John:

You know what animals are common in your vicinity better than anyone else, but if it were here I would say a groundhog. Groundhogs can be very selective, eating only one thing at a time. Eventually, however, they get everything that tastes good. That's why I trap them. But if you see armadillos around, that may be a better bet where you live.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Thanks for the info..

We live in the woods pretty much, we have signs of groundhogs around (about 200ft away) no sign of ground hogs near the watermelons though.. I'll take a look at lowes for some traps tonight...

John:

For a groundhog 200 feet away, your watermelons are right in his back yard. I just now walked up from the garden with a groundhog caught in the trap and dispatched with a single shot in the head from a pellet gun. I seem to get about 6-8 weeks between groundhogs, than another one discovers my easy pickings and I have to get the trap out again. One of my neighbors who also gardens has the same problem, and borrows my trap from time to time. He lives about a block away, and between the two of us we keep the groundhog population under control. Otherwise, we could forget growing anything like melons, squash, beets, tomatoes, etc.. The biggest one I ever caught weighed 17 pounds, but the average is 8-9 pounds. Don't know how big they get in Oklahoma. When there are existing tunnels in the area, it is easy for another one to move in. The tunnels are large and very extensive underground. Smoking them out with those smoke bombs that look like big firecrackers should work but it does not. And they are a pain to use, with very short fuses.

My trap is the large 48" model live trap, and cost me about $60.00, but I have used it for close to 10 years now. It has a treadle type release which drops the front door when the groundhog steps on it. I don't think Lowes normally carries them, but they are widely available from other sources if you look around online. I had to tighten up all the little metal clips around the frame with a pliers because they were not tightly installed at the factory.

The best bait I have found is peaches or nectarines, which work nearly every time. Other baits like lettuce, cabbage etc. do not attract. There are also commercial baits sold, but I doubt anything could beat a couple of nearly ripe peaches. Once in a while, you may get a possum or a raccoon.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Well Don I got a haveaheart trap from lowes, it says its the right size for groundhogs (3' long).. I just assembled it and walked onto the porch with it and I saw the culprit.. A Squirrel !

Anyway trap is set with some of the chewed watermelon as bait, I guess we'll see what happens.. I only have one melon left :(

John

Some success with the trap.. I caught an opossom last night.. Still lost one more watermelon though..

The good news is I am regrowing the watermelons as fast as they are being eaten !

Yew guyz are awl rong! I had the sam problem wit a animale eatin my nutz an bananas. i fownd the culprit awright! it wer a darned flok of cats. wat i did was got me a bowl of milk an put som borac acid an strik 9 mixd in. the next day woodnt u be darned, i fownd 9 of em damn sukers flowtin ded in my enflateble pool! i took em in my truk an threw em in a howl beehind my neybors woodshak. sins tat day ive gotten at lest 30 maw of dem suckers. the ony problem wit dis method is dat the cats seem to hav sezures befo dey die an dey poop awl ova the darned place! i hope dis can help wit ur watrmelon sitewation.

salewtations, beau walters