Woodchucks, or groundhogs, can become a year-round headache for farmers, gardeners, and homeowners. Despite their relatively small build, groundhogs can quickly destroy a large amount of farmland.
Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar sat down with Brenda González and Chris Nickell, co-owners of Finca Seremos in Callicoon Center, who shared how farmers may navigate these furry critters.
At Finca Seremos, González said they’re monitoring a complex burrow system in the middle of their field, which they found when they first moved onto the land.
“Once [the groundhogs] got active, they took out a ton of our kale [and] a ton of our collards. They went after our kohlrabi leaves,” said González. “They have been persistent little groundhogs.”
Nickell said they’ve picked up a few tricks for trapping groundhogs, like understanding their eating habits. They were able to catch one groundhog by baiting it with its favorite plant: tomatillos. “We ended up trapping it with tomatillo leaves because we noticed that was what it was gravitating towards,” they said.
Every state has its own set of regulations for managing nuisance animals. You can visit the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) website if you’re in N.Y. and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Gaming Commission’s website if you’re in P.A.
One option in New York State is to find a nuisance wildlife control operator licensed by the DEC to handle and remove wildlife issues. The operator can trap, transport, and release wildlife to a location more than five miles away.
Other approaches farmers have taken include using natural deterrents, allowing the groundhog to roam freely, or legally killing the animal with the necessary permits.
Ultimately, it’s up to the farmer to decide what they are most comfortable with and what permits may be appropriate. Sullivan, Orange, and Ulster counties can contact the Region 3 office at 845-256-3098 for additional information. You can find other regional offices on the DEC website.
Image: A groundhog standing on a patch of grass (Photo Credit: Camerauthor Photos on Unsplash)