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Woodchucks

After doing some Racoon control with a 17HMR Polymer Tip 17 gr., it seems like that would be the best choice cal. for chucks.
It for sure puts a hurtin' on em but its a very light pill for longer distance shooting. I don't think I'd shoot over 150 yards with one. I enjoy taking them with my .204 and .223 as well. The .22 mag has a very mild report so it works better for me near civilization. I also have a triple duece and used to harvest them with that. A lot of raccoons around too.
 
It for sure puts a hurtin' on em but its a very light pill for longer distance shooting. I don't think I'd shoot over 150 yards with one. I enjoy taking them with my .204 and .223 as well. The .22 mag has a very mild report so it works better for me near civilization. I also have a triple duece and used to harvest them with that. A lot of raccoons around too.
If we have them where I live it's in few numbers, so I don't know how sharp they are. I was thinking a hundred yards or less for a shot, not so sure bout the 17 over 100 yards.
 
there's a good, permanent solution for that. installing a dig barrier can keep any burrowing pests shy of ants depending how how fine a mesh you want to install is.
You know, I don't know why I didn't think of that myself. That's a great idea. A roll of 6' welded wire mesh should keep them far enough away. But it's not as much fun as finding which load for my FIL's .410 (Savage Mod. 24 .22/.410 O/U) will kill a chuck without dinging my retaining wall.
 
You know, I don't know why I didn't think of that myself. That's a great idea. A roll of 6' welded wire mesh should keep them far enough away. But it's not as much fun as finding which load for my FIL's .410 (Savage Mod. 24 .22/.410 O/U) will kill a chuck without dinging my retaining wall.
Not something thats generally talked about unless your in the nuisance animal control biz like myself. Trick is going deep, like 18" or going out away from the structure the 18-24" inches and burying it 4-6" below the sod or mulch. In lighter soil types, its recommend to add some stakes to keep the animals from pulling it up at out of the way.
 
Not something thats generally talked about unless your in the nuisance animal control biz like myself. Trick is going deep, like 18" or going out away from the structure the 18-24" inches and burying it 4-6" below the sod or mulch. In lighter soil types, its recommend to add some stakes to keep the animals from pulling it up at out of the way.
I was going to DM you but figured someone else might be in a similar bind - So, I've got a walkout basement, with retaining walls. I don't mow the slope with the 'chuck den and it's got some low woody brush on it. What I'm picturing you're recommending is digging out the top few inches of topsoil 18-24" away from my retaining wall, laying my barrier flat on top of the freshly-bared soil, and burying it. So the barrier is horizontal, disregarding the slope of the terrain. Am I understanding you right? Is 18-24" far enough to keep woodchucks away? I thought their burrows were dozens of yards long.
 
I was going to DM you but figured someone else might be in a similar bind - So, I've got a walkout basement, with retaining walls. I don't mow the slope with the 'chuck den and it's got some low woody brush on it. What I'm picturing you're recommending is digging out the top few inches of topsoil 18-24" away from my retaining wall, laying my barrier flat on top of the freshly-bared soil, and burying it. So the barrier is horizontal, disregarding the slope of the terrain. Am I understanding you right? Is 18-24" far enough to keep woodchucks away? I thought their burrows were dozens of yards long.

This particular barrier is an L as we're trying to prevent it going under a deck, shed, house,etc. The top of the L could just be a few inches or a few feet if we're talking about under a deck. Then the horizontal part juts out 18-24". Most of the situations I deal with, the groundhogs are going to dig right against the structure. On a slope you night need to go longer.

The burrows themselves can be quite long as you say but generally they start right at the building. I have had situations where they have started digging several feet out from a shed. In that case they're just digging a real burrow and not just making an entrance to use the underside of a building as the burrow.

If they're digging out in the middle of the yard, you cant do much to exclude them in a practical/economical way. One could bury wire mesh under the whole yard if you wanted. If you've got a den in this situation and after the offending groundhogs have been removed, back filling the hole and adding the screen over the entrance and burying can help keep the next groundhog, skunk, fox from trying to reexcavate the hole. Cant just fill the hole with dirt or rock and expect it to last as they'll just throw it out. I suppose one could pour concrete in the den but thats going to be a nasty shock to a utility company or whoever needs to trench over that spot.
 
Would u rather have whistle pigs or armadillos....I would choose woodchuck
OH, I can't stand armadillos. The worst thing about them aside from the fact they can trash your yard overnight is the fact that they are extremely hard to trap, unlike a raccoon, for instance. Generally. every year, I have one around my place that forces me to sit up at night to eventually take it out. Those all night vigils get old.
 
OH, I can't stand armadillos. The worst thing about them aside from the fact they can trash your yard overnight is the fact that they are extremely hard to trap, unlike a raccoon, for instance. Generally. every year, I have one around my place that forces me to sit up at night to eventually take it out. Those all night vigils get old.
They arent hard to trap. You can funnel them right into a trap with fencing.Think of a wing walled culvert. A double door trap makes this easier, if you can't find them, two single door traps back to back with funnels to each opening.
 
They arent hard to trap. You can funnel them right into a trap with fencing.Think of a wing walled culvert. A double door trap makes this easier, if you can't find them, two single door traps back to back with funnels to each opening.
I've tried the fence to funnel them in and I just haven't had any luck. I had a big V made that was 30 feet to each side out in my back yard and he managed to get around it. I have one of those commercial single door box traps. I put it between two building so if he came through anywhere in that 60 foot area he would be funneled in. Finally I just had good luck and happened to see him out front one night about 2 am. His luck ran out.
 
They do work better in more confined areas. More open areas, concentrating on the areas where they are doing the damage is your best bet.

If you do catch a dillo, build you a box, lot of guys prefer wooden box traps for the following reason, and give it some food and water and let the thing piss and poop all over the box. Its a strongly attractive scent for dillos. Groundhogs like the scent of their kind as well. Which is why i never wash my cages.
 
I used wood for a fence. Here is a pic from the trail camera I set out over the trap. He managed to be on the wrong side of the fence.
 

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@SNIPERBBB what do you use or recommend for Woodchuck bait to minimize non-targets?
@SNIPERBBB what do you use or recommend for Woodchuck bait to minimize non-targets?

None at all. If you have the den hole, cage in front of the hole and block it down so it can only get caught or starve. If legal and you dont have to worry about no targets, a 155/160/220 over the hole with a cage of wire over top it is extremely effective.

Anytime you use baits, your chances of nontargets goes up unless you pull the traps at dusk and dont put em out again till dawn
 
None at all. If you have the den hole, cage in front of the hole and block it down so it can only get caught or starve. If legal and you dont have to worry about no targets, a 155/160/220 over the hole with a cage of wire over top it is extremely effective.

Anytime you use baits, your chances of nontargets goes up unless you pull the traps at dusk and dont put em out again till dawn
Yes sir I've had many effective setts with 155's and 165's at the den holes. My issue is uber non targets. My buddy makes a woodchuck lure but honestly it smells like fermenting grass. He's also a NWCO and swears by it not at it. I've also heard alfalfa shoots or cantelope rinds but I could see coons coming into that.
 
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