OT RANT: Woodchuck Plague Even Worse Than Usual
On Jun 20, 8:48*am, (Jack) wrote:
The east side property line is a paradise for woodchucks -- which are
called groundhogs here -- because it is defined by a line of about 50
mulberry and black cherry trees. *There's also a barbed wire fence.
The 'hogs are smart enough to excavate connecting burrows on either
side of the fence. *This eliminates the use of smoke bombs because you
need access to clog-up each hole. *That's hard to do with a barbed
wire fence. Those battery-powered noisemaking stakes don't work
either. *Instead of being driven away by the noise, the 'hogs attack
and destroy them. *The best solution the past 32 years has been a 12
gauge shotgun, but 'hogs ain't easy to hunt. *They are wary, and enjoy
excellent eyesight, hearing, and olfaction.
Had a guest who suffered a sprained ankle by inadvertently stepping
into a hole. *On another occasion a tractor wheel got stuck and it was
hell trying to free it. *Last year a 'hog ignored the vacant burrows
along the east side and started a new one under the house foundation.
But the worst problem are the piles of dirt and rocks outside the
burrows. *You have two options on mowing day: rake the debris back
into the hole, or carefully mow around the piles. *The second option
is better because if you continually rake the debris back into the
hole, the 'hog gets ****ed-off and starts a new hole. *Don't need any
new burrows.
On the bright side, I wounded one today, looked like a big alpha male.
A wound is as good as an outright kill because the infection will
finish him shortly. *But the news spread fast. *Not a half hour later,
a smaller one scampered along the row apparently to claim the more
desirable burrow where the big guy lived and which features both a
white and black mulberry tree within a few feet of it.
You need to get yourself a badger.
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