How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

Also called the woodchuck (and, no, we don't know how much wood a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood), the genus is more commonly called "groundhog," so named because, like a pig, it roots in the earth. We don't know why some call it "whistlepig," however, because nowhere has it been recorded that these things can whistle. We do know that the name "woodchuck" is the English corruption of an Indian name for the animal.

How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

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How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

The groundhog is a type of marmot, and what marmots are, essentially, are very large squirrels. Squirrels root in the earth to bury acorns for storage. This seldom bothers citizen because squirrels, having quite small paws, dig only tiny holes. Woodchucks, having large paws, dig big holes, not to bury acorns but to build tunnels to live in, and they will dig them in any relatively flat area, including your lawn. This makes them nuisances to those who prefer having lawns that are un-besmirched by groundhog burrows.
Groundhog Facts:
Why they're a Nuisance

Some more things that make groundhogs unwelcome:

* They love to eat vegetation, and that includes vegetation that the owner of the groundhog-besmirched lawn has planted for their eating and/or viewing pleasure

* Their tunnels are rather allinclusive and complex, having many entrances and urgency exits; if a web of tunnels extends under a structure's foundation, they can crack, weaken, or even sink it.

* A horse or other large animal can break a leg from stepping in a groundhog hole.

By clearing out forests and killing off wolves and other natural predators, farmers and foresters have caused the groundhog to proliferate over the past century. Now that human habitation is spreading beyond cities and suburbs, homeowners face close encounters with these buck-toothed fur-balls. Whereas the not-so-little varmints (they can weigh up to 30 pounds) still fear their ancient predators, many of whom are no longer around, they aren't all that afraid of humans. Therefore, hunters can get close adequate to get an easy shot at Mr. Woodchuck.

Hunting, you would think, would keep groundhog populations in check. It doesn't, any more than it keeps the deer citizen in check. These rodents reproduce Faster than marksMen could maybe eliminate them, and hunting, as a sport, has declined in popularity over the past few decades. Besides, if you're going to hunt something, why not hunt something you can eat?

Not that you can't eat groundhog. Apparently it was pretty coarse to be served at rural dinner tables back in the 19th Century, and citizen in the Ozarks and Appalachia still eat squirrel, a cousin of the groundhog. But groundhogs hibernate in the winter; therefore, much of its body's bulk is Food stored away in the form of fat, developMent the beast rather greasy eating. Besides, they're also cousins of the rat, and in western society, there is a taboo against eating rats.

How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

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How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

Also called the woodchuck (and, no, we don't know how much wood a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood), the genus is more ordinarily called "groundhog," so named because, like a pig, it roots in the earth. We don't know why some call it "whistlepig," however, because nowhere has it been recorded that these things can whistle. We do know that the name "woodchuck" is the English corruption of an Indian name for the animal.

How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

---

How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

The groundhog is a type of marmot, and what marmots are, essentially, are very large squirrels. Squirrels root in the earth to bury acorns for storage. This seldom bothers people because squirrels, having quite small paws, dig only tiny holes. Woodchucks, having large paws, dig big holes, not to bury acorns but to build tunnels to live in, and they will dig them in any relatively flat area, together with your lawn. This makes them nuisances to those who prefer having lawns that are un-besmirched by groundhog burrows.
Groundhog Facts:
Why they're a Nuisance

Some more things that make groundhogs unwelcome:

* They love to eat vegetation, and that includes vegetation that the owner of the groundhog-besmirched lawn has planted for their eating and/or viewing pleasure

* Their tunnels are rather widespread and complex, having many entrances and accident exits; if a web of tunnels extends under a structure's foundation, they can crack, weaken, or even sink it.

* A horse or other large animal can break a leg from stepping in a groundhog hole.

