Handling wildlife may also put you at risk for disease. Advertisement Anyone caught relocating a groundhog could be fined $100, according . Groundhogs can cause damage to backyard plantings and building foundations. General Characteristics Physical Characteristics Groundhogs weigh around 7-14 lbs and are around 25 inches in length, including the tail. Groundhogs are also common throughout Maryland. They like woodland areas that bump up against more open areas. It is illegal for you to move or relocate an animal off your property. All killing of nuisance wildlife must be in a. Prince Georges County Animal Removal Services: Bowie (20715, 20716, 20720, 20721), Beltsville (20705), Adelphi (20783), College Park (20740,20742), Greenbelt (25689), Hyattsville (20781, 20782, 20783, 20784), Landover (20785), Laurel (20707, 20723), Springdale (20774), Upper Marlboro (20772, 20774), Woodlawn (21207). Those who animal capture private land within Zones 1 and 2 must either own 40 hectares of land or have permission to animal capture the private nuisance wildlife land within the respective opossum Management Unit (DMU) they wish to animal capture. Take it from the animals' point of view: In the meantime, their helpless young are slowly dying. Groundhogs have short, powerful legs with dark brown feet equipped with heavy claws specialized for digging. This is legislated through If you discover a wildlife family nesting in or around your home, the ideal response is patience. (b) It shall be unlawful to set, use, or maintain a body gripping trap to take woodchucks which is set more than three feet from the hole, or structure the woodchuck is inhabiting. A groundhog usually travels no more than 150 feet from its den to feed. Litters can, and will, be moved if disturbed. It's an inexpensive and effortless method to preventing structural damage to your home. Despite this there might be no free Maryland animal services for wildlife within Maryland County. The best time to trap a groundhog is in the late spring or early summer when they're looking for food. All rights reserved. Please note: Homeowners are strictly prohibited from trapping and shooting wildlife outside regulated seasons, unless the animal has been actively causing property damage or is an obvious threat to public health and safety. Thus, shooting nuisance groundhogs on personal property is justified. Burrows and mounds can be hazardous to farm . If youre lucky though, you live in a state that allows you to relocate the groundhog. National Human Trafficking Hotline - 24/7 Confidential. Wild animals have a sophisticated knowledge of their home ranges (the area in which they spend almost their entire life). They may also burrow under garden sheds or other outdoor structures. When deciding whether or not to trap a groundhog, you should consider the potential damage they could do to your property. Keeping a tidy lawn free of wood or leaf piles and . Its better to be safe rather than sorry. Smaller than one might imagine, most of the animals are less than two feet long and weight less than ten pounds. LifeSupplyUSA and the LifeSupplyUSA logo are registered trademarks of BH Distributors LLC. USDA Wildlife Services, Southern Wisconsin: 800-433-0663 (in-state) or 920-324-4514. We look forward to helping you with your Maryland animal problem. We set traps at the entrance created by the groundhogs, and our groundhog removal experts relocate the animals to a safe place. Georgia Law allows the taking of certain native species -- namely rats, mice, armadillos, coyotes, groundhogs, beaver, freshwater turtles, venomous snakes, frogs, spring lizards, fiddler crabs, freshwater crayfish, freshwater mussels, and nutria -- because of their status as a nuisance or other reason. If the animals are not causing damage or harm, you can be assured that once the young are big enough to be out and about, the birth den will have served its purpose. For a list of licensed Wildlife Rehabilitators near your home or business, please call USDA Wildlife Services 1-877-463-6497 from Maryland or 410-349-8130 from outside of Maryland, or refer to the hyperlinked list of Wildlife Rehabilitators above. Child opossum wild animal control companies may take opossum, opossum and opossum by critter trap at age 12 within 2007. An unlicensed citizen may NOT attempt to rehabilitate an animal on their own. Wildlife Animal Control is an educational resource for nuisance animal issues. Look for small holes in the ground that are about two inches wide. Choose an area that provides cover so that your groundhog will not want to travel far to make a new home. The Benjamin Marauder .22-Caliber is the perfect weapon for taking down groundhogs. These holes are more than just an eyesore they can also be a tripping hazard. You can accidentally place an animal within range of its predators den, or make it impossible for them to get back to their offspring or parents. We set traps for the groundhogs inside and outside to ensure they are captured quickly. You should not trap and relocate a groundhog with babies. These are only part of the many regulations within effect this year. As Certified Nuisance Wild Animal Control Operators in the State of Ohio, we'd like to help the public understand the regulations as they pertain to the removal of nuisance groundhogs (woodchucks). Is it legal to relocate raccoons in Michigan? Many states do not allow you to keep a trapped animal alive, so be prepared to either use a kill cage, or use a humane method to put the animal down. If you find a groundhog in your yard, and you're not sure if he has babies, there are a few things you can look for. Although shooting a nuisance groundhog isnt considered hunting, if shots were fired within the safety zone established by another home (150 yards for firearms), it could result in a citation. Copyright 2020 by Wildlife Removal. It is not illegal to trap and release groundhogs. without permission. We encourage you to avoid direct contact with groundhogs because they may become aggressive when cornered. It features