Groundhogs around a barn

The farmer who owns most of my trapping property called to ask if I could get rid of some groundhogs around a barn he owns. I am going to pick up 4 live traps from williams live traps tomorrow evening due to the number of pets in the area and was wanting a little help with bait/lure recommendations. I have never cage trapped so any guidance will help.

Stop! Instead of picking up 4 Williams, pickup 2 Comstocks. Make your woodchucks go through the cages ( they won't mind ) and you will live happily ever after.

Okay, I do remember my first job like this. The holes were obvious and I took a couple of double springed Conibears and set them over the holes. I then took a large piece of heavy screening and literally nailed them over the holes so none of the farmer's beloved pets could get caught. I actually took care of the problem and became very good friends with the farmer.

Funny thing: one of the woodchucks dug underneath the wire so that he could get caught in a Conibear. Not so with any of the so-called pets.

With cone(s)!

I will look into comstocks

I've made a tunnel outta hardware cloth to keep pets out,,,,,12-18" on both sides of a 220.

Comstocks are the way to go though.

RHuff,

There is nothing wrong with using Williams, SafeGuard, Comstock, Tomahawk, Advanced Trap, or any of the other professional traps out there for groundhogs. The key is knowing how the trap works and how to use it to your advantage.

If you're looking at walk-through, double door traps you can use Comstock, Tomahawk, or Advanced Trap models. Both Comstock and Tomahawk have spring powered, swing down doors while Advanced trap has powered swing down, powered guillotine, and gravity guillotine models. Both Comstock and Advanced Trap are wire trigger traps with the difference being Comstock has the trigger mechanism on the inside while Advanced Trap has them on the outside. Tomahawk has a pan system and all three are available powder coated with 1/2 x 1 inch wire.

If you want more of a baited set, then you can choose from Williams, SafeGuard, Comstock, Tomawak, Advanced Trap, or several others. Out of what I've posted, Williams and certain Advanced Trap's have gravity doors (swing down for Williams, guillotine for Advanced) while the other Advanced Trap, Comstock, SafeGuard, and Tomahawk all have powered doors. You can get nose cones to work with all of these or several of the manufactures offer "flush mount" traps which means the trap has wire extended past the set doors so you can put the trap right up to the building and multipurpose (which allow for flush mounting or placing the trap over a hole forcing the animal into the trap from the ground).

Again, what you need to do is decide how you will be placing the traps, if you will be using bait/trailing scents, any fencing or screening required, what you will do with the captured animal and then match the proper trap or setting technique to the situation.

Specific to releasing an animal, several of the manufactures (Advanced Trap, Comstock, SafeGuard, Tomahawk) have bait/release doors on the back of the single door traps that make it easy to access the back of the trap or release an animal. Williams traps can just be tipped over allowing the door to fall open so the animal can exit the trap (which also means you have to make sure the trap will not tip over when using it). For double door traps, you'll have to open one of the doors to release the animal so based on the door type, it may be more difficult for some brands than for others.

After having said all of that, is there a reason why you just don't use body gripping traps? You can set 155's in the tunnels and fence/block them off to keep other animals out. You can do this be placing a screen over top of the hole and anchoring it on the top only or your can erect a physical barrier out of wire, wood, blocks, cardboard, or other cheap materiel.

YA...So take that ! WCT....I got tired reading that...but informative !

RHuff, I have trapped a few woodchucks in my time and if we're talking the same animal, I've found that woodchuck urine and/or feces is a very good lure but without catching one first, it is hard to find.

Without the above mentioned lure I use a drop of castor and a drop of apple essence inside the trap with a good sized piece of either apple, broccoli, cabbage or cantaloupe.

Once you make a catch, save the dirt from under the cage to use in the next set.

All joking aside...this stuff works really good too...I use it all the time. I pour about half a teaspoon , right on the pan..it's a Lima Bean lure..I get it from Alan @ Wildlife Control Supplies

Sorry swampdonkey,

Blame it on the upcoming cage trapping workshop, lol. And don't misunderstand me, I love the Comstock traps. I've got double door, single door, 5 x 5 squirrel, 5 x 3 squirrel, and just ordered another beaver trap and the 12 x 12 trap. But I've also got multiple traps from Advanced Trap, Williams, Tomahawk, Safeguard, and others. I speak quite frequently with all of the manufactures that I know and one point they all have in common is saying that you need to match the trap to the situation and for groundhogs, they can all be made to work. Now if this was a discussion on what cage trap to use for coyote, bobcat, or beaver a good number of my recommendations would end up being removed.

