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peacebird Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:09 PM
Original message
garden question - thought it was deer, used "liquid fence" BUT
today (home due to back spasms) I see the culprit! It's a GROUNDHOG knocking over lilles to eat the buds and leaning on sunflowers to strip leaves until His Bulkiness breaks their stalks...!

Help! What deters Groundhogs?!?!?


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hobbit709 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:10 PM
Response to Original message
1. hungry dog
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Canuckistanian Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:12 PM
Response to Reply #1
5. Rottweilers work well, in my experience
As long as you don't mind your garde beind destroyed.
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RebelOne Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-16-06 12:07 PM
Response to Reply #5
27. Not my Rottweiler. All she would want to do is play with it. n/t
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peacebird Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:13 PM
Response to Reply #1
7. methinks my 15 year old cat would object to a dog.....
any other options?

sigh...

(i'm new to the country life, trying to do it all organic etc....)
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HarukaTheTrophyWife Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-16-06 11:37 AM
Response to Reply #7
23. You need to toughen that cat up.
My 14 year old Midnight gets rid of them. She's an attack cat. I wouldn't be surprised if she treed a bear. Would you want to fuck with this cat?

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chascaz Donating Member (181 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:10 PM
Response to Original message
2. Their shadows? n/t
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htuttle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:12 PM
Response to Original message
3. Only one thing I can think of
Carl Spackler



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CottonBear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:24 PM
Response to Reply #3
11. Great minds think alike!
;) I saw Caddyshack in the theaters! It was great the first time I saw it. Tiger Woods said that it is the best golf movie ever! ;)
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CottonBear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:12 PM
Response to Original message
4. Try this tactic:
Edited on Thu Jun-15-06 05:16 PM by CottonBear

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htuttle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:13 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. LOL! GMTA!
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CottonBear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:20 PM
Response to Reply #6
10. "Varmint Cong"
Edited on Thu Jun-15-06 05:23 PM by CottonBear
:rofl:
Carl Spackler: What an incredible Cinderella story, this unknown comes outta no where to lead the pack, at Augusta. He's on his final hole, he's about 455 yards away - he's gonna hit about a two-iron I think. Oh he got all of that one! The crowd is standing on its feet here, the normally reserved Augusta crowd - going wild - for this young Cinderella, he's come outta no where, he's got about 350 yards left, he's gonna hit about a five-iron, don't you think? He's got a beautiful backswing - that's - Oh he got all of that one! He's gotta be pleased with that, the crowd is just on its feet here, uh - He's the Cinderella boy, uh - tears in his eyes I guess as he lines up this last shot, he's got about 195 yards left, he's got about a - its looks like he's got about an eight-iron. This crowd has gone deathly silent, the Cinderella story, outta no where, a former greenskeeper now - about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac - It's in the Hole!

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peacebird Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:15 PM
Response to Reply #4
8. somehow I think Bill Murray is out of my price range....
:lol:


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CottonBear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:19 PM
Response to Reply #8
9. A groundhog is bigger than a gopher. You'll need more explosives.
A lot more explosives. :evilgrin:
Carl Spackler: Pay no attention to that bush, moving around over there by that tree, it's just a bush. Nothing to look twice at. Nothing to be alarmed about. This looks like it could be gravy. I smell varmint poontang, and the only good varmint poontang is dead varmint poontang. Freeze gopher!

Carl Spackler: License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior firepower and superior intelligence. And that's all she wrote.

http://humor.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.carlspackler.com/main%2Dmulti.html

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peacebird Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:25 PM
Response to Reply #9
13. just chased it off again as another sunflower bit the dust....
I know they must eat too - but I have 5 acres and only want to protect a small strip around the house for goodness sake! I let them have the apple trees, the peaches.... The cherries....

sigh.


A puppy - perhaps that's the ticket - but in deference to my ancient asthmatic cat the dog would have to live outside....

And that would break my heart - I mean - he's either part of the family or not, ya know? And Shadow would NEVER acquiese to a DOG being part of the family....

