It May Be Their Day, But Plan Now To Thwart Groundhogs

By Nancy K. Crevier

On Groundhog Day, celebrated in the US and Canada on February 2, the town of Punxustawney, Penn., at its annual Groundhog Day festivities before sunrise, as residents and visitors eagerly await the prediction by the weather icon of the month, Pennsylvania’s own whistle pig, Punxustawney Phil.

For those who may have been hibernating in their own woodchuck burrows for the past 100-plus years and have no idea what Groundhog Day is, the prediction of Punxustawney Phil determines the length of the winter. If he emerges from his snug winter burrow and sees his shadow, he will return to his underground hideaway for six more long weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, it means that there will be an early spring.

Plus, Groundhog Day, particularly in Punxsutawney, is a good excuse to whoop it up in the otherwise quiet month of February.

February 2 happens to mark the midway point between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox, and it is about this time of the year when groundhogs, also known as woodchucks or whistle pigs, respond to the changing amount of daylight and rouse from their long winter’s nap. While they are probably not going to indulge in any big time eating during their initial February wake-up, by the time groundhogs take that first real stretch in the sunshine later in the spring, they will be voracious. And when Punxustawney Phil’s relatives start snacking on young, succulent greens, gardeners will swiftly forget how darn cute Punxustawney Phil was in February when he poked his little black nose out of the hole.

Jane Flader, nursery manager for Benedict’s Home and Garden in Monroe, and Linda Whippie, garden shop manager for Lexington Gardens on Church Hill Road, offered some suggestions for protecting greenery from woodchucks.

Ms Flader has seen woodchucks mow down two 25-foot rows of young sprouts in a single night. Deterring or eradicating a woodchuck that has moved onto the property is the only way to protect crops and prevent one groundhog from swiftly turning into several, she said.

“A sturdy fence around the garden is necessary. If it’s wire, poultry wire is not strong enough. If it’s too flimsy, they’ll just burrow under or climb over it,” she said. Burying the fence 4 to 6 inches will also deter woodchucks determined to dig beneath a fence, and erecting a fence at least 6-feet tall will also assist in keeping out Connecticut’s other big pest, deer, she said.

Ms Whippie agreed that a fence is the most useful deterrent against woodchuck damage. She recommended installing wire rabbit fencing so that it extends even 12 inches beneath the ground and another four feet above ground. “Then put plastic deer fencing, which is too wobbly to support a groundhog, another three or four feet on top of that,” said Ms Whippie, “so that your fence is a total of seven or eight feet high.”

A Hav-A-Hart live trap can be useful, but the rodent must be moved at least five miles away from the property if you do not want it to return, said Ms Flader. It is also important to check with town officials as to any regulations regarding release of a captured wild animal. “You can’t just release it on your neighbor’s property,” she cautioned.

According to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Wildlife Division website, hunting of woodchucks is allowed most of the year with no daily or seasonal limits. Hunters must receive permission from any landowner in order to hunt on private land, with verbal permission adequate when hunting animals other than deer and turkey.

Smoke bombs placed in the groundhog holes — there will probably be three for each burrow, said Ms Flader — after sunset and blocked with a heavy piece of lumber or a big rock will spell curtains for a groundhog that has not been convinced to leave peaceably.

“If you keep plugging up the holes and irritating the groundhog, they may move on,” added Ms Whippie. “You can also try to not plant the things they love to eat — the phlox, the black-eyed Susans, sunflowers. They are voracious compared to the deer that move around and graze. Some of the deer repellents have also been effective in discouraging woodchucks, said Ms Whippie, but they must be applied consistently. “You have to be diligent,” she warned.

The Humane Society of the United States lists other suggestions on its website, hsus.org, for ridding property of unwanted groundhogs.

Tie objects to the garden fence that will blow around, such as beach balls, party balloons, or reflective tape. The shy groundhog may be too cautious to approach an area protected by these items.

Install a two-wire electric fence around the garden, one strand placed one to four inches above ground level, the other about eight or nine inches higher. A one-wire electric fence place at about four inches may also be effective.

Encourage groundhogs to move off of your property by partially digging out the burrow entrance and clearing away brush or growth around the entrances. Urine-soaked kitty litter clumps placed inside the burrow entrances can make a groundhog family seek new digs. Or try putting a one-way door over the main burrow entrance: the groundhog goes out, but cannot get back in. Heavy gauge wire sections placed over a vacated groundhog burrow will discourage the animal from returning.

The Humane Society also suggests that an eviction process begin immediately after the groundhog emerges in the early spring, or in late summer, so that young groundhogs are not trapped in the burrow or left to starve when the parent is removed.

 And in case you are wondering, “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck?” according to Cornell University’s news website, that would be approximately 700 pounds. Whether that is over the usual ten-year lifespan of a groundhog or just in one season, it does not say. Whichever it is, for a pudgy, short-legged rodent that prefers to feast on vegetation rather than gnaw timber, that number is not too shabby.

Winter is a great time to prepare for the spring growing season. Set a plan of action in place now, in honor of Groundhogs Day, so that whistle pigs and gardeners can coexist all summer long.