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Woodchuck bait?

Started by Old Greenhorn, April 11, 2021, 08:29:12 PM

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Old Greenhorn

We just planted a new apple tree in the yard and the last 2 mornings I see that something is digging on the root ball, and also sig a little digging where I transplanted some sod. Last year we had a problem with a woodchuck messing up the garden and I am wondering if he is back. Might be a possum too, or a skunk. Either way, I don't want the guy in the yard since I am getting ready to plant the garden. I have set up a game cam to see if I can catch him in the act, but my camera is flaky and it didn't trip last night. 
 Shooting him would be tough as this guy is nocturnal, whatever he/she is. Plus, it will take a long time to catch him out and about on an open lawn and from my porch it is an easy shot, but not legal with the other houses around even if it is a safe shooting lane. But I have a box trap and I am wondering what would be good bait for a woodchuck, skunk, or porky? I am no trapper. ;D What works on these guys?
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

btulloh

Probably not a woodchuck if it's nocturnal. If it's a skunk, they usually dig small conical holes going after grubs. Put down grub killer and the skunk will stop coming around, plus your grass and trees will be better off without the grubs eating their roots. raccoons will eat just about anything including burnt hair with chutney, so anything from your garbage can will suit them just fine.  

If you get a skunk in the trap, cover it with your favorite jacket until you release it. 
HM126

WV Sawmiller

Tom,

  If its a skunk he is a carnivore and I'd bait with meat. That would also attract a possum although I can't imagine a possum doing the digging unless he thinks he is smelling food under there.

   Woodchucks are not nocturnal so what you describe does not sound like one of them. Old timers used apple for bait in rabbit boxes which should also catch a woodchuck and maybe a possum. Coons would eat either meat or apple and are nocturnal but don't know what he'd be digging for.

   I don't know about a porcupine as I never lived near them. The only one I ever saw was dead in Maine on a trip to Bar Harbor and he was road kill and may have been bloated and looked as big as a beaver. I'd think if a porcupine he'd be stripping the bark on your trees.

  Could you rake the dirt smooth and look for tracks?

  A mixture of apple and dog food or raw fish or sardines and even a little salt might cover all bases. Good luck. Let us know what you find on a game camera if you set one out.

EDIT:I saw the skunk suggestion. :D If it was me I would cover with a tarp and go sink the trap in a deep hole in the creek in my front yard  for a few minutes.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

thecfarm

I would try to teach the skunk to swim too!!!
I doubt a woodchuck too. They only eat grass, clover. I don't think they dig, except to make a home.
There was a guy at work that was catching wood chucks on the company front lawn. He was charging them $100 for each one. Just a havahart trap with no bait!!!
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Sedgehammer

With what you posted, that'd prolly be an armadillo here. Supposedly allegedly you are too far north for them.
Necessity is the engine of drive

Corley5

Quote from: thecfarm on April 12, 2021, 05:34:45 AM

There was a guy at work that was catching wood chucks on the company front lawn. He was charging them $100 for each one. Just a havahart trap with no bait!!!
Was he releasing them back on the lawn when no was looking? :D ;D :D :) :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

Old Greenhorn

Well, I checked my flaky game cam this morning. No digging evident and nothing on the camera. I am patient but will set the trap as soon as I get it back from my son.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Mooseherder

How much would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? ;)

gspren

You need a "wood" in front of your would @Mooseherder 
Stihl 041, 044 & 261, Kubota 400 RTV, Kubota BX 2670, Ferris Zero turn

Wudman

A can of tuna fish will attract most of your nocturnal predators.  Around here it would likely be a skunk.
"You may tear down statues and burn buildings but you can't kill the spirit of patriots and when they've had enough this madness will end."
Charlie Daniels
July 4, 2020 (2 days before his death)

Old Greenhorn

I tried tuna , then cat food last year, no joy. Come to think of it, I do have a black cat that has been hanging around here for 3 years or so. I wonder if they would dig like that? Doesn't seem likely.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Mooseherder

We had one hanging around a couple of years ago at the cabin.   He or she just moved on or became part of the food chain.
Last year was the summer for Rabbits.
 











21incher

2 years ago we had a weasel that was digging up and eating all my wifes tulip bulbs. Put out a have a heart trap with peanut butter and started catching chipmunks but they would all be missing their heads in the morning. Turns out the weasel could squeeze through the cracks in the trap and chew the chipmunks heads off then squeeze back out. Finally I got the smallest have a heart trap made and caught it with bologna. That was the nastiest little animal I have ever seen and very frustrating to deal with. >:( 
Wood chucks usually leave a sizeable hole.
Hudson HFE-21 on a custom trailer, Deere 4100, Kubota BX 2360, Echo CS590 & CS310, home built wood splitter, home built log arch, a logrite cant hook and a bread machine. And a Kubota Sidekick with a Defective Subaru motor.

