Just heard The Garden Guys on 96.9 fm radio explain to a caller how to get rid of woodchucks, all you have to do is find an opening hole to their tunnel and deposit castor pellets or castor oil (if you can't find pellets) this is a laxative and they will ingest it trying to lick it off their fur, will cause them to defecate in the tunnel which is something they can't tolerate and they will move out and relocate elsewhere.   

PS: The reason the caller complained was that a woodchuck was occasionally nibbling on his Hydrangea plants.     http://www.969bostontalks.com/on-air/gardenguys2.aspx

Did you try the liquid castor oil?  

You have to admit they are cute! 

They hibernate from October through March, so that's 6 months they're inactive.  

How abut a fence? My backyard is fenced-in and I've never seen one there, only out front.  

Thank you for not trying to harm them.

So, wait a minute, you said castor oil did work for a month...well, castor oil is cheap, so if someone really wanted to keep them at bay, I bet if they repeated the castor oil every month or two it would make a difference.   

I would never do it, but I understand there are people that want them out.

Get a dog, they don't want to mess with dogs.  And don't forget fence in the yard. Better yet, leave them alone. 

They are a lot more attractive than some humans I know!

We have had woodchucks in our yard for decades, they haven't done any damage to anything except to aerate the lawn and eat grubs and insects, my neighbors have no complaints about them either.         

The method you suggest:   Mass. Gen Laws Ch 266-112-Malicious Killing of an Animal is a Misdemeanor wich is punishable by either imprisonment up to 5 years or a fine of not more than $1000 and imprisonment up to a year.         http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/PDF/AnimalCrueltyLaws.pdf                           

If you hire an exterminator they will trap them one by one and shoot them in the head if it is determined they are a nuisance (try explaining that to the children), they are required to have a special license and it usually doesn't work in eradicating the woodchucks. 

It is illegal to relocate wildlife except to remove them from a dwelling like a basement and deposit them outside.  

The castor oil makes their home undesirable, so they move away... seems more humane.    

Oh, and speaking of children,  two wonderful places to take children to learn about wildlife:  http://wildlife-education-center.com/    and    www.winslowfarm.com

Thanks for your input, even though your information regarding wildlife and the law is grossly incorrect. 
My family and I live in a large mansion with over 5 acres of land peppered with mature perennials that the woodchucks show no interest in!  
My husband is a neurosurgeon at one of the best hospitals in Boston, he finds it relaxing to look out at the sprawling lawns and see the wildlife come by in the evening. 
We don't understand how people that deliberately harm animals can sleep at night. 
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get the pitcher of dirty martinis ready as my husband should be arriving home soon.

OMG, Robin. From your general posting elsewhere on these forums, it is really hard for me to visualize you sitting in your mansion with your neurosurgeon husband - in one of Boston's best hospitals - overlooking your 5 acres peppered with mature perenials and drinking dirty martinis. I don't fall for it. - Pingo

In Response to Re: Woodchuck deterrent:

Fine.  I consider these forums to be at least 50% creative writing, 50% sharing of information.  Do you really believe everyone you interact with here is who they portray themselves to be?
If so,  I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.

Good, Robin. You are at least honest about your fib. I believe most posters are honest about themselves. At least the ones, I interact with daily. The rest, I really don't care. - Pingo
Ps. Out of context, but what do you think of the DWTS line up for this coming season? I always wondered, how they pair up the Stars with the Professionals.


In Response to Re: Woodchuck deterrent:

Ache and I have started a DWTS thread down in The Commoners,  anyone is welcome to join in.  It should be an exciting season!
From what I understand the producers choose who gets matched with whom, the celebrities and the professional dancers have no control over it.
Look forward to your input.
Peace, Robin

     

                                
Woodchuck tunnel entrance, beautifully constructed.     (error, picture would not post.)  :(

I've never lied or misportayed myself online, just for the record.

Can't see your photo, just a little icon that marks its place.

http://www.boston.com/community/forums/news/local/general/woman-aiming-at-raccoon-shoots-herself-in-chest-with-pellet-gun/80/6388062

Karma

Seeing as you have had virtually all the other posts but yours deleted from this thread, why are you even bothering to continue to post about it? Clearly, you aren't looking to spark conversation about it. And like, Kar, I've never misrepresented myself online. 

Funny,  I have had nothing to do with any posts being deleted from this thread.

Paranoia anyone!

I welcome everyone's input regarding any comment I make, the more the merrier.

BTW: Making false accusations against another poster is a rather unattractive gesture. 

Just my opinion, of course.

PS: We are anonymous on this forum, therefore noone has misrepresented themselves, as they have not identified themselves to begin with!

Attention Newbies: The definition of FLAME is "Insult someone over the internet"

  Example: previous post.

(don't take the bait, walk away)

Actually, not all of us are anonymous and happen to know each other in the "real world".  Some of us went to school together. 

It's kind of funny, then, how comments that disagree w/ you that appear in threads frequented by you happen to go 'poof' in the great blue nowhere, when that doesn't happen in other threads.......

And you might want to look up the definition of 'insult' in the dictionary.  My prior post slightly approached the definition of snark, but it certainly didn't come close to the definition of insult. At best, it was snide. 

