Release them on land where owners tolerate them or on wildlife management areas, not on agricultural land. Live traps are available at the animal control shelter or purchased from hardware stores. Other traps, like the leg-hold should be avoided in areas where there may be children or pets. In rural areas, woodchucks can be caught using leg-hold traps or body gripping killer traps. Leg-hold traps catch the woodchuck's leg, holding them until they can by clubbed or shot.
Body gripping traps kill the woodchucks as they pass through it.
Contact the DNR for the necessary permits. Shooting - Persistent and accurate shooting is a very effective way to control woodchucks on rural land. Fumigation - Woodchucks may be gassed using commercial gas cartridges labeled for fumigation of woodchuck burrows. The cartridges produce carbon monoxide which kills the woodchucks. They are available in retail stores throughout Michigan.