I was asked to help control the over populated groundhogs on a large field right up the street. Iplan ontrapping them in box traps in order to avoid harming the free-roaming cats and to be able to relocate them instead of shooting them. Would it be possible for the groundhogs to survive if I did this, or would it be better to just finish them off when they're in the trap?

I have also found 4 small sculls (I believe they are groundhog skulls) layinginfront ofdifferent groundhog holes. Could this be young groundhogs that died due to over population?

cant you just setup on them with some small bore rifles or somthin? Shoot'em in the trap, they're no good for anyone anywhere. the skulls are probbably from groundhogs that died from somthing killing them before they could make it back to the hole. groundhogs cant get overpopulated, the just keep spreading out their holes

Trap them and the free ranging cats! Feral cats are almost as bads as the varmints...hard on local song and gamebird population!

Just go to your local agricultural store and get some gopher bombs. Wait until nightime when they are in their dens and cover up the holes. Drop one of the bombs down the hole and poison the little buggers. Fill in the holes and problem solved.

We get somthing called golden spectra at the local elevator, I think its accualy a fly bait/poison. You pour it in to a frisbee or something with a similar shape and add a can of coke....the soda. All the animal has to do is breath it and the drop feet sometimes inches from the frisbee...works well, just keep it away from dogs(unwanted) and kids(unwanted)...just kiddin

Just set up on the edges of the fields that their holes are in, after a while they'll pop their heads out and whap!!!, anything from a 17 to a 243 is good medicine. I know some that use their 06's.

when i trap them i keep them in the trap and see if they can still swim

Thats crule!!!! I like it... lol

i do lol and sometimes the 12 gauges but most of the time my .22 gets to see most of the action, but if i were you id just kill them they are a pest to anyone, they dig holes that catttle and horses can get there legs stuck in and break their leg, they destroy farmers crops just really a big pain in the butt. As for the skulls that could also be from a golpher that had been shot by someone and the other golphers eating them right by their holes cause they tend to drag the dead body right by their holes so if danger approaches they dont have far to got to hide but they wont bring it in the hole cause they also tend to be neat freaks, they like a clean den.

I'm not sure why you would want to trap and release them. You will put the same burden on someone else that the farmers are dealing with now.

Tuck them in for a dirt nap and be done with it.