Master Gardener: Are there groundhogs in Oklahoma? (2024)

FAQs

Master Gardener: Are there groundhogs in Oklahoma? ›

There are some interesting topics associated with this animal, but did you know we have groundhogs in Oklahoma? We do, and they are primarily located in Eastern Oklahoma, but have been sighted in Pawnee, Payne, Lincoln, Logan, Okfuskee, Pittsburg, and Oklahoma counties as well.

In Oklahoma, you are most likely to see one in the extreme northeastern corner, within a few hundred feet of its burrow. A prolific digger, the groundhog can create a new burrow overnight. Burrows are recognizable from the large mound of dirt that surrounds the main entrance.

Groundhogs are most active during early morning and late afternoon when they are feeding. Adults typically consume between 1 and 1.5 pounds of vegetation daily. Groundhogs can climb trees for food and protection. In late August and September, groundhogs prepare for hibernation and have voracious appetites.

Groundhogs are distributed from eastern Alaska across the southern half of Canada to the Atlantic Ocean and south in the eastern half of the United States to Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Groundhogs are generally not aggressive and scare fairly easily. Using a range of deterrents will keep them from areas you don't want them around. Trapping of groundhogs is not a humane solution, as is the case with any wildlife that is not sick or injured.

While wildlife is generally protected under the law, protection is removed if the animal is damaging or destroying personal property. Groundhogs are permitted to be killed if they are causing damage such as digging at a home's foundation.

Besides eating your garden, a groundhog's digging can damage a home's foundation, dislodge a retaining wall and create holes large enough for your mower to fall into. A common problem on farmsteads is livestock or people breaking their legs when they step into a groundhog hole.

Activity: Groundhogs are diurnal (active during the day) from spring to fall. Most activity occurs during the early morning and early evening hours, at which groundhogs emerge from their burrows to gather food. Hibernation: Groundhogs are true hibernators, entering a deep sleep in October and emerging in early spring.

What do groundhogs hate the most? Groundhogs hate the smells of pepper, garlic, rosemary, lavender, cayenne, talcum powder, basil, chives, mint, sage, thyme and oregano.

Soil Aeration

When digging, groundhogs help aerate soil. Roots, like all other parts of the plant, have to respire, taking in oxygen and emitting carbon dioxide. In unturned soil, roots deplete their limited oxygen while CO2accumulates, making it hard for them to 'breathe.

What is groundhog's worst enemy? ›

The primary predators of groundhogs are hawks, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, dogs and humans. However, motorized vehicles kill many groundhogs each year.

Like many animals, groundhogs are typically solitary, only coming together to mate. They do have a rather unusual greeting, however, in those rare times when they meet each other.

Lifespan: In the wild, groundhogs can live up to six years with two or three being average. In captivity, groundhogs reportedly live up to 14 years. Breeding: Groundhogs tend to be solitary except in the spring when a litter of four to six young are born.

Groundhogs will readily come into your yard searching for food and a safe place to burrow. Therefore, you should take some steps to make your yard less attractive to this wildlife and to reduce the damage, for example, harvesting your garden crops as soon as possible to limit their food sources.

Yet these nearsighted mammals play an essential role in the ecosystem by providing food for larger predators. Their burrows also offer shelter to foxes, reptiles, amphibians and others. Groundhogs need their beauty sleep. From late fall through early spring, groundhogs hibernate in their burrows.

If not properly controlled, groundhogs can cause serious structural damage when burrowing. Their tunnels break apart building foundations, and they will often chew through electrical wires and irrigation systems that may be in their way. For best results, use multiple groundhog control products at once.

Gophers and groundhogs are both brown and furry and known for digging burrows, and both are herbivores. However, they have several key differences. Groundhogs are bigger, stockier, and they hibernate in the winter. Gophers are smaller and have large, distinctive cheek pouches.

Gopher teeth protrude from the mouth and are usually yellow or brown. Groundhog teeth are normally white in colour and not visible unless the mouth is open. Groundhog tails are short and covered in thick, bushy fur. Pocket gopher tails, like other rodents, are completely hairless.

Woodchucks are fairly limited to eastern Oklahoma, but have been reported in Pawnee, Payne, Lincoln, Logan, Okfuskee, Pittsburg and Oklahoma counties in recent years. The first preserved specimen of a woodchuck from Oklahoma was from Ottawa County in 1960.