Zynga has just released in FrontierVille and brand new and innovative feature: the Groundhog Trap, based on the Groundhog Day event (in the US, on the 2nd of February, Phil the Groundhog gets out of his hole and if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter). Either way, this was mostly for the new mission series – but we’re here to focus on the FrontierVille Groundhog Trap and I have a guide for you with everything you need to know about it!
First of all, you will need to purchase your Groundhog Trap from the Market – it costs 1,900 coins and after you place it, no whacks are required, but help from your friends to complete the trap, as you can see below.
So, as you can see in the image above you need 5 of each of the following items: Tin Sheet, Screw, Bait (get them via wall posts) and Stick, Rope, Crate Box (get them by asking friends directly).
How does the Groundhog Trap work in FrontierVille?
The fun part only now begins! After completing the groundhog trap, it is ready to use. Initially, the trap has an area of 5 by 5 squares and it catches any groundhog that appears within that area. You can view the effective radius of the Groundhog Trap by clicking ‘View Area’ sub-menu. You must set it to work – at the cost of one energy – and you must remember to set it again after a groundhog is caught.
Once you catch a Groundhog with the Trap, there is a small chance that you get a Frontier Phil or Frontier Fred animal (the shadow or no-shadow groundhogs). You will also be allowed to share it with your neighbors or claim them from wall posts as well!
How to Upgrade the Groundhog Trap in FrontierVille?
Since the 5 squares radius is not enough for you, you can upgrade your traps to a 8 squares radius with the help of your friends: you need a crew of six people to upgrade it and it works in a similar matter to the Barbershop upgrade.
And here is a Tip for capturing groundhogs: place more Groundhog Traps on your homestead to increase the chances of getting the groundhog right after it appears!
Do you like this new Groundhog Trap feature?
Thank you, but how exactly do you trap the groundhog? Does it happen automatically when it is within the perimeter of the trap or do you still have to clobber it?.
sounds like a bunch of groundhog crap to me
As long as its armed it will trap the groundhog once it appears within its field of influence straight away. If you dont mind using the move tool you can bring the crops to the armed trap (cos you cant move an armed trap) and harvest them once they are next to the trap
What do you do once the goundhog is trapped? Mine is still inside the trap no matter what I click.
Lucky you, mine has been sitting in front of the trap all day, nothing happening.
How do you catch a groundhog? Do you have to harvest stuff for one to pop and then you catch it?
caught a groundhog.. yay!! but now what do i do? its still in the box.
UPDATE!! I checked the badge for the trappin of groundhogs. you just rebait the thing. If you look on the badge, it shows the talley of what you’ve caught. All you do is just rebait it. It counts as a catch when it slammed down. Nothing more to do than just keep rebaiting it.
Well, believe it or not I seemed to have trapped my groundhog. Box is shut again, have scored one on the badge and there is even another groundhog waiting to be trapped. Since I did not do anything, I’m still not sure what to do. What a quest!
For some reason, I’m unable to re-arm the trap after having trapped maybe 4 or 5 groundhogs. Are there time restrictions on arming the trap?
Well. Trapped 2 Groundhogs and reset the trap.
While I was moving crops to the set trap it snapped shut and I can’t reset it.
I also cannot find anywhere to get bait, if that is the problem.
Am still on Groundhog Mission I (waiting for the wheat to get to harvest time)
Any tips on what to do now?
This is gonna sound quite dumb, but how exactly do you trap one? Do you have to make on appear by planting crops or does it just pop up? Please tell me. I feel stupid.
I have been planting crops within the perimeter to ensure that groundhogs pop up. Once they pop up, the trap automatically catches them, but I have noticed it can be right away or take a little while. Once in the trap, just click the trap to re-arm it and you get credited for the capture.
PLEASE HELP ME GET MY FRONTIERVILLE FIXED..I LOVE PLAYING THIS GAME BUT IT WILL NOT LET ME..I ALWAYS HAVE TO REFRESH ALL OF THE TIME BECAUSE OF THE BLASTED INTERNET…
MY CROPS ARE ALL DYING…IT IS A TERRIBLE MESS..I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO START MY GROUNDHOGS MISSIONS BECAUSE OF THE INTERNET INTERUPTIONS.
PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME.
I don’t like this mission. All the others I had control over them. Ask Friends, post, etc. but this one I have to wait until a groundhog comes along. I don’t think I’ll get through this part of the mission. What am I doing wrong? More crops, different crops, etc. SIGH!
