Annual Groundhog and Woodchuck tally 2015 (no prairie dogs)

I went out again this past week, winds were bad 20-35 mph but did get my total up to 74. Tried a few at 400-575 yds. in the wind with no success. Seems like when one would appear there would be a cross wind, the good thing is they are still there for more opportunities. I also saw several young ones.
 
No one killing any? Haven't seen any pics in a while. I'm envious of you guys that stack them up every year. Hoping the landowner gets his pasture mowed so maybe I can shoot a few like last year.

Shelton
 
I haven't been in over a week and with rain in the forecast it is hard to get motivated as I drive about 500 miles round trip. I am up to 94 so far this year. With the weather we have had this year the beans and corn are already getting high.
 
I went out with a group of guys this past Friday evening and we nailed 12 within about 1.5 hours. 2 22-250's and 1 25-06 shooting 90gr BlitzKings - now that one will put the smack down on them!

Didn't take any pics, but the farmer said there was a nice eagle feasting there over the weekend, and at about dusk the night of, we saw a red fox come out and start feasting on my longest kill of the evening - it was in the 350-352.5 yard range. (Had to take a 2nd shot to connect with that one.) Fun time. The sun finally poked through a little for us after one unusually cloudy/rainy and cooler week here.
 
Seems like rain is in the forecast every day but I was able to get out a good bit the last two weeks. Managed to get my first 2 in 1 shot with the 20 vt. I saw 2 young ones come out, shot the one standing and got the one behind him also. I was shooting 39 sbk @ 3500. Season total 160.
 
Finally had a chance to get out this year between work and rain, it was a bit windy so I took out the 22-250AI with 75gr Amaxes at around 3350fps.
The first field we went to had been cut about 2 weeks ago and with all this rain was already getting pretty high in spots so it was kinda like playing whack a mole but we had a couple stay up long enough for a shot, out of 9 hogs spotted I shot five and missed one all were between 375 and 450 yards.

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Good going Rich, gotta love it when the weather and the groundhogs cooperate. Looks like the amaxs are working well for you. I have been using them on windy days in my 223AI but haven't made up my mind as to how effective they are compared to vmax's. I may not be pushing them fast enough, only 3000 fps.
 
I bagged #44-47 this weekend. It has been a strange summer of rain here in NW Ohio, and this last week was our first rain-free week in 2 months.

Glad to see some hunters having some success.
 
Went out several days this past week and got #269-#296. I had one that was on a farm where the owners will only let me shoot a rimfire. Every time I would try to get close enough for a shot he would run so I decided to try him @ 275 yds with a 17 hmr. There was no wind so I dialed up 9.25 moa and shot just over his head. He ran about 10' then sat up facing me, I held on his chest and squeezed, he fell over tail up. That beats my longest shot of 219 yds with the 17hmr. The gun is a cz 452 varmint shooting 17 gr vmax. Don't get me wrong, I don't take these shots all the time, but when conditions are right it sure is fun.
 
Why:

With that kind of skill, why not take the 17 HMR out to 300 yards? After all you are finding (and killing) 27 groundhogs in a week when foliage and crops are all grown in a state not known for easy groundhog hunting. And 296 groundhogs in the middle of a season where even the best hunters average 100 hunting into October.

Fascinating indeed that you are even thinking of restraining yourself with 17 HMR.
 
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finally got some time off when it wasn't raining and at least two of the fields we hunt were cut, and was able to get out to do some groundhog shootin.
Went thursday afternoon right after they finished baling the hay and the hogs were real skittish the only ones that would come all the way out of there holes were from 500 to 800 yards,
I finally got a shot at one sneaking out of the tree line around 535 yards at the shot I thought I saw him roll but my spotter said he ran off, after a while one popped up at 643 yards I waited till he was a little ways off from his hole and shot I saw the bullet impact right behind him another miss and that was it for the day.
Went back the next morning and and saw a eagle eating something down where I missed the first groundhog, went down for a closer look and right where I shot at that groundhog was a dead groundhog imagine that I don't know what my spotter saw run off maybe there were two hogs?
Since I walked down (tried to get pics of the eagle eating the groundhog) the field I left my 6AI in the truck and took the 20 VT for a walk I ended up shooting 3 down at the end of the field one at 120 yards one at 220 and the last at just a bit over 300 yards all three shot off the sticks.

300 yard hog
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220 yard hog
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120 yard hog
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It sure is nice to come across a fresh cut hay field. Seems to be more beans here than anything else, I try to hunt some of the edges where the first 8-10 rows of beans are only a few inches high but most of those shots are inside of 300 yds.
 
We only have about 1/4 of the fields we usually hunt in hay everything else this year is corn, even the alfalfa fields were turned into corn and they were the best fields to hunt.
 
shot #69 tonight weighed in at 13.75lbs. and got my longest shot ever at 709Yds. with my Kimber pro varmint 22-250, 35.5 grs varget behind a 50gr,SBK. great night
 
Man...it sure has been wet heere and the farmers cant get the hay cut for fear of rain. Talked to him a week ago and he says by hook or crook its getting cut this week! Gonna try them after he does.
 
I shot 7 chucks last night to bring my total for the year to 61 Pa./NY chucks who have failed the lead pill challenge.3 were 400+,I dont use a rangefinder but something similar.
Rem 700 SPSV .243 H&S Precision stock,Timney trigger topped w/a Nikon monarch 4x16SF shootin hand rolled 75gr sierra jhp. I also throw 55 gr hornady varmageddons at the longer shots.Ive used,and still use .223,22-250 but I love this .243.
 
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