Goundhogs can climb trees !!!

P

Pahoo

New member
Yesterday a neighbor called to inform me that there was a Groundhog up in one of their trees. Said it had been up there for about 45 minutes. Now understand that around here, it's open season on these critters and there are about three of us that are always on the lookout. The Groundhog was about 20ft. up, on the main trunk and held fast till I brought him down. Before this time, I never thought that they could or would climb a tree. I'm guessing that somehow, he got forced up there and could not figure out how to get back down, just like some cats.

Have you folks ever heard of such a thing?


Be Safe !!!
 
Seen it several times.

They don't have to be forced up there. They will climb just to get a better view. I have seen one chased up the side of a tree by a dog though.

I've never seen one 20 ft up. The one that the dog chased stopped as soon as it was out of reach and the others that I've seen are usually just a few feet up. One was sitting in an approximately 5 foot tall sawn off tree stump.
 
If goats can climb trees, why not groundhogs?

goats-in-trees-PHOTOSHOT-510x566.jpg
 
Yep -- I watched one climb up, then sprawl out and get comfortable on, a low-hanging branch in our yard last summer. Sort of basking.

I had a little trouble believing it was a woodchuck, what with its being at sunset in poor light, and the woodchuck's being almost black as well as in the tree... So I walked over to get a better look. Darn thing didn't even budge, but it was definitely a woodchuck.

Then I got curious, and I turned up this article, "Scansorial Behavior in Woodchucks (Marmota monax)," from the Canadian Field-Naturalist, in which the author describes, among other things, having to poke one "perching" woodchuck with a stick to get it to move... :p

And I came across another article that said they actually browse on leaves...
 
One of my dogs caught one in the garden and chased him up a tree. I went out to see what the commotion was and there he was about 20 ft up. He got a 10 mil between the eyes.
 
Thanks for the article, Vanya and one thing I found strange was that it was in no hurry to give up his perch. Was up there while some of the neighbors walked around the tree looking up at it. It just flat would not move till I encouraged him to do so. .... ;)

Now last year, I observed another strange behavior or at least it was to me. The neighbor's dog was in the pen, barking it's fool head off and outside the pen, was a Groundhog, jumping up at the dog and whistling. Just a short quick whistle and I suppose it was his way of barking.
How is this gun related, I dispatched him as well with a .22 Shot round. ;)

Ah, we don't eat them either and don't feel bad about it .... :barf:


Be Safe !!!
 
i saw and shot several out of trees when I was a kid in Pennsylvania. I saw the first one when I was 8 yo ( I think), my grandfather and I were out for a hike in the woods and He pointed it out to me. It was about 5' up, on a low hanging branch, just looking at us. We didn't have a rifle with us that day.
 
robhof

Here in Ky, I've seen them perched on top of fence posts on many occasions. On on trip in a rural area I saw 3 posts topped by groundhogs in a row, all facing the road, like waiting for the parade.
 
The Groundhog Melee

They can climb legs, too.

When dinosaurs roamed the earth, people used to turn 14 year-old boys loose with .22 single actions to go off and conquer the prairies. I guess they figured we'd do less property damage if they could just get us away from the outbuildings. Sometimes we'd go on horseback, other times we'd hoof it or take whatever old farm truck that wasn't torn down for repairs from our last safari.

This particular day we were on foot and had stopped at an old concrete water tank that was a favorite haunt of ours, in hot weather. Just as we walked up, we spotted a big old boar groundhog asleep on the ground, up against the shaded side of the tank. My buddy Lynn had a new pair of Durango's that weren't even scuffed up good yet; out of the clear blue sky, he walks up and kicks Mr. Groundhog in the derriere. We soon found out that he was a whole lot bigger, meaner and faster than he looked snoozing by the tank.

I wasn't much help to my amigo since I couldn't see real well through the dust and tears of laughter...to our credit, not a shot was fired. I found somewhere else to be when he limped in the house to explain his chewed up Levi's and now-holey, 'new' boots to his Mom.

Sometimes I wonder at the fact that we survived our childhood ;)
 
This is why I love this Forum

I never cease to learn something new. I make my living in a Firearm related activity. When I get time off I try to go Varmint hunting. I've hunted Whistle Pigs, Woodchucks, Ground Hogs, Land Beavers for 30yrs and I never, never knew they could climb. But I guess they can. I'll need a Bi-pod with longer legs!! OBTW here's proof http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Woodchuck_up_a_tree.jpg

Furthermore, this Forum actually has moderators who do their job..Thank You Moderators. The contention you see on other Forums is sickening.
 
Sometimes I wonder at the fact that we survived our childhood
Click to expand...
You got that right and we could start a new post on this subject. One day we found out the hard way that Raccoons can't take a joke but that's another story. :barf:



Be Safe !!!
 
Read this thread yesterday and was thinking no way...look out my kitchen window a few minutes ago and there on top of my 5 or 6 ft chain link fence is one of the young ground hogs in my back yard eating leaves off a tree thats up against the fence.Watched him/her for a few minutes eat and then watched him/her climb down the small tree he was eating leaves off of.
 
I saw my first groundhog in thirty years last august up in New Jersey while I was working at a power plant. I didn't know what it was at first. He was a wopper on a gallup through the yard aiming toward the recirc water cooling tower. He passed within 18-20 feet of me and kept going. Acted like he knew right where he was going, too.

I trotted after him just out of curiousity because he was now in an area secured by a high chain link fence with the fabric staked to the ground every foot or so. I didn't want to corner him, but to my surprise he headed up the stairs leading to the roof of the cooling system and shot up six flights of stairs without slowing down. 'Got to the top and went right out onto the roof, still doing a steady 5 mph trot.

I flew up those stairs as fast as I could go cause I wanted to know what business the critter could possibly have up there. 'Never saw him again. That roof is flat for about 160 feet and it's about 40 feet off the ground with nothing to disturb the view except those huge fan housings and a railing around the outside edge. Maybe the mothership came down and swooped him up, but it's a mystery to me.

Mystery Pig that got away. Strange.

But not as strange as climbing a tree ... I have never heard of that!
 
What I find even more amazing is that people eat the things.:eek: Every one I ever shot was surrounded by an entourage of flies and stunk like ***t.:barf:
 
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