The best thing you can do if you can’t arm your trap, or the groundhog is stuck in the trap is to refresh your page. Most of the time when something isn’t working right, there is some kind of glitch and this will work.
For those having difficulty with the Ground Hog Trap, here is the skinny on the details.
After building your trap and/or expanding it’s catch area, place the trap somewhere in the middle of your planted area. Click on the trap and use the View Perimeter option to make sure your getting as much planted crops within this area as possible.
Do not Arm the trap until your ready to harvest. At harvest time, click on the trap, and Click ARM It. You will be given a warning window that by Arming you will not be able to disArm or move the trap until you capture a Ground Hog. Click Accept.
Start harvesting crops in a circle going from those closest to the trap outward. Usually piles of coin and XP stars will stop your progress before you get too far. Stop to click them and get your multiplier bonus. If a Ground Hog appeared during your harvest you’ll be able to see him now. There are TWO different types of Ground Hogs, and depending on which one pops up, depends on how the trap works. The original Ground Hog would pop up from his hole, yawn, and start looking around or bopping up and down. This type will turn the area red immediately and trip the trap. The second type is the new Springtime Ground Hog and his routine is annoyingly different. He will pop up from his hole, yawn, look around then get frightened and drop back down into his hole. You can see his eyes moving back and forth in the hole. He will then pop back up, look around again, and then act scared. At this point the area around him will turn red, and this is when you can clobber him or the trap will trip if he is within the trap perimeter. Once the trap is tripped, the carrot bait will wiggle a little and then box slides forward and you can see the Ground Hogs eyes peeking out the slats in the top of the trap. If more than one Ground Hog appears at the same time and are within the traps perimeter the trap will capture all of them.
Once a successful capture is made, can move the trap first before Arming if you want it in a different location, or you can click on the trap to Arm it again if you wish. I usually keep it in the middle of a larger area, and after a capture I move crops around the trap from outer locations so they are within the trap perimeter, and then Arm it. You will never need to get more Bait, the supply seems endless. If you click on the trap to ARM it and there is a red X there with Arm It that means the trap is already Armed.
Really stuck on getting an umbrella…. any words of wisdom!!!
I got my umbrella from my pet groundhog Frankie
Thanks Kathy
Help – i’ve built my traps and have successfully trapped several groundhogs. what i don’t understand is why there aren’t any coin/xp/food/collection rewards for trapping a groundhog like there are for manually clobbering one. if you don’t have any rewards what’s the point of having the traps???? how am i supposed to get the umbrella to complete groundhog trap mission 3 when there are no collection rewards for trapping? do i have to go back to clobbering them to get the umbrella????
I got umbrellas by clobbering the groundhogs. Have some extra. Add me as a neighbor and I can gift you one
Can you move the trap to a groundhog after it has popped up and then arm the trap? I have 2 groundhogs already on my land – can I still use the trap to get them?
brenda says:
February 3, 2011 at 7:45 PM
Help – i’ve built my traps and have successfully trapped several groundhogs. what i don’t understand is why there aren’t any coin/xp/food/collection rewards for trapping a groundhog like there are for manually clobbering one. if you don’t have any rewards what’s the point of having the traps???? how am i supposed to get the umbrella to complete groundhog trap mission 3 when there are no collection rewards for trapping? do i have to go back to clobbering them to get the umbrella????
It does pay 2 XP and some coins. It does not happen until after the trap falls and the groundhog takes the bait.
I collected my umbrellas by collecting my Bonus’ or finishing building a trap.
Cheri says:
February 7, 2011 at 5:02 PM
Can you move the trap to a groundhog after it has popped up and then arm the trap? I have 2 groundhogs already on my land – can I still use the trap to get them?
Not normally. If the groundhogs have just appeared and they are SpringTime Groundhogs, you can quickly move the trap near them and arm it before he finishes his little dance. After that you have to manually clobber them. You also cannot move an armed trap so the above it moot if your trap is already armed.
dorne says:
February 2, 2011 at 6:46 PM
Really stuck on getting an umbrella…. any words of wisdom!!!
Collect your bonus’ and complete building the physical trap.
So frustrating……I have armed traps with groundhogs near them and nothing…..I understand how it works, but it’s armed and I checked the perimeter and they are definitely within the limits and they stay there….no trapping happens.
I up graded my groundhog trap and it disappeared. Help!!!