Groundhogs

kfn

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Guelph, Ont
I saw two groundhogs out on Sunday afternoon on Hwy 8 between Kitchener & Stratford; first time I've seen them out so early. Certainly was an encouraging sight.
 
"...an encouraging sight..." Yep. The earliest I've ever shot one was around 3 March, long ago. Shot him off a snow bank up near Wabaushene. As soon as the weather warms up a bit and the snow is away from the grass and trees, they're out.
 
Yahoooo, I just cannot wait for the snow to melt. Yup, seen one running around here on the Niagara Escrapement (LOL) last week. Rather scrawny, but the weeds will fatten 'em up soon enough.

I've even got my M700 SPS .223 earth pig killer all sighted in and ready to hunt... Got my Leupold Knockoff Mark4 3.5 x 10 x 40mm M1 mounted and sighted in for the first unsuspecting earth pigs. yuk yuk yuk
 
I love groundhog hunting but I'm going to try and wait until later in the season. If I shoot them when they may be pregnant or haven't had their first litter I'm kind of working myself out of a job! If I can be more patient there will be more of them to go after.

So in the end that likely means that I'll run out of willpower and start shooting them one week later than normal.

Chuck
 
Chuck said:
I love groundhog hunting but I'm going to try and wait until later in the season. If I shoot them when they may be pregnant or haven't had their first litter I'm kind of working myself out of a job! If I can be more patient there will be more of them to go after.

So in the end that likely means that I'll run out of willpower and start shooting them one week later than normal.

Chuck
Chuck! You'll find that the early season chucks are usually males. The first 20 or so I shoot are always males. I had not paid much atention untill it came up on a chuck shooting forum a few years back. I started whatching the ###es and sure nuff the males are out foraging before the females. The females will stay right down in the den with the pups untill they are darn near weened. When I shoot a female, and I won't intentionaly I quit untill the hay is cut. Heck it's usually turkey season about then anyway.
Mother nature may well have told those mother chucks to do so in order to not get picked off by predators leaving the pups to starve. She still has some fat to milk off too.
Here's another question!
Looking at a field with dozens and some time hundreds of dens one would think that there would be a construction crew hard at it through the daylight hours. Ever seen a chuck digging out a den?? Digging out not just cleaning out a little off the porch. ;)
 
I hunt in the Singhampton area, north of Shelburne. Niagara Escrapement is great for hoggin' since the land is all glacial till (read : gravel) under the topsoil.
 
Grey Bruce!! We can shoot more chucks in a weekend than most Yanks that think they are in good chuck territory can in a season and they sure don't like it when you tell them so;) In one field near Mnt Forest just before a rain we shot 21 in way short of an hour. Another day we shot 39 in another hayfield in about 2 hrs for a total of 49 on that farm that day. Two of us shot 98! Try that in Pennsylvania:D :D :D :D
I love shooting chucks too! It's my favorite;)
2pyng43.jpg
 
Hungry said:
I hunt in the Singhampton area, north of Shelburne. Niagara Escrapement is great for hoggin' since the land is all glacial till (read : gravel) under the topsoil.

Ok folks, we are dealing here with a traitor. This man was a proud M14s owner, a true credit to the cgn site, and now he has gone to the dark side. He shoots an AR!!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

I think the early rise of the ground dwelling rodents is a sign of Hungry's presence among use - they are coming to take him down below where he belongs. Can you believe that "dicks" fall off without USGI parts on a M14s, but the same guy can shoot a wannabe M16 without testicular trauma?? Not likely! :evil:

I fear for his offspring, they will most surely pay the price for his corruption. :rockOn:
 
Hey Grnhawg, you cuttin my grass, lol, JK. Where are you hunting. By the sounds of it we may be hunting in the same area. Ya I do quite a bit of dirtpiggin around Mount Forest myself and I must say you can find some fields that are full of them. Me and a buddy would shoot 20-30 a