Those 40-40-30 statistics were for the most-often confrontations between people and wild varmints, not including domestic animals or being bitten by PEOPLE.

Hi Amanda,

When I first read your post a few days ago I thought it was an amusing story and will probably inspire you to write a poem and I saw I hit the nail on the head with that observation. :) 

I checked up on the groundhog and found it's essentially not to problematic unless you have crops and they start eating away but there are other problems too.

Here's what I found in wikipedia about this little rodent.

Glad you're over the fright and now in the get outta here stage.

Shalom,

Peter

Groundhog

The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as woodchuck, land beaver or whistlepig, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other marmots, such as the yellow-bellied and hoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the woodchuck is a lowland creature. It is widely distributed in North America and common in the northeastern and central United States. Groundhogs are found as far north as Alaska, with their habitat extending southeast to Alabama.^[2]

Anatomy and behavior

The groundhog is the largest sciurid in its geographical range, typically measuring 40 to 65 cm (17 to 26 in) long (including a 15 cm tail) and weighing 2 to 4 kg (4.5 to 9 pounds). In areas with fewer natural predators and large quantities of alfalfa, groundhogs can grow to 80 cm (32 in) and 14 kg (30 lb). Groundhogs are well adapted for digging, with short but powerful limbs and curved, thick claws. Unlike other sciurids, the groundhog's spine is curved, more like that of a mole, and the tail is comparably shorter as well – only about one-fourth of body length. Suited to their temperate habitat, groundhogs are covered with two coats of fur: a dense grey undercoat and a longer coat of banded guard hairs that gives the groundhog its distinctive "frosted" appearance.

Groundhogs usually live from two to three years, but can live up to six years in the wild. In captivity, groundhogs can exceed this limit; by example, the 22-year-old Wiarton Willie may indicate the maximum lifespan. Common predators for groundhogs include wolves, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, bears, large hawks, and owls and dogs. Young groundhogs are often at risk for predation by snakes, which easily enter the burrow.

Mostly herbivorous, groundhogs primarily eat wild grasses and other vegetation, and berries and agricultural crops when available.^[3] Groundhogs also eat grubs, grasshoppers, insects, snails and other small animals, but are not as omnivorous as many other sciurids.

Groundhogs are excellent burrowers, using burrows for sleeping, rearing young, and hibernating. The average groundhog has been estimated to move approximately 1 m³ (35 cubic feet), or 320 kg (700 pounds), of dirt when digging a burrow. Though groundhogs are the most solitary of the marmots, several individuals may occupy the same burrow. Groundhog burrows usually have two to five entrances, providing groundhogs their primary means of escape from predators. Burrows are particularly large, with up to 45 feet (14 m) of tunnels buried up to 5 feet (1.5 m) underground, and can pose a serious threat to agricultural and residential development by damaging farm machinery and even undermining building foundations.^[4]

^{Read more here Wikipedia}