Got a little surprise. When the little ones are fist sized in June and hang close to the den its easy to nab them in a couple of days. Now in July, when they are half grown, they are scattering, which means you never know how many there are or when they will return. Had caught two small ones first night, two big ones second night after setting more dens, one night off and then another small one fourth night. For two days with all positive sets, nothing. Hoped were were about done. Home owner was happy and had seen none. Spoke with him mid day, no activity. Got there at dark, two more little ones in the garden sets side by side. With two more small ones that drifted in from somewhere else or back in, thought it best to hang in there. Seems that when they start moving its best to err on the side of caution and give them a little more time. In the middle of this there was some heavy rain, which could have slowed the process. After 7 caught, now wonder how many more may show up. This is farm country with woodlots, few homes.

Garden areas are a great draw station for chucks of all maturity levels this time of year. They drift around a lot during their adventures out and about while learning the area. Once they find a good food source or get the scent of vegetable growth they will come.

I can compare a cattle or livestock dump station on a ranch as a great draw for the local coyotes, skunks, coon, crows, vultures etc.

Gardens and commercial grow farms all get hit hard and develop lots of foraging animals that are attracted to such food sources.

So in short they will keep coming as long as they continue to explore and expand within their local den areas. Then they will den hop or find layover/shelter areas to relocate seasonally closer to the food opportunity.

You will have spurts of activity then nothing then it starts all over again after some catches. Isn't nature great...

Nature surely is great from the perspective of a NWCO, especially when woodchucks are reeking havoc with gardens. Great feeling to help people get relief from problem wildlife and perhaps actually get something for themselves out out their own gardens. Finally removed the chipmunks from our blueberries and corn. Those little buggers......... Eight of them eating berries all day for six weeks adds up. As fast as the corn was planted they pulled up the seeds and ate them. Back to chucks, last year waited 13 days for chuck number one, then got 5 more in the following 23 days, just kept coming, large and small. Sort of like moose or deer browsing, eat and move.

This is a bad year for woodchucks and raccoons around our area. We have had a huge influx of nuisance calls for both animals. And they just keep flowing in to areas where others were trapped out. I'm thinking the increase in coons could be due to the drought and lack of food so they are moving around more. And the chuck population has just exploded many which are in poor health condition.

That doesn't sound like a bad thing....

Your correct it's not a bad thing until a client within a village is paying for all their neighbor's removal of animals. But that's a whole other thread...and I'll leave it at that.

Agreed KellieG, A lot more chuck calls this season, And I'm not in any heavy type of farm land. From what I can see, Coyote & Fox numbers seem to be very low. May be the increase has something to do with their numbers being down. But, no complaints here.

Chucks like the red fox have both found moving closer to structure and human population areas to be a safer environment for survival for them. This has been on going now for several years from my experience across the country.

Wildlife is very adaptable and will do what is deemed necessary to prosper. Coyotes adapt very well too and will make changes in their habits to do the same.

You are certainly right about that Bob. A drive in the evening anywhere, country, suburbs, city, chucks are there in numbers, great for business, seemingly endless supply and most often causing problems. Pretty much in compatible with flowers and vegetable gardens. No one likes walks and driveways caving in or craters either. Whatever they are doing, seems not to be appreciated and no predators, outside of humans, to work on them. Coyotes do take some, but fox and chucks seem to live together in harmony.