The trials of bleedingheart liberals....
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CottonBear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:28 PM
Response to Reply #13
15. Try an electric fence.
Edited on Thu Jun-15-06 05:29 PM by CottonBear
You can get ones made for orchards, gardens, fish ponds and such. They come in solar powered or plug in versions. Try looking at a farm supply place or a garden shop. It wouldn't have to be very tall, maybe even just one wire at the right height. An electric fence keeps my 1,000 pound horse in her pasture. It packs quite a (harmless) wallop as I have found out when I brush against it by mistake.
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China_cat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-16-06 12:32 PM
Response to Reply #15
32. Electric fences don't do any good
with animals that burrow. Like groundhogs. They just go under the fencing.

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WeRQ4U Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:24 PM
Response to Original message
12. Pellet guns
:hide:

Or Falconry.
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peacebird Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:28 PM
Response to Reply #12
14. pellet guns?
Would they not harm the creature? Just scare him away?

(hell - I can't even shoot copperheads - I bag and release way out in the woods) (black widows I can kill however)
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CottonBear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:30 PM
Response to Reply #14
17. Pellet guns could seriously injure or disable the poor creature
Edited on Thu Jun-15-06 05:31 PM by CottonBear
causing it to suffer. I suppose one could kill a groundhog with a gun but it might be ilelgal (wildlife laws and gun laws regulating hunting in towns and urbanm areas.)

I'd try an electric fence and maybe borrow a dog.
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peacebird Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:35 PM
Response to Reply #17
18. I'll look into electric fence - I wouldn't want to hurt the little beast
And what the hell - the birds planted the sunflowers in my border anyhow - not me so.....

perhaps live and let live is in order
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CottonBear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:37 PM
Response to Reply #18
20. The electric fence will not hurt them.
It's high voltage but low amperage. I've been zapped by a super dooper horse farm electric fence and I was fine (except for that temporary tingling feeling in my diaphragm and behind my knees!)
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WeRQ4U Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-16-06 11:34 AM
Response to Reply #12
22. It was a joke.
The smilie was supposed to convey that. It obviously didn't. Actually, unless you live out in the boonies someplace, it's highly likley that it would be illegal to try to kill them with a pellet gun. I'm not sure.
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htuttle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:30 PM
Response to Original message
16. Here's a long shot possibility (depends on the varmint)
You could try scattering a goodly amount of stinky (used) cat litter around the perimeter of your garden. If the varmint is afraid of cats, it might help for a while (until it realizes that it never actually sees a cat).

It's easy (and free), anyway.

:shrug:
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CottonBear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:36 PM
Response to Original message
19. Electric fence links:
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peacebird Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-15-06 05:42 PM
Response to Reply #19
21. thanks for the links CottonBear!
:hi:
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anarch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-16-06 11:38 AM
Response to Original message
24. probably the best thing is to set one of these loose in the garden:


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China_cat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-16-06 11:46 AM
Response to Original message
25. .22 longs
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gardenista Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-16-06 12:01 PM
Response to Reply #25
26. Exactly what I was going to say...
They can clean out a 100' row of brocolli in one night.

Either that or a big ol' farm dog.
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China_cat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-16-06 12:31 PM
Response to Reply #26
31. Actually, you'd want a smaller dog
dashchund or terrier that can go into the burrows after them. We learned to shoot on the groundhogs and crows.

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RebelOne Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-16-06 12:09 PM
Response to Reply #25
28. If you are talking about .22-caliber bullets, I don't agree.
I can't advocate killing the animal.
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China_cat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-16-06 12:29 PM
Response to Reply #28
29. I grew up on a farm.
Groundhogs are pests. That's why it's open season on them and crows.

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MadHound Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-16-06 12:29 PM
Response to Original message
30. Make your plants taste horrible to the groundhog
And you can do that with Hot Pepper Wax.<http://www.hotpepperwax.com/>

I was having the same problem as you with critters eating my garden, and I mixed up a doublt strength batch of Hot Pepper Wax, and I've had no problems.

You can smell how potent the stuff is when you open it, just imagine what it tastes like:puke:

Good luck, hope it works out well.
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peacebird Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-16-06 06:20 PM
Response to Reply #30
33. I'll try the hot pepper wax - the "liquid fence" stinks something awful
and keeps the deer away, but obviously the groundhog doesn't have a "delicate" nose.......
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