Recently I set a couple of traps for woodchucks that had eaten a section of a flower garden. I set two positive sets, double door 9×11 Comstock Cages in two intermittently used den hole openings under the house. For 12 days there was no activity, nothing. Day 13 produced a small chuck, indicating there were likely several more young as litters of 4 are common. With another non productive stretch, day 19 produced two more, this time a large and a small one. Day 21 was good for another large chuck. Again, day 23 was another winner, a slammer big chuck. Total for 23 days, 5 chucks, 3 big chucks and 2 small.
Chucks and skunks are dispersing, finding new territory. The young are big enough to move around on their own. I have been working on a skunk location simultaneously and the total now is 7 small ones. Skunks can have large litters, 5-9 common, so this should be about the end of the little guys.
All of these 12 animals, as usual, were taken either in den openings or in travel ways near the den, positive and trail sets, without bait or lure. Better yet, there have been no non-targetted animals captured. Additionally, the traps required no maintenance. Once the prime location is set, it’s just a function of time until the animals return, patience with the confidence in knowing what you doing is spot on.