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12/04/11, 08:42 PM
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: MO Ozarks
Posts: 378
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Groundhog Questions
We had a juvenile groundhog sitting on our back deck yesterday morning. The little dogs barked at it and it lunged at them. I thought I could scare it away by pushing it with a shovel. It didn't like that and bit the shovel. It would not budge.
Later in the morning it got into my compost bin and stayed there watching me as I put straw in the garden. This morning it was on a dirt pile in the yard. The little dogs barked at it and it wouldn't back down, so I got the dogs away from it. Again, I pushed it with a stick. It fought back and would not retreat.
Lester, the Lab, found it and killed it this afternoon. I didn't see if it bit Lester, so now I'm concerning if it might be carrying a disease that we need to worry about Lester getting. He had a rabies shot about 1 1/2 years ago. Should we make sure Lester is up-to-date on all his vaccines?
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Terri
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12/04/11, 08:47 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: se South Dakota
Posts: 1,128
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if you still have it send it in to be tested , wouldnt hurt to talk with the vet on any updates on shots , next time kill the dang thing rather than have it around
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12/04/11, 09:58 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: north Alabama
Posts: 10,813
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Yes, make sure he is current. Do some searching on the net before going near the carcass.
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George Washington did not run and hide.
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12/04/11, 10:07 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 667
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If you care about your dog it should always be up-to-date on vaccines, no brainer. Sometimes shots given after the fact are too late.
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12/04/11, 10:35 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 2,853
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12/05/11, 06:18 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 6,090
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I hear they're good to eat. I've never tried one, but I haven't seen any on my property. Yet.
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12/05/11, 07:06 AM
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If I need a Shelter
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ozarks
Posts: 17,695
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Quote:
Originally Posted by farmmom
I hear they're good to eat. I've never tried one, but I haven't seen any on my property. Yet.
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Very Good!
big rockpile
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I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.
If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock! 
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12/05/11, 07:17 AM
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Indiana
Posts: 2,892
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I've eaten a few. They're okay. Younger ones are nice and tender. I haven't seen any around this place in the years we've been out here. Got fox squirrels, grey squirrels, & rabbits. No ground hogs though.
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Be Intense, always. But always take the time to
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'Til later, Have Fun,
Old John
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12/05/11, 07:53 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Ohio -west central
Posts: 1,525
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Might be a good idea to ask vet,but groundhogs are not a likely rabies carrier,they are rodents. They can be very nasty even little ones, just look at their teeth, they do not back down from much even a "shovel"
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12/05/11, 09:02 AM
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: MO Ozarks
Posts: 378
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Thanks, everyone. The Old Time Music Ozark Heritage Festival in West Plains, MO, has an old time cooking stage. that is very popular with festival goers. Groundhog was on the menu last year, along with Judy's famous squirrel pot pie as featured on "Anthony Bourdain's, No Reservations" show featuring the Ozarks.
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Terri
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12/05/11, 10:33 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 867
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Ground hogs are bad tempered and can sure hurt any sized dog that does not know how to handle them. Your lab did a good job.
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12/05/11, 02:29 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 19,350
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If your dog got the 2 year rabies vaccine you shouldn't have any problems.
I don't know if groundhogs carry canine distemper.
Check with your vet about other possible diseases. The dog would have been exposed to them even without fighting the 'hog with it just being in the area.
Last edited by Danaus29; 12/05/11 at 02:32 PM.
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12/05/11, 03:15 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 433
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I dunno . . . the last groundhog that went into my compost pile . . . hasn't been seen since
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12/05/11, 03:45 PM
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Central New York State
Posts: 5,694
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I beat the heck outta one with a shovel last year...It was young and I was wearing high heels which probably looked a bit odd to my neighbors!
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12/05/11, 04:14 PM
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: MO Ozarks
Posts: 378
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The vet said that the health department recognizes rabies vaccines as being valid 3 years. He suggested that the dog get a booster, just in case.
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Terri
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12/06/11, 01:39 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,807
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMartianChick
I beat the heck outta one with a shovel last year...It was young and I was wearing high heels which probably looked a bit odd to my neighbors!
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Okay, I'm thinkin' that a youtube video of that would certainly go viral!
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http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/
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12/06/11, 02:06 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
Posts: 661
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we had a groundhog problem when we first moved to our country property. They had tunnels and huge holes in the middle of the horse pasture - not a good thing. However, all of ours were very shy and would run as fast as a dog to get away from you (prehaps the crack-shot shooting neighbor trained them so they relocated?!). We got a big dog, mowed the grass really short and filled the holes with rocks/sand/gravel and whatever other rubbish we had to dispose of. It worked, they came up on the other side of the fence in the corn field and didn't come back!  I laughed out loud when I read that yours bit your shovel!!
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12/06/11, 04:19 PM
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Moderator
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Mountains of Vermont, Zone 3
Posts: 8,878
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Ground hogs are dog food, except our dogs ate them all years ago. Now ground hogs just plain scarce around here. Same for coon, coyotes and foxes...
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12/07/11, 07:34 AM
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An Ozark Engineer
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Powhatan, AR
Posts: 9,427
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMartianChick
I beat the heck outta one with a shovel last year...It was young and I was wearing high heels which probably looked a bit odd to my neighbors!
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I LAUGHED OUT LOUD! Will be carrying this picture around in my head the rest of the day.
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12/08/11, 08:18 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 208
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any time a wild animal stands it's ground and doesn't flee beware this is not normal behavior. you should have destroyed the animal as soon as you saw it's unusal behavior.
If you can not do this act you need to find someone to do it for you.
Your dogs would be better for it and what would have happen if this was a small child? If you can't kill then run and tell the dogs to run too.
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