This dude has taken a liking to broccoli, lettuce and cabbage. So do I and I do not like to share with a rodent. He has been lurking on the fringes of my yard for several years, skillfully avoiding all attempts of capture. I smoked his hole but he must have been visiting his girlfriend at the time. I baited him with fresh sweet corn, but he preferred to pick his own. He really wasn’t making a nuisance of himself so I have tolerated his presence. But this summer and fall he began eating my veggies, digging holes in my raised beds and destroying what I planted, toting off my tomatoes (I saw him running with a tomato in his mouth) and biting holes in the cantaloupes. He apparently doesn’t know the saying, “when mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!”
He has been very sly and only on occasionally would I catch glimpses of him. He has three strategically placed holes. One under the storage building by the garden, one down the hill by the pigeon pen where he can salvage seeds the pigeons dropped, and one across the driveway at the front of the house. That gives him a fairly long run and he can haul tail!
But lately he has gotten very bold. This morning I watched him sit on his hind hunches by the edge of the garden and tauntingly eat his lunch in full view. Then he went to the sunflower stalks and helped himself to fresh sunflower seeds. He has gotten rather plump over the summer and I do not have a trap big enough to catch him.
War has been declared and he has been warned!
Plan number 2.
This evening “papa” target practiced, sighting in his rifle with the new scope.
He set up his target.
Shooting from close range.
After a while I saw him setting up sticks. At first I couldn’t figure out what he was doing but then realized he was fine tuning the placement of his shots.
He moved further away.
Finally he was satisfied that he was hitting close to the bulleye.
It was dusk and we figured the scoundrel was “holed up for the night”. Gene went ahead and set up his ambush area for morning. The gun and shells were by the patio door and a chair was in place to lean on.
About fifteen minutes later I spied him. On the back side of a chainlink dog kennel.
Gene quickly and quietly moved into place. It only took one shot.
Rest in peace Mr. Groundhog.
