I was supposed to be on vacation at the beach but this hurricane ran me off early.
So the next best thing was a day out hunting groundhogs
. I decided to revisit a few places that didn't seem to have any groundhogs the last couple times I checked them out. I loaded up my cooler with cold drinks, picked up a couple sammiches from the corner store and headed to the country.
I stopped at a couple of these places but they still seem pretty barren despite farmer assurances that 'they are out there.' I saw one or two, popped another at close range in a barn with the 22 magnum. But it was uneventful time, just a lot of walking in the heat and humidity with nothing to show for it. There is still a lot of tall beans and corn on many fields so opportunities were limited.
I saved the largest place for the late afternoon. As I pull up I see several fields had been recently cut
and I've been waiting all summer to see what this side of the farm looks like. On a side note I called the farmer to check in and let him know I was going to be on his property. Turns out I was close to 'ground zero' for those east coast earthquakes you may have heard about and he was preparing to pull down 2 chimneys that were damaged
. I'm pretty sure this farmhouse is where his daddy grew up too.
While walking in I couldn't help but notice this albino deer. I don't see a lot of this so it was pretty neat. It was brilliant white and very noticeable although probably 600+ yards away so even my zoom couldn't get a sharp picture.
I saw movement inside this stand of trees so laid down and gave it a little time see what would happen. The albino deer kept me entertained but it wasn't too long later that groundhog #1 came out from that hole in the base of the tree. He must have seen me earlier as stopped partway out and laid down to survey his kingdom. But at only 180 yards I had his head lined up nice and clear in my crosshairs. I let loose with a 20 grain Accutip from the 17 Fireball, both seeing and hearing it make contact. He wiggled a bit, then flopped over and was still.
While inspecting 'hog #1 I kept noticing large hornets flying around me. Turns out I had walked right past a hole in a tree with an active hive inside! Yikes - good thing I didn't get them riled up! Several stopped to check me out but I stayed calm and we got along OK. That grove of trees was a great vantage point for some adjacent fields but I decided not to fire my loud rifle right next to that hive! I moved on...
While scanning with my binos I noticed this fella had already spotted me and was checking me out. He watched me sit down, range him and get set up for my shot. The terrain was kind hilly so I had to prop my bipod legs on top of the toes of my boots to get a straight shot. It was pretty shaky doing this but I found my shot, took it, then he went to sleep and probably never knew what happened.
I walked on, scouting these new fields and trying to avoid fresh piles of cow poop. Out of the corner of my eye I see something move and it was a groundhog actively digging at his hole. He was so preoccupied he either didn't see me or didn't care. While I got set up he went back inside, but then reappeared pushing a fresh load of dirt out. It was about 200 yards and I was given a clean shot at the top of the head. This is the pic I can post.
The whole afternoon I had been scanning about 1000 yards of nice treeline that ran along the edge of 2 fields. Finally, late in the day, I saw movement as a groundhog emerged and looked about. I was in a pretty good position so he didn't see me and I was able to lay down and get a solid prone shot readied. I ranged him at 250 yards right before he entered an area of taller weeds. I could more or less follow him in the scope by either seeing him through the weeds or following the moving weedtops. After awhile it started to look like he wasn't going to come out and I contemplated pushing my shot through a weed or two. I am always hesitant to do this for 2 reasons: I really like a clear sight picture of what I am shooting at, even if I am feeling pretty confident watching my target move around. Second is I worry the weeds could deflect my light 20 grain bullet and I miss. So...while mulling all this over he resolved the situation by standing up and exposing what I needed. A loud thwaack confirmed the hit even though I couldn't see it following the shot. This was the blondest 'hog I've ever seen - sorry it isn't showing up in the pictures.
All in a all a real nice half day out, going 4 for 4 with the 17 Fireball and getting a 5th with the 22 Magnum. The only other memorable event was I split the crotch of my hunting pants wide open jumping across a creek. These were my favorite pants
! But no hunting today with the hurricane coming through. Good luck to all who are in its path!
