How to Get Rid of Groundhogs
At a glance
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Time: A weekend to build an exclusion fence around a garden
- Cost: Low to moderate — wire mesh, posts, stakes
- Success: Good with a correctly built L-footer fence; poor with a standard fence lacking a buried, angled base
Can you DIY Groundhog?
The verdict on Groundhog DIY
A buried, angled fence is the real fix — and it's a genuinely doable weekend project.
Groundhogs (woodchucks) are chiefly a burrowing and garden nuisance with low direct health risk. The one design detail that determines success is a buried L-shaped footer — a fence without one just gets tunneled under. In New Hampshire, trapping outside season requires Level I Wildlife Control Operator licensing and relocation is restricted, so exclusion fencing is the more durable, legal DIY path than trap-and-relocate.
The 5 DIY methods — honestly graded
Every approach graded for this species, in IPM order — prevention first, chemistry late. Pick a method to see how it works, the steps, and what it actually takes.
Prevention / Exclusion
Works wellThe single most effective method — but only with a buried L-footer; a standard fence without one gets tunneled under.
Groundhogs are prolific diggers that will simply tunnel beneath a standard fence. A buried, outward-angled footer creates an underground shelf that a digging animal hits and can't dig past, while an unattached or outward-angled top defeats climbers.
Best for: Protecting a garden or specific area long-term
Build the fence with a buried L-footer
Use galvanized wire mesh, ½-inch openings to exclude juveniles, 3 to 4 feet tall. Bury the bottom 10 to 12 inches and bend the lower 6 to 12 inches outward into an L-shaped footer.
Defeat climbers at the top
Leave the top ~15 inches of fence unattached to posts, or bent outward at roughly a 45-degree angle, so a climbing groundhog wobbles and falls back rather than reaching over.
TipAdd a buried apron or threshold under any gates — gates are the weak point diggers exploit first.
Tools & materials
Why DIY falls short here
Not scare tactics — the specific, proportionate reasons a home attempt can stall for this species.
Prolific digging
A fence without a buried L-footer is simply tunneled under — this is the single most common DIY groundhog-fence failure.
Dependent young in spring/early summer
Premature eviction of a burrow during this window orphans pups that can't yet fend for themselves.
Multiple burrow entrances
Sealing one visible entrance leaves other active exits open, so the burrow system stays functional.
How risky is it, really?
An honest read — most nuisance species are genuinely low risk, and we say so.
Groundhogs are chiefly a burrowing and garden nuisance, not a health threat. The genuine costs are structural (undermined sheds, decks, and foundations) and garden crop loss — direct disease risk to people is minimal.
- Burrow undermining of sheds, decks, patios, and foundationsCommon
The primary real-world cost of groundhog activity — a structural, not health, concern
UNH Cooperative Extension
- Garden crop lossCommon
Groundhogs feed heavily on garden vegetables and can quickly damage a vegetable garden
UNH Cooperative Extension
- Bites from a cornered/handled groundhogRare
Per NH DHHS, bites from large rodents should prompt a rabies consultation, though confirmed rabid groundhogs are uncommon
NH DHHS
Ready for a Groundhog Fence That Actually Holds?
Anchor Pest Services builds correctly-designed exclusion fencing and handles burrow closure across southern and central New Hampshire. Family-owned since 2017, NH license #782664.
Call a pro when…
- Burrowing that's undermining a structure's foundation
- An active burrow under a deck or shed you need addressed on a shorter timeline
- You want current NH trapping/relocation rules navigated for you
General Pest Control
A single garden-protection fence is a solid DIY project. Call a pro if burrowing is undermining a foundation, shed, or deck directly, or if you'd rather have exclusion fencing and burrow closure done for you.
Keep them out
- Build exclusion fencing with a buried, outward-angled L-footer
- Remove brush and woodpile harborage near burrow entrances
- Time any burrow closure for mid- to late summer, after young are independent
Groundhogs in New Hampshire
In New Hampshire, groundhogs emerge from hibernation in early spring, raise young through late spring into early summer, and spend late summer into fall building fat reserves for winter dormancy — which makes mid- to late summer (roughly July through September) the best window to close an active burrow, after young are independent but before the heavy pre-hibernation feeding period.
Peak season
Active spring through fall; hibernates through winter
Make sure it's a Groundhog
Two quick detours worth taking — confirm the ID, then learn what drew it in so it doesn't come back.
Frequently asked
Sources & further reading(3)
- [1]UNH Cooperative Extension — Dealing with Woodchuck Damage
NH-specific groundhog exclusion fencing design and timing
extensionverified 2026-07-13 - [2]NH Fish & Game — Nuisance Wildlife / Wildlife Control Operators
Level I WCO licensing and relocation constraints
govverified 2026-07-13 - [3]NH DHHS — Rabies and Animal Bites
Bite-related rabies consultation guidance for large rodents
govverified 2026-07-13
Written & reviewed by
VerifiedDaniel Brady
NH-Licensed Pesticide Applicator · License #782664 (NHDAMF, RSA 430)
Daniel Brady is the New Hampshire–licensed applicator behind Anchor Pest Services, a family-owned pest control company serving the Manchester area since 2017.
Last updated July 2026
Other species you can tackle
Same category — the dot shows each one's DIY verdict at a glance (green = friendly, amber = doable with care, red = call a pro).
Professional Pest Control
Ready for a Groundhog Fence That Actually Holds?
Anchor Pest Services builds correctly-designed exclusion fencing and handles burrow closure across southern and central New Hampshire. Family-owned since 2017, NH license #782664.
- Correctly-designed L-footer exclusion
- NH-licensed technicians (#782664)
- Free inspection — same-day service across southern NH
NH License #782664 · No obligation · We answer in person