the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains of North America. Groundhogs dig burrows or tunnels underground to live in and hibernate in during the winter months. Its front feet are very powerful for digging burrows. Encountering wild animals usually fills people with excitement and wonder. If there is a temporary delay in releasing a trapped groundhog the trap should be moved to a shady area to provide relief from the ultraviolet sun rays that can be very harmful to a caged animal. However, permission is required from the landowner before releasing into suitable habitat. We service over 500 USA locations! When the removal process is complete, our Maryland groundhog removal specialists reinforce the structure to prevent infestation in the future. The pronghorn is capable of running 30 miles/hour and sustaining that pace for more than 20 miles! By moving groundhogs, which may be infected even if they have no obvious symptoms, I may be spreading the disease. Make no mistake, groundhogs have no place on your property cute as they may be. It could be released on private property with the property owners permission or on game lands. Groundhogs are excellent diggers; they dig both simple and complex burrow systems. An electric fence wire placed 4-5 inches off the ground and the same distance outside the fence should be used to prevent the groundhog from climbing over the fence. Nonresidents, ages 10 to 17, are allowed to purchase resident hunting certificates. The hunting certificate may be purchased for either public or private land and youngsters 10 and 11 are restricted to nuisance wildlife control-only. Anne Arundel County Animal Removal Services: Annapolis (21401, 21403, 21409), Arnold (21012), Crofton (21114), Crownsville (21032), Gambrills (21054), Glen Burnie (21060, 21061), Hanover (21076), Jessup (20794), Pasadena (21122), Severn (21144), Severna Park (21146). You will find groundhogs in open plains or digging holes and living underground. Trapping wildlife, transporting it off your property, and releasing it elsewhere is also illegal in many states, New York included. Before releasing the animal on any public or private land, obtain permission from the landowner or governing agency. They can cause widespread damage to flower beds and lawns. They dig up plants and destroy gardens. If youre an avid gardener, and a groundhog decides to sample all of your plants, trapping the animal may become a new hobby for you. Hunting season for groundhogs starts June 1 and runs . An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially when it comes to groundhog removal. These laws exist to aid property owners in nuisance wildlife . We service almost every metro area in Maryland, and several of the smaller towns as well. However, there are times when being face-to-face with nature poses a new set of problems. Do you know how to properly dispose of an animal carcass? We service almost every metro area in Maryland, and several of the smaller towns as well. It is illegal to destroy or damage a muskrat house or den, a beaver house or a beaver dam. Between March and August, raccoons, skunks, woodchucks and other animals may choose shelter in, around and under a home because they need a safe place to bear and rear their young. They breed in March and produce a single litter of two to six young. Links in the sidebar provide more information on what to do with certain nuisance wildlife species. Since skunks - as well as raccoons, bats, groundhogs, foxes and coyotes - are rabies vector species, they should not be relocated like other wildlife. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Then if a neighbor complains, I know I'm covered. The best time to trap a groundhog is in the late spring or early summer when they're looking for food. Sometimes, it is necessary to learn how to prevent frequent visits by wildlife to your home or neighborhood. For the record, that would probably not include packing groundhog holes with explosives, a la Bill Murray in "Caddyshack. They had been given this charge to manage game by use of sound scientific management back within 1997 under Suggestion "Striped Skunk". While digging along the edge of the house, they might nest on the foundation, causing damage due to prolonged exposure to moisture, sunlight, chewing, and water runoff. The phone amount of the land owner allowing access might be required and will be printed on each hunting certificate. This stocky, medium-sized mammal is built for digging with short, strong legs and long . The short answer is YES, you should.Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are aggressive animals that . If you really dont want to kill the groundhog, you may decide caging and relocation is the way to go. map or the above list of areas that we service. Groundhogs will chatter teeth, hiss, squeal or growl when angry. When the only other option is killing, we sometimes agree that relocation, which gives the wild animal at least a chance, is acceptable. and then transport them down the road so they can live in someone else's backyard.. Is it bad to have a woodchuck in your yard? Groundhogs have short, powerful legs with dark brown feet equipped with heavy claws specialized for digging. In fact, the odds are heavily stacked against any animal who is dumped in a strange park, woodland or other natural area. We set traps near the entrance holes of the colony, use bait as needed, and sanitize your yard to prevent further infestations. The other, less visible entrances are used for escape purposes. We service over 50 state locations. They are largely sedate creatures, spending most of their. Groundhogs belong to the rodent family. For those who want to abolish the rule of Striped Skunk, doing so would certainly reduce public input. I'm not trying to do anything illegal, in fact I'm asking all these questions so I can understand my legal options. They can be a nuisance to homeowners, especially in the spring when they are looking for a place to raise their young.
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