The common name woodchuck, stems from a generic name, woochuk, used by the Cree tribe to describe all marmots.  We tend to call this ground dwelling rodent a groundhog, whose name speaks for itself.  His body length can be as much as 20+"; his tail from 4-7 inches long and he can weigh up to 15+ lbs.  Their range is from the middle U.S. to the East coast and from northern sections of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina on up into southern Canada.  The groundhogs diet consists of meadow plants such as clovers, alfalfa, plantains, dandelions, cresses, and violets, but it also eats raspberries, blueberries, and beechnuts along with a variety of grasses and their roots.  Fruit trees are also fair game, such as apple, cherry and pear.  The groundhog's willingness to live in close proximity of humans, its voracious appetite, and its need to dig holes that can break the legs of livestock make it a pest in farming communities.   Some of these holes are big enough to sink farm equipment wheels causing axle damage and tremendous farm equipment repair expenses.  An overpopulation can seriously damage corn, beans, and other crops, or even wipe out a family garden.  In the groundhog's defense, it's digging habits help aerate the soil, making it better for growing crops, and concentrated scat deposits are very good fertilizer.

Groundhogs spend most of their time in their underground burrows, which are permanent and fairly elaborate, with 8 to 12+ inch entrances.  They have been known to have 2 to 3 stories (like a house would have), with an enlarged sleeping chamber, and an adjoining defecation chamber (yep, a potty).  Their dens usually always have at least one exit, but have been know to have  5+ exits.  Some of their "hallways" have been known to extend as much as 30 or more feet long and can go as deep as 10+ feet.  Autumn is when groundhogs are most active because since they hibernate, this is the time when they put on as much as 25% of their body weight in fat reserves for the coming long winter sleep.  Their hibernation varies according to their location, but generally it's from October to February when their body temperature drops from 97 degrees F to about 40 degrees F, respiration slows to one breath each six minutes, and the heart rate decreases from 110 beats per minute to about 4.

Groundhogs are active by day and left undisturbed will indulge in a fair imitation of sunbathing
on warm days, but always with a surprisingly sharp eye out for danger.  If a dangerous predator is
sighted or scented, a woodchuck typically raises itself erect on its haunches to get a better look and smell.  The territory claimed by an adult is always small, usually no more than 3 acres, but size is ultimately determined by available food supply.  They have been found mating as early as February through April, depending once again on their location.  After a brief courtship, the male moves into a female's den and stays for about a week, the only time these normally solitary animals actually live together.  There is no bonding and the male takes no part in rearing the young.  Gestation time is a month, with 4 - 6 blind, hairless young born in a deep, subterranean chamber lined with soft grasses.  At one month, the babies open their eyes and begin to crawl about the birthing chamber.  At about 6 weeks they emerge from the den to forage for solid foods with their mother.  At two months the youngsters dispense to establish their own territories.  Groundhogs have one litter per year.
When scouting for groundhogs the most obvious sign, expecially in the spring, is loose dirt outside the burrow.  After hybernation, groundhogs enjoy "spring cleaning".  They clean out their holes from the winter wash and bed them comfortably for the nursery.  Freshly dug dens have piles of loose dirt around the entrances, but older dens that have been occupied for a couple of years will have blended back into the landscape, the loose soil washed into the earth by rain.  Coyotes and foxes may convert these dens to their own use, so be cautious!  A coyote den will be enlarged from the original entrance of 8-12" to 12-24".  If the fox is using this den, the entrances are more rounded and open onto an enlarged chamber just below the surface.  In grassy fields where the groundhogs active holes are, you will find well-packed trails, branching into lesser used trails which lead to favorite feeding areas.  In wooded areas, you will find fresh chew marks on bark close to their active holes.
 
 

            Of all the quarry that is recognized by the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America, groundhog tracks are unique to all others.  As a member of the squirrel family, they only have four toes on their front feet and five on their hind feet.  Their toes are elongated ending with enlarged "fingertips".  Forefeet average 1 1/2 to 2" long and hind feet 2 to 2 1/2".  They walk flatfooted on level surfaces most of the time, but there's a tendency to walk on the balls of their hind feet only, keeping the heels airborne, which will make their hind tracks shorter than the foreprints.  This is best seen with a good clear track where you will see a deep impression at the toes, ascending gradually farther back until merging indistinctly with the surface.  Their stride, or distances between pairs, is 3 to 4 inches.
            Another unique characteristic of the groundhog is his highpitched whistle, which sounds much like a human whistling through his teeth.  This is an alarm whistle which groundhogs and other wildlife respond appropriately to.  When challenged, he will also make a loud, fast chattering of teeth which warns his adversary that he is willing to stand his ground.


When I first started hunting
groundhogs for the farmers who wanted them gone, it was important for me to harvest all I could capture. Since the birth of Groundhog Retreat, it has become my personal mission to study their characteristics, responses, and habits.  It's a real challenge to capture them unharmed which I'm able to do in most cases. 		 They are then released in an existing groundhog sette beside the lush alfalfa fields I planted for them.  They get a pat and a "thank you" for an enjoyable and usually a very challenging hunt.  Without them, my terriers and I wouldn't have been able to enjoy what we love and live to do.
This little guy on the left isn't quite sure about his new home.


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