Groundhogs which also go by the name of woodchucks, are rodents that rather big in size. They commonly found in the northern parts of the United States and their main diet consists of plants. They are also very good diggers and often dig many tunnels underground. Because of these reasons, many people find that a nuisance and complain of:

• Large burrows right next to their houses
• Concrete collapsing due to their digging tunnels
• Use the decks or shed as shelters
• Vegetations, crops and planets are eaten

No wonder that people insist of getting rid of these pesky critters in any way possible. They can simply be frustrating to get rid of however and that is why some people resort to shooting the animals in order to eliminate them from their property. In this article we will be discussing how this is done.



Lethal Traps
Consider to be the most common way to kill a groundhog, lethal traps are positioned around and/or near entrances of the Boston groundhog’s burrows - especially those that they use most often (high traffic areas). However, the problem with using traps like these, can be that they may not always kill the groundhog instantly which is not a very humane way of killing such animals. It can also be very difficult to find the correct entrances and exits of their burrows and you may end up wasting a lot of time in the process.

Poison
Another way to get rid of a groundhog permanently is by using poison. A groundhog will obviously be very active in your vegetation and plants for sure so placing your poison in those areas is simple enough. However, there are myriad of problems when trying to use this method. There is the dilemma of making sure that only the groundhog makes contact with the poison and not any animals that you own such as dogs and cats which most likely be roaming around in the area as well. Also, if the poison does in fact do its job of killing a Massachusetts groundhog, you might not easily find its remains especially, if it eventually dies inside its burrow. The subsequent smell of the rotting corpse may attract other pesky animals to your property which is an altogether other level of headache for you.

Shooting
Shooting a groundhog is probably the fastest and most straightforward of methods when trying to kill one. This is considered the go to method of people living in rural areas and for those who have good marksmanship skills. When shooting a groundhog your intention is to kill not maim. Maiming a groundhog is not a good idea as an injured groundhog can be even more aggressive and unpredictable than a healthy one. This can be very unsafe for any children and animals in your property so be very careful when doing so.

Once It’s Dead
Dealing with a carcass of an animal such as a groundhog can be whole other set of problems for you. You may want to check your areas laws and regulations because these usually have specifications of what type of animals you are allowed to kill. There are also laws about how to properly dispose of carcasses and not to mention as like most rodents, they maybe rife with many diseases. For this particular reason alone, you should probably consider not killing the groundhog. There are many alternative ways to get groundhogs off of your property which are both humane and safe.

Alternatives
There could be many reasons why you wouldn’t want to kill animal even if it is as pesky as a Boston groundhog. We already mentioned that dealing with the carcass of a dead groundhog can be very problematic on its own but even if you just don’t like killing general, your best option is probably go by some of these alternatives:

Exclusion fencing
Killing one groundhog is not a permanent solution to your problem. Obviously, other groundhogs will come alone and then you will have to kill those too. This is not the best solution in the long run obviously. Therefore, a better way and more permanent solution would be to secure your property and make it less interesting or attractive for groundhogs. This is what we call exclusion fencing. Exclusion fencing may not be the most attractive way to keep your precious garden, yard or crops but a small consolation is that nowadays, there are now many ways to disguise or hide it. This method also includes covering up holes or cavities beneath your property, sealing it with wire mesh. Cavities such as these can be very attractive for groundhogs who are looking for new places to live in. That is why you need to make sure that they are well sealed up.

Repellents
Another method is by using repellents. These repellents can either be bought or found in your very own home already. These can be very effective ways to keep those pesky rodents off your property for good.

To learn more about our Boston Groundhog trapping services, visit the Boston animal removal home page.