Where can i buy poison to kill woodchucks and wild dogs?

-- hector Rodriguez (hector@wabcmail.com), August 11, 2001

Answers

Hector, check with your county extension agent(that's what we pay them for)and find out how this problem is handled by others in your area. As to the ""wild dogs", unless you live in Africa I think they would be roaming pets or feral dog packs and they are equally dangerous. I am totally against poison unless used by a professional and it's probably illegal to use it. If you have a .22 rifle, that might be safer all 'round. I know the problems with feral dogs(or just loose pets) but I am curious about the woodchucks. What are they doing to be such a problem? We don't have them here(or problem dogs either, the dogs just get shot!)so I am not familiar with problems caused by them. Good LUck, :)

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), August 11, 2001.

Hector,

If they are threatening your livestock, lead poisoning is probably the most effective. It comes conveniently packaged in one dose units made of brass. It is best to administer in daylight hours so as not to "treat" the wrong animal.

-- Mona in OK (modoc@ipa.net), August 11, 2001.

Just be careful so it doesn't backfire on you. I'd be really careful.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), August 11, 2001.

Hector, it is not ecologically sound to try and poison nuisance wildlife, poison is non-selective and you would feel like a real doofus if it accidentally killed your livestock, or any visiting young children or pets.

Mothballs poured down the holes are sometimes effective at relocating resident groundhogs elsewhere, the wild dogs are best handled by the local animal control official; or get a larger breed of dog to drive them off and keep them away from your territory, a large size German Shepard is very effective at this. A hundred pound German Shepard keeps all variety of critters, two and four legged off our land, cheap and effective protection, 24 hours a day.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), August 12, 2001.

Since you might kill critters you don't intend to with poison ~ such as your own cat/dog, other stock gnawing on the dead woodchuck, why not set a trap and then shoot your catch if it's what it's supposed to be.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), August 12, 2001.

You should try explaining what damage these animals are causing and maybe someone at CS can recomend an alternative menthod to the poison to control or stop these animals.You could eat the woodchuck if your not a vegetarian.Fire-works ( if your not in a drought area ) and BB guns are good ways to keep dogs from coming back to your place.I'm sure there are people here who can recomend other ways to rid them if you are specific with the problem they are causing.

-- SM Steve (a12goat@00.com), August 12, 2001.

When I farmed in western NY I always had a problem with woodchucks, I would buy Sulfur Bombs at the feed store, (they look like big firecrackers) you light them and put them down the holes, then cover it with a rock or something, I uses to use a wash pan, then I would fill the holes. That sulfur sure do stink. I have hit woodchuck hole with the tractor that would rip the steering wheel out of my hands,, they can do a lot of dammage to truck crops or a garden.

-- hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), August 12, 2001.

be very cautious when using poison .I was told a story about an old man using poisoned chicken under his henhouse to get rid of skunks well the neighbors purebred dog got into it and he wound up in court the procicuter was whining that the man should be in prison that children could have been poisoned .Thats the mentality of city people frankly i would be realy worried if the neighbor children were crawling under my buildings and eating raw chicken. oh raccoons like the fishflavor rat bait with a little syrip drizzled on and have been told that flybait with syrip will work too . a friend of mine uses the box traps and has good luck i never catch anything but my own cat .... even when i bait with marshmellows

-- george darby (windwillow@fuse.net), August 12, 2001.

Don't know about the woodchucks but for the wild dogs (or any cornivore), Drano crystals wrapped in raw hamburger should do the trick. Just be absolutely sure that it's not ingested by any good animals!

-- Skip in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), August 12, 2001.

=== its against the law to shoot a gun where i live ===

Hector, have you ever heard of the 3 S's? Shoot, Shovel (bury or burn), Shut up.

