- LAST UPDATED: December 20, 2023
Even though woodchucks are cute, when these burrowing rodents become pests in our area, most of us will have the desire to eradicate them.
Oh, woodchucks… These pesky invaders can easily find their way into your gardening or lawn, eating your plants and vegetables and digging destructive burrows. There are many forms of groundhog damage control available to farmers and homeowners. Lethal methods are one of them.
Don’t know how to choose the right way of eliminating destructive woodchucks? I know how. Below I provide several methods to kill woodchucks and other helpful eradication information.
The Best Air Rifle for Grounghogs: Shooting Option to Eliminate Woodchucks
If best groundhog deterrent and repellent options don’t work, consider shooting. This method of lethal woodchuck control can be considered a good option only if you live in a removed location. If you live in an urban area, shooting might be illegal.
Although landowners can use the shooting to reduce the groundhog population or maintain a low population where necessary, shooting is not the best way to eradicate groundhogs. Remember, a groundhog shot but not killed can be much more aggressive and dangerous. What’s more, this pest can present a real danger to pets and children if it gets away.
If you still want to use this method of groundhog eradication, consider buying these two best rifles for groundhogs:
1. Benjamin Marauder .22 Cal Air Rifle
The Benjamin Marauder .22-Caliber is the perfect weapon for taking down groundhogs. This rifle is silent but deadly, with a 10-round magazine and incredible accuracy at 50 yards. As a PCP air rifle, it requires no expensive ammunition, just pellets, and air. I can attest to its precision, as my Marauder always prints dime-sized groups at 50 yards. If you’re looking for a top-quality air rifle that won’t break the bank, the Benjamin Marauder is the one for you.
2. GAMO Whisper Fusion Mach 1 Air Rifle .22 Caliber
The GAMO Air Rifle is the perfect choice for hunters who want a powerful, quiet, and accurate gun. Made in Spain, this rifle shoots a 10-shot group at 25 yards. The noise reduction feature ensures that you won’t spook your prey, while the decisive .22 caliber round makes short work of groundhogs.
Lethal Trapping Ideas
Groundhogs have been a big problem for farmers for years. They quickly destroy plants. In fact, these rodents will feed on practically anything.
If you are not interested in trapping a woodchuck alive, you can use kill traps – used by experts – that can be set right over woodchucks’ dens. So how do these devices work? These heavy steel traps work quickly by snapping shut over the groundhog’s head, leading to a rodent’s death.
Conibear traps are the most widely-used steel traps to kill burrowing rodents. They almost instantly kill a woodchuck that tries to move through it. But these traps should only be used where you are sure the woodchuck is the only animal that will enter.
Conibear traps are usually placed inside the burrow to trap the burrowing rodent as it enters or leaves. If you are searching for the most effective woodchuck killing trap, consider buying this:
- BodyGrip 220 – effective killing trap suited for woodchuck. The trap holds strong animals with the help of two springs in the shape of a “V.” It is recommended to place the trap alongside the den.
Want to make the set easy? Purchase BodyGrip Trap Stand. The device will help you to set a lethal woodchuck trap up in a “standing” position.
Poisoning: Method of Fumigation
Want to know how to get rid of pesky groundhogs forever? When it becomes difficult to resolve the groundhog problem with standard woodchuck control approaches, many people turn to woodchucks’ poison. So, how to poison a groundhog? First, you are to know that different types of poison for groundhogs, which you can buy on the market, work in various ways.
The most effective, quick and effortless way of groundhog eradication is fumigation. This is a method under which fumigants – gaseous pesticides – are used to poison the woodchucks. The best time to use fumigants is in late April or early May. The most widely used fumigant for woodchucks’ eradication is Methyl Bromide. Another popular form of groundhog’s poison is Strychnine. This poison works by suffocating the pest rodent.
To control woodchucks you are to purchase gas cartridges that are very effective in killing burrowing rodents. The cartridges work by producing carbon monoxide gas that kills the groundhog by depriving it of oxygen.
Where to buy Gas Cartridges: at some garden centers or local farm stores.
How to carry out the fumigation method correctly?
- Find all the entrances to the woodchuck burrow and plug all but one with soil that will lock in the gas.
- Prepare the gas cartridge for placement by following the instructions on the label.
- Light the fuse.
- Put the gas cartridge inside the hole.
- Cover the hole to prevent the gas from escaping.
Remember, this method is only effective if the groundhog is actually in the burrow you fumigate. To test a burrow for activity, fill all entrances with grass or dirt clipping and check in 12 to 24 hours. If a burrowing rodent is inside the burrow, it will surely come out to feed over time.
Remember, gas cartridges should be handled carefully around flammable substances and areas as they create an ignition hazard.
It is better to observe the groundhog entering the burrow before fumigating. Treated caves can be occasionally reopened by another rodent reoccupying the burrow system. Retreatment may be necessary if this occurs.
I suggest buying the following:
1. The Giant Destroyer Gas Killer
The Giant Destroyer Super Gassers are effective smoke bombs that produce a particular gas when dropped into burrows. These fumigants will effectively kill groundhogs. The product consists of 4 tubes per card. The product has been used for many years and can rapidly kill woodchucks and/or other burrowing rodents in their holes and caves.
2. Revenge Rodents Smoke Bomb by Bonide
Revenge Rodents Smoke Bombs are efficient, quick, and reliable control on woodchucks. The product emits a thick, suffocating smoke into woodchucks’ burrows.
Where to use: on lawns, golf courses, parks, open fields, reforested areas, non-crop areas, and meadows.
If you can’t professionally solve your woodchuck problem, hire professionals. Remember, woodchuck extermination should be legal and safe.
