Annual Groundhog tally for 2011

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Flyrod1

New member
I have been asked to start an official 2011 groundhog thread. Hopefully the Mods. will see fit to put the 2010 thread to rest and sticky this one. So post 'em up guys and let's sse some pasture poodles, some pics of fine firearms, and beautiful farm country!
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Here's my first, robbed from last year's thread:
It's official for me, tha 2011 ground poodle season has started! This is my first of two from yesterday:
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I've owned this rifle for two years and just got around to slapping an old straight 16x Leupold target scope on it to work up some loads. R&D isn't complete yet,but it shot well enough to take afield to get some blood on it
It's a Swift, pushing 55 grain SBK's over a healthy dose of H380. Groundhog was just over 200yds. and the bullet never exited! It was hard to find the entrance hole in the center of the back, but the hog felt like a bag of jelly!
I shot the next one with the Glock 27! Hog stuck it's head out of a hole at just the wrong time!
BRB connected with his first near the golf course with my pellet rifle to make #3 for the day. One shot to the head at 25 yds. and DRT!
Couldn't find any more groundhogs after that so we went to a friend's farm and whacked a dozen pigeons with the pellet rifle!
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I got my first of the year early in January from a distance of about 10' with the 17HMR. Do leg hold traps count
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I did miss one a few Saturdays ago while shooting steel with the AR. Had the rifle doped for 502yds with a left to right wind. Hog showed up 180° to my shooting position at about 475yds with a right to left wind. I forgot to reverse my windage and shot left all 4 times using hold offs as he was running across the field. Last shot was about 490yds and hit right at his tail. One more shot and I think I could've rolled him.
 
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I scored #3 this afternoon with the pellet rifle @34 yds. The target was it's left eye, and I actually saw the pellet hit the lower rear part of the eye! The hog was face down in the hole about three feet down, and I wasn't going to lie down in the mud and reach up to my armpit to extract the piggy from it's hole
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This makes #4 for the killer pellet rifle!
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Originally Posted By: Rowdydog2011 count so far
#17 today.

Jesus Christ you guys got some hogs out your way! It will take me several months to even see 17 and I'm only a few miles west of you.
 
I saw two today after sighting in some of my guns, I was toting rimfire pistols and had trouble getting a shot on them. Lots of cleaned out holes, should start getting good the next warm front we get.
 
You guys in VA must have them out a lot earlier than NY. I saw my first one last week when it was 70 out. But this week it been around freezing for the high so I think they went back in....
 
Originally Posted By: Rowdydog2011 count so far
#17 today.
log shot, 285 yards
best shot: standing, slung head shot @93 paces.

Wow Rowdydog, you da man. Nice shooting.

Eric
 
I've been out twice and shot 7 so far this year. Once it quits raining, it looks like it is going to be a good season. One we didn't find and two in the pic with the AR were shot by my buddy.
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It never quite got to 50 degrees today, but a few piggies came out:
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This was number one at 259 yards with the Swift.
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This was a top of a head sticking out of a hole approx. 125 yds. My arm wasn't long enough to reach it! The last was another one with the pellet rifle under 25 yds. it rolled down into a drainage ditch bordered by some serious blackberry tangles, and I wasn't going in there to recover that one for a picture
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This brings me to six, and snow is on the way!
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I just wish I could get off work so I could shoot my new rig. I hope to be off some next week we'll see, worked 17 straight 12 hr days off yesterday and had to catch up on honey dues. Now back at work today and the next three. Hope the weather gets better later in the week was snowing on my way to work.
 
So what is your new toy Wayne?
It has been pretty cold around here too, but the sun comes out a little and they come out to sun bathe.Going out this weekend if it doesn't rain to much and we get some sun.
 

You guys are really getting into it. For me, I generally don't start until June, so looking forward to some good shooting then.

ARCOREY and I are planning a hunt in early June, so I'm fired up and excited. I'm hoping to add more footage to the Rimfire Groundhogs video.

Good luck to everyone.

David
 
I had cabin fever today, the winds are terrible and there was an occasional sprinkle and it was still a little chilly. I saw three chucks, I tried the first, a head shot with the MKII Ruger at 58yds. It made him jump out of the hole and run for another where I rolled him at 63yds, but couldn't get a hand on him. The second came with the AR at 218yds with a 16mph quartering tail wind. I dialed the elevation and held for the wind as it was walking quartering away towards the hole. The mirage was terrible but I was able to get the shot off right as it got to the hole and bang flopped it. It had a bad case of the mange and was missing most of the fur on its back half. The last came in a rock quarry with the MKII Ruger again, shot was 40yds and it kept sticking it's nose out from under a rock peeking at me, finally I took a shot at the head and hit the rock just above it. I could have easily killed the first and last with my AR, but I wanted to give the Ruger a run and see how I do. Don't worry David, this is a farm near my house that I trapped on this year and not my groundhog oasis, LOL. I'm leaving you the good video spots out there. I'll pick on the ones out in the open we can't get to and leave the others. The farm I was on today has been declared a war zone for furry critters
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. It's supposed to be beautiful tomorrow, shame this great state can't catch up with most of the others and let us have at the varmints on Sundays if we wish to, hopefully the rainy Saturday, nice on Sunday won't be the trend again this year
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Picture of the Ruger:
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Congrats on getting out Corey. I stood at the back door several times this morning watching it go from sunny to cloudy, then seeing the winds pick up. I almost went out just to scout but then decided against it as the treetops shook.

Quote:shame this great state can't catch up with most of the others and let us have at the varmints on Sundays

Amen. Unfathomable working men are denied this freedom.
 
I didn't go yote hunting and chuckin' on my regular farm about 1.25 hrs from home for that reason. I got up at 4:30am, hit the light and saw the trees shaking, and went back to bed. I figured I could hit a closer spot later in the day and still squeeze in a little hoggin'. Going to do a little shooting tomorrow and work on some rimfire practice before July. Gotta knock the rust off of a few guns
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Does seeing 5 yesterday count ? Still to early for me to hunt I like for the little 1's to beable to take care of themselves I call it target management.They were out yesterday for sure it was hard leaving the gun in the safe when i left.
 
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Selemdog,
Look on page three of this fourm it under New Groundhog Rig Finished. Been away for awhile sorry for the delay getting back to you.
 
Originally Posted By: wayneghhunterSelemdog,
Look on page three of this fourm it under New Groundhog Rig Finished. Been away for awhile sorry for the delay getting back to you.

Sweet Rig Wayne. Congrats! You will be shooting in style. I just can't get this rain to go away so I can get out and check things out.I do have a new spot to get some long shots from.
 
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