OT How much wood would a woodchuck climb???

[greg g]

This fellow lodges under my storage shed. I caught him out in the open and he vamoosed away from his den. While he was away I covered his entrance and exit. Chicken wire and concrete pavers. He aparently returned to find he was evicted and has found other accomodations for the night. He caught my wife's eye and she called me to take a look. I will say he looks rather comfy, perhaps he has some sloth in him????? Any way he is about 20 feet up and has the squirrels scratching their heads. He is probably about a 20 pounder, gonna leave a make if he takes a tumble.

[Oldguy48]

Wow...I had no idea those critters could climb a tree....Maybe his Poppa was a squirrel:D

[oldmopar]

That is strange I have a few around me we always called the ground hogs I thought it was because they lived in the ground.

Maybe he is just waiting to jump on the guy that took away his home

[JohnS48plm]

We had a woodchucks in the woods behind the house. My wife thought they were cute and she named them Woody and Chucky. One day she looked out the back window and there they were eating all of her flowers. Her attitude changed and she wanted them gone.

I went to the farm bureau in town and got some poison smoke bombs. At night when they went in their hole I blocked the exit then lit a smoke bomb and threw it in the entrance then covered the entrance. No more woodchuck. JohnS

[Joe Flanagan]

This is another thread that's going to go spinning off into the wild, so here we go: I had rats under my back porch and I got the same things John S is talking about. They were sold as "Gopher Gassers." I got a bunch of them and tore the package open, anxious to get the rats. Never even read the instructions, which is something I tend to do. I stuffed all these things that looked like little sticks of dynamite into the holes with their fuses lit. I didn't know you were supposed to cover up all the holes and put the device in the last one and then cover that up. Which keeps the smoke in the ground, of course. Well I stepped back and watched a white cloud grow underneath my porch and then envelop my back porch and then rise above it. It started drifting across my yard toward my neighbor's house, and I'm talking about a pretty good sized, solid white cloud. He had just gotten back that morning from a trip overseas. His windows were open and I imagine he was in there sleeping off his jet lag or getting reacquainted with the Missus. This cloud drifted over to his house and some of it got drawn right in his windows. I went inside.

I know the rats were laughing at me but the next time, I read the instructions. So they're not laughing any more. My neighbor never said anything, either.

[greg g]

Well he lives under my storage shed, and I don't wanna smell dead chuck all summer, specially when it gets hot. So we'll sww how long he stays evicted.

[BobT-47P15]

You'd think he'd sit on a more substantial branch.

Kinda makes ya nervous on that small limb.

Our most fun challenge was getting the possum out of our

garage. Even called an extension agent, who said, well--I've

been trying to get one of them out of MY garage too.

Some help he was.

[Joe Flanagan]

That's hilarious, Bob. I had a friend whose house was up on blocks and he had a possum die under there. Not nice. If Greg's woodchuck is a 20 pounder, that would be one offensive aroma once the summer got underway.

Greg, why don't you just let him live under your shed?

[greg g]

Wood chucks you can't have just one. They do treat the gardes as a salad bar.

Animal control aroud these parts don't do wild animals. There are a couple of guys who do specialize in nuisance animals but they charge big bucks.

Norm you must be a lot faster than me to be effective with a pitchfork and rake. He may be chubby but he is quicker n me.

[Plymouthy Adams]

hey Greg..I will trade you two burrowing armadillos that are hanging about my house..I had one dead to rights in my sights and still did not pull the trigger..this has a lot to do with getting older..

[Joe Flanagan]

Look at it this way. In parts of Asia, they have monkeys. Can you imagine what that would be like? You'd go out to get your pressure washer and find that one of them had already got it. And was pointing it at you.

[Don Coatney]

When I lived in Pennsylvania I had a peach tree in the yard. One day I discovered a ground hog at the top of the tree eating peaches.

[randroid]

Gents,

How much ground round could a hound dog hound if a hound dog could hound ground round?

-Randy

[dezeldoc]

Get a 22 short and trap him!

[greg g]

neighbor houses are too close even for a 22 short. I do have a few of the ols style 22 shot shells but, I don't think those would be effective with the chucks. I did get one a couple years ago with the 22 short ant the bullet pased through, and there is really not a spot where I can get a clean shoot without beig concerned about where the bullet goes if it goes through the chuck. Even shooting towars the ground is not safe as the groud is so hard. So safety first...

[Reg Evans]

We get visited 3 or 4 times a year by a 400 lb large hairy varmint with big teeth and claws. My garbage cans are on his route. He tears open the rubber maid 2 can enclosure and stomps my cans flat and spreads the garbage everywhere. I think I'll just leave him be and not play Davey Crockett though cause he can run faster and see better in the dark than I can.

[Tim Frank]

We get visited 3 or 4 times a year by a 400 lb large hairy varmint with big teeth and claws.

You've met my ex-wife?...

[Don Coatney]

Greg;

You could try some bird shot 22 rounds. The bird shot would most likely bounce off of them but I would think they would get tired of it pretty quickly.

When I had my farm in Buffalo there was a herd of 10-12 groundhogs living in the hay field behind my house. Almost daily they would all be standing in the middle of the field. I would bring out my 30-30 with a scope and fire a round. All but one would run for cover as one could no longer run.

[dezeldoc]

I got an 1100 fps pellet gun i use for pest control around here, works like a charm!

[greg g]

I have a co2 pellet rifle (crossman) but the o ring for the cartridge won't hold the gas in.

I guess I could go buy a pump up style. We'll see what happens over the next couple days.

[dezeldoc]

Got mine at big 5 it is a break over with 4x scope cost something like 125.00. mine is a crossman i believe.

Edited June 5, 2009 by dezeldoc

[Young Ed]

Greg I don't know the brand off hand but my buddy has a pellet gun that you pump once and its almost as powerful as a 22. The company has one thats even better but he didn't want one thats as powerful as a 22 because then it makes noise like one. LMK if you want the brand I'll find out.

[Frank Elder]

410, it will enter and kill, the small shot that misses the critter won't go far at all.

[Allan Faust]

Well, when we were on the picket line during our lockout we had a red fox visitor (the mill is right in the woods, so its normal).... someone had shot at it and only wounded it, causing it to run on three legs, since the fourth was useless..... everyone was feeding it and noone could trap it.....

My wife snapped this pic of it.... as well as others of it....

On another note, a guy I was working with at the lumber yard during this same lockout was cycling on the main highway near the town and saw some kind of beast walking toward him.... when he saw the long tail behind it, he turned and scooted as quick as his bike could take him.... he never saw the cougar after... but it was spotted around town a few times....

Allan

[Joe Flanagan]

Shoot, Allan, I thought you were going to say it was walking upright on two legs.