# I caught a groundhog! Now what? (Need answer fast) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 29, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012 "2009-09-29T18:02:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/81 "2010-05-21T02:53:02Z")
> [@JerseyFrank](#): > > FTR, I’m not in favor of executing him. I’d like to live and let live… but he’s jeopardizing the safety of my kids and the structure of my porch. He’s gotta go in a way that ensures he’s not coming back to my yard. [Stew](http://www.wildliferecipes.net/game_recipes/small_game_recipes/Woodchuck_recipes/woodchuck_stew.asp) would definitely make sure he wouldn’t come back … ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/82 "2010-05-21T03:38:15Z")
Did anyone suggest strapping the critter to a model rocket and shooting him skyward? At least his last moments would be exciting, though it would be embarassing if he fell to earth on the neighbor’s patio during a cookout. ---
**Author:** ![JerseyFrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@JerseyFrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerseyFrank)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/83 "2010-05-25T22:39:18Z")
3rd groundhog this season has been trapped. Unfortunately, it appears he also has gone off to the great big burrow in the sky. I guess I should’ve checked the trap yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![RalfCoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@RalfCoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RalfCoder)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/84 "2010-05-26T12:38:44Z")
> [@HelloNinja](#): > > Somewhat similar to the dry-ice suggestion, my ex who was a veternary technician said that a humane way to put down mice that are caught live is to put them in bag and then put the bag over the end of a running car’s exhaust pipe. Carbon Monoxide poisoning doesn’t take too long and is humane. I had one living under my shed. I tried the live trap, with a smorgasbord of food in it for him. I caught a stray, one-eyed raccoon that had a cloud of fleas and such encircling it. He got released several miles from there. When the woodchuck wouldn’t go for the trap, I did something like this. I used a plastic hose over the end of the exhaust on the lawn mower, stuffed the business end into his hole, and let it run until there were billows of exhaust coming out on the other 3 sides. Never saw that 'chuck again. I figure if it’s good enough for Jack Kevorkian, it’s good enough for 'chucks. High velocity lead poisoning is a good alternative, but only if you’ve got the room downrange for an errant round to play out, and understanding neighbors. If not… CO or CO2 sound like good alternatives. ---
**Author:** ![RalfCoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@RalfCoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RalfCoder)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/85 "2010-05-26T12:42:40Z")
> [@Chopper9760](#): > > LOL, I was just wondering why you didn’t use a conibear or spring trap as either one would have killed the little booger post-haste. I s’pose they don’t sell that sort of thing in New Jersey though, do they? One warning - conibear traps don’t care if it’s a woodchuck, a rabbit, or a cat that pokes its head into the trap, and it will kill whatever does so without regard to species. Don’t use this if you have friendly, nosy kitties or puppies in the area. ---
**Author:** ![RalfCoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@RalfCoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RalfCoder)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/86 "2010-05-26T12:50:11Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Pretty much every law like that will have an exception for police in the performance of their duty. When we had a rabid racoon walking around our back yard some years ago, a town cop was kind enough to shoot it with a 20 gauge shotgun for us, whereas I’d probably be posting from prison if I tried the same trick. A co-worker did something like this in the far northern 'burbs of Detroit. He offed a Massasauga rattlesnake that had denned up in a neighbor’s back yard, next to a child’s swingset. A neighbor reported gunshots, the police showed up, did a lot of questioning, saw the dead snake, etc. They didn’t arrest him or file charges, but they took a very nice shotgun from him, and he never got it back. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/87 "2010-05-26T21:40:54Z")
I had a neighbor who caught an oppossum and put it in a box in her garage, started her car and closed the door. She can back in awhile and the thing was dead. I don’t know how long she had to wait though. ---
**Author:** ![VikingLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ee7513/32.png) [@VikingLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VikingLoki)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/88 "2016-02-29T16:26:13Z")
It’s an old thread but in case anyone googles it… Here’s the law regarding groundhogs in New Jersey as of 2015. Groundhogs are classified as a “nuisance mammal” in NJ. It is (pretty much) illegal to trap and release nuisance mammals in NJ. In order to trap and release a nuisance mammal in NJ you must have written permission from the land owner and the land must be large enough to contain the nuisance mammal. I don’t know the exact size of land needed and nearly everybody will not provide written permission. Most importantly, the state of NJ does NOT give written permission to release nuisance mammals on any publicly owned land including parks, forests, etc. Releasing groundhogs on public land is illegal. It is legal for NJ residents to euthanize any nuisance mammal as per AVMA Guidelines for Euthanasia. Links to the legal documents are below but it’s a lot of reading. The easiest method for the average person which is legal in all of NJ is CO2 asphyxiation. Place the trap in a garbage can or similar container that doesn’t have any holes in the bottom. Place dry ice next to the trap or empty a CO2 cartridge into the can. CO2 is heavier than air so a lid isn’t necessary if there is no wind. The CO2 will displace the air in the can and the groundhog will become unconscious and subsequently die. Engine exhaust can also be used if there isn’t a catalytic converter. That changes the gas so that it causes respiratory distress before unconsciousness. Other acceptable methods include gunshot to the head (but firearm discharge is illegal in most NJ towns) and severe blunt force to the head such as a hammer (which is easier said than done). There are many other methods as well but they aren’t as easy for the average person to do. Note that drowning is NOT an acceptable method of euthanasia in NJ and is therefore illegal. NJ Wildlife Relocation Policy (See Nuisance Mammal section) > **[relocation\_policy.pdf](https://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/relocation_policy.pdf)** > > 59.50 KB AVMA Guidelines for Euthanasia > **[AVMA guidelines for the euthanasia of animals](https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/avma-policies/avma-guidelines-euthanasia-animals)** > > The AVMA guidelines for the euthanasia of animals provide veterinarians guidance in relieving pain and suffering of animals that are to be euthanized. Hope that helps! ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/89 "2016-02-29T18:22:38Z")
> [@VikingLoki](#): > > It’s an old thread but in case anyone googles it… Acknowledged. > [@](#): > > NJ Wildlife Relocation Policy (See Nuisance Mammal section) > [http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/relocation\_policy.pdf](http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/relocation_policy.pdf) > > AVMA Guidelines for Euthanasia > [https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Euthanasia-Guidelines.aspx](https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Euthanasia-Guidelines.aspx) > > Hope that helps! Don’t have time to peruse the cited guidelines, so lemme just ask. Is keeping the groundhog caged until it dies of old age acceptable? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/90 "2016-02-29T21:37:26Z")
> [@batsto](#): > > I disagree. Not only do they destroy my garden every-freakin’ year, but they small god-awful. One trapped groundhog stinks like the whole Staten Island zoo is in my back yard. Really? I’d thought they would smell earthy, like a clay flower pot after being emptied. We got a whole family of 'em living in the backyard for years now. My son likes watching them from the window sill. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/91 "2016-03-01T06:01:23Z")
What do zombie groundhogs smell like? ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/92 "2016-03-01T13:42:53Z")
Trebuchet & Away. We don’t need no stinking badgers… ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012/93 "2016-03-02T04:52:36Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Trebuchet & Away. > > We don’t need no stinking badgers… If done just right with a drone, we could get some good [close-up](http://www.cnet.com/news/drone-shot-out-of-sky-by-flying-pumpkin/) facial expressions [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-caught-a-groundhog-now-what-need-answer-fast/512012.md?page=4)