How to Get Rid of Woodchucks

Live-Trapping

• 1

  Contact your local animal control agency and ask about the legality of trapping woodchucks. In some states, you may need a permit to trap them. Also ask about where to release the animal once you've caught it.

• 2

  Find the active burrow of the woodchuck in question. Since they're diurnal, watch the affected area around dusk to see where they go.

• 3

  Bait the wire trap with fruit or vegetables such as apple slices or carrots. Follow the instructions on the wire trap to know where to place the bait.

• 4

  Place the trap near the entrance to the burrow at night. In the morning when the woodchuck is ready to forage, the trap should lure it in.

• 5

  Check the trap frequently; it is inhumane to leave an animal in it to starve or become traumatized.

Fencing

• 6

  Dig a trench at least 1-foot deep around your garden. The trench needs to be wide enough for you to work in the wire-mesh fence.

• 7

  Install a wire-mesh fence around your garden or what the groundhog is eating. They are good climbers and excel at digging, so the fence you purchase should be 5-feet tall -- 3 to 4-feet above the ground with at least one foot buried below the ground.

• 8

  Replace any soil around where the fence is buried.

• 9

  Place an electric fence wire 4 to 5-inches above the ground around the perimeter of the fence for added protection.