avoid a trap if they can see the metal floor of the trap. Your goal is to make it appear natural, just like the rest of the grass in your yard. Placing bait in the trap will only put the woodchuck on alert. To prevent a groundhog from reaching the bait from outside of the trap, try to keep the bait as far from the trap walls as possible.

For a 2-door trap , place the bait towards the middle of the trap to encourage interaction with the trigger plate. Place the bait directly onto the plate, bury it underneath the trap and plate, or hang it from the top of your trap. Once you've trapped your groundhog, use a repellent to stop him from coming back.