I can't answer your question, Ellen, but I hope it's not true. I know somebody who, thanks to the list of groundhog delights posted in the earlier thread on the beasts, trapped 5 in 3 days and still has one to go before his property is free of the things - until the next time.

From the Fish and Wildlife website:

"Wildlife Damage Control
Property owners or their agents, and occupants of dwellings that are suffering damage from squirrel, raccoon, opossum, skunk, woodchuck or weasel may control them by lawful means at any time subject to local ordinances."

I interpret that to mean as long as you don't shoot them and your borough/township has no regs against trapping, you're o.k.

you can trap them but it is illegal to relocate them. catch 22 right? lol.
if you do wanna relocate make sure its at least 5 miles from your house, that way they cant find their way back, otherwise, believe me they will. it's either that or poison them, but i think thats cruel.

excerpt from State of New Jersey - POLICY ON THE RELOCATION OF WILDLIFE

"Page 3 of 5
SPECIFIC GUIDELINES
. .
.
Rabies Vector Species.
. .
. Raccoons, skunks, fox and woodchucks are currently classified as rabies vector species for the raccoon rabies strain currently endemic in New Jersey. Due to the rare occurrence of rabies in opossums, this species is no longer classified as a rabies vector species. As mentioned above, release locations for foxes must be approved by the Division. If release at the site of capture for the rehabilitated and nuisance raccoons, skunks and woodchucks is impossible the following restrictions apply.
. .
. Adult Rabies Vector Species
Releases of adult rabies vector species must take place within the township of origin in suitable
habitat and with permission from the landowner. No releases within the township may be greater
than a 10-mile distance from the capture site for raccoons and 5 miles for skunks and
woodchucks. No releases are allowed on federal, state, county or municipal land. If no private
land is available for release, the Division may approve a release on the closest state Wildlife
Management Area on a case by case basis.
. .
.

Trapping is sadistic, and it is ridiculous to think you can free your property of groundhogs. Hello...isn't there always one to take its place?
I know someone who has been trapping squirrels for years. LOL. Sure if that is how you get your jollies. Don't imagine you are keeping your property critter-free.

Neither imagine it is not cruel, since no matter where you 'relocate' them to, they will try to return to their territory.

Only mechanical devices work:
Visual stimuli like strobe lights, mylar tape, scarecrows, and scare-eye balloons.
Auditory stimuli like ultrasonic devices and loud noises.
Motion activated water sprays will also deter wildlife as well as companion animals.

or

If the area to protect is small, woodchucks can be excluded using a 4-foot high hardware cloth fence with a mesh size smaller than 2 by 2 inches. Do not use chicken wire, as it will rust and weaken quickly. To prevent digging, bury the bottom of the fence 1012 inches below ground or bend the lower 12 inches of the fence outward in an L shape about 12 inches below ground. The height of the fence above ground should be at least 3 feet. To prevent woodchucks from scaling the fence, you can add an electrified wire 45 inches off the ground and 45 inches from the outside of the fence. Bend the top 15 inches of the fence out at a 45-degree angle for extra protection from climbing chucks. Be sure to reinforce the gate as well so that woodchucks cannot dig under it.
_________

In my cosmology people who trap animals will return as animals and die slowly in a cage in the sun and temperature of 90 degrees and be eaten by ants. With full consciousness.

Here is the NJHumane Society:
"Once an animal is trapped, it is in the care, custody and control of the person who set the trap. Thus, it becomes their responsibility and they are liable for the animal that is trapped."

---ellen

>>>> ellenr Could anyone direct me to a site where I could confirm this?
I have always heard this is true, but would like to verify.

You had me fooled ellen, I thought you were inquiring so you could catch them not turn in your neighbor. Youll get no sympathy from me.

>>>Trapping is sadistic,

Says you

>>> and it is ridiculous to think you can free your property of groundhogs.

Works pretty good for me. Id rather battle a couple than a couple of dozen

>>> Hello...isn't there always one to take its place?

Better one or 2 than a dozen

>>>I know someone who has been trapping squirrels for years.

Ive trapped bushy tailed rats for 5 years now. I wont tell you how many, I wouldnt want to give you a coronary so early on a Sat morning, emergency rooms are full on the weekends, but YOU WOULD BE SHOCKED. Its a never ending battle, I have to do the same thing every year, like planting the flowers, cutting the lawn, tilling the garden, planting the garden, weeding the garden, bagging the leaves, removing the varmints, get the picture? All part of the never-ending list of tasks.

