Managing Groundhog Damage in the Landscape - Maggie Rivera OSU Extension Cuyahoga County - GardenWalk Cleveland

Managing
 Groundhog
Damage in the
 Landscape

                    Maggie Rivera
                     OSU Extension
                    Cuyahoga County
                 Agriculture and Natural
                  Resources Educator
                adapted from a presentation by Marne
                    Titchenell Wildlife Specialist

Love for Groundhogs?

Groundhog Day 2020

Punxsutawney Phil did not
   see his shadow

Forecasting an early spring
   but we will see

AKA Woodchuck, Gopher,
   & Whistle Pig!

Steps for Managing Wildlife Damage

1)       Correctly assess the damage

2)       Identify the species
         responsible

3)       Assess cost of damage vs.
         cost of management

4)       Employ management
         options
     ▪      Continuous monitoring
     ▪      Persistence and patience
     ▪      Combination of management
            options

Options for Managing Wildlife
          Damage

     Trapping          Short-term

      Hunting          Short-term

     Exclusion         Long-term

    Repellents         Short-term

   Scare Tactics       Short-term

Habitat Modification   Long-term

Groundhog Ecology

      • Habitat
         ▪ Year-round resident
         ▪ Hibernate in the winter
         ▪ Active primarily during day, prefer
           open fields, forest edges
         ▪ Member of the squirrel family

      • Reproduction (April – early
        June)
         ▪ 2-6 young per litter, 1 per year
         ▪ 30 day gestation
         ▪ Lifespan 3-4 years

Groundhog Ecology

      • Feeding Habits
        ▪ Adult groundhog eat 2lbs of
          vegetation daily; gain about 2
          pounds each week in warm
          months
        ▪ Grasses, clover, alfalfa, soybeans,
          lettuce, apples
        ▪ ALL YOUR VEGETBALES!
          Prefer tender young greens, eat
          cherries, berries, beans, corn
          squash broccoli, peas and lettuce
        ▪ Flowers too!

Groundhog Ecology

      • The Den
        ▪ Elaborate burrows with large
          entrances, large “throw mounds”
        ▪ Hibernate in the winter, 4-6 months
          in cold
        ▪ Burrows are 8 to 66 feet long,
          multiple exits, chambers and levels;
          for hibernating, another “summer
          home” section with easy exit.

Groundhog Den System

How to ID Groundhog Damage

How to ID Groundhog Damage

             •   Chisel-like incisor teeth.
             •   Jaggedly strips leaves from greens
                 (rabbit leave clean cuts).

             •   Takes bits out of fruits, sometimes
                 just one.

Management Options for
  Groundhog Damage
           • Habitat modification
              ▪ Removing cover

           • Exclusion
              ▪ Fencing
              ▪ Individual raised bed
                protection

           • Trapping
           • Lethal Control
              ▪ Hunting
              ▪ Gas Cartridges

           • Repellents
           • Scare Tactics

Habitat Modification

• Remove shelter
  ▪ Brush piles, tall dense
    grasses, stone piles,
    woodpiles

• Sometimes, this is not
  possible….

  …especially if you are a
      landscaper or
        gardener!

Groundhog Resistant Plants

              • Little research done in
                urban/residential settings

              • Penn State Factsheet
                “groundhog resistant
                plants”
                 ▪ Beets, fennel, onion,
                   potatoes are only veggies
                   listed

              • No plant is safe under all
                conditions!

Fencing

• Most effective, but to
  do it right may be
  impractical
   ▪ Heavy duty chicken
     wire; 3-4’ height
   ▪ Buried underground 12’
     with bottom flared out
   ▪ Bend the top of the
     fence 45 degrees
     outward.

• Electric?

Fencing

• Next best thing
  ▪ 12’ laid on the surface,
    covered with mulch
  ▪ Heavy duty chicken
    wire; 3-4’ height
  ▪ Bend the top of the
    fence 45 degrees
    outward.

Fencing

• Protecting individual
  raised beds
  ▪ Heavy duty chicken or
    hardware cloth at the
    bottom, while building
    raised bed.
  ▪ Create a secure cage on
    top

Fencing

• Same principles apply
  to protecting a decks
  and porches.

• Install steel mesh
  exclusion barrier
  under decks

Trapping

• Legally, you can trap the following species:
  •   Rabbits, squirrels, raccoon, woodchuck, skunk,
      opossum, beaver, coyote, fox

  ▪   But what do you do once it’s trapped?
       –   This can influence a landowner’s decision to trap in
           the first place

       –   Are you willing to euthanize the trapped animal?

