Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, hibernate from October through February and start breeding season shortly thereafter. Therefore, an abundance of groundhogs will soon set their sights on eating gardens, digging burrows and conflicting with human neighbors.
The Humane Society of the United States has three simple ways to keep groundhogs from hogging your garden.
* Scare them: To discourage frequent visits to your garden, place objects in the area that will reflect sunlight and continually move in the breeze such as tethered Mylar party balloons, “animal scaring” balloons with faces (big eyes work well) or a length of Mylar tape.
* Exclude them: Groundhogs do not like to climb unstable fences, so installing a 3- to 4-foot-high “floppy” barrier around a garden can help keep them away. Use 16-gauge 2- by 3-inch garden wire fencing, and make an “L” shape that extends the mesh outward parallel to the ground by 12 inches. Next, pin this portion securely to the ground with landscaping staples. This barrier will discourage any animal from digging under the fence. Make sure the top portion of the mesh is not taut when securing it to fence posts so that it wobbles when challenged, preventing the groundhogs from climbing over it.
* Displace them: If you want to move groundhogs permanently away from your yard or garden, you’ll have to disrupt the burrows in which they live. This must be done outside the time when dependent young are in the burrow. Steps outlining how to do this humanely can be found at www.humanesociety.org (click on animals, then select woodchucks under Wild Neighbors).