What do you bait a groundhog with
Emily Carr
Updated on April 24, 2026
Place your trap near the burrow or area that the groundhog frequently visits. Then bait the trap, many people have had great success using sunflower seeds, peanut butter and corn, however cantaloupe is often the preferred bait.
What food is irresistible to groundhogs?
Some of the most successful vegetables that can be used as groundhog bait include peas, lettuce sweetcorn and string beans, while fruits such as cantaloupe, strawberries and beaches are also popular. These should be left in the trap in a position where the animal has to trigger the trap in order to reach the bait.
Do groundhogs like peanut butter?
Groundhogs are vegetarians, though they will eat insects in times of absolute necessity. Since they enjoy plants so much, most baits are derived from berries, greens, and other sweet juices. Sometimes companies will include human foods like peanut butter, since they have strong scents and include a lot of sugar.
Are groundhogs hard to trap?
Trapping groundhogs doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, there’s a few different options that work pretty well. Although groundhog is their official name, many people refer to them as woodchucks or whistle-pigs.What is the best poison for groundhogs?
- JT Eaton 709-PN Bait Block Rodenticide.
- Bonide Mole And Gopher Killer.
- Sweeney’s Mole And Gopher Poison Peanuts.
What do groundhogs hate the most?
Groundhogs hate the smell of garlic and pepper. To deter them from ever returning to your garden, crush some garlic and pepper and throw it into their burrows. Do this day after day until they flee. You can also make a garlic and pepper spray to spray your vegetables.
What time of day are groundhogs most active?
Groundhog Behavior Activity: Groundhogs are diurnal (active during the day) from spring to fall. Most activity occurs during the early morning and early evening hours, at which groundhogs emerge from their burrows to gather food.
Do groundhogs come out at night?
Many people believe that groundhogs come out of their dens during the night and look for food at night only. However, this is false, groundhogs are not nocturnal. In fact, they are very active during the day, but they still roam outside their dens in the night.How do I get rid of a groundhog under my shed?
- Pour ammonia around your shed and in any holes they’ve dug. …
- Place lawn windmills, windchimes, or a vibrating sonic device near your shed. …
- Adopt a dog or cat and encourage them to spend time sniffing around the shed.
- Spread human scent around your yard with hair clippings.
In Havahart® field tests, cantaloupe was the best bait for attracting groundhogs and woodchucks. Cut cantaloupe into 2″ cubes, and rub the cantaloupe juice and rind throughout the inside and outside of the trap. Set the trap with some of the fruit in the position indicated above.
Article first time published onWill Groundhogs eat peanuts?
Groundhogs eat all parts of plants. In addition to vegetables, they also like fruits, including apples and pears, Watermelons are a favorite meal. They will also eat nuts.
Do Groundhogs eat bread?
I took this at a friends house. He feeds the critters, in the yard, day old bread from the bread store. This large female groundhog can really put it away.
Do Groundhogs eat carrots?
Most Common Groundhog Meals Primarily, groundhogs eat grasses, clover, alfalfa, and dandelions. In addition, groundhogs like to eat garden fruits and vegetables like berries, apples, lettuce, corn, and carrots. … They will also eat snails, grasshoppers, and grubs, but live food is a small percentage of their diet.
Will groundhogs drink antifreeze?
Other strong scents groundhogs don’t like include talcum powder and garlic. … Antifreeze: Don’t try this, as antifreeze as a poison for groundhogs is a myth.
What kills groundhogs in your yard?
Sprinkle blood meal, ground black pepper, dried blood, or talcum powder around the perimeter of your garden. You can try using hair clippings as well. Puree and strain hot peppers and garlic, mix them with water and enough liquid soap to make it stick, and spray it liberally around the garden.
Do groundhogs eat rat poison?
Poisoning Groundhogs There aren’t really any specific groundhog poisons that have been formulated to kill the animals, but using other poison such as rat poison will still kill the groundhogs, as the substance is toxic enough to kill most small animals of that size.
Do groundhogs have two holes?
Groundhogs often have two separate burrows, one for summer (grassy field area) and one for winter (wooded area). During the approximately three month hibernation period, groundhogs enter their winter burrows which have only one entrance. … Summer burrows have multiples entrances with a mound of soil next to them.
How many groundhogs usually live together?
4. Family values. In general, groundhog social groups consist of one adult male and two adult females, each with an offspring from the previous breeding season (usually female), and the current litter of infants. Interactions within a female’s group are generally friendly.
How many babies do groundhogs have?
4. Pregnancy goes by fast for them. Groundhog mating season is in the early spring and, after only a month-long pregnancy, mother groundhogs typically give birth to a litter of two to six blind, hairless babies. Young groundhogs are called kits, pups, or sometimes chucklings.
Does Irish Spring soap keep groundhogs away?
Irish Spring is an effective repellent against groundhogs. A bar of soap should be hung from a post or fence to scare off groundhogs and prevent them from digging up the lawn or eating the plants.
Will Epsom salts deter groundhogs?
Epsom Salt- One way to deter groundhogs from eating your plants is to sprinkle Epsom salt on the soil. Groundhogs do not enjoy the taste of Epsom salt, and they will be discouraged from eating the plants.
Is it bad to have a groundhog in your yard?
The short answer is YES, you should. Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are aggressive animals that are hard to get rid of when they invade your property. These rodents usually dig burrows in grassy areas and eat through gardens causing a lot of damage.
Will vinegar deter groundhogs?
Mix ammonia with washing detergent, vinegar, hot pepper and soap and pour the mixture down each hole. … Apply ammonium mixture around the fence to prevent groundhogs from coming in. This may have to be repeated if it gets washed off.
What is a natural way to get rid of groundhogs?
- Epsom Salts. Epsom salts sprinkled near or around the burrow entrances or exits will keep the groundhog away. …
- Castor Oil. …
- Human Hair Clippings. …
- Soiled Kitty Litter. …
- Offensive Scents.
How do you keep groundhogs from going under your deck?
The best way to prevent a groundhog from burrowing under a structure on your property is to exclude it with a steel mesh fence. It should go all the way around the perimeter of the shed or deck and go at least 18 inches underground. The bottom should curve outward to prevent a groundhog from digging underneath it.
Can a groundhog climb trees?
Though they are usually seen on the ground, groundhogs can climb trees and are also capable swimmers. … Here they eat grasses and plants as well as fruits and tree bark. Groundhogs are the bane of many a gardener.
How far will a groundhog travel to return home?
Once you have trapped the groundhog it is important to relocate it to a new home in a field, meadow or wooded area that is at least 20 miles away from your home so they don’t find their way back. You can call the local wildlife and game office to offer some suggestions on where to take them.
Do groundhogs drink water?
Thought not to drink water, groundhogs are reported to obtain needed liquids from the juices of food-plants, aided by their sprinkling with rain or dew.
Will ammonia get rid of groundhogs?
Sudsy Ammonia or Cloudy Ammonia is commonly used to repel away the groundhogs. If you do not want to buy it from a store, you can always make the repelling solution at home. … Add two cups of regular ammonia to the solution and stir well. Pour the solution made at home or purchased from the store in the burrows.
Do groundhogs eat cucumbers?
One simple way to discourage groundhogs is to harvest your garden often. Their favorite foods include young, tender greens like lettuce and cabbage, as well as cantaloupes, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, and corn. Pick them as soon as they’re ripe instead of leaving them in the garden for a few days.
Do groundhogs eat tomatoes?
Woodchucks (also called groundhogs) are vegetarians, feeding on grasses, weeds, clover, and also on ornamental plants and garden crops like cabbage, lettuce, beans, carrots…and tomatoes.