You might try a paiute trap. My family has used this kind of trap for catching mice in our house successfully. We have simply replaced the deadfall (the heavy object to fall on and kill the animal) with a metal cage, and have thus used this trap as a live trap. Then we've taken the trap (we usually set the trap on top of a cookie sheet or other metal tray) to a nature area near us and released the mice. Obviously a groundhog is a lot bigger than a mouse, but you might be able to find a larger, heavy enough cage to use. Or, if you like unusual meats, just use a regular deadfall. If you end up using this, you may want to practice with a smaller weight until you get the process down.
As for the deer, I don't know of anything to recommend. There are always the various sprays you can buy, not all of which are chemicals. I know many of them are made from chemicals, though, and can understand your hesitance.
-Jmcat

My main pest around here are rabbits, what I have done is buy some Christmas lights to put on my fence (pickett-not rabbit proof) it's set on a timer that is only on at night.
Last year was real bad and I ended up spreading used kitty litter on the outside of the fence. I don't know if cat feces will work or you might use a bigger carnivore, I've even heard of people using their own urine-that would give the neighbors something to talk about!! I also got some of those pinwheels(the things you blow on and they twirl)they're metallic and shift with the wind. They might scare deer?? B

jmcat, Thanks for that link! Very interesting how they set those traps up. I wouldn't be so inventive and so am glad that someone can figure these things out for people like me. ;) I read over the instructions and watched the movies a few times and think I could set one up. Now it's just the problem of finding something big enough that would hold a groundhog and I'm not sure if transporting it would be very easy. I can imagine that it would ready to bite anything and anyone that came near it while it was in the trap. I hate to kill anything if I can avoid it but I don't know if I could trap it. Then there's the thing of finding something big enough to kill it. I probably couldn't lift such an object. :( When it gets warmer outside, I want to try experimenting with this just to see if I can get a simple one to work.

brandy, I've seen a few rabbits around here too, but so far they haven't been a problem. That's a good idea that you had of putting Christmas lights on your picket fence. I think just about anything is worth trying to see if it solves the problem. I never tried any of those things you mentioned and will consider. Thanks for the suggestions. I'm hoping that I won't have problems with them this year, but I just have my suspicions.

Well as you can tell by my name I trap the groundhogs I get and relocate them. I use a big havaheart trap. If I didn't do this I would have no garden because they are terrible pests and will eat any and everything. I can't help you with the deer problem though.
Joann

Joann, They MUST really be a problem for you if they inspired you to use them in your username! ;-) I guess you would be familiar with trapping them then. If I had the money for a Havahart trap, that's what I'd do but I don't. :( I can imagine that you wouldn't have a garden if you wouldn't trap them if they're such a problem at your place. I certainly will go along with your saying that they eat anything and everything. I supposed they got that name for a reason. lol Actually, I wouldn't be laughing if I'd see it chowing down on my flowers. Grrr! Yeah, I'm not sure what to do about the deer besides trying a non-chemical spray. I supposed spraying them would become a pain in the butt though, but fencing it out of the question. I'd probably be spending thousands of dollars on that, which I don't have. Last year I thought I could save money getting some hardware cloth to use as a makeshift trellis, but when I asked at the hardware store how much it was, I was told $3.49/ft! I thought that was expensive, but now with the gas prices being high, I bet it got to be even more than that. I'm not paying $35 for a vine to grow on, and I thought that the trellises at Lowe's are way too expensive. Geez, I don't know how people can afford garden doodads.

ambbutterfly do you live near some woods? I wondered about using saplings to make a fence, kind of rustic but maybe... The less money we have the more creative we become:-) I'll try to find pictures of this type of fence They were used by pioneers to keep deer and buffalo out of the gardens. B

Here is one type I found-the other one I'm thinking of is more solid and doesn't require nails. B

Here is a link that might be useful: log fencing

Hi Brandy,
Thanks for that link! Actually, we do live near a woods. It's right next to us so we could maybe keep the groundhog away from that side unless it would figure it out and go to the other side. I don't really know if they're that smart? I'm going to read that page and see what they have to say. Thanks again.

I've been reading anything I can find on deterring deer, rabbits, groundhogs and chipmunks since we have them in great numbers here due to overdevelopment.

What a dope I was thinking we just had ONE cute little groundhog that I named "Puffalump"...the day last year when I was sitting in the garage and saw three of them sauntering down the driveway was when I knew there was trouble in Dodge!

Friends put fencing extended 18 inches in the ground and they still dug under it.

What I've found so far that I'm going to try in a total defensive attempt to let my new butterfly garden grow to bloom this year is:

1) Whirlygigs - supposedly groundhogs are timid and get frightened easily

2) Critter Ridder (non-toxic) granules around perimeter of garden - supposedly works on all critters except squirrels who are only a problem eating as much bird seed as they can get.

3) Reflective Horned Owl (Gardener's Supply & many other online sellers) - going to keep this lower to ground than instructed because I don't want to scare away birds that will also be dining on some things in butterfly garden but groundhogs & rabbits are supposedly scared by the holographic sight of a Great Horned Owl. We'll see how daring they are.

4) Chicken Wire on ground of garden perimeter - supposedly if deer walk on it they can't be sure of their footing so they'll avoid area. I'll believe it when I see it.

So far no critters have disturbed any of the spring bulbs either in containers or gardens I planted last fall. Probably just random, dumb luck but I sprayed bulbs with some organic odiferous stuff & wrapped them in steel wool as those were also suggested in articles. Bulbs are all sprouting (except for tulips thank goodness) due to unseasonably warm weather here.

No matter what, I suspect the rabbits won't care what I do to keep them away from the tulips I just had to plant for old time's sake. It's been thirty years since a single tulip has made it past its first show of leaves without being clipped by tiny teeth right down to the ground.

Bulbs I can stand to lose to a degree in the long run. My new butterfly garden is a WHOLE 'nother story...LOL.

Besides...as we speak the three groundhogs I know we've got under the shed out back are probably reproducing as I type and they'll be leading a parade of little groundhogs to everything and anything that's green and tender!

For about two minutes I thought of investing in one of those motion activated water sprayers but then realized I certainly didn't want to contribute to powdery mildew on all my precious plants in the butterfly garden since I won't spray in there.

Unless I plan on putting up a pup tent in the middle of the butterfly garden I MUST adjust sometime to the fact that there will be damage. It's just a question of how much since we can't stand guard 24/7.

Good luck to one and all in the critter battles.