Trapping R&R’s

•   Squirrels and rabbits
     ▪ Fox, gray, red squirrels
     ▪ Chipmunks, 13-lined ground squirrels
     ▪ Groundhog
     ▪ Eastern cottontail
     ▪ Can be relocated with permission

•   Raccoon, skunk, opossum, beaver,
    coyote, fox
     ▪   MUST be released on site or euthanized
•   Raccoon, skunk, opossums
     ▪   Illegal to relocate
     ▪   Why??
     ▪   RABIES
•   Coyote, beaver, fox
     ▪   Would just be someone else’s problem

Trapping R&R’s

               FOR MORE INFO
          Contact Ohio Division of Wildlife
               Trapping Regulations
http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/dow/regulations/trapping.aspx

Back to Trapping Groundhog

• Trapping and relocation is legal
  ▪   Must have permission to relocate

  But…this kind of control is a short-term
                  solution.

When to Trap?

• March 1st – Sept. 30th

• Locate dens during spring (early spring - young born
  April – May)
   ▪ Easier to find – less vegetation and freshly dug
     out

Types of Traps

• Live Trap
  ▪   Can be baited
  ▪   Concealed

• Body-gripping (Kill)
  Trap
  ▪   Must be covered to
      prevent other animals
      from entering

Where to place the Trap?

• Entrance of the burrow

• Paths of movement (under a fence)

While on the Subject of
      Trapping…

Groundhog Trapping Support
              In Cleveland
• City of Cleveland Animal Control
   ▪ 216-664-3069, call before 9am for a pickup that day, otherwise you
     will have to release, be ready with what kind of animal trapped.
   ▪ Have your trap labeled with your Name and Address for return OR
     borrow a trap for $20 returnable deposit.
   ▪ YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WELFARE OF THE ANIMAL
     WHILE IN TRAP.
        –   Have a clean undamaged trap, if breaks replace.
        –   Trap must be placed in the shade
        –   Place a piece of burlap, board, or plastic under the trap so the animal does not
            pull in grass and mud.
   ▪  City employee (or contracted) may refuse the pickup if the
      trapped animal does not meet this!
   ▪ Must be removed within 24hrs of being trapped, no matter the
     situation

Groundhog Trapping Support
              In Cleveland
• City of Cleveland (contracted) Trapping Service
   ▪ Call 216.664.3069 and leave your name, address,
     zip code, phone number, and type of nuisance
     animal.
   ▪ Nothing inside, has to be outdoors!
   ▪ The Wildlife Trapping Service is available from
     April 15th to October 31st each year.

• Commercial Animal Control Companies

• Licensed trappers

All are likely to provide and set traps; shop
around to get best price and service.

Lethal Controls

• Gas Cartridges – not a great option in urban
  areas. Remember the den construction!

• Hunting – check state hunting laws and
  local firearm regulation before discharging a
  firearm.

Scare Tactics

• Short term solution
   ▪ Groundhog will most
     likely become habituated
     to it, or not even care!

• A few to try
   ▪ Smart sprinkler
   ▪ Dogs
      –   Underground/invisible
          fencing and let dogs roam
          and chase groundhog
          away

Repellents

No repellents are registered for use on
groundhogs in Ohio. Little to no research
on what may be effective.

When applied correctly…
  ▪   Repellent is applied before or immediately after damage
      begins
  ▪   Reapplied after rain

Animals will push through a disagreeable
experience.

Types/Brands of Repellents

      Odor Repellents              Taste Repellents
•   Egg Solids                 •   Hot Pepper (capsaicin)
•   Predator Urine             •   Blood products
•   Garlic oil                 •   Fungicide (thiram)
•   Ammonium and fatty         •   Bitter taste
    acids

Home remedies may be cheaper:
  Bar soap (mixed results)
  Human hair (not consistently effective)
  Eggs and water (shown to be effective)

Web Resources

• Wildlife Damages Manual
  ▪   www.icwdm.org

• Wildlife management info
  ▪   www.wildlifemanagement.info/

• OSU Extension Publications
  ▪ www.woodlandstewards.com

• Extension Wildlife Damages Website
  ▪   www.extension.org/wildlife+damage+management

My Contact Info

  Maggie Rivera

Rivera.482@osu.edu
  330-599-7710

Thanks and Question Time!