By clearing out forests and killing off wolves and other natural predators, farmers and foresters have caused the groundhog to proliferate over the past century. Now that human habitation is spreading beyond cities and suburbs, homeowners face close encounters with these buck-toothed fur-balls. Whereas the not-so-little varmints (they can weigh up to 30 pounds) still fear their aged predators, many of whom are no longer around, they aren't all that afraid of humans. Therefore, hunters can get close enough to get an easy shot at Mr. Woodchuck.

Hunting, you would think, would keep groundhog populations in check. It doesn't, any more than it keeps the deer people in check. These rodents reproduce Faster than marksMen could maybe eliminate them, and hunting, as a sport, has declined in popularity over the past few decades. Besides, if you're going to hunt something, why not hunt something you can eat?

Not that you can't eat groundhog. Apparently it was pretty tasteless to be served at rural supper tables back in the 19th Century, and people in the Ozarks and Appalachia still eat squirrel, a cousin of the groundhog. But groundhogs hibernate in the winter; therefore, much of its body's bulk is Food stored away in the form of fat, developMent the beast rather greasy eating. Besides, they're also cousins of the rat, and in western society, there is a taboo against eating rats.

How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

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The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska

Alaskans take pride in their state's natural resources. Three of them-- gold, Fish and fur-- are well known. These three resources have been worth many times the sum that the United States paid Russia for this piece of land. However, for the future, Alaska is beginning to look to other resources, especially oil and petroleum.

The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska

The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska

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The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska

The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska

Alaska is rich in vegetation resources. There are two kinds of forests in the state: the interior forest and the coastal forest. The interior forests are found colse to the river valleys of the interior area and as far north as the central and eastern parts of the Brooks Range. Most of the timber harvested is generally willow and aspen but much of the forest increase is stunted because of the short growing season and permafrost. The coastal forests on the other hand, begin in the Panhandle and spread throughout the coast of the Gulf of Alaska well into Kodiak Island. These forests are usually dense and made up of hemlock, cedar and spruce trees. Tundra vegetation is also common to much of Alaska. Most of it is made up of lichens, grasses, assorted mosses, cranberry vines and crowberries. When these plants die, they decay at a very slow rate generally because of the dampness and low temperature of the area. Year after year, old plants pile up and new plants struggle to grow through them. The tundra vegetation in other parts of Alaska may also comprise dwarf species of trees and a number of bushes. The only allinclusive lands for grazing are found on the Aleutian Islands. If you're looking for true arctic tundra with in effect no trees or shrubs, then you can check out the Arctic slope and Seward Peninsula.

There is also a wide collection of animal life in an area the size of Alaska. The usual animals would be deer, mountain goats, black bears and moose, all ordinarily found in southeastern Alaska. Go up added north and grizzly bears start to appear. As you go into the interior lands, caribou begin to replace deer in numbers. It is not uncommon to see caribou travel in herds of thousands. Polar bears are found in the far north and spend most of their time out on the ice packs hunting Food. Exotic animals that have been introduced to Alaska comprise the reindeer found in the Arctic areas, elk on some islands, musk oxen and bison. To conserve animal life on the peninsula, these animals are protected in wildlife ranges under the federal governMent. Wolves and foxes are also found in many parts of the state. Animals hunted for fur comprise the mink and beaver. A number of bird species also make Alaska their summer home or remain all year. Some of these comprise ducks, geese and grouse. The common game Fishes are Grayling and rainbow trout. industrial Fish harvests depend generally on cod, halibut and salmon. In fact, the king salmon is the state Fish. Shellfish is also plentiful and a large industry is built on harvesting shrimp, crabs and clams.

Deposits of gold and silver are known to exist in approximately every region of Alaska. So much has been said about the gold that citizen are sometimes surprised to learn that Alaska has also other mineral riches, like natural gas and petroleum. Geologists are still surveying the area for other petroleum sites. The Panhandle is known to comprise leading minerals such as nickel, zinc and lead. Mineral deposits of the Gulf of Alaska comprise mercury, platinum and copper. Alaska, with its many bodies of water, also generates power through the output of hydroelectricity.

The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska

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