Is it legal for me to trap a groundhog?

Groundhogs are also known as woodchucks, and they are in the squirrel family. They can weigh over 14 pounds and they may reach 25 inches in height, including the tail. They have yellowish-brown fur; sometimes it can be blackish. They have bushy tails with short legs. In winter, they hibernate within underground burrows and they will dig leaving a small slope behind. The winter burrow may be in a wooded place and the summer burrow can be in a grassy or agricultural field where food can be found. In some cases, they can have a home under a barn. A groundhog is typically a territorial animal, and if it is during the breeding period, it will do its best to defend the burrow against the intruders.

You can trap a groundhog using an apple in the trap. There is no need to have a permit to do the trapping. If it is not on your property, then you should get the permission of the property manager or a landowner before trapping or releasing it on his property. In case it is not illegal to shoot a groundhog in your area, it can be the best way to reduce or maintain a low population of woodchucks. It is possible to capture or kill the groundhog any time without needing to have a permit to do so. There is a concern about wild animals and people are not willing having them around like pets or home animals. There are many reasons for this.

In case you are not willing to have the groundhog enter the property so that they can eat the plants there, then you should install a fence around the entire home. You have to be able to bury the wire so that it may reach up to 12 inches underground. This means that they will not be able to dig to enter your property. You can also install an electric wire fence of at least 5 inches so that it can discourage digging or climbing under the fence.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Groundhogs page or email us if you have any other questions about Is it legal for me to trap a groundhog?