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I LOVE wildlife in the garden....my yard is even a certified backyard wildlife habitat.  However, I am concerned that a woodchuck that became very comfortable in the yard last year very likely took up residence under my deck and is still there--I cannot see under the low deck well enough to verify.   I've seen the multiple burroughs just one woodchuck can create and am concerned that his activity may undermine the structure of the deck.  I tried to live trap him to locate him to a more suitable home, but he was too slick for that; he even used the trap as a leaning aid as he ate the flowers beside it! 

 

Although I thought he was very cute as he peeked out from under the deck steps each day deciding which area of the garden he was going to feast on, does anyone have any non-lethal ideas as to how I can encourage him to move on if he is still here under the deck in the spring?

 

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I have used mothballs to move one out of my yard years ago-but those are considered hazardous material now I believe because of the fumes when these dissolve.  I have used bars of bath soap (slivers I have saved) and tied them in cloth or mesh bags hanging them from my fence to keep other critters out of my garden.  

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Have you tried cantalope or green beans in the trap?  Be generous with the bait.  Do it in early spring when he is hungry and then relocate him.

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So sorry to hear that you have an unwelcome guest under your deck, who will remain most likely until the spring thaw. We had a similar incident in the late fall when our dog could not get enough 'deck time'. My husband was smart enough to investigate and low an behold a ground hog had attempted to settle in under our deck - under the erosion control black tarp. So with his thinking hat on he diligently flooded the parameter of the hole daily with a jet spray from the garden hose from above between the wood planks - no easy task with water back splash. The first few days did not yield any success, but when he added a small amount of bleached water to the hole, the rodent appeared within the hour, and to my husband surprise, the critter had the nerve to look back at his home over it's shoulder as if to say "what happened?" as it waddled away all wet. No more ground hog and the dog no longer spends hours trying to get under our deck to find out what is going on. My suggestion is to await for the spring thaw and with the first sign of activity, get out the garden hose and attempt to flood the main hole if possible. I look forward to keeping my many perennials safe from this most diligent critter.

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