Annual Groundhog tally for 2011
- Thread starter Flyrod1
- Start date
The Virginian
New member
Welcome Dave. Thanks for the great read on your hunting and we all are looking forward towards your hunts.
Eric
Eric
Fitch
New member
It's been raining pretty much non-stop. How wet is it? It's so wet we only see ground hogs when they come out to recharge their scuba tanks. Ground is as soggy as it is in spring when the snow melt water is trapped on top of frozen subsoil. If anybody sneezes standing next to a tree, it might fall over. The roots have nothing but greasy red clay to hang onto.
I'm on withdrawal from gun smoke. We only have two days with sunshine showing in the 10 day forecast, and I'm betting that could change with no notice.
Then I see all the flooding on TV and am very greatful I don't have that problem. That would be awful.
Fitch
I'm on withdrawal from gun smoke. We only have two days with sunshine showing in the 10 day forecast, and I'm betting that could change with no notice.
Then I see all the flooding on TV and am very greatful I don't have that problem. That would be awful.
Fitch
1up5down
Active member
Finally got out this afternoon. First time I've seen the sun in almost a week!
I went to the same farm last week that I had good success on. Got there about 2:30pm and just as I started up the main lane,I noticed the cows coming from the barn area heading for the pasture fields I planned on hunting. Had to scratch that idea and head to the field at the end of the lane.
Got set up and started glassing but saw nothing. Sat there for almost 20 min. and decided to stretch my legs and take a short walk. Walked about 100 yds. and started back. As I was walking back, I looked at a rock break that I had glassed earlier and noticed a "brown spot" that I hadn't seen earlier. Took a look through the glass and saw it was a ghog setting on the rock enjoying the sun. Slowly walked back to where I was sitting and got in position. I ranged him about 325 yds. The wind was blowing about 12-15 mph left to right so I thought about holding 1 mil on him. I decided not to since I have not shot this rifle with a cross wind. Glad I didn't. Held the cross hair on top of his shoulder and squeezed. Heard the impact and he laid lifeless on the rock. After a few seconds he fell off the rock and the surrender flag came up. One down.
After retrieving my kill I sat back down and started glassing again. After about 25 min. I noticed another one feeding on the opposite side of the field. Had to wait for him to move from the top of the hill so I had a solid background. Took him about 5 min. to get into a place I felt comfortable taking a shot. This one was only about 275 yds. Got set up and sent a 40 gr. his way. Heard the "whack" but lost sight of the hog in the tall large leafed weeds. Kept glassing for a couple minutes ans saw no movement. Took a walk to confirm and found him right where I shot him. Two down.
After that I had to leave. Promised to take the wife to Red Lobster. Not a lot of action, but had fun.
Here's some pics.
Pic of where first hog was. Small white rock to right of large rock break and 15 ft. below fence line.
Pic of where second hog was. Corner of field in dark green vegetation.
Ghogs pose by the slayer.
Good huntin
Dave
I went to the same farm last week that I had good success on. Got there about 2:30pm and just as I started up the main lane,I noticed the cows coming from the barn area heading for the pasture fields I planned on hunting. Had to scratch that idea and head to the field at the end of the lane.
Got set up and started glassing but saw nothing. Sat there for almost 20 min. and decided to stretch my legs and take a short walk. Walked about 100 yds. and started back. As I was walking back, I looked at a rock break that I had glassed earlier and noticed a "brown spot" that I hadn't seen earlier. Took a look through the glass and saw it was a ghog setting on the rock enjoying the sun. Slowly walked back to where I was sitting and got in position. I ranged him about 325 yds. The wind was blowing about 12-15 mph left to right so I thought about holding 1 mil on him. I decided not to since I have not shot this rifle with a cross wind. Glad I didn't. Held the cross hair on top of his shoulder and squeezed. Heard the impact and he laid lifeless on the rock. After a few seconds he fell off the rock and the surrender flag came up. One down.
After retrieving my kill I sat back down and started glassing again. After about 25 min. I noticed another one feeding on the opposite side of the field. Had to wait for him to move from the top of the hill so I had a solid background. Took him about 5 min. to get into a place I felt comfortable taking a shot. This one was only about 275 yds. Got set up and sent a 40 gr. his way. Heard the "whack" but lost sight of the hog in the tall large leafed weeds. Kept glassing for a couple minutes ans saw no movement. Took a walk to confirm and found him right where I shot him. Two down.
After that I had to leave. Promised to take the wife to Red Lobster. Not a lot of action, but had fun.
Here's some pics.
Pic of where first hog was. Small white rock to right of large rock break and 15 ft. below fence line.
Pic of where second hog was. Corner of field in dark green vegetation.
Ghogs pose by the slayer.
Good huntin
Dave
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1up5down
Active member
Originally Posted By: DogboneDave, what gun and ammo are you using? By the way, good pics and good story! Enjoyed both.
Hey Dogbone, I shoot a Savage model 12 LRPV in 204 Ruger. I've been using Hornady 40 gr. VMAX. Tried the 32 gr. but they don't seem to have the stopping power of the 40's. I'm getting 1/2" groups or less. Most accurate rifle I have shot!
I plan on reloading soon. I want to try the Sierra 39 gr. Blitzkings. Heard good things about that bullet.
Glad you liked the story and pics. I'm sure I will have more!!
Good huntin
Dave
Hey Dogbone, I shoot a Savage model 12 LRPV in 204 Ruger. I've been using Hornady 40 gr. VMAX. Tried the 32 gr. but they don't seem to have the stopping power of the 40's. I'm getting 1/2" groups or less. Most accurate rifle I have shot!
I plan on reloading soon. I want to try the Sierra 39 gr. Blitzkings. Heard good things about that bullet.
Glad you liked the story and pics. I'm sure I will have more!!
Good huntin
Dave
Dogbone
New member
Oh yeah, that's right you mentioned what you're shooting in a previous post. If I had taken the time to go back and read it I wouldn't have bothered you about it. Duh! By the way, I have a T/C Encore in 204 that loves the 32 grain V-Maxes, but not the 40s. These guns are like women, the know the size of the ammo that makes them happy.
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1up5down
Active member
Originally Posted By: DogboneOh yeah, that's right you mentioned what you're shooting in a previous post. If I had taken the time to go back and read it I wouldn't have bothered you about it. Duh! By the way, I have a T/C Encore in 204 that loves the 32 grain V-Maxes, but not the 40s. These guns are like women, the know the size of the ammo that makes them happy.
My gun seems to like the 32 gr. also but I had a few runners with them. When shooting the 32's, my gun shoots 1 3/4" higher at 100 yds. compared to the 40's. Same POA.
How does yours shoot?
Dave
My gun seems to like the 32 gr. also but I had a few runners with them. When shooting the 32's, my gun shoots 1 3/4" higher at 100 yds. compared to the 40's. Same POA.
How does yours shoot?
Dave
The Virginian
New member
Nice shooting Dave! Looks great where you are at. We have been hammered here in VA with rain.
Eric
Eric
Fitch
New member
Finally a day for hunting! About time.
It was 59F with heavy dew when I got up, but by the time the horses were fed, breakfast eaten, and the opinion section of "The Journal" read, it was looking like a perfect day to go see if there were any ground hogs that didn't drown.
So I headed up to Tim's farm and set up between two tree trunks by the lane the dairy cattle use to come in from the pastures. This is the .22-250 LRPV in the modified RASS arm on top of the modified surveying tripod:
I had intended to button my long sleeve camo shirt collar around the tripod where the orange top is located. I've done that before and hit helps to camoflage the tripod, but with the breeze I kept the shirt on. The lack of camo on the tripod didn't seem to matter as it turned out.
Looking in the direction the rifle is pointed, this is the view with the arrow showing where #38 for the season was blown apart by the 55g NBT.
It was my longest shot to date, ~280 yards according to the RifleHunter 550. I estimated the wind at 7.5mph from 3 O'clock, dialed the scope accordingly (I love BulletFlight on my iPhone) and waited. After about half an hour I looked away for about 10 minutes to glass some other areas and when I looked back, there was a ground hog right in the corner of the fence. I put the cross hairs on him, waited till the wind stopped gusting and squeezed. I could see the corpse through the scope (5-20x40 Nikon) and didn't bother to go down there for a picture - too much mud and too many fences to cross.
A few minutes later I turned around to look at the hay field behind me and saw another one. The range finder said he was 200 yards away and slmost directly up wind, so I set the scope to the elevation and windage zeros, waited for him to be visible between gusts, and squeezed.
This was an easy trip through the alfalfa field so I walked down, rolled him over to hide the gore (you can see a little blood on the rock but not much), and took this picture of #39.
This is a view back towards the shooting tripod and ATV (the ATV is white, darn it, but it doesn't seem to bother the ground hogs).
Right after that I got a call from my bride of 43 years that she was having some problems at the barn, so I packed up and headed for home. Took about 5 minutes to fix her problem - an effort that was rewarded with a nice lunch.
Today's temperature and sun were great. Wind was more than I really wanted. Hopefully tomorrow will be another good day with less wind.
Fitch
It was 59F with heavy dew when I got up, but by the time the horses were fed, breakfast eaten, and the opinion section of "The Journal" read, it was looking like a perfect day to go see if there were any ground hogs that didn't drown.
So I headed up to Tim's farm and set up between two tree trunks by the lane the dairy cattle use to come in from the pastures. This is the .22-250 LRPV in the modified RASS arm on top of the modified surveying tripod:
I had intended to button my long sleeve camo shirt collar around the tripod where the orange top is located. I've done that before and hit helps to camoflage the tripod, but with the breeze I kept the shirt on. The lack of camo on the tripod didn't seem to matter as it turned out.
Looking in the direction the rifle is pointed, this is the view with the arrow showing where #38 for the season was blown apart by the 55g NBT.
It was my longest shot to date, ~280 yards according to the RifleHunter 550. I estimated the wind at 7.5mph from 3 O'clock, dialed the scope accordingly (I love BulletFlight on my iPhone) and waited. After about half an hour I looked away for about 10 minutes to glass some other areas and when I looked back, there was a ground hog right in the corner of the fence. I put the cross hairs on him, waited till the wind stopped gusting and squeezed. I could see the corpse through the scope (5-20x40 Nikon) and didn't bother to go down there for a picture - too much mud and too many fences to cross.
A few minutes later I turned around to look at the hay field behind me and saw another one. The range finder said he was 200 yards away and slmost directly up wind, so I set the scope to the elevation and windage zeros, waited for him to be visible between gusts, and squeezed.
This was an easy trip through the alfalfa field so I walked down, rolled him over to hide the gore (you can see a little blood on the rock but not much), and took this picture of #39.
This is a view back towards the shooting tripod and ATV (the ATV is white, darn it, but it doesn't seem to bother the ground hogs).
Right after that I got a call from my bride of 43 years that she was having some problems at the barn, so I packed up and headed for home. Took about 5 minutes to fix her problem - an effort that was rewarded with a nice lunch.
Today's temperature and sun were great. Wind was more than I really wanted. Hopefully tomorrow will be another good day with less wind.
Fitch
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Well today was the last time out for this year have to work every day for the next month and get ready for deer and coyote hunting plus get wood cut.
This morning I went to help my brother finish the barn roof then cut some firewood, by the time we were done it was late afternoon and I only had time to hit a couple of fields, set up in the usual spot and started glassing the alfalfa field it didn't take long to spot one, ranged him at 255 yrds and sent a .204 cal 55gr Berger and knocked him out of his hole.
Went down the road to a new field we just got and could see hogs in the field before I even pulled in the drive I had been to this field half a dozen times and never saw a hog and this afternoon there were two standing right by there holes, so I pulled got out and set up it didn't take long for the closest one to stand up, another 55gr Berger later and #49 was down.
This wasn't my best year but not my worst either, Had alot of fun with the 20br this year didn't make any really long shots but didn't really have the chance seemed like all the hogs we saw were 400yrds and under.
Last groundhog of the year
This morning I went to help my brother finish the barn roof then cut some firewood, by the time we were done it was late afternoon and I only had time to hit a couple of fields, set up in the usual spot and started glassing the alfalfa field it didn't take long to spot one, ranged him at 255 yrds and sent a .204 cal 55gr Berger and knocked him out of his hole.
Went down the road to a new field we just got and could see hogs in the field before I even pulled in the drive I had been to this field half a dozen times and never saw a hog and this afternoon there were two standing right by there holes, so I pulled got out and set up it didn't take long for the closest one to stand up, another 55gr Berger later and #49 was down.
This wasn't my best year but not my worst either, Had alot of fun with the 20br this year didn't make any really long shots but didn't really have the chance seemed like all the hogs we saw were 400yrds and under.
Last groundhog of the year