Let's see how fast this post goes 'poof'.....

http://wildlifecontrol.info/pubs/Documents/Woodchucks/Woodchuck_factsheet.pdf

http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/wildlife/index.php?subject=Mammals&id=77

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/living/living_with_woodchucks.htm

Wild Animals Make Good Neighbors

A single bat can catch up to 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour, so many people encourage them to settle in their yards by building bat houses.(1) Contrary to myth, bats aren't blind, they won't get entangled in your hair, and most do not have rabies.(2) If one comes into your home, turn off all lights and open doors and windows. Bats are very sensitive to air currents. If the bat still doesn't leave, catch him or her very gently in a large jar or net. Always wear gloves if you attempt to handle a bat, and release the animal carefully outdoors. Then find and plug the entrance hole.

Moles and gophers are actually good for the yard, because they help to aerate lawns and eat the grubs who damage grass and flowers. Raccoons and opossums also eat plant-damaging grubs, slugs, and rodents.

Snakes are timid, most are harmless, and they can help control the mouse and insect population. But if you'd prefer that they keep their distance, stack wood or junk piles far from the house, as snakes prefer this type of cover. While most snakes are of the nonpoisonous variety, your library can tell you how to identify any poisonous snakes in your area.

Keep in mind that leaving companion-animal food on the ground or keeping bird feeders can be an invitation to both rats and snakes. Consider planting bushes that will give birds a variety of seeds and berries instead. http://www.peta.org/issues/wildlife/living-in-harmony-with-wildlife.aspx

 

• Hudson police investigate Cedar Park Cemetery, June 7, 2012, for a woodchuck that is believed to be behind a rash of stolen American flags. (Lance Wheeler/Special to the Times Union)

 

•  

HUDSON  Woodchucks can now just cast longing gazes at the small American flags they once swiped for cozy bedding but are now beyond their reach in a city cemetery.

The flags, a colorful cloth image of patriotism and respect for war dead for Americans, are considered a household luxury item by the large rodents that earlier this year snatched the flags to pad their nests, as volunteers at the Cedar Park Cemetery discovered.

It took some time and some camera work to unearth the truth.

"At first it really angered veterans when the flags disappeared, but it turned into quite a comic situation that ended up all over the Internet," said Vincent Wallace, a caretaker of the cemetery with the Albany branch of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

In July, nearly 40 flags were ripped from their wooden dowel posts. Cemetery volunteers and police thought hooligans were to blame. Police set up surveillance cameras similar to those used by hunters. They did not turn up any footage of humans taking the flags.

"In two of the frames, there was a large woodchuck sitting right there in front of the stone," Wallace said.

He was a stealthy rodent.

"In one frame, the flag was there ... in the next, the flag was gone," Wallace said.

This larcenous activity earned a round of chuckles from volunteers and police.

"We never in a million years thought it was woodchucks," Wallace said.

Authorities then searched for holes in the ground, entrances to the extensive underground burrows the animals dig, one for summer and one for winter. They found remnants of chewed flags.

"Then we got a camera that we could poke into the burrow, and sure enough the mothers were lining their nests with the flags for their young," Wallace said.

There was talk of eradicating the furry culprits, but officials discovered from experts there were likely scores of others in the vicinity.

Experts say that woodchucks are good at mimicry, so the discovery by a smart one may be copied by others.

Wallace said volunteers put their heads together to find a solution. One day he noticed long black metal tubing that was just the right size to fit the flags' wooden dowels.

Wallace and veteran volunteers on Sunday outfitted about 40 flags in the cemetery's Civil War veterans section with metal extensions that now keep the flags 40 inches from the ground, well out of the reach of the groundhogs.

The metal end is buried into the ground so the animals cannot chew it off.

But they said they'll have to wait until next mating season in the spring to see just how clever the woodchucks can get.

"Time will tell if we hit on it," Wallace said. "We can only hope."

 
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Banners-yet-wave-but-out-of-rodents-reach-3872673.php#ixzz283501ZSn

I don't consider my screen name being different than my actual name being "50% creative writing."  That's the only thing I've ever made up.  So, given I have 17,000 posts, with "kargiver" being the only creative/false thing, that's got to be far under 50%.  But, good to know you're 50% dishonest, ahem, I mean, creative here.  

 New State Groundhog   By Kristie Borges Monday, Oct 1, 2012 | Updated 1:48 PM EDT |  

 

Lutz Children's Museum welcomes "Chuckles VIII" the state groundhog.

The Halloween decorations are out and stores are starting to put their Christmas decorations up, but the Lutz Childrens Museum in Manchester is already thinking about Groundhog Day.

The new official state groundhog is Connecticut Chuckles VIII. She is about 5 months old and replaces Chuckles VII, who died earlier this year.

The rodent is already living in Manchester at the childrens museum and you can visit her in the animal exhibit as well as see her eat, nap and play.

The groundhog was found in a Vernon parking lot when she was just a baby and doctors determined she would not be able to live in the wild.

Chuckles VIII will join a long line of weather-predicting rodents when she makes her first prediction on Feb. 2, 2013.

 

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In response to ALF72's comment:

Doesnt happen in other threads? What message board are you talking about? Not this one. Posts get deleted left and right here every day. And for no apparent reason either