Groundhogs digging in for long Kansas winter

TOPEKA (KSNT) — While fat bears made international headlines this year, another North American mammal is working to pack on the pounds for winter. You might even see one in your own backyard.

Todd Volkmann is the exhibit caretaker at the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit in Wichita. He oversees the care of native animals.

“They gain a lot of weight. I know fat bear gets all the attention, but woodchucks are right there, or groundhogs or whatever you want to call them,” Volkmann said. “They’re also marmots. A favorite name: whistle pigs. I haven’t heard very many people call them that, but it’s kind of an endearing name. Groundhogs and woodchucks are the same thing.”

Whichever name you chose, the groundhog can be found in Kansas east of a line extending through Manhattan southwest to Arkansas City. According to wildlife specialists at Kansas State University, groundhog populations seem to be increasing and extending further west.

If a groundhog has moved into your neighborhood, this time of year might be the best to catch a glimpse. While normally crepuscular, or more active before sunrise or after sunset, Volkmann said this last-minute push to pack on the pounds has woodchucks on the move.

“It’s not uncommon to see them active during the day, especially this time of year. That’s normal, especially if they’re just trying to just eat all day,” Volkmann said.

Groundhogs are herbivores. According to K-State, they can become a nuisance when their feeding conflicts with people’s gardening efforts. You may see them feeding in gardens, flower beds or farm fields. Volkmann said groundhogs may go to great lengths for a treat, like fruit.

“Oh, they can climb. That catches people off guard sometimes,” Volkmann said. “They’re not, you know, adept like a squirrel, but they can climb a tree.”

Groundhogs tend to build their dens on the edge of woodlands, but often take advantage of human structures like sheds, decks or concrete slabs.

“Porches are a pretty easy, we’ll just call it a readymade den, if they can work their way in there. They just have to do a little burrowing, and there’s this cavernous den that is kind of similar to what they would construct themselves in a rocky outcropping or something like that,” Volkmann said.

As the name implies, the woodchuck can move a lot of dirt. According to K-State, burrows can reach 25 to 30 feet long and range between two to five feet deep. Their digging can cause damage to a building’s foundation, posing a real concern for homeowners.

Groundhogs emerge from hibernation in early February, just in time for the big day. And while they start the winter tipping the scales, Punxsutawny Phil might have given everyone the wrong image of what a groundhog looks like when it finally emerges in the spring. After months in deep hibernation, all that winter fat is gone.

“They fluctuate a lot. So when they when they hibernate, they can lose just a massive amount of weight naturally. I don’t know the back story on whatever the showcase is in Pennsylvania, but I imagine that’s a well-fed groundhog.”

Volkmann said woodchucks are rare in that they are true hibernators. While their squirrel cousins continue to forage throughout the winter, woodchucks usually hibernate in late October or early November, with the first hard freeze.

“They hibernate hard. They will usually shore up their den, close it off just for that added safety. Their temperature drops substantially, their heart rate slows and it’s a deep hibernation. It’s a state of torpor,” Volkmann said.

This weekend might be the last chance for Kansans to catch a glimpse of a woodchuck before they go to ground for winter. However, they’ll be back next year, just in time to predict the forecast for spring.

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