If you still don't feel you could shoot, I still think using a trap first is the way to go so you don't accidently kill another critter by mistake. You could then feed the critter poison disguised in hamburger or whatever kind of food they like.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), August 12, 2001.

unless the local game warden gives you the okay don't use poison, if you kill a nontarget animal that is protected and you get caught you could be looking at big money and jail time, for some species (raptors)you could face both state and federal prosecution. maybe even triple threat if you use the wrong poison there could be pollution related charges. you say you can't shoot where you're at can you get away with a crossbow, 35# pull pistol crossbows with 1"+ broadheads should be good on dogs to 50 yds and they can be scoped for more accuracy. trapping is an even better option because they work while you sleep.if legal in your area, i would suggest 160 connibears blind set at the den entrances for woodchucks, and 330's set where the dogs are entering your property. connibears kill what they catch 99.5% of the time and they will get anything that can stick their head inside. for less lethal trapping use footholds #1 coilspring for woodchuck again blinset at the den with the pan off set from the center of the hole, for dogs 1 1/2, 1 3/4, and 2 coils are all good use a scent post set. have someone walk their dog where you usually see the feral ones where he hikes his leg is where they will too. bed the trap about 6" in front of the scent post double stake with rebar stakes or single stake with "disposible" cable stakes and cover the traps so they don't stand out. you can finish fido with a choke pole like the dog catcher uses or a louisville slugger. you can also set snares at the same place as the connibears, they may or may not be lethal depending on how hard the animal fights them. i am told woodchucks are delicious. dog is tough unless you boil it first but it tastes okay. btw i am a firm believer in "you kill it, you eat it"

-- Pops (cindy556@devil-dog.com), August 12, 2001.

Make the game warden one of those drano burgers. Jim

-- Jim (Jim@rnns.com), August 12, 2001.

chucks are vegitarians so poision is a not option. Shoot, snare or trap. Try low velocity .22s for low noise shots. These do not break the sound barrier so they are very quiet. A gun is almost a required tool for a homstead. It has its applications and this seems to be one.

-- Ralph (ihatejunkmail@hotmail.com.com), August 12, 2001.

I was just wondering, if you can't fire a gun where you are, do you live in the middle of town? I'd never live anywhere I couldn't shoot outside my back door and risk going to jail at.

Right, woodchucks are herbivores as far as I know, so I don't think poison would work. I'd personally just shoot it and feed him (her) to my dogs. I'd never use poison here just because I don't want to kill off any of my mouse killers outside. If nothing else, you may be able to borrow a live trap from somebody and relocate it somewhere else.

-- Uriah (Uriahdeath2@netscape.net), August 12, 2001.

Hi Hector. I have rid our place of several groundhogs. Here is the hasn't-failed-yet method: pour your old, well used kitty litter down the woodchuck burrow and stamp it down. That's it! The more repulsive, stinky, and wet the kitty litter, the better! Chuck moves away. Sandy

-- Sandy in MN (onestonefarm@hotmail.com), August 13, 2001.

I like the kitty litter idea. Another one I have heard of to make them relocate ,is putting down the burrow, a stinky road kill animal, and covering with some dirt. Both of these methods are non toxic to pets, although my dogs would just love to roll in something stinky!

-- Kate henderson (kate@sheepyvalley.com), August 15, 2001.

Hector - Get two large dogs. Fence perimeter of property or area you want protected. Put dog houses on perimeter, not near center or by the house, as people do when they want the dog as a companion. They will keep each other company. Mow a strip ten feet wide for dogs to pee and patrol.

-- Bob (robertblessum@netscape.com), August 15, 2001.

Chucks around here love twinkies. We live trap and shoot, but you could have a large barrel full of water and just dump the whole trap in it to drown them if you can't shoot. If you live someplace that you can not shoot than animal control should be available for the wild dogs.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), August 15, 2001.

Oh, and although the woodchuck would appear to be a sweet little herbivore, my dog can attest to how vicious they can be. He is a rather large, although not particularly BRIGHT, dalmatian who is carrying some pretty hefty scars from his tangle with one. Around our neighborhood the most frequent cause of death for a horse is being put down for untreatable broken legs due to chuck holes. A full loaded hay wagon can dump pretty fast if one wheel goes into their hole. They, a mama and her litter, can wipe out a good five acres of soybeans in no time. They are a very large pest to a small homesteader.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), August 15, 2001.

Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see where Hector said he couldn't shoot. Also, pour used kitty litter into the den holes. This has worked for family members who live on the edges of the city with no dogs.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), August 15, 2001.