Bust the chuck, or leave him be?

[puddleglum]

There has been a woodchuck living in the burm here are the farm off and on for a while. I never saw him, but his holes were quite obvious. I dumped used kitty litter and my compost bucket down his first hole, and he dug a new one. I urinated down his second hole and blocked the opening with a cinder block and then saw no evidence of him for two months. Today I actually saw the little turd leaving the flower garden and he was heading toward the burm. He has dug a new hole.

The question is, should I hunt him down. He isn’t causing any trouble in the burm, I just don’t want him undermining the barn or sheds. He keeps using the burm so that appears to be the favored location.

Are woodchucks territorial? Should I expect to only have one in the farmyard, and if he likes the burm I don’t have to worry about another moving under the barn? Or are they somewhat gregarious and any offspring they have will move in next door?

Thanks,
-pg

 

[Sqwirl57]

I have one rule for groundhogs on my property.

See groundhog, shoot groundhog in the face. Fin.

They'll be a problem eventually and I'm better off just taking the shot the first opportunity he gives me.

 

[shambozzie]

Hmmmmmm

 

[markT]

Friend of mine let them live for a few years. Then one decided to burrow under his building. Last count, he had trapped 16.

 

[luckybuckeye]

Bust the chuck. Once you have one, more will come. Once you eliminate the chuck others will move into the vacant hole. If it’s a female then males will come sniffing around.

 

[timmah]

Bust the chuck before it turns into chucks.

 

[Crabbypatties]

Never leave any strays

 

[PumaCarl]

Don't ever get soft on them. The damage they can do is incredible.

 

[qball]

If you don’t want property/foundation damage then the only good chuck is a dead chuck.

 

[6gun]

There has been a woodchuck living in the burm here are the farm off and on for a while. I never saw him, but his holes were quite obvious. I dumped used kitty litter and my compost bucket down his first hole, and he dug a new one. I urinated down his second hole and blocked the opening with a cinder block and then saw no evidence of him for two months. Today I actually saw the little turd leaving the flower garden and he was heading toward the burm. He has dug a new hole.

The question is, should I hunt him down. He isn’t causing any trouble in the burm, I just don’t want him undermining the barn or sheds. He keeps using the burm so that appears to be the favored location.

Are woodchucks territorial? Should I expect to only have one in the farmyard, and if he likes the burm I don’t have to worry about another moving under the barn? Or are they somewhat gregarious and any offspring they have will move in next door?

Thanks,
-pg

All rodents get the lead. All.

 

[Berserkeley Mike]

The chuck under the berm is largely independent of future chucks under the barn. A new one could move in under the barn whether or not you shoot the current chuck. The current one could raise a large family, some of which move under the barn, or they might attract a predator that keeps them from moving under the barn. Who knows? But it sounds like your problem isn't urgent, and that you frequently inspect your property.
Regarding the question of territoriality, which is a good question, it looks like they are, but in an area under around 100 yards in any direction, and certainly two territories could share a common border between your barn and berm.

Intrasexual Territoriality in Woodchucks (Marmota Monax)

Abstract. Species demonstrating intraspecific variation in social systems can be powerful models for understanding evolution of those systems. As a group, marmo

academic.oup.com

Figure 1 estimates the area of territory as under 10,000 square yards (or meters), Figure 2 shows there is limited overlap between territories, and Figure 3 shows how they may abut, which gets at your question.
FWIW, I have observed that some dogs really like to catch and eat wood chucks.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[N2 Shooter]

I have one rule for groundhogs on my property.

See groundhog, shoot groundhog in the face. Fin.

This is the only right answer.

 

[HogKiller]

If it digs, it dies, if it gnaws, it dies, if it eats my veggies, it dies.