woodchuck addendum

My most recent research is aiming me towards the following set of eviction methodologies:

+Get dad to build a *really good* fence, well constructed with no gaps or places where my own lack of skill or sloppiness leads to an escape route. Even with a fence, however, I read several places that even though they are 20 pound rodents, they are actually excellent climbers.

+Get a short electric fence. There are solar powered ones, and that would be a cool thing to do or test out.

+Put small fences-- with bird netting-- in the raised beds. I realized this is another advantage of a raise bed-- I can easily stick in or attach a stake that I could throw something like bird netting over. I think this might be the best short-term solution, in addition to the next one...

+Pee in the hole. In addition to used cat litter, I will myself pee in the holes. I won't go out in the middle of the night to do it, but I have no problem with donating my "number one" runs to the backyard.

+Get a radio that I can leave on 24 hours and put out there. They don't like noise, if they think it could be people. I'll see if I can find one that might work at the thrift store, and put it under something plastic.

+Put beach balls that blow around and wavy shiny stuff in the garden, to startle them. It's like decorating-- throwing a farewell party for the woodchuck. Maybe I should have a saonce, too-- anything's worth a try. Maybe this is my chance to use all of those aol cds I knew I'd find a use for.

I read lots of warnings that even if you get rid of one, someone else-- especially a juvenile-- will come and occupy that hole pretty quickly. So, as soon as I can fend off/catch another one, I'll make sure to do bad things in the hole that would make it "unhospitable" for next traveller...