Groundhog safari

kfn

CGN Regular
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Location
Guelph, Ont
I love this time of year to hunt groundhogs as they start putting on weight. This afternoon my buddy Jay got his first ever 'hog with a Rem 597 with mini-mags and I nailed my 2 with the Tikka 12ga/.222 combo; we want to share our outing with all of you on a gorgeous day. :D KFN & Metroplis

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Ive never hunted groundhogs, do you eat them (if so how do they taste ), or use the fur or are they a pest to the farmers?
 
My .223 should be here any day (mail order). Would anyone know of a place for varmint hunting relatively close to Oshawa or the Durham area (Ontario)? I don't know any farmers or land owners. Where can I find information with regards to places to hunt?
 
Ground hogs dig alot of holes that are deep enough that a cow can step in them and easily break a leg, so yes they are a pest to farmers. I don't know about eating them, but they are good coyote bait. If your looking for land to hunt them on look for cattle farms :)
 
Nice pics.... heeeere kitty kitty kitty. A local teaching buddy of mine and I will pull a safari to Shawville, Que just across the Ottawa River from Renfrew. There are soooo many over there. Lots and lots of .223 fun....
 
"...do you eat them..." You can. They're a big squirrel. They eat the same thing cattle eat and are cleaner. Nearly every game cook book has a recipe for ground hog. Most people just stuff 'em back down the hole though.
The fur isn't worth keeping. Too thin. This time of year there's a lot of fat that'd need to be scraped off to tan the hide. Said hide is thin too.
"...look for cattle farms..." Or horses. There will be one main hole with an obvious mound plus at least one hole with no mound away from the main one. These are the holes cattle and horses step in.
"...don't know any farmers or land owners..." Most of the land around you is owned by TO commuters. They may or may not let you shoot there. However, knocking on some doors and politely asking might get you onto a farm. Don't go on Sunday. Don't take a firearm and if the guy says no, thank him and leave. It doesn't hurt to ask if he knows anybody who might let you hunt on their land though.
Ground hogs are one of the few beasties that actually hibernate. They'll be undergound for the winter soon. Cattlemen might let you hunt coyotes during the winter if you ask nicely though.
 
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