Best method to cage trap a groundhog?
#5054799
05/20/15 07:58 PM
05/20/15 07:58 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,492 james bay frontierOnt.
Boco
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OP
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Posts: 45,492
james bay frontierOnt.
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What is the best method,in your opinion to cage a groundhog? In front of the main hole?One door up or two?Bait or no?Dirt covering the cage bottom?Cage covered?Staked or no. Thanks in advance.
Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
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Re: Best method to cage trap a groundhog?
[Re: Boco]
#5054807
05/20/15 08:05 PM
05/20/15 08:05 PM
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 15 Woodhull, IL
opie28
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trapper
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Woodhull, IL
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When I trap ground hogs I want the trap infront of the hole, no bait, double door trap with both doors up, dirt on the floor. Force it so it has no other way to go.
Mark M. Bethell Wildlife Control
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Re: Best method to cage trap a groundhog?
[Re: Boco]
#5054837
05/20/15 08:26 PM
05/20/15 08:26 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,492 james bay frontierOnt.
Boco
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OP
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james bay frontierOnt.
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Groundhogs here have at least two holes,sometimes three.Would you block the other holes or not?
Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
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Re: Best method to cage trap a groundhog?
[Re: Boco]
#5054847
05/20/15 08:37 PM
05/20/15 08:37 PM
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 15 Woodhull, IL
opie28
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 15
Woodhull, IL
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Block them all with traps if you can
Mark M. Bethell Wildlife Control
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Re: Best method to cage trap a groundhog?
[Re: Boco]
#5054874
05/20/15 09:02 PM
05/20/15 09:02 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 17,636 Rodney,Ohio
SNIPERBBB
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Posts: 17,636
Rodney,Ohio
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Groundhogs here have at least two holes,sometimes three.Would you block the other holes or not? If you dont have enough cages, block the other exits with something that would take a bit of effort to remove. And sometimes it feels like you can take a piece of constuction paper and put it in front of the hole. Ive set up places where I was short on traps and just shoved some leaves in some of the smaller side holes and the groundhog is always sitting in the trap the next day, sometimes two.
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Re: Best method to cage trap a groundhog?
[Re: Paul Winkelmann]
#5057387
05/23/15 12:17 AM
05/23/15 12:17 AM
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 56 Frankfort, Ky. USA
trapperpaw
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Joined: Aug 2007
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Frankfort, Ky. USA
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If it's a one holer it's probably a jump in hole and he doesn't live there. He will come back to it though when the want or need arises. A little ground hog poop and or some of Jamesons lure are long lasting lures while you wait. A trailing scent helps him find the entry end of the trap opposed to working around the blocked hole.
Sleep'n with an animal..I can help. Do not use both feet when testing the depth or temperature of the water Your Friend, Paul Brooker
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Re: Best method to cage trap a groundhog?
[Re: Boco]
#5058491
05/24/15 09:08 AM
05/24/15 09:08 AM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 377 New York
Jim Comstock
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New York
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Ditto on the double door cage traps, the smallest possible double door cage for ease in setting with nose cones or similar set up, no bait required, which means you are less apt to attract and catch a non-target. You can do it with home made nose cones, several kinds of commercial nose cones, solid or wire, sometimes a flush mount double door trap and also a multipurpose type set, each able to take chucks coming and going because you never know if they are "in or out." Some set ups are good for straight on setting, while others offer the option of side mounting too, straight on, left or right, which can come in handy when there is a boulder, tree or farm equipment in the way. This does the same thing as a conibear without worry about injury to pets, There may be only one hole at a location, but numerous holes scattered in the general area. When there is a large cluster of holes, 4 or 5, I may set only 1 or 2, depending on what is there. I ask the client what they see. If they see mom and a bunch of kids I may set 6 or 8 traps to save trips, time, gas and be done with it. If it is a solitary male, just one or two cages will usually do the trick. If its evening or early morning, you could set and wait a few minutes if you wanted to and actually do it in one trip. If you see a chuck dive into a hole, all the better. Since you pushed him into the hole and it was not by choice he ducked out of sight, he will often pop out quickly into a waiting cage. My quickest was five minutes, with best day of 6 chucks in 4 hours, from 10 a to 2 p.
One of he best stories was about a young fellow who had tried with bait and single door cages, up to 4 at a time, for 16 days with no "luck." He got a double door cage and noes cone, had the chuck in a few hours.
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Re: Best method to cage trap a groundhog?
[Re: Boco]
#5064474
05/29/15 09:42 AM
05/29/15 09:42 AM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 377 New York
Jim Comstock
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New York
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I know all "good" trappers are supposed to be up early, crack of dawn. I'm more like crack of noon. Chucks do come out early in the morning and of course they are out again in the evening, so you get two opportunities at seeing them feed, and two opportunities to find dens you might not find.
As I mentioned above, sometimes you can see them dive into a hole if you are lucky, often a non-descript hole you would never find without seeing the chuck dive into it. Happened just that way last evening. There was a bunch of boulders placed along a road at the resort. The chuck was in the grass, saw me and went toward a hole you would never see. I pushed him and he dove into the hole. Making sure there were no hidden exits, I did some blocking, especially where I saw the tell tale "Woodchuck" flies. I then took a short double door cage trap to cover the single entrance as there was no room for a long one which is often the case. While getting set up I did put a rock in that hole just in case the chuck tried to make a quick dash. Better to be safe than sorry as it seems too many times as a kid when catching whatever, a critter would give you the slip. Anyway, I pulled the plug, set the double door cage and left to check a beaver location. Returning at dark a couple of hours later, a nice fat chuck was waiting.
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Re: Best method to cage trap a groundhog?
[Re: Boco]
#5065255
05/29/15 11:09 PM
05/29/15 11:09 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,492 james bay frontierOnt.
Boco
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Wrapped up a nuisance beaver job last year in about a half hour.I was doing a few other beaver jobs in a remote area and a guy from the hydro company flagged me down and mentioned a spot that I was familiar with as I had taken beaver out of that spot the year before.He said the crew had cleared the culvert that morning,so this was in the afternoon and I told him I would set it up before heading back to town.I went and finished up the other spots and detoured by the spot the hydro guy told me about just before dusk.I always carry my 22 mag and I figured I would have a good chance to pop one beaver as they would be working the culvert. I wound up popping the one on the far shore on land,and about 20 minutes later popped the other one swimming towards the culvert from upstream.Both the same size,about 40 lb,a male and a female,done.
Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
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