Groundhog adventures

It's been a while, but not for lack of things happening at the farm! Quite the opposite, actually, we've been SO busy. So, look forward to many updates in the next week or so.

A couple of weeks ago, a groundhog decided to take up residence in the terraced garden next to the house -- either that or it was unlucky enough to wander by and get chased into the rock wall by one or both of the dogs. Regardless of the reason, we were quickly alerted to its presence by Oliver's incessant barking. At the time it was wedged between a large stepping stone and the house siding. Jessie and I had a simple solution for the problem; we put the dogs inside, grabbed a long stick and pushed it out the other side of the rock. As we watched the brown furry rodent run from us we commented on how cute it is and how afraid it must be and congratulated ourselves on a job well done. To our horror, we then watched the beast take a sharp left and dive into a hole between two rocks in the wall supporting the terraced garden under the porch. Crap.

Groundhogs not only can cause major destruction with their burrows, but also they can devastate a garden in short order. We wanted nothing to do with it. Not knowing the gender of our squatter had us even more concerned as it was spring, and babies can come very quickly.

The first evening we set up a small Have-a-heart trap that we found in the basement baited with what a quick Google search informed us was a sure thing: Cantaloupe.

No luck.

To add injury to insult we could hear the thing moving around in the hole and could see bits of insulation from the outside of the basement in the entrance of the hole. Olive set up a post next to the trap and rock wall and would not leave the spot for the entire day. She refused walks with us, and lost all interest in a chipmunk eating bird seed only feet from her location. I question if she even relieved herself during her watch.

The second day we picked up a larger Have-a-heart trap and baited it with not only cantaloupe, but also with bread and peanut butter, and carrots. This combination was a success! We finally caught something. Oliver. He couldn't resist the peanut butter and carrots.

Our first catch in the trap

Day three. Olive keeps her vigil and the woodchuck gives us the finger.

Day four. Jessie and I left the house to run errands for a couple of hours and brought the dogs with us, leaving the house quiet and woodchuck unmolested. Bingo. We came home to a trapped woodchuck. Yippee!!!!

We lifted up the trap and checked it's belly for evidence of lactation. Thankfully, there was no sign.

Jessie and I rock, paper, scissored for it and Jessie ends up taking it about 10 miles away, across a river and releases it in a clearing under some power lines. She tells me that it took off the second the trap was opened. Hopefully never to be seen again.

Ready to be relocated and looking quite scared