steve1@pyuxu.UUCP (S Stein) (05/02/84)
We acquired a groundhog (Sidney) in our vegetable garden last spring who lives in our woodpile and feeds on our lettuce plants, bean plants, pea plants, et. al. Attempts to catch him with a conventional have-a-heart trap have failed (vis-a-vis Sidney; we have caught opossums, skunks, and others), since he apparently can get out by keeping his leg or tail under the door while eating the bait and flipping it up when he's done. This year he has been around again, and I have set out a Burpee Have-a-Hart trap that is not openable from the inside. However, Sidney seems to be getting the bait (apple slices and lettuce leaves) without triggering the trap. I have put the bait in a yogurt container to eliminate the possibility that he is getting the bait without entering the trap, but so far no luck. Any suggestions? If I don't catch him, my neighbor and I will have to abandon the idea of planting more vegetables this year.
wmartin@brl-vgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (05/03/84)
Do you ever see this groundhog during the day? If so, I recommend a good air rifle. A handy, nearly silent, and most economic method of short-range pest control, and a nice recreational toy to boot. An RWS Model 45 can be had mail-order for under $135; in .177 caliber will deliver a pellet at 850 fps or so. It has good sights, but you can get a Bushnell Sportview 4X and mount for under $35 or so, also mail-order, if you want to scope it. (You can pay more and get even better, like a Beeman R1 with a Beeman airgun-optimized scope, but that's in the $275 or more range. You can pay a lot less, but for actually humanely killing an animal the size of a groundhog at 30 yards or so, you shouldn't use something that delivers less than 750 fps for a .177 pellet. Some people prefer .22 caliber models, but .177 is more versatile, more economic to buy pellets for, and you should be making a head shot anyhow, where the higher velocity of the .177 will be more important for penetration than the wound channel effect of the .22. If you never see the critter, this won't help, of course. But if you do, an afternoon on the back porch might be all you need to pick him off. Will
notes@harpo.UUCP (05/04/84)
#R:pyuxu:-58800::33600003:000:309 !imm May 4 07:53:00 1984 I have used peanut butter and sardines (separately) for bait in the past. Now I have a fence 3 feet high plus three wires that are connected to an electric fence charger. The only thing it does not keep out are deer because they can jump the fence. I have found the electric fence to be highly effective.