Woke up this morning in the metro Detroit area to this little dude dragging his sack over my lawn and nibbling some blades. First time homeowner and suburbanite in general so what am I looking at and how best should I deal with it? Thanks in advance!
by Cup-n-BallHog
38 Comments
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Are critters causing damage? If not, then leave nature alone. If so, maybe try a trap and relocate. In the meantime, cut your lawn.
Dragging his sack over my lawn 😂😂😂
He noticed you weren’t gonna cut your grass so he’s just trying to help you out
60/40 16 mesh black pepper to coarse ground kosher salt. 225 over post oak for about 9 hrs. Might be a little gamey though.
That’s his lawn. You better ask him the options
IMO need to adopt the mentality of we own our land from humans, but otherwise we are shepherds of the land. It’s important to co exist with wildlife, it’s their planet too.
Just let it be. I have squirrels digging up my lawn causing uneven turf … it’s nature. One day you will die and no one will care how wonderful your lawn is or was. It’s not going to ravage your lawn.
Thats a groundhog, he will be more interested in eating your flowers and shrubs than your grass. Usually won’t dig a hole in the middle of your yard. They will do it under sheds and garages, and up against foundations. They usually have multiple entry/exit points, so you can’t flood them out.
Put cayenee pepper. Thats what i do to deter dogs going my lawn. Cant stand them!
You should be a lot more worried about your foundation integrity than your lawn when it comes to woodchucks. They like to dig big tunnel systems under your house/shed/garage foundation and cause it to you know….collapse.
I’d just keep an eye out around your yard. If you find a burrow entrance near your house it is time for animal control to trap and evict.
You asking for name suggestions? Cute little guy!
Embrace him softly, welcome him into your home, make a new friend; change his life AND yours!
Watch for baby bunnies in your lawn and mow slow when you do. It’s a very traumatic experience if you don’t. They love to take shelter in grass that high and don’t move until you’re right on them. This is prime baby bunny season.
Nice marmot.
Go outside and mow your lawn, wack some weeds. He’ll learn quick your lawn isn’t a great spot to hang out
Say hi?
Give him a little hat!
Ned Ryerson???!!!
Unless he’s doing damage don’t worry about it.
Definitely some kind of marmot. Whether or not it’s a groundhog though I’m not sure
Thats a groundhog. See if he keeps returning, as he might just be passing through. They can be very destructive and territorial (mean). If he keeps returning, consult with a pest control company to remove him professionally. I wouldn’t try and get rid of him yourself unless you know what you’re doing.
Have you heard the teachings of our lord and savior “the lawn mower”?
Nice marmot.
Why would you need to do anything if he’s just passing through? Nibbling on a few grass blades isn’t going to hurt anything.
Get a cat
They’re good done on the grill….
We had one living under our shed until my wife looked outside one morning and saw a coyote with a ground hog in its mouth. Never seen one under the shed after that.
I like to call these lil guys land beavers
Most of these comments are ridiculous. He’s not going to damage your lawn or foundation. He’ll dig his burrow and eat leaves. Just let him be.
We have one he’s been here for years in the neighborhood. Doesn’t do anything to my lawn. Kids love him.
What fucked my lawn was grubs. Addressing that eventually solved all my problems. All the skunks and grub lovers moved to my neighbors and I didn’t wake up with patches all over my beautiful lawn.
did you try a ‘ no tresspassing” sign? usually a good start.
Won’t need anything bigger than a 22.
That’s a funny looking dog
Also he probably already has a burrow in your neighbor’s yard.
Nice marmot
https://i.redd.it/hh7hesb7b5wg1.gif
Use a large live trap baited with cantaloupe and placed under cover along his path (under a bush, covered with a towel, etc.). Wear rubber gloves when you handle the trap to minimize your scent on it. Woodchucks are surprisingly good at avoiding being trapped.
I wouldn’t listen to the people who say that you should just let him live his life and coexist with him. That is good advice when it comes to opossums, but woodchucks are a problem. They can undermine your foundation and devour your landscape plants. I would make a concerted effort to capture him or run him off.
Don’t try to kill him. From your picture, it looks like you are not in a place where you could shoot him with a firearm, and a woodchuck will shrug off anything less than a .22 subsonic. They are famous for soaking up lead and surviving, so slingshots, air rifles, etc. will only wound him and make him suffer.