Why do you want him/her to move?

If they (it) cannot get into the house proper, and are not doing any damage to the structure, let them stay.

We have a family of raccoons in the shed attic (a converted metal migrant workers shack). They are doing less damage than the feral cats, the squirrels and the rats. In fact I have seen a remarkable drop in rat and mice population since the raccoons moved in.

Ground hogs eat a variety of plant material (which means they could be a potential threat to your garden conversely if you have a lot of weeds or a 'natural habitat' they could clean that area up for you) however they also eat a wide variety of pest insects (beetles, centipedes, etc).

Ground Hogs are also known as Woodchucks: [link to www.enature.com]

Also known as 'Whistle Pigs': [link to blogcritics.org]


Personally I would assess the damage they are doing and the potential damage they could cause.

If upon inspection of the under porch you find no damage, or burrowing undermining the porch, foundation and supports. And if I did not have a veg garden near by or see visible damage in the garden, I would let him/her/them live out their lives and see if over the long term their presence has a negative or positive impact.

If it is positive, let them stay, if negative then you need to get under the porch and 'scare' the out, then seal up the porch area.

Study up on their habits (start here: [link to www.enature.com] and you will have a fair idea on how to treat this one.

If its male then you will only have it in its burrow. If its female then it will have its litter.

From that site:

Woodchucks are beneficial in moderate numbers. Their defecation inside the burrow, in a special excrement chamber separate from the nesting chamber, fertilizes the earth. Their digging loosens and aerates the soil, letting in moisture and organic matter while bringing up subsoil for transformation into topsoil (in New York State they turn over 1.6 million tons of soil each year).