Dept. Forestry and Natural Resources
715 W. State Street
W. Lafayette, IN 47907
(765) 494-3590
FAX: (765) 494-9461

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Groundhog (Woodchuck, Whistle Pig) (Maramota monax)

The groundhog is a member of the squirrel family and is common throughout Indiana. It can be
found in open pastures, woodlots, cultivated and fallow fields, and along railroad embankments, ditch banks,
roadsides, fence rows, and levees. Groundhog damage to crops is concentrated around burrows, with peak feeding occurring at dawn and dusk (evenings are spent within their burrows).

Learn more about groundhog damage.
See groundhogs in action.

Soybeans

The area of damage appears as a semi-circle around the edge of the field. Groundhogs begin damaging soybean plants soon after emergence and continue damaging plants throughout the growing season as long as the plants are green and succulent. The area of damage will grow larger through time as the groundhogs seek out new growth further from their burrow. (top of page)
The damage is near thier burrow entrance. (top of page)
Groundhog damage to newly emerged soybeans may result in missing plants (due to shoot removal below the cotyledons). (top of page)
Most groundhog damage is characterized by sharply cut stems at an angle. Groundhogs, like all rodents, have sharp incisors so they bite cleanly through the plant when they feed. Plants often are fed on repeatedly as soybean plants continue to sprout new leaflets. (top of page)
Weeds often dominate areas of groundhog damage due to the open space (caused bycontinual feeding on soybean plants in an area) and reduced competition for light and nutrients from soybean plants. (top of page)
While white-tailed deer may damage more individual soybean plants than do groundhogs, groundhog damage generally results in higher yield loss per plant than does that caused by deer. Groundhogs concentrate their feeding around den sites and do not travel far from the safety of their dens. Thus, groundhogs feed more extensively on individual plants than do deer. Individual plants repeatedly damaged by groundhogs often will have few leaflets remaining, with plants closer to the burrow having fewer leaflets and stunted growth compared to those farther from the burrow. (top of page)