# Lawn Damaging Varmints



## kdogger (Jan 10, 2005)

I have small mammels that are burrowing into my lawn. (I'm pretty sure they are all from chipmunks.) They are causing quite a mess, and I'd like to be rid of them.

Can I:

1) Kill them. (I live in a residential area, so I can't shoot them...poison?)
2) Live trap them and relocate.

Or do I just have to live with it?

Is there any permit needed?


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## beerun (Mar 8, 2005)

I believe skunks will burrow in lawns also.


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

Does it look like a rototiller took a walk on your lawn? If so, they are skunks looking for grubs.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

kdogger said:


> I have small mammels that are burrowing into my lawn. (I'm pretty sure they are all from chipmunks.) They are causing quite a mess, and I'd like to be rid of them.
> 
> Can I:
> 
> ...


You don't need a permit. Yes, you can kill them. I would strongly recommend extreme caution in using poison. As long as you are able to target what you are after but you don't want to kill something you don't intent to. Do not relocate, just get rid of them. Attempting to relocate something like chipmunks will be very difficult and they very well could die anyway. Good luck, I have the same problems with chipmunks and moles. Moles I set traps for, the chipmucks I like sitting in the yard and watching them.


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## toto (Feb 16, 2000)

Sage advice there mr boehr, I enjoy watching the chipmunks, through my scope.


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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

WALLEYE MIKE said:


> Does it look like a rototiller took a walk on your lawn? If so, they are skunks looking for grubs.


Dont mean to jump this thread but I have a question. Last fall my front yard started to look as WM described and I suspected it was grubs & skunks. For the past two years(Spring/Summer/Fall) I had put down a ton of "GrubX" and "Diazinon" to keep the grubs out but the "rototiller" effect started this past fall. I treated it again but they're diggin up my lawn again this spring! Any ideas on this? Is there a "liquid" insecticide I could use that would be more effective than the granual stuff?

At this point I'm about ready to call in a napalm strike, round up and diazinon the area then put down new sod!


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

If it is skunks you might try spreading some moth balls around. Give another doze of GrunX too. That's what I would do at least.


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

Burksee said:


> Dont mean to jump this thread but I have a question. Last fall my front yard started to look as WM described and I suspected it was grubs & skunks. For the past two years(Spring/Summer/Fall) I had put down a ton of "GrubX" and "Diazinon" to keep the grubs out but the "rototiller" effect started this past fall. I treated it again but they're diggin up my lawn again this spring! Any ideas on this? Is there a "liquid" insecticide I could use that would be more effective than the granual stuff?
> 
> At this point I'm about ready to call in a napalm strike, round up and diazinon the area then put down new sod!


With all that insecticide you put down should have done the trick. Best time to rid of grubs is July and August. The grubs will be infants and easier to kill. Right now they are adults. Possum will do this also. They are looking for food.

Other than shooting them, set out traps. I get ground hogs in my garden every year and trap them. The park down the street inherits them. :lol:


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## IncredibleHook (Jan 16, 2005)

What kind of holes are there? If they are the size of a golfball, skunks or raccoons this time of the year diggin up grubs. If its tunnels then some type of rodents, probably chipmunks. Get a bunch of rat traps put them inside a shoe box with holes cut on the sides for rodent entry. Use pnut butter and as your catching them start filling in the holes to monitor activity. Better get them now bfore they get into your foundation and end up in your walls next winter if its chipmunks. This used to be my full time job, I owned a wildlife control business, PM me if you need any more help.


Chuck


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## kdogger (Jan 10, 2005)

They are small tunnels about 1.5 inches in diameter. The rat trap idea sounds like it should work.


Thanks for the advice!


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## archie holst (Aug 18, 2003)

Just curious is it legal to fire a air pellet gun with in city limits?


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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

archie holst said:


> Just curious is it legal to fire a air pellet gun with in city limits?


I guess that would depend. Are you firing from a fixed position on the porch or would you doing a drive by? :lol:


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

archie holst said:


> Just curious is it legal to fire a air pellet gun with in city limits?


You would have to check with the city to see if and what the city ordiance said.


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## jk hillsdale (Dec 7, 2002)

I'd recommend dynamite.


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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

jk hillsdale said:


> I'd recommend dynamite.


Why use the weak stuff? Get serious! Get some C-4! You'll also need to contact Bill Murray! He knows all about getting rid of un-wanted rodents from a lawn.

"I'm all right" - Caddy Shack!


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## redneckdan (Dec 14, 2004)

1- gather a group of friends at say, dusk
2- provide "adult beverages" for said group; one person should abstain, reason stated later
3- at about 3 hours after dark, light up the yard and watch for tunneling moles
4- when said moles are spoted, everybody charge and stomp on the moles 
5- once moles are destroyed, the DD can drive the injured to the hospital, have fun explaining why half your friends have impact juries to the legs and the other half smell like mole guts...


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## Fordfreak (Dec 2, 2004)

Those might be ground squirrel burrows in your yard. Take your garden hose out there and fill them with water and see what runs out of the hole. We used to catch ground squirrels by filling up milk jugs and pouring the water down their burrows, keeping the jug over the hole until the squirrel runs up inside the jug.



Fordfreak


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## redneckdan (Dec 14, 2004)

...then what do you do once you get the squirrel in the jug? Hmmm...does the phase "shooting fish in a barrel" give anyone any ideas?:lol:


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

I realize we all need an outlet to post certain types of comments that are funny but lets try to keep this forum to the particulars of the law so those doing a search for a particular answer that is important to them does not have to read through posts that don't really pertain to much of anything (use sound off). I don't really want to continuously delete or close posts/threads to keep confusion out of it. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.


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## SpareTime (Feb 2, 2003)

With the size of the tunnels you mentioned (1.5 in)....my guess would be Voles.

Here is a link that may help.....

http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/wildlife/g887.htm


.


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## grizz660 (Nov 19, 2002)

kdogger said:


> They are small tunnels about 1.5 inches in diameter. The rat trap idea sounds like it should work.


Are you sure these arn't moles?? 1.5" tunnels sounds a lot like moles. If they are the striped chip-munks the victor rat traps will work, if they are moles rat traps will not work as moles only eat live food.
If there is a tunnel system try road flares or as some call them fusees. Find what appears to be a main runway and dig a cross section out of one of the tunnels, clear any dirt in the tunnel, make sure the flare will fit inside. Light the flare, insert into hole, pack with dirt behind it and look for escaping roadents and smoke in other parts of the yard.


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## J - Rod (Oct 27, 2004)

Just give up and live with them. I had/have the same problem and spent a lot of time, money, and sanity trying to get rid of them. I now consider them my pets. Screw the yuppy yard and let nature takes its course.


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