Well, since Phillipe dug under the fence, we placed a trap right were he dug in and surrounded it with logs, so the only place he could go, once under the fence, was straight into the trap. We first baited it with apples and peanut butter and this is what we caught:
Oops!! At least it wasn't a skunk...I'm honestly afraid that we might catch one accidentally. Then what do you do?
Well, we reset the trap with plain apples right away before Brian left for work. Within a few hours, this is what we caught:
HA HA!! I GOT YOU PHILLIPE!!! I tricked you, you old stinky, pesky, annoying, pea-destroying, tomato-eating, filthy groundhog!! Looking at him up close, this one has been through a few rounds in the ring. He has scars on his head, ear, and long scars down his back, no doubt from where he squeezed under a sharp fence to get delicious garden goods.
I considered our options. 1) Shoot him; but it isn't our trap and a .22 might go through and damage the trap. 2) Give him some ethylene glycol. But I couldn't get a cup into the trap, and that seemed a little cruel (but we're not allowed to discharge a firearm where we are...). 3) Let him go.
This is what we did: (don't worry, it's not gross, I wouldn't post that)
We took him behind a shopping center 2 miles away and let him go--boy was he fast! And kind of stupid, he kept ramming into the cage with his nose trying to get out, giving himself a bloody nose. Oh well. There's also a few major roads between where we left him and our house...so maybe someone else's nice big car will take care of him if he tries to come back. We put the trap back into place in the garden, but without bait, just in case.
Today I made three batches of strawberry jam (yum!!). I feel so domestic. :) I stepped onto the deck to shake out the colander and happen to look at the garden. What did my eyes behold? ANOTHER groundhog! Grr....if it's the same one, it will not be able to come back. If it is Phillipe's wife...she will be relocated...maybe. This weekend: planting the garden. We MUST keep out these pesky groundhogs if we're going to get any food from our hard labor!
Please don't think I'm cruel for wanting to get rid of pests. Sure, I thought groundhogs were cute at first, but once an animal gets into your garden that you have worked so hard to grow and it eats your family's food...it's war.
4 comments:
I can't believe all the trouble you've had with that groundhog! Makes our squash bugs look like nothing. Good luck getting rid of groundhog #2!
I can totally hear your voice reading this post about Phillipe. I say go for the .22. (nice little hat for Adam) I'd be just as upset if I worked so hard on a garden and then had someone steal it. Our garden is going to have to wait until next year.
Wow! You have a whole zoo of animals in your backyard! :) Maybe gardening in pots on our balcony is not such a bad thing - we only have to contend with the occasional snail eating the strawberries. :) Can't wait to see pictures of your fruits/veggies once they do grow...
WOW. Congrats on getting rid of him!
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