Patrick NC

Quote from: Old Greenhorn on April 12, 2021, 10:37:11 AM
I tried tuna , then cat food last year, no joy. Come to think of it, I do have a black cat that has been hanging around here for 3 years or so. I wonder if they would dig like that? Doesn't seem likely.
Strange that cat food doesn't work. I have a raccoon and a possum that face off over the cat food bowl on the back porch almost every night! They seem to love it. 🤣
Norwood HD36, Husky 372xp xtorq, 550xp mk2 , 460 rancher, Kubota l2501, Case 1845 skid steer,

btulloh

Raccoons get trap shy once they've seen one.  I had a raccoon turn the trap over on it's side then go in and eat the bait with no consequence.  They are well known for their smarts and cunning.  Never seen one dig though.  Maybe you've got a chupacabra that migrated way north.  Chupacabra  
HM126

metalspinner

I caught a nuisance skunk last fall with a can of tuna. I put the trap inside a heavy black trash bag with the opening of the trap just inside the opening of the bag. 
After confirming he check-in, I just grabbed the whole thing and put it in the truck for relocating.  
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

Dave Shepard

Quote from: Mooseherder on April 12, 2021, 08:20:36 AM
How much would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? ;)
700 pounds per day, per Google. 
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Will.K

Groundhogs burrowed under and around my house for 12 years. They never did noticeable damage to the garden or anything else, so I never tried to get rid of them. Even if they had torn some things up, they would have been worth it. I loved watching the mother and babies eating grass and weeds in the morning dew, and to hear her sound the alarm to send them charging to the collapsed culvert which was their favorite entrance. And I loved watching a big fat male whip the neighbor's dog. Excellent creatures.

Remle

Raccoon's don't normally did holes, sounds more like a skunk but if it is a Night Bandit ( Racoon ) the best bait is a Lemon filled cookie, ( vanilla cookie with lemon filling ) just take off one of the sides and put the rest in the trap.  Years ago i belonged to a hunting club and one of the members was a veterinarian who told us about it . Now raccoon's don't forage every night so it may take a day or more to catch it, if that is your culprit.

mike_belben

I got a mess of skunks with tuna back in mass where i could only use pellet gun. They were co-denning under a shed where the tunnel entrances started into a bank. 


Id sit on the garage roof in summer with a .25 benjamin air rifle that i put a lazer and flashlight on with pressure switches.  Most nights they were out just after dark.  A white paper plate for the bait that turns from full moon to crescent helps with night hunting.  When the plate is eclipsed something is over it, so put the lazer on it first and when youre all situated hit the flashlight on them.  You got about 3 seconds to hit them the first time then reload.  

Theyre pretty tough, and also good at getting away.  I think i killed 8 or so.  Theworst is when they get back under the shed and die then rot in the heat.  Dont hurt possums.. Theyll eat a foul rotting skunk. 
Praise The Lord

Dave Shepard

Was that a .25 Marauder? I bought one a couple years ago. I was so impressed by pcps, I bought an FX Impact. 25.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

nybhh

I agree on it most likely not being a woodchuck.  I shoot about a half-dozen of them per year here and never see them past dusk.  Subsonic .22 rounds are quiet and do a pretty good shot with a head shot but a .223 is a more ethical caliber on those guys, they are tough SOBs.

Don't think I've seen anyone mention rabbits which are bad about chewing bark on fruit trees also.  Throw a couple carrots in the trap as well and we've caught raccoons and woodchucks on carrots as well as cantaloupe.  

Also agree with .22-.25 air rifles being a very effective in more suburban environments.  The Benjamin is still the preferred go-to for chipmunks.  
Woodmizer LT15, Kubota L3800, Stihl MS261 & 40 acres of ticks trees.

cutterboy

I use apples for skunks, possums and raccoons and wood chucks. Half or quarter it so the smell is stronger.
Years ago I had a problem with skunks killing my chickens. Yes, skunks will kill chickens. Possums will too and of course raccoons. So anyway I bought a large have-a-heart trap and set it in the barn baited with an apple. Long story short, over that spring and summer I caught 22 skunks and one possum. I took them out to the pasture behind the barn, let them out of the trap and shot them with my 22. I missed one, he got away. I'd leave them dead in the pasture and the funny thing was that the next morning they would be gone. I wondered if a neighborhood dog kept bringing them home. :D

A few years ago I caught a skunk in the trap on the back lawn. The skunk had a baby that was outside the trap but staying close to mom. I decided to shoot the baby there on the lawn. How much stink could a baby skunk have? BIG MISTAKE!!! My wife was not happy with me. And moving the dead skunk off the lawn was no fun.
To underestimate old men and old machines is the folly of youth. Frank C.

nybhh

Mine are ALWAYS gone in the morning too.  Its amazing.  I've put up gane cams to watch what takes then and have seen:

Crows fighting hawks for mice and a dead bird that flew into a window (crow won), Owls taking mice and chipmunks, red foxes taking mice and chipmunks, coyotes taking chipmunks & woodchucks, and a black bear with 3 cubs taking woodchucks.  Still no Sasquatch sightings but you may get one with that neighbor of yours.

Truly the circle of life.  Chipmunks are the lollipops of the animal world.
Woodmizer LT15, Kubota L3800, Stihl MS261 & 40 acres of ticks trees.

mike_belben

Quote from: Dave Shepard on April 12, 2021, 10:37:37 PM
Was that a .25 Marauder? I bought one a couple years ago. I was so impressed by pcps, I bought an FX Impact. 25.
I think the marauder is a notch above what i had.  I gave it to a friend who loaned me a car trailer for a weekend when i was in a real bind up north.  I think it was the benjamin trail np xl 1100.  Definitely .25 caliber and i used heavy hunting pellets.  It was a single shot gas piston break barrel and was almost as loud as a .22LR.  
Some skunks took 5 shots, some just 1 or two.  I killed a whopper of a coon with one belly shot with it.  That was surprising. 
Praise The Lord

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