tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3856440107294939323.post8218237245742981640..comments2023-05-14T15:35:39.619-04:00Comments on Helping Gardeners Grow: Groundhog WarsPamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12400712855843444678noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3856440107294939323.post-4546179005069164892016-07-06T16:03:27.016-04:002016-07-06T16:03:27.016-04:00The groundhog took my strawberries and I tolerated...The groundhog took my strawberries and I tolerated it. Then my leafy greens and I became angry. Then my cauliflower and broccoli and I became enraged. This morning, he took my first red tomato and that was it. When I catch him he is going to regret ever being born.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3856440107294939323.post-58740003557262220992013-05-22T16:08:24.218-04:002013-05-22T16:08:24.218-04:00Baby groundhogs can be flushed from their hole wit...Baby groundhogs can be flushed from their hole with a hose and snatched up by hand while wearing welding gloves. Their a bit testy but manageable. Their end fate is up to the gloved one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3856440107294939323.post-31647198504998119552012-04-25T21:29:05.972-04:002012-04-25T21:29:05.972-04:00So far so good this year. But it is now breeding s...So far so good this year. But it is now breeding season and the young ones will soon be looking for food and housing. I will try to take your advice ... thanks for your comment.Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12400712855843444678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3856440107294939323.post-19279404440143405582012-04-25T20:43:05.189-04:002012-04-25T20:43:05.189-04:00I can sympathize with your groundhog pains. Here ...I can sympathize with your groundhog pains. Here on the shores of Lake Michigan, there are plenty of them running around my gardens. I think to myself, it is all part of nature, but honestly, I still get upset at those creatures and the damage they cause. Patience, I tell myself. Life is too short to get all worked up. I try staying calm. jackGardens at Waters Easthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04007610849161868747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3856440107294939323.post-28165397049690375302012-04-10T08:30:10.966-04:002012-04-10T08:30:10.966-04:00The hose solution doesn't work in the very wel...The hose solution doesn't work in the very well-drained soil north of here, I've found. I've left a hose running in a groundhog hole for long periods of time -- the water just drains into the soil. I looked up euthanasia methods and found this:<br />"Close et al., (1996) and the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia (2001) list a wide variety of methods considered to be unacceptable as methods of killing vertebrates. These included hypothermia (e.g. ice-slurries for fish and other heterotherms), hyperthermia, drowning or removal from water, neck crushing, nitrous oxide, cyclopropane, ether, chloroform, sedatives (due to the large volume required), certain orally administered agents and narcotic analgesics." Doesn't leave a lot of options if you don't have a gun. On the other hand, a UK court ruled that "A dog owner who drowned a litter of puppies has been cleared of animal cruelty because experts were unable to prove that they suffered more than if they had been put down by a vet." That said, it does feel cruel to drown an animal ... proof or no proof. Which justifies my taking the easy way out -- giving the trapped groundhogs to Jeremy to shoot. <br /><br />I can keep rabbits from doing too much damage by using row covers, as they only go for the small stuff.Pamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12400712855843444678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3856440107294939323.post-30480055240139157862012-04-10T07:41:31.633-04:002012-04-10T07:41:31.633-04:00How about sticking a hose into their burrow and tu...How about sticking a hose into their burrow and turning on the water. Do that a few times and they are gone. Drowning while in trap is cruel. A gunshot to the head is much better. My problem has always been rabbits digging under the fence and I shoot them.sbiebernoreply@blogger.com