What to Do with Trapped Groundhogs
A groundhog on your property can cause extensive damage. Removing the groundhog is imperative to reduce the risk of the damage spreading and continuing.
Stopping that damage requires that you trap the groundhog. Trapping a groundhog is somewhat easy to do, thankfully. There are several options available for trapping and baiting, allowing you to manage this without much difficulty.
Once caught, though, you have to figure out what to do. To ensure that the groundhog does not bother you and that you are not breaking laws, or putting the groundhog at risk, you want to know what plan of action is best.
This is well within your control and you can release the groundhog with minimal issues popping up.
After Catching It
Once you trap the groundhog, you do not want to have it sit around for too long. If you leave the groundhog in the trap for too long, it will go without necessary food, water, and shelter. Be humane about this and take action immediately. Once you trap the groundhog, find a place to release it.
Do not simply release it back into the yard, obviously. It will stick around so long as there is food, water, and shelter in abundance – which is why it went to your yard in the first place.
Keep it in the trap and keep the trap somewhere secure. When you are ready to move the groundhog, having it in the trap will make matters easy. You do not want to handle the animal at any point for your own and its safety.
Figuring Out What to Do
There are two options here. The first is to find a safe, appropriate space to release the groundhog. Find somewhere that is not private property, unless you have the okay of the property owner, and that has plenty of resources for the animal.
You want to make sure the release location has food, water, and shelter and is a good place to release the groundhog.
Some areas do not allow the relocation of a groundhog. If that is the case where you live, you will have to kill it or go with the second option – animal control.
Another option is to contact animal control. Animal control can come and remove the groundhog for you, releasing it where appropriate. This might be the best option for anyone who does not want to handle the animal or release themselves.
Managing a caught groundhog is not that hard. You can release it yourself somewhere safe and appropriate, or you can contact animal control. Either option is good for the groundhog and better for you.
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