Ontario Groundhogs 2014!

.22LRGUY

.22LRGUY

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Hey guys~I've yet to get a sense of how many groundhog shooters are on CGN, but perhaps this thread will pull some out of the woodwork! :) Never the kind of prolific numbers you (lucky S.O.B.) western guys get..even on an off year...but it's fun anyway and can present some interesting challenges. This spring, I took delivery of a new .204 Ruger for the job, and so far (2 hunts) it's doing well. 4 groundhogs down each time, with a chance for at least 2 more on the second outing. Took a pass on those, since my apprentice-hunter daughter is eager to get out for her first hunt of 2014..and these 2 didn't seem overly spooky/wary. Anyhow, I like threads with photos, so here is one from the first outing...and one of the most photogenic ones. :) I shoot hand-loads, the rifle seems to like 39gr. Sierra BlitzKings in front of Reloader 10-X

GH214-1_zps6254220e.jpeg


If there is any interest, I'll continue adding as the season progresses! :) Please feel free to chime in if you shoot these things, photos, stories..whatever!

Cheers,
204RGUY
 
"Chuckbuster"...love it! :) SW Ontario. I see the odd one in the town I live in, even along the 400 sometimes up around the Innisifil Beach exit, on some of the on-ramps to the 407 I use... but for huntable populations..you need to be in SW Ontario. It's taken allot of driving, allot of door knocking, allot of phone calls...but I'm finding enough to keep myself busy when I can squeak-out a weekend day.
 
.22LRGUY said:
"Chuckbuster"...love it! :) SW Ontario. I see the odd one in the town I live in, even along the 400 sometimes up around the Innisifil Beach exit, on some of the on-ramps to the 407 I use... but for huntable populations..you need to be in SW Ontario. It's taken allot of driving, allot of door knocking, allot of phone calls...but I'm finding enough to keep myself busy when I can squeak-out a weekend day.
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Ha ha! Yes, the handle is a tip of the hat to my younger days when I prowled fields for groundhogs while my contemporaries were at the beach.

As for groundhogs themselves, I see the odd untouchable one in places like you describe, and on the lawns of factories and businesses on the edge of my hometown. However, I haven't seen any in my old huntable haunts in recent years.

When I was in high school, I would go out a couple times a week and get one or two or three regularly. One area that I have recently ( 2 or 3 years ago) observed to be a target rich environment for groundhogs was just outside of Ottawa, around Arnprior, I think...I was on a bus with students for an overnight trip to the University of Ottawa and observed lots of the little beggars in the fields.
 
strategoi said:
This week the grass finally greened up here in Eastern Ontario.
Going this Saturday with my Marlin 782 (22 Mag.).
My Dad has a big 70 acre field that is usually pretty good for a couple of g-hogs...
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Nice! I spend an entire summer hunting them with a (Savage) .22WMR a few years ago. If I could get within about 150 yards, the were done. Bang/flop. :)

Chuckbuster said:
Ha ha! Yes, the handle is a tip of the hat to my younger days when I prowled fields for groundhogs while my contemporaries were at the beach.

As for groundhogs themselves, I see the odd untouchable one in places like you describe, and on the lawns of factories and businesses on the edge of my hometown. However, I haven't seen any in my old huntable haunts in recent years.

When I was in high school, I would go out a couple times a week and get one or two or three regularly. One area that I have recently ( 2 or 3 years ago) observed to be a target rich environment for groundhogs was just outside of Ottawa, around Arnprior, I think...I was on a bus with students for an overnight trip to the University of Ottawa and observed lots of the little beggars in the fields.
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Sounds like a drive east might be in order! :) On a typical hunt day for me~it's 4-5 hours of driving by the time I'm back home. Wish it was closer, but so far...worth it for me.
 
bollox said:
We get lots and lots of gophers but nothing as huge as those buggers!

Nice!
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Sounds like we need to do an exchange. Guide me for gophers there, I'll take you out for groundhogs here! :) Leave your .22 at home though. They do get pretty big! :) Here is one of the biggest I can remember, and during my pre-223 days. That's the Savage .22WMR beside that one!

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.22LRGUY said:
Nice! I spend an entire summer hunting them with a (Savage) .22WMR a few years ago. If I could get within about 150 yards, the were done. Bang/flop. :)



Sounds like a drive east might be in order! :) On a typical hunt day for me~it's 4-5 hours of driving by the time I'm back home. Wish it was closer, but so far...worth it for me.
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Yes. However, it's about 6 or 7 hours one way just to get to that area.
 
Wow, does this ever bring back memories.
I grew up shooting G hogs on my families farm in the 1980's
Rarely ever see them anymore. I think the coyotes keep them down.
 
Wow! Those are some big old whistle pigs! I shot quite a few on the family farm and neighbouring farms too when I was a young lad. One farmer used to pay me .25 cents for every one I shot on his farm, needless to say in about one month, every ground hog on his farm was gone! I did it all with a 22LR and 410 shotgun, made for some really fun stalks and lots of great memories. Now a lot of the farms are all busted up into smaller parcels and inhabited by "cidiots" who turn them all into small horse pastures and paddocks.

Keep up the great work! This has inspired me to get out there and look for some new properties to chase these lil' buggers again, thanks!
 
GH's are few and far between but they are still around. I have a few spots that has about half dozen that I know about.


Farmers have some sort of pesticide that kills groundhogs as well. I've heard to it referred as bubble-gum. I keep telling them to throw it out and let me shoot them instead!!!!
 
yorgi said:
Forget the groundhogs OP...can't believe how nicely figured the stock on that Ruger looks! Is that the original or did you upgrade?
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Hey yorgi~why forget the groundhogs..the walnut is too nice? lol The rifle isn't a Ruger though, that stock came with it. :)
 
Chuckbuster said:
Yeah, but it is gorgeous. I have a heavy barrelled 700 in .223. Your rifle has given me an itch for a nice, light walking rifle in the same chambering.
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Thanks guys. It's a Cooper 51 "Jackson". The .223 I have been carrying around for the past couple of seasons is a Savage Precision 10 Carbine, an accustock model that is about 8lbs. before the scope/rings. I haven't weighed the new rifle, but it feels/carries/points like a much lighter gun. It's taken some time to trust a barrel that ISN'T varmint weight, but drilling groundhogs consistently is sure helping! lol For a lighter .204 with walnut and blued steel, it was between this and a CZ527 American...and I couldn't find a CZ or even get an ETA on one. The 51 required a bit of a wait, but at least I was given a rough ETA.
 
A lot of people in my area of Ontario say they have a disease that has trashed the population. Not sure, possibly that and a lot of predation from a growing yote population. Back in the 50's and 60's going hog hunting on most Saturdays in the spring was a normal occurance, and the farmers welcomed you with open arms. Now its a rare sight to see one in a farmers field.
 
I consider my self to be a conservationist when it comes to ground hogs, I let them breed then shoot a couple, always leavening a target for another day. SW Ontario is around and about where I hunt. My gun of choice is a 223 with a 60 gr vmax.
 
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