Q – We have discovered chipmunks living in our yard.  They appear to be getting closer to the house.  We don’t have any real issues yet, but there may come a day.

What do we do?

Lauri in Duluth

A – Ok, this is not going to be good news…

If the chipmunks are not disturbing you, your landscaping or your house and you enjoy watching them, then watch them.

However, if they are getting closer to the house, their tunnels may start to compromise the ground beneath your walkways, your driveway, or your foundation.  Or maybe it’s your trees, lawn, flowers or gardens that are getting chipmunked.  At that point it’s time to send Theodore and the boys packing.

For me (and this may just be for me) the best way to get rid of them is to get a cat or a dog (I prefer a dog).  Let it spend some quality time outdoors and your population of chipmunks should start to dwindle.

If you don’t want to go that route, you can buy live traps and trap them.  Havahart or CatchMor traps come in the correct chipmunk catching size.  However, and this is where it gets kinda yucky, the DNR says that if you trap chipmunks you must euthanize them.  To put that bluntly, you have to kill them.

There is no catch and release.  Homeowners cannot legally trespass on other property to release trapped animals.  And it is illegal to release trapped animals on county, state, or federal lands.

My best advice would be to trap them, then call the DNR and ask them what to do with them.  Then none of us get in trouble.

So that is the fate of your chipmunks.

Good luck.