>>>LOL.

What I makes me LOL is people who spend all that time and money taking care of their flower beds, veggie gardens and lawns only to see it destroyed day after day after day. Nature had a plan for pests like squirrels and groundhogs. Predators! Civilization has squeezed out those predators, which results in a squirrel explosion. Ive taken over where Nature left off.

>>>Sure if that is how you get your jollies.

You think I like paying $3 a gallon for gas?

>>> Don't imagine you are keeping your property critter-free.

Pretty close. We use to have waves of 6 7 squirrels at a time grazing multiple times a day, on everything they could find, rummaging through flower pots/beds, digging up the shallots, poking holes in tomatoes, digging holes all over the lawn etc, etc. etc. To give you an example, I NOW have 4 pots of beautiful gerbera daisies on the front steps, planted from seeds. Took me 12 weeks of caring, watching, watering and fertilizing. I HAD some squirrels that took a liking to the flower heads, they would wait till the next flower stalk came up and then poof, it was gone. Now the squirrels are GONE, I actually get lots of flowers now, never would have happened if I didnt trap. My neighbors absolutely love me; their flower bulbs actually come up now.

>>>> since no matter where you 'relocate' them to, they will try to return to their territory.

3-4 miles is all you need, I know cause in the beginning, I use to put a little shot of latex paint on their tail to verify they werent returning. I never did see a white spotted bushy tailed rat.

>>>> Visual stimuli like strobe lights, mylar tape, scarecrows, and scare-eye balloons.

For only so long, they quickly become accustomed to them. Witness the groundhogs feeding just feet from the curb along the side of many of New Jerseys busiest highways. Didnt take long to realize the cars wouldnt hurt them.

>>> and loud noises.

My neighbors would just love that.

>>>In my cosmology people who trap animals will return as animals and die slowly in a cage in the sun and temperature of 90 degrees and be eaten by ants. With full consciousness.

Thanks for the good laugh, I gotta save that one and pass it around.

I'll leave you with this,

A squirrel a day keeps the critters away.

Agree totally with Joiseygardener - no sympathy and now a total lack of respect for the integrity of your posts.

Ellen, thought you would get a kick out of this

I know this is old, but I couldn't help to post here because the lady was asking how to get rid of the groundhogs originally, yet complained about the trapping part of it.

I'm sorry Ellen, but living on a farm in Pennsylvania, well a farmland / house. The farm isn't functional anymore. We have a crap ton of groundhogs all over and I've been trapping them for the past several years with conibear traps. home.mchsi.com/~the_reaper/groundhog4.jpg

I'll tell ya now, getting rid of groundhogs isn't easy peasy at all. I tried all the tricks in the book to get rid of them little bastards and nothing worked. They ripped up the yard, dug holes throughout underneath all the sheds, barn, and buildings. Ate the crops, and garden veggies, and whatever else they wanted. They caused hundreds of dollars in damages to mowers, and equipment.

If you seriously think it's inhumane to trap these bastards, and really want to relocate them.. I think we all should relocate them to your backyard once and see how you feel then. You pay for our mower damages, yard damages, crop damages, building structure damages, and etc. Be happy with them. Let's get your address so we know where to relocate them at. :) Thanks. :)

By the way, the simple trap and release traps don't always work. The ones here are smarter then that.. and most elder groundhogs here don't even come out and go through the conibear traps. They're located in sheds near neighbor's houses and we can't shoot them.. just HOPE they get caught in conibear trap itself.

And the grandpa and grandma groundhogs that are huge in size, still has yet to be caught.. ugh. Thinking about getting rodenator.com/pests-controls-videos-rodenators

Enjoy!

Had groundhogs under my shed, and when I was at work they would raid my vegetable garden. I put mothballs under and around the shed and that seems to work. I live in the Peoples Republic of New Jersey,. so shooting is out of the question

Yeah, I had groundhogs here in NJ, building a burrow under a garage.

Not big drama, no killing fields, toxic chemicals, needless death nor legal entailments. I just started to empty the kitty litter box into the burrow and the guy moved on out. We still still have groundhogs about, they got the message.