need help trapping woodchuck

vtbuckrulrss · 08-04-2003, 06:53 AM

any ideas out there, i have a live trap, about an 8 by 8 opening, that i have been trying to catch a woodchuck for family in. have had it tripped several, several times, always empty. have set it with both doors open, and with only one open, tripped every day, sometimes twice a day. used carrots, peas, lettuce for bait. bait outside trap is usually gone.other than a person tripping it, what could be doing it. resident animals are fox, raccoons, skunks, cats, probably rabbits. can see trails in the grass going right to the trap, only about4-6 inch beaten down trail in wet morning grass.

coyote caller · 08-04-2003, 09:29 AM

Pick up a couple 220 conibears and set them up by the entrance of the woodchucks hole. Remember a woodchuck has more than one entrance hole. One den can have as many as 6 different holes. Good luck with your trapping

vtbuckrulrss · 08-04-2003, 09:54 AM

i have an uncle that traps, that also recommended a foothold, or snare, but i can' t do it there because this is a residential area, and the homeowners have a cat which they don' t wish to take the chance of being caught in.

plinker772000 · 08-04-2003, 02:55 PM

This is the only advice I can give you...

Shoot It.

No need for thank you' s. I know how excellent my advice is.

vtbuckrulrss · 08-08-2003, 10:56 AM

oh, i can' t shoot the critter where it is, and the homeowners called last night to imform me that they observed the woodchuck trying to reach through, from the side to get the bait, instead of going in it like he should. that must be how he keeps tripping it. how to fix that problem?

coyote caller · 08-08-2003, 01:00 PM

Sounds to me that you may need a larger trap. If the woodchuck is able to reach in and grab the bait, your trap isn' t big enough for woodchucks. The idea of a live trap is to get the animal completely inside the trap before he' s able to trip the door.

vtbuckrulrss · 08-09-2003, 10:01 AM

coyote, he isn' t reaching from the end and grabbing the bait, he is trying to get at it from the sides. i wonder if the trap doors have shut on him before, and now it is cautious and is trying a different approach for the bait.

whistle pig · 08-10-2003, 07:06 AM

Put hay or straw bales,or paneling on the sides so they cant reach in.Racoon are known to do this so I wiretied paneling on the sides and you should have him in the next few days