Don't be sorry man...I'm just joking around....as always

RHuff, I'll go sqs one better. Any freshly dug ground, scattered throughout your cage, is a great lure.

Eric beat me to it. I was going to comment on how having an upcoming seminar on cage traps does wonders for someone who is a bat expert!

I catch ALOT of groundhogs in cages without problems just make sure the cage is clean of other animal scents, as mentioned above catch 1 in that cage and keep on using it dont clean it and keep your bait fresh or its a possum you will catch.Its illegal here to use a coni on dry land although the gmen trappers use them and they are efficient but I wouldnt put one out if you catch a pet youd probably wished you never saw one.

Now see Paul, if you'd come to one of my bat classes you'd know that I always start them off with "I'm not a bat expert".

So my first question at Eric's bat class would be: Are there any ground bats?, because I get hollered at every time I come near a ladder.

Which reminds me: A few months ago I was on a roof, the ladder blew over, and I had to jump onto an evergreen branch and drop to the ground.

I looked like I was 21 instead of 71. I just wish I would have felt it instead of looked it!

Paul,

Pallid bats would be number 1 with Eastern Small Footed bats being number 2.

Thanks for all of the great info I am going to check out the situation in te morning and see what will work best i will keep you all posted.

I also like Wickenkamp traps. They are good traps IMO as are the others mentioned. I love having options for various situations.

I have some Comstocks and love them. But for 20+ years before they were available I've caught a frillion groundhogs in every type of cage trap imaginable. Don't get all freaked out about using one type or brand of trap. I've been using directors (forces animal leaving den into trap) for over 20 years. It's just a posi-set.

Any good cage trap will work for groundhogs, even baited non-posi sets. Covering the bottom with dirt will greatly increase catch rates. Here's a couple pics from about 2 weeks ago. Was out of 2-door traps, so used a single door Comstock (but any would have worked) and one of my director boxes. A bit of bait, and dirt-covered floor of trap. Had the chuckster in 2 hours.

Double door traps with nose cones have made the jobs so easy. Last year a fellow with one of those half circle horse barns called with a family a chucks living in it and around it. He had tried with a single door trap with bait the year before and caught one chuck all summer. We saw chucks duck into two holes and started setting. In 20 minutes we has two big ones as we finished setting. By mid afternoon he called and said we had 4 more. Six hours, six chucks. The traps were left in place and took 2 more chucks in the coming days, none baited, no maintenance, no non targets. We experimented and found that 36 and 30 inch long traps were not necessary. In time we went to 24 and then down to an the very short 18's which do fine for skunks and chucks, the shortest ever tried in double door traps. They take up so little space in a truck and also are much easier to place than a longer trap. Additionally, besides the regular nose cone, we carry a nose cone that works in any direction, straight out or either side for those locations that have something like a bush, tree or tractor directly in front of the hole. Saves time building something to steer them in.

The short traps may be fine for the smaller animals, but for the trap to be most universal it needs to be larger, whether longer, taller, or wider.

For example: You can take one of our powered double door 36" x 12" tall traps (even 36x12x10) and catch beaver, otter, coon, possum, feral cats, muskrats, nutria, skunks, ground hogs, turtles and others. The traps can have one door a swing down and one a guillotine or both of each kind. The guillotine can be set as powered or gravity. They can, for a few dollars more, be changed out in the field to have a one way trigger to allow the trap to be set as a multicatch situation or just catch the animal leaving or catch the animal entering. The trap can have bait wired to the trigger or change trigger to a short trigger (down one inch and over 2") and hang the bait from a string to bite and pull.The trigger can also be changed easily to a four way or bump trigger. (the new dogs and bmi triggers work well in that application) You can't do all of what I mentioned above with a 24" trap. You can do much more with a 30", but not as much.

All of our swing down models now are made to where the doors are easily propped open for trigger adjustment or replacement. It also allows animals to be easily remove or dumped out in the double door models. The smaller (10"x12") swing downs now come with 1/2" x 1" 14ga wire.

The shorter the trap the more limits it puts on the capability of the trap over all. In specialty situations I could see a much shorter trap. Just starting out in an ADC business I would think you would want versatility.

