After three weekends, I finally live trapped the groundhog which was living under my storage shed. I have tried placing the trap at various locations around the shed and tried different baits with no success. I finally found the right combination of location, bait, and timing. The trap was placed on the left side of the shed. I used Gala Apples and dehydrated bananas from Trail Mix that I bought from Aldi. I set the trap around 9:00AM, with plans to go grocery shopping in the AM. As usual, I got distracted, and the Pitt game was on TV at 12 Noon. I looked outside and there it was, in the trap.
I was not sure how sturdy the cage was, so I wanted to relocate the groundhog as soon as possible. I lined the trunk of my car with a tarp, cardboard, and newspaper, in case the animal got nervous and completed a bodily function. I read you should cover the cage with a towel so the groundhog will not get nervous - I used a black T-shirt. Lifting the cage, then carrying the cage was difficult, as the animal got nervous and was moving and clawing inside the cage. I finally got it in the trunk and drove to North Park. For the first five minutes of the drive, I could hear the groundhog clawing at the cage. I found a good spot to release it and again carrying the cage while the animal was moving got on my nerves. I placed the trap on the ground, and opened the trap door. I tapped the other end of the cage and the groundhog bolted right out the door into the woods.
I have not read that they are social animals, so hopefully there was only one groundhog under the shed. I have read that the mother has babies in the spring, and the babies eventually leave the burrow when they are ready. I am going to reset the trap Sunday morning (and Monday too since I am taking off work) to make sure there was only one groundhog.
My work is not done. I have to block access on all four sides of the shed. With winter coming and the amount of daylight getting shorter, I have some work to do.
Happy Groundhog Day!
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