groundhog hunting in Ontario.
- Thread starter marcjer
- Start date
i have shot ground hogs on the farm mainly with a .22 rifle but lately have got a number of them with a shotgun with number 4 shot and find this really anchors them .old pasture or hay fields is generally were you find them .they seem to like to feed on towards evening and not so much in the heat of the day and that is when i go out .i have noticed a number of them taking up residence in no till fields and they can destroy a lot of beans in a hurry . they like well drained areas to burrow in .i mainly go after the ones in the hay fields as their mounds are tough on equipment .
You can hunt them whenever you see them, provided you have permission to be on the property and know what you're doing re: making safe shots, hunting near farm animals, out buildings and equipment. Farmer47 hit the nail on the head, they like well-drained areas on or near a source of food. "well-drained" basically means anywhere water can't pool, AND, in soil with a good amount of small-medium sized rocks I've found. (ground will absorb rain water) They don't seem to like any areas where the ground has a high clay content. Same reason I'm guessing. Hay fields and soybean fields seem to be favorites of groundhogs too.
When are they around? I've shot them as early as the first week of March, but April and May is when things start picking-up. They seem to hibernate very early, seems the latest I've ever shot one was about Sept.7 but mostly they seem to be down by about the end of August when the nights start getting cool.
Preferred rifle~I started with 17HMR, moved to .22WMR, then to .223. By FAR, the .223 is the best of these but if you can get to within 100 yards (and you mostly can) a .22WMR is plenty. If I could do it again, I might have chosen a .204 Ruger instead of .223...but the .223 re-arranges them pretty good.
When are they around? I've shot them as early as the first week of March, but April and May is when things start picking-up. They seem to hibernate very early, seems the latest I've ever shot one was about Sept.7 but mostly they seem to be down by about the end of August when the nights start getting cool.
Preferred rifle~I started with 17HMR, moved to .22WMR, then to .223. By FAR, the .223 is the best of these but if you can get to within 100 yards (and you mostly can) a .22WMR is plenty. If I could do it again, I might have chosen a .204 Ruger instead of .223...but the .223 re-arranges them pretty good.