Price is also a factor. I would think duke,s or Williams traps would be hard to beat in the price category for baited sets. The difference is the versatility of the trap for other applications. You just have to decide what that is worth. The trap may cost twice as much but your limitations aren,t the same.

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Jim Comstock said:


I have patents that allow almost unlimited design in/of a cage trap. I guess if a statement is repeated enough, it becomes true.

Kirk DeKalb

I was a little shocked at the shortness of the 18 inch Comstock myself. After catching dozens of raccoon in them, I'm now more amazed than shocked. I think our raccoons must look at the cages as a challenge. Otherwise I can't imagine why they would try to run through if they didn't have to.

If I get a woodchuck or skunk job now, the 18 inch is the first cage I grab.

P.S. Happy Easter, Kirk and Jim

Sounded like the Williams trap idea was good for his situation. Just need some bait- apples- whatever.

I don't have any Comstock 18s but my 24s work so well that this discussion has inspired me to order a few. Room in the truck is at a premium these days as Armadillo season is in full swing. Will call you next week Jim.

Just went online and ordered 2 18" Comstocks.

Ron.. just a simple question on your chuck set.. is it necessary to anchor the comstock trap like you have it? ive never anchor one of his traps.. i might prop a brick or log next to it to keep it from rocking.. but have never anchored one. Now the gravity door traps Always get double anchored. Just curious..

I anchor both the nose cone and trap on posi-sets for groundhogs. I've had them push up or dig under if they aren't staked solid. Not often.... but once is too much when you're driving 35 miles one-way to a job!

You make a good point about set-ups on long jobs, Ron.

Surely does not hurt to err on the side of caution with staking, especially since you have had a chuck or two dig around a trap. I have, to date, never anchored a skunk or chuck trap that were roll over proof in a positive set and so far, knock on wood, have not had any dig around them. I usually dig out the ground out, work them into the dirt and also sometimes put stuff up against a nose cone if it is readily available. I make sure there is no apparent opening, no air space for them to see out so that the trap and cone appear to be solid. I suppose my day of surprise is waiting for me, maybe just been lucky so far, but none of the last few hundred chucks and skunks, none have gotten me, yet.

Jim, I usually just do the same..... shovel out a trap bed, backfill a little after setting. Stabilizes the traps and provides the dirt floor. I'll sometimes use pieces of cardboard on the sides and pile the dirt halfway up the trap sides. Provides that "open tunnel/passageway" effect. I just get a bit over cautious the farther I have to drive to a job! It takes 20 seconds to shove the stabilizer rods in the ground, so it's not like I'm spending measurable extra time doing it.

I really enjoy and learn a lot from these conversations. I felt just like Jim. Normally I don't get too excited about anything except putting the cage where the 'chuck can run through it.

So my daughter says, "Kind of flimsy fencing you put around that deck when you were showing my husband how to do it. The woodchuck dug under in three different places."

Me: "Was the woodchuck in the cage when you got there?"

Stacy: ( My daughter ) "Yes."

Me: "There are two woodchucks, dumbazz." ( She calls me dumbazz a lot. This was a shining moment for me )

P.S. I caught the second woodchuck two days later in the same cage. Guess who got paid? It wasn't me.

More often than not I will anchor my positive sets. Mostly unnecessary....but I have a streak of OCD. Always have to put in one extra screw or zip tie when I mount a squirrel trap etc. I even anchor small cages for Chippers etc to try to keep some low life dog or cat from toting it off.

I can relate to OCD, overdoing, but with long travel distances to just do that little extra is a great insurance policy at a very tiny cost, in a few seconds of work, to punch in a stake or add a screw for peace of mind is worth it.

I do the fencing thing too, with light scraps of aluminum, some are a foot and a half long, others longer. I have a pile of left over pieces that are light and take up no space in the truck. I can take a half dozen of them and fence off 5 or 6 feet section in a few seconds. Being solid, the only apparent opening for the chuck is where the trap is, so they go right through trap. I have wooden fencing also, but I like the aluminum for space saving. If you overlap the pieces you can use one small stake to hold up the whole fence on a side. With nose cones a client will sometimes ask, "couldn't he just push it over, dig under or avoid what you have?' The answer is of course a resounding "yes," followed by, "but they don't."

Please take note of Jim's last sentence because it is so true. Animals are attracted to fencing the same way I'm attracted to Rosie O'Donnell.