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rmak
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# Posted: 5 Aug 2012 09:22pm
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My son and I built my cabin about 18 years ago. Since we haven't used it a whole lot since, the groundhogs who burrowed underneath haven't been a problem.
We are planning to upgrade the cabin and use it more frequently as I and my wife eventually retire.
Is there any way to get rid of the groundhogs who have taken up residence? One of the holes has started to undermine the barnstone I used for a foundation. I've since shored this up, but I think it's time for the hogs to leave.
I had the same problem with our old barn. I tried to smoke them out with tractor exhaust, amonia soaked rags, cyanide on crackers, etc. I eventually concreted the floor and have recently noticed they are digging under the concrete.
I have no adversion to shooting them. I just don't have the time or inclination to wait in ambush. When I have my rifle, I never see a groundhog. Of course, when I see groundhogs I never have my rifle.
Open to suggestions. Thanks!
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PA_Bound
Member
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# Posted: 5 Aug 2012 10:42pm
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Groundhogs can be a real PITA. It has been my personal experience that you can get them out of there by trapping, shooting or any of several other ways, but the only way to keep them out is by closing off their access to shelter/safety. If you can't physically close off their access, consider a dog. A good dog around the cabin can keep them on the run, and from making a home under the cabin. But be careful not to let the dog corner a groundhog, because when they get cornered they can get really mean.
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rmak
Member
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# Posted: 6 Aug 2012 12:07am
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Thanks PA!
I'm afraid we just have our Sadie dog. She was rescued from the pound and she's so neurotic that I don't think we will get another dog while she is with us. She can't intimidate anyone or anything. 
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dk1393
Member
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# Posted: 6 Aug 2012 07:36am - Edited by: dk1393
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You can use a conibear trap. Place it at their entrance.
At work we have filled in under some shelters with 3/4"' gravel. That seemed to move them along also.
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exsailor
Member
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# Posted: 7 Aug 2012 02:00pm
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My Dad grew up in the Georgia Mountains. When they had a ground hog problem they would pour a gallon of gas down the hole the fumes would settle to the lowest burrows and suffocate them. Just don't drop in a match. I personally would block the holes with rags to semi seal it for a while. Dad also told a story about dropping a match down the hole, after he chased a ground hog in. Sometimes he was prone to a bit of exaggeration, but he said the fume explosion blew that ground hog out. The ground hog was on fire and lit out through sage brush field catching it on fire, before he expired. Sounds tall to me, but there would be a "whomph" effect if you set of the fumes. Take all this with a grain of salt especially since your cabin sets on top of the burrows.
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Jeremy165
Member
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# Posted: 14 Sep 2012 01:44pm
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I've had some experience with moles and gassing them out. You can buy these smoke sticks that you light and drop in their holes. I dropped one in every single hole I could find (maybe 10) in a big yard. Beware, if the wind changes and you get a big wiff it doesn't treat your lungs so well either. There are also traps but I never got any hits with the 5 or so traps I set. Those gas sticks from Home Depot worked pretty well and the mole holes stopped.
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241comp
Member
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# Posted: 14 Sep 2012 02:47pm
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I've read that generally, they will usually burrow under buildings that are on blocks at the very top/edge (and it holds true for the groundhogs I had under my shed). One solution I've seen was to ensure they have temporarily vacated their holes, then dig a 2'x2' trench around the outside and put in chicken wire bent in an L shape that goes 2ft down and 2ft out from the foundation, then backfill. When they get to the foundation to dig, they hit chicken wire, so they dig down and hit chicken wire again which prevents them from burrowing under the foundation. It does nothing to protect the yard, however.
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