WWW.CLEMSON.EDU/PSAMEDIA

DATE:     1/25/01
WRITER:   Candace Cummings, Clemson Extension 
          Wildlife Specialist, (864) 656-7146
EDITOR:   Giles Singleton, (864) 656-3876

Groundhog Day: The Life and Loves of the 
Weather-Predicting Woodchuck

     CLEMSON -- Every Groundhog Day, we hear a lot about 
Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog in Punxsutawney, Penn. Since 1887, 
the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club has made quite a to-do over their
groundhog's emergence on February 2nd.  
     Groundhog Day originated in Europe where, centuries ago, 
Europeans sought to predict the final stages of winter by keeping 
an eye out for badgers. In the United States, we watch for the
groundhog -- or woodchuck -- hoping that when it leaves its burrow, 
it won't see its shadow. 
     Folklore has it that if the groundhog is seen on an overcast 
day, spring will come early. If it's sunny, and he sees his shadow 
and is frightened back into his burrow, six more weeks of winter
weather will follow.
     It is true groundhogs are easily spooked; a shadow will scare 
them back inside their burrows. But even more true is this: the
woodchuck we often call a groundhog emerges in late winter to check
for a potential mate not to predict the weather. 
     The woodchuck is a furry butterball in the rodent family that
looks a little like a chunky pear with brown grizzled fur. Woodchucks
are true hibernators.
     As early as September or as late as November, the woodchuck
waddles down its burrow, crawls into its nest and falls into a 
deep sleep. Breathing as little as ten times an hour, while 
maintaining a body temperature between 37 and 57 degrees, a woodchuck
will hibernate until it emerges in late winter to search for a
mate. Then the mated pair will resume hibernation until spring.
     Many animals may sleep during the winter months, but only a 
few -- like the woodchuck -- are true hibernators. Only animals 
that can store enough food reserves in the form of accumulated 
body fats are able to hibernate. 
     From late February to early March, depending on latitude, 
the woodchuck emerges from its burrow and begins to look for a 
mate -- not his shadow. He does this by sniffing each burrow for 
a single female. He then wags his tail and enters her burrow, 
hoping she desires his company. 
     Many times she does not, and will throw him out. But he 
is persistent, and eventually she gives in to his advances. The 
pair will then sleep some more until the arrival of the young, when 
the female banishes the male again from the burrow.
     The burrow system is an engineering marvel, and the woodchucks
keep it impeccably clean. With plenty of vegetation like grass, 
clover or even your vegetable garden to eat, the woodchuck digs a
burrow system with a tunnel system and a few chambers. One chamber 
is for sleeping and raising young, and one is for a toilet area.
     These burrow entrances are often easy to see in sloped, grassy 
or weedy areas throughout the upstate of South Carolina. Woodchucks 
can be seen standing guard on their hind legs at the burrow 
entrances. With sharp whistles and grunts, the woodchuck can warn 
the colony of danger.
     Since woodchucks are herbivores and prefer tender green plants, 
a favorite dining spot may be your garden. They may ravage beans 
and peas a take their fill of carrot tops, lettuce, cabbage and 
squash. 
     Woodchuck Control: Once a colony of woodchucks is established, 
it is difficult to get rid of them. No commercial repellents are
registered as effective for woodchucks.
     The most permanent method of woodchuck control in gardens 
is fencing. A sturdy fence at least three feet high will keep 
most animals out. If woodchucks burrow under the fence, place 
the fencing an additional one to two feet below ground level.
     Supplementing the fence with a strand of electrified wire 
four to five inches off the ground will help. Remove ground 
cover, stumps, woodpiles and undergrowth to make the area 
less inviting.
     Home remedies may encourage the woodchuck to move out. Place 
a can filled with a pungent substance like pine oil directly in 
the burrow. Avoid using this method in spring or summer when young 
may become stranded inside the burrow. If you spray around the 
garden with a homemade mixture of ground hot peppers, garlic, water 
and liquid soap, this will also repel them.
     As a last resort, live traps for woodchucks should be placed 
near the entrance of the burrow or near the feeding area. Late 
summer is the best time to trap. Bait the trap with fresh cabbage 
leaf, apple slices or commercially prepared bait. Contact a 
nuisance wildlife control professional for removal. 
     So, if he doesn't really predict the weather -- I wonder -- 
how much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck 
wood?
               *********************************
     If you have gardening questions, write to PSA Media Relations,
A-101 Poole Agricultural Center, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.
29634-0129. You might also want to check our website at
www.clemson.edu/psamedia.
                               END