Time for Mr. Woodchuck to go

I've been tolerating the bastard living under my shed since I moved in

3 years ago, because everything I've tried to do to get rid of him has only resulted in more damage to the shed.

When I moved in he had his entrance under the front corner of the shed. When I filled that in with rocks and broken glass, he went in under the wall of the lean-to, and dug another hole into his burrow from the back of the shed.

I've tried gassing him with propane. I've tried all the folk repellants. Apparently he likes being clean and eating spicy food, because neither irish spring soap nor cayenne pepper phased him.

The bugger has gone all Hannibal Lechter on me. There was a half- rotted possum carcass in the entrance to his burrow. I thought that would drive 'em away, so I left it. Now it's gone.

He's always left my stuff alone, but now he's developed a taste for gasoline. He removed the gas cap from my push mower, and chewed the neck off the gas tank.

I'd love to sit on my back porch and pick him off with a rifle, but discharge of firearms is a big no-no.

Reply to
mkirsch1
Loading thread data ...

Havahart trap. Toss trap & critter into deep water. Talk like Tony Soprano while doing so.

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

You need someone like the groundskeeper in Caddyshack to give you some ideas.

Reply to
badgolferman

Dittos to Havahart trap but rather then kill them, I prefer to relocate groundhogs to a more affluent neighborhood ;)

Reply to
Frank

quoted text -

Is there a pellet gun out there with the knock-down power of a .22? I know I could pick the no good rodent off with a rifle, but all my old Daisy airgun will do is pi$$ him off. Knowing him he'd probably set fire to the shed just for spite.

Reply to
mkirsch1

Is there a pellet gun out there with the knock-down power of a .22? I know I could pick the no good rodent off with a rifle, but all my old Daisy airgun will do is pi$$ him off. Knowing him he'd probably set fire to the shed just for spite.

=============

Yes. Ask at a real gun shop. Have bail money ready for when the cops haul you to jail and take your pellet gun. They'll listen to your story, and the complaint from the hysterical mommy next door. They'll like her story better because they have to.

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

go find some sub sonic 22s no noise

Reply to
ChairMan

-snip-

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

formatting link

Reply to
George

From another newsgroup:

--- begin quote

"No one knows when the first rabbit appeared on [University of Victoria] campus, but an estimated 1,500 of them currently call it home. The university has come under pressure to cull the animals by angry neighbours but how that might be accomplished is fuelling a raging debate.

"Proponents of the doomsday approach have taken a shine to something called the Rodenator."

Heh!

formatting link
File picture of rabbit
formatting link

--- end quote

Rodenator home page with video

formatting link
I don't see why you can't make your own "rodenator" with a tank of propane (or MAPP gas) and some Oxygen*. In olden days, we used to deal with rat tunnels by:

  1. Throw a few chunks of Calcium carbide down the tunnel.
  2. Add water.
  3. Temporarily block opening.
  4. Wait about a minute
  5. Throw a match down the hole, igniting the acetylene.

Years ago, I was visiting the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania and was introduced to their semi-pet groundhog, Harriet. We don't have groundhogs in my part of Texas, so I offered to trade a Pennsylvania groundhog for a Texas armadillo.

"Good God, NO!" said the excited executive director.

"Uh, why not?" said I.

"Can you imagine what the granny-ladies who are walking our nature trails would do if an armadillo suddenly waddled out in front of them? We'd had dead grannies littering the paths!"

-------- Figuring out the igniter would be fun: The first thought that comes to mind is a spark plug, some long wires, and a salvaged ignition coil...

Reply to
HeyBub

I have shot some similar to that in a bolt action 22 and it seems like the bullet hitting the dirt about 20 yards away made more noise than the actual shooting.

Some of the pellet guns have plenty of energy to kill the woodchuck. When I was growing up in the city my dad and I shot a bunch of squirrls out of a pecan tree in the back yard with a Crossman 22 pump up gun.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

A 22 cal "CB cap" would do the job quietly and efficiently. These are more powerful than most air rifles and less powerful/noisy than a 22 short. They are pretty nearly silent. You are still discharging a firearm though. In fact here in the police state of NJ shooting an air gun is legally classified as discharging a firearm...go figure.

I had one who decided to burrow down beside my house. I tried everything to get him to leave. I finally saturated a towel with household ammonia and forced it down his hole with a long stick..then poured the rest of the gallon in. After I did this two or three times the little bugger left.

YMMV, EJ in NJ

Reply to
Ernie Willson

CLR ice. Startling results.

;-)

Reply to
Malcolm Hoar

I caught a woodchuck in my vegetable garden one time. I beat him over the head with a shovel handle which didn't phase him. We can't legally discharge firearms here either (people do anyway) but a bow and arrow does the job very effectively, silently. Try throwing some moth balls into the hole and fill with rocks.

Reply to
Phisherman

The one time I caught a woodchuck in a Havahart. I was going to take him out that night. But when I went back to the cage at o'dark thirty, someone had opened the cage and let the critter out.

Incidentally, a 15 minute road flare was lit and stuffed into the hole, which was then back filled with rocks and earth. Havn't seen any more wood chuck holes.

I have the same restrictions on shooting the little furry devil.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

They do make .22 caliber air rifles.

As to the Crossman type, use pointy tip pellets. They penetrate better. You can shoot squirrels off the trees with a pointy pellet. Uhm. Er. I mean "I've heard you can....." you know.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I saw on another usenet list, a guy was out back of his store, shooting rats with an airgun. Someone called 911 account of the guy with the "scoped sniper rifle".

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

What? I didn't hear you?

formatting link
See image above for smiley face, but I didn't hear a thing.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Baseball bat...Swing for the fence....That's how I got rid of one in my lawn....Then cut his head off and put it on a stick in the ground next to his hole as a warning to his friends...LOL...;)

Reply to
benick

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.