Phil that really sucks that you can't get a shot at him 10yds away because of the angle, the sun, and all that.
Unfortunately 1.5ft is not much for a groundhog. Some have been known to dig as deep as 7ft I read somewhere! But 3-4ft is nothing unusual for them. I had the plumber out here a few weeks ago and he was snaking out the pipe about 25yds away from the house and before I even mentioned anything, he said "you know, g-hogs can mess up your sewer pipes too because they dig under them and they can bend over time because there is no support under them" and even crack(!), etc. I said but I can see through the tap that the main pipe is down more than 3ft. He said they dig that far down and deeper all the time and he has seen g-hog tunnels go under the pipes when they dig up to repair pipes and some pipe damage was unquestionably caused by the ground dwellers!
Another thing you should know, is that when a farmer or someone puts up a fence post or any other post into the ground, the g-hog rushes over to dig hole under it or at the base and around it. Sometimes they just look for excuses to dig another hole and tunnel..
BTW, rabbits will bite several tomatoes, fruit, whatever and leave them to go on to the next one. I don't think that's g-hog behavior but I could be wrong. G-hogs usually chew on the roots under the ground or eat the leaves off the plant or the vegetable itself. I think it's a good possibility that might be a rabbit you took a picture of. I wonder if there 's some kind of animal expert in a University or something you can send the pic to, so they can identify the culprit.
Have you found any g-hog holes in your garden or on the perimeter of the fence?
