jj3500

I have a woodchuck and also a chipmunk infestation. They are all over my yard and started to dig holes up against my foundation. Arghhhh!. I have bought these "havahart" traps. What is the ideal, from experience, food lure? I've put in fresh lettuce, almonds and cut up bananas. Food is just sitting there. Suggestions for full proof bait?

Thanks

mikmaze

chipmonks love peanut butter and sunflower seeds........... chux are tough to figure, but ir you can see where their burrow is and it is along a fence, setting it where they will just have to go in can work. a short swimming lesson should be all it takes after that, just keep it to yourself as ya never know where the next tree hugger lurks.

Bark

I dont know about woodchucks either. mikmaze: LoL--I have given swimming lessons to skunks. Every other means of getting them out of the trap results in a spraying.

Redleg

I'll loan you a couple retrivers for awhile. They have my place all tore up going after ground squirrells, chipmunks and moles. Id've shot them by now, but the suckers actually catch the things....

A blue heeler is the best dog I've seen for thinning out woodchucks. Had quite a few in the family that went after chucks successfully. Never saw one get bit either.

jj3500

Are those woodchucks aggressive? I walk up near their holes often in sandals and shorts.....am I in any bite danger?

Redleg

Not really unless they have babies. But you should always be careful, you never know about distemper or other diseases.

stinkindiesel

I said it in another post- woodchucks are tasty critters. Dress 'em out, rub them with salt and pepper, toss a couple sliced onions into the cavity, toothpick a few strips of bacon over its back and into a 325* oven until he's 170* in the thigh. Honest. Imean, I don't go looking for 'em, but if I see one on the way back from a hunt and my hands are empty...
BTW, they seem to love apples. Windfallen apples don't last long at my mom's house, and she's overrun with the fat little buggers.

TurboShadow

Thats funny about the healer... My healer loves to kill birds (seen her do it mid-air, no joke!) and after we went camping mem weekend we had a family of chucks move in behind the the shop. She killed 4 of them in 5 days! I think she would just sit by the holes and wait for them to pop up.

DmaxEter

I third the Heeler. I have seen mine stalk and catch birds out of the air as well. I havent had a mole issue since I got Ralph either! Its also a treat to watch him work. At night he goes after the moles by hearing alone. It really is neat to watch him do his thing.

Lary Ellis (Top)

The best bait by far is fresh thick cut steaks and fresh lobster tails..... Place them in a cooler on the south side of the house every evening at 5PM, then avoid that area for at least 45 mins....

Don't become discouraged if the steak and lobsters disappear...continue to place them out side every night at the same time for at least 2 weeks...I hope this helps

Post Script: Just ignore the sound of that 12 valve out side your home at 5:15 every evening.

Redleg

You think you'll need some pepto bismal with that bait too?

Slipssomesaltpeterintotheseasoningsalt

DmaxEter

Thats great right there!

Bark

We dont have woodchucks around here so I never thought of them as being a problem. Just for the heck of it, I googled "woodchuck bait". Over 35,000 hits. Lots of stuff for sale.

cheapskate

ditch the "havahart" traps, and get some "conibear" traps instead. or go the heeler route, ours not only kills them, but also disposes of the carcass.

Hopalong

The problem with my heeler is that she can't tell the difference between a gopher, squirrel, or cat.
We don't have woodchucks out here in Ca., but I'd bet they'd fall in the above category