Get a 22 rifle and some hollow points & keep the gun in a car, shed or garage, if the wife doesn't want one in the house. Or, send her out with the air gun. GH's aren't my most favorite critter, by a long shot...I do shoot them. Even a 22 hollow point isn't an instant death. They are tuff critters. I always make sure they die as quickly as possible, no matter how many bullets it takes. I prefer to use the 12 ga. shot gun. It is MUCH more deadly, but...one needs to be in the correct range. Not always possible. I could never drown anything.

Tom- If you are talking 10 yrs or so, I would suggest biting the bullet and buy a quality zero turn. I had a similar dilema as you describe. I purchased a Dixie Chopper 72-inch XTreme zero turn that I use around my reforestation project (I mow the entire thing about 3 times per year to keep it from getting out of control). I have similar plans - mow for 5-10 yrs until the trees come close to developing a canopy, then let them go and just mow trails through the developing forest along with mowing my open fields/yard. No, I don't mow circles around each tree in case you were wondering. I mainly use the zero turn for it's higher mowing speeds. The one I pruchased is advertised at 9 acres/hr, but I'm not quite that fast. I do mow circles around the specimen trees in areas outside the reforestation area - it is great for those. I have an old 1952 Ford 8-N with a brush-hog that I used for a couple years, but my wife was getting sick of me spending forever mowing. My DC can mow through the tall stuff with no problem - they advertise it to do so as well. My curved rows are planted betwen 8 to 12 foot on center and the 72-inch works real nice. I bought the 33hp mower - you could get by with less, but I had a different dealer talk me out of a sale becuase he stated the smaller hp mower wouldn't cut through the tall stuff. He did say a smaller hp zero turn would be okay if you went with a more common 60-inch deck. If you add up what you would pay for hiring someone over 10 years - that would go a long ways towards a new/used zero turn mower for you. Plus most hold their value well - not to mention they are fun to drive. John

Laws governing whom you can keep off your rural agricultural property are different in Italy. As I understand it, you can't post your land off-limits for various kinds of use, including hunting. Of course we're not talking about homes and businesses here. Perhaps we have a better class of hunters here in Piacenza. Not that I love hunters as a group, but I think we need them, given the depradations of the wild boars and the recently arrived roe deer. A couple of years ago we had a clan of wild boars that established themselves in the patch of woods below our house, and among other activities tore down a low wall about ten yards from our front door. We made inquiries and called the local hunting squad, who came and shot them. I realize this sounds odd coming from a peaceful vegetarian. The thing is their populations need to be under control somehow, and shooting them is probably about as little cruel a death as they'd find as wild animals (the alternatives are sickness, starvation, and wolves, none very sweet). The wolves are helpful, and I hope they do manage to establish some kind of equilibrium with the deer and the boars. The human hunters can't keep up with them. Melissa

"So when you relocate them, in order to survive they will seek out another garden somewhere." >Unlikely. In order to satiate themselves, they'd love to find another garden, but they hardly need to do so to survive. Groundhogs live in locations that are long ways away from any gardens, and they survive just fine on wild grasses and insects< If that is not an assumption then please share your source as I have done below. One would think that a wild animal would live in the woods and survive on vegetation found in the wild right? Maybe you can share what you would bait a trap with to catch said wild groundhog. Some weeds or grasses? Good luck with that. Not sure why you didn't quote the rest which was <The problem with woodchucks/groundhogs is they do not live in the woods, meaning a completely wooded area. But live on the perimeter with houses and rely mostly of the garden plants we grow. Yea, they do eat some clover, etc but a garden or farm is a buffet to them. So when you relocate them, in order to survive they will seek out another garden somewhere.> Or a farm as indicated below. Range Woodchucks occur throughout eastern and central Alaska, British Columbia, and most of southern Canada. Their range in the United States extends throughout the East, northern Idaho, northeastern North Dakota, southeastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma, as well as south to Virginia and northern Alabama (Fig. 2). Habitat In general, woodchucks prefer open farmland and the surrounding wooded or brushy areas adjacent to open land. Burrows commonly are located in fields and pastures, along fence rows, stone walls, roadsides, and near building foundations or the bases of trees. Burrows are almost always found in or near open, grassy meadows or fields. Damage On occasion, the woodchuck’s feeding and burrowing habits conflict with human interests. Damage often occurs on farms, in home gardens, orchards, nurseries, around buildings, and sometimes around dikes. Damage to crops such as alfalfa, soybeans, beans, squash, and peas can be costly and extensive. Fruit trees and ornamental shrubs are damaged by woodchucks as they gnaw or claw woody vegetation. Gnawing on underground power cables has caused electrical outages. Damage to rubber hoses in vehicles, such as those used for vacuum and fuel lines, has also been documented. Mounds of earth from the excavated burrow systems and holes formed at burrow entrances present a hazard to farm equipment, horses, and riders. On occasion, burrowing can weaken dikes and foundations. Legal Status In most states, woodchucks are considered game animals. There is usually no bag limit or closed season. In damage situations, woodchucks are usually not protected. The status may vary from state to state, depending on the control technique to be employed. Consult with your state wildlife department, USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services representative, or extension agent before shooting and/or trapping problem individuals. WOODCHUCKS and THEIR CONTROL