How many groundhogs for 2009 ?

Got one last week frist for year

[image]
0311091304a-1.jpg
[/image]
 
BRB and I whacked three more pasture poodles this afternoon...2 for him, one for me...even up at four each. I missed one at well over 400...me thinks the swift might need to go to the range for a checkup!
Shot a couple of bonus(not called) canines to make it a five critter day...no pics.
F1
 
I made it out the other day to try for a few piggies. We saw 6 total and managed to get 3. I did miss the first one though not once but TWICE. This puts me at 2 so far.

Bring on the warm weather....

TJ
 
Got 2 and 3 Thursday. 2 was at 260 yards, head shot. 3 was at 550 yards on the 6th shot. Both with a .204. Not home right now, but I will get some pictures up.
 
Went out for a drive by at one of my farms today. A little cool(47) but nice and sunny. I got these two from the same hole about a 1/2hr apart. Only needed to move the one on the right 3 feet for the pic.

This makes 3&4

TJ

03-242.jpg
 
I had today off, so made the most of the afternoon in search of more groundhogs. Little wind this afternoon , for a change! I spied this one hog on top of his mound in an alfalfa field, range was 412 yds. Set up the bags, steadied the 204, and fired shot one. Looked like a hit, but couldn't tell, hog looked like it was knocked into the hole, but not really sure. A minute later, the hog appeared out of another hole, maybe ten feet from the first....so I'm thinking I missed the first time! When he stood up, I fired again...heard a nice "shawump" echoing back, but couldn't see any critter lying in the alfalfa. A few more minutes later, I see another hog, between the two holes, but maybe twenty yards back, so I take a shot at that one, but see him run, I missed. After fifteen minutes, the suspense was killing me, so I walked out to the holes expecting not to find any dead critters...but, found the second one I shot at missing the top of her head, lying in a low spot, cool. Then I checked out the first mound/hole and there was a two inch wide blood trail going down the hole. Closer inspection on my hands and knees revealed a tail just out of reach! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif Sometimes it pays to make the long walk out to inspect even what we think might be misses!
Added one more later just before the rain started, guessing around 275yds, didn't range that one.
That brings me to seven. The weather looks lousy for tomorrow, but Monday and Tuesday are looking pretty good!
F1
 
I didn't keep a hard count last year... I've seen several this year & just need to get out in the field to get things started! I can't wait to get #1... had an itchy trigger finger.. gotta new 220 swift barrel that I need to get a 1st kill on.
 
Today was damp, dank, and cool...and most of the groundhogs stayed in their holes. Except this one:
P3280055.jpg

#8
Pruson,
The secret isn't the calls, It's the bait /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
F1
 
I'll get after them more when May hits, but I think I am going to lay off of them until then so the cubs/pups/kittens/whatever can fend for themselves fairly well. We getting low on (good) shooting places so we are going to have to manage our population.
 
V2,
Wish we could do that too! On the larger, corporate farms, they are gassing them, if we don't start killing them early. I used to wait until the first week in June on some farms, to start shooting them, but no more, except on the smaller family farms.
The farmers are trying to utilize every square inch of productive land, and equipment damage from burrows can be costly. It's a real "catch 22" either way we go....
F1
 
Hey guys, looks like I'm running behind again this year too. Whistlepig popper, I hear you ran into Chris1017 in Richmond the other day. I'm hoping to have my Remington he told you about back any day now and put it back together. It needed a color change along with a few small mods in the bolt and trigger department. If the 243 won't group them this year, I'm gonna go tactical on them and go back to the AR /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif. F1, any predictions for a total this year /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif?
 
Corey,
I don't have a clue what this year will bring as far as numbers go. I think it will depend on crops and weather. Between BRB and I we have an obscene amount of land to hunt, but most of it just doesn't have tons of poodles! I know we've done some damage by killing them before they raise one litter, but the landowners aren't helping by poisoning them, either. Clean farming techniques hurt the hog population too. If gas prices don't go back out of sight, I'm going to keep after them several days a week.
I've got the day off(Tue.) and ghogs are on the top of the list /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
F1
 
SS110, I saw that rifle over at the Hide, nice stick you put together. I always wanted a .17 something or other. Maybe if I ever finish what's in the stable I can start on one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif.
 
Some piggies were out this afternoon....so was the wind!
I managed three confirmed(picked up) kills. One with the 204 at just a little over 200yds, and two with the swift..one at 330, the other a smidge under 400.
No pics, but they're still in the back of the truck! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif I kinda forgot......... 9,10, and 11 in the bag,
F1
 
Quote:
SS110, I saw that rifle over at the Hide, nice stick you put together. I always wanted a .17 something or other. Maybe if I ever finish what's in the stable I can start on one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif.



ARCOREY, thanks. It's a nice little build. I'm very impressed with the .17rem so far.

I have a light weight .223ai in the makes. Will be identical to this build, but different color Mcmillan and shorter barrel.
 
Back
Top