So we had a groundhog in our back yard which I have never seen before here in New Haven...

[CTyankee]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the General Discussion forum).

and I wondered why he/she would visit us. In all our years here (30 plus), I've never seen one. We found a humane "re-locator" who trapped it and relocated it in a friendly park nearby.

Was wondering if groundhogs are just prone to paying visits to backyards or if something else might be going on. It certainly wasn't in distress.

Maybe it just got lost on its way someplace else...and got around our wood fencing. We keep it mowed most of the year.

[Emile]

1. I have a small hillside and creek in my backyard. I see

groundhogs from time to time. Do you have water nearby?

[CTyankee]

2. No. We live on a city street. However, we are not far from the Yale Golf Course, which is a woodland

course and environmentally safe and sound.

[brewens]

6. Our local course is known for what we call "rock chucks" in the west. The cartoon "Chucky" is

on their gear. You inevitably see them munching on clover patches if they aren't actually up on the rock ledges.

[CTyankee]

9. This might be of interest...

https://news.yale.edu/1998/03/20/yale-talk-focuses-creating-ecological-diversity-golf-courses-innovative-designs-wetlands

[brewens]

16. They wouldn't dare get rid of them and only once in a while have to trap one that is destructive

and move it. It's right near the Snake River bluffs in north central Idaho. It would take a lot to get rid of them anyway. Those things are thick around here.

[Hortensis]

3. May be. We have a new one also, which a camera we put up shows

him/her ignoring plenty of wilderness woods and pasture to make his way to and from under our front porch each day. He doesn't like cantaloup or other recommended trap baits, and we may have to hire someone to catch him. All our rural friends say he cannot be allowed to remain, and have stories to illustrate.

Congrats on yours peaceful departure.

[blue neen]

4. We see them in our backyard all the time.

Western PA. They love to eat your flowers!

[CTyankee]

7. No flowers here. I don't garden which is why our back yard has grass and that's about it.

I love our wood fencing which we have had replaced once in all these years. It looks good and woodsey and we have some nice mature trees. It's nice but not manicured. When we sell or die, a young family might just have a lovely play area for their children, but not without leveling the ground a bit because you could easily fall on its uneven surface.

[brewens]

5. Do you have clover? They love clover. n/t

[CTyankee]

8. We could very well have clover but I don't know...I should look!

[madinmaryland]

10. I worked at a firm in Danbury 30 years ago and they used to roam

All over the property. Of course, they had pond and it was in a wooded area about 0.5 miles south of I-84 before the New York State line.

[Model35mech]

11. ground hogs are as common as gray squirrels on my retirement farm

Where you see one you're probably in the home range of 3 or 4 more.

They get into trouble when they dig around stone foundations and porch supports, and at least at my place, they tend to much like dry places like under the veranda and deck, where they periodically compete for old holes with skunks.

I have tried many things to dissuade them with not overwhelming success. One of the things I've noticed is that when the coyote population goes up the lawn-pigs tend to go down.

Welded wire fencing seems to keep them out of my raised garden plots.

[NickB79]

12. We had tons of them on our farm in Minnesota

Always digging under the corn cribs and eating in the soybean fields. Never really caused any trouble, so we left them alone. The babies are adorable when they're out of their burrows.

My grandparents, who were kids in the Depression, said they tasted like pork when you cooked them up right.

[Shermann]

13. They are like big meaty squirrels! nt

[Vinca]

14. We had one take up residence under a porch a few years back. He pretty much stayed

the summer, then left. A couple of weeks ago I had a real shocker, though. All winter I'd been feeding a couple of opossums. Don't ask me why, but I like them. Anyhow, being well aware of taking down bird feeders because they attract bears - and doing so on the timetable suggested - I foolishly continued feeding the possums. Not anymore. I looked out the back door one night around 10 and about 15 feet away there were 2 very large black bears polishing off the food I'd left for my possum friends. I've seen a single bear around before, but never that close or that big. One headed straight for the back door which kind of freaked me out. I yelled at them through the door and banged on the door and eventually they ambled off. No more food for my little furry buddies until December 1.

[doc03]

15. Probably one of last years pups looking to start

a family.

[Freddie]

17. We had them when we lived outside of town (PA)

Do you have a shed? They like to live under sheds as we discovered. Watch your step as they will dig holes in your lawn. I was surprised at how big they are, bigger than the 20-lb cat we had then.

[Easterncedar]

18. They're a pest

I live in a small city and they will climb two flights of outdoor stairs to eat flowers in pots on a deck. I have trapped and relocated many. Now I try to protect my gardens with hot pepper granules.

We had a giant last year we called Jabba the Chuck.

Last month I saw a huge one grazing on the grass in the dry moat around Osaka castle, in Japan, with a nice burrow under the inner castle wall. They are everywhere.

[Sneederbunk]

19. Considering the welcome he received, probably not coming back.

[Omaha Steve]

20. After a review by forum hosts, locking........

Hosts have decided this belongs in the Lounge.

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