During this period, the main activity is feeding and basking in the spring sun. In digging, the front feet and claws are used primarily, but the teeth may be employed to move stones or cut roots. Digging is done so rapidly that a small burrow can be finished in one day, though upkeep is continued as long as the burrow is occupied. The woodchuck is almost a complete vegetarian, eating leaves, flowers and soft stems of various grasses, of field crops such as clover and alfalfa, and of many kinds of wild herbs. Certain garden crops like peas, beans and corn are favorites.
Chucks occasionally climb trees to obtain apples and pawpaws which they relish.
The breeding season begins in mid-February soon after the animals emerge from hibernation. Pregnancy lasts 31-33 days and the the single, annual litter is born toward the end of March. At birth, the two to nine young are naked, blind and helpless. About this time, they may dig temporary burrows near the nursery which they use for a short period. Later, they move some distance away and establish their own homes.