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How Can I Get Rid of Woodchucks?

Woodchucks dig burrows stretching more than 50 feet. They eat a variety of plants and can ravage a garden or well-kept landscaping in short order. This trait, combined with their penchant for digging holes, motivates most homeowners to remove them. Commercial traps are one option, but other woodchucks will probably move into the yard as soon as the original woodchuck leaves. Excluding woodchucks from the area through fencing is the most effective long-term solution.

Things You'll Need

10 by 10 by 24 inch or larger cage trap
4-foot high hardware cloth fencing with 2-inch mesh
5-foot fence posts
Post hole driver
Fence clips or zip ties
Shovel

Instructions

Trapping
- 1
  Place bait like sliced apples, cantaloupe or fresh lettuce inside the trap behind the trigger mechanism.
- 2
  Set the trap and place near the entrance to a burrow. Cover the trap with grass and sticks to conceal it.
- 3
  Check the trap at least twice daily. Check more often if it is sunny and hot.
- 4
  Consult a local wildlife agency or a professional wildlife trapper regarding a trapped woodchuck. Many states do not allow a homeowner to release trapped wildlife anywhere except their own property.
Fencing
- 5
  Dig a narrow trench 10 to 12 inches deep along the intended fence line.
- 6
  Set the fence posts in the trench every 3 to 4 feet. Drive each post 1 foot into the ground.
- 7
  Stretch the fencing along the posts. Attach the fence to the posts using fence clips or zip ties every 6 inches, starting at the bottom of the post and going up to 15 inches short of the top. Fill the trench and tamp it down.
- 8
  Bend the top portion of the fence out -- away from the protected area -- at a 45 degree angle to discourage woodchucks from climbing it.

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