Questions about groundhogs.

[japple]

I just looked out the window and saw one of my cats sitting underneath the bird feeder and nose-to-nose with a groundhog. I let my dog out (small 18 lb. Jack Russell mix) and she didn't bark at it. She approached it cautiously, and when it started walking off, she ran after it, but when it turned back around, she stopped. My dog usually barks her head off at anything and will chase stray cats, rabbits and squirrels. Should I worry about the groundhog fighting with my pets?

[PDJane]

1. Probably not.

Especially not if your pets are fed well, and aren't really territorial.

[shain from kane]

2. Groundhogs are fine. But watch out for the woodchucks. Remember that rhyme.

[zbdent]

5. I got detention for

chucking wood ...

[japple]

6. I thought groundhogs and woodchucks were the

same critter.

[shain from kane]

7. OK, well, that was a major part of the joke. n/t

[japple]

8. Oh. A little slow on the uptake, here.

:blush:

And I will watch out for the woodchucks. My dog will, too, even though she's a squirrel dog.

[murielm99]

3. We used to have a groundhog

who sat on our back lot under the apple trees. He would sun himself there every morning.

When I went out for my walk, the dog would sniff it and walk away. My current dog would probably chase the groundhog. I would not worry about the groundhog turning and fighting with the dog.

[livetohike]

4. We had a Lab/Shepherd mix (70 lbs) who would chase groundhogs

One day the groundhog he was chasing turned around and bit him in the mouth (on his tongue) and was hanging onto it! My husband chased the groundhog away. I guess I would be careful with a smaller dog.

[LWolf]

9. That happened to my dog when I was a kid.

A huge shepherd/malamute mix. It wasn't a groundhog, though, but a ground squirrel. I'll never forget the way the squirrel latched on to his face, with him spinning, head-shaking, yelping, and pawing to get it off.

[galledgoblin]

10. I would be concerned

keep an eye on it and other wild animals for rabies, since your pets seem smaller and wild animals are not intimidated by their size.

[newfie11]

11. Groundhogs

They are not aggressive but can sure damage your ground by digging big holes.
They are pretty tasty if you are so inclined. A neighbor of ours had me taste his roast he was grilling. Tasted like pork and was pretty good until I found out what it was.

[japple]

12. You say it tastes like pork? I heard it tasted like possum.

Seriously, I thought it "tastes just like chicken." Everything (rattlesnake, frog legs, alligator, you name it) tastes just like chicken.

[newfie11]

13. Possum/Pork

Well I couldn't say as I've never tried possum and have NO desire to try rattler. Maybe I should as we have lots of rattlers here. Hey maybe I could start a cottage industry supplying gourmet stores in cities with rattlesnake meat. hummm...

[back_to_the_woods]

14. Groundhog tastes like Groundhog

If you're not a vegetarian, and you want to save money on groceries, while protecting your garden, then a groundhog dinner is your best bet.

Groundhogs are vegetarians, as are rabbits and squirrels, and I have been fortunate to have had a regular diet of all three of these, when I was a kid growing up in Appalachia. We did not eat opossums or raccoons, because they do eat the dead flesh of other animals, i.e., they're scavengers.

The best way to "harvest" a groundhog is to "smoke it out of its hole." This is best done with two people. #1 person uses dampened, dried leaves to make a small, smokey fire over the hole of the critter's burrow. #1 blows the smoke into the hole, while #2 person, holding a loaded 22 or shotgun, watches for the smoke to exit at the hole on the opposite end of the burrow. Soon after the smoke appears, so will the groundhog. The rest is history, at least for the critter.

The meat is dark, not greasy, and has a savory, rich flavor. If this appeals to you, let me know, and I'll tell you how to cook them. They go great with all of the veggies that you'll rescue by ridding your garden of the critters.

[LWolf]

15. I should mention this to those with local pastures.

We don't have "groundhogs," we have "rock chucks," aka marmots, who wreak havoc on pastures and hay fields.

I don't have them; my place is too rocky to grow pasture or hay, so they aren't attracted.

[japple]

16. "Smoke it out of its hole?" Like the US did with Sadaam

Hussein? Guess I'll need the Army for that job. Actually, I haven't seen the little groundhog in months. Maybe it's found a good place next door. The family moved away and there are no dogs around.

BTTW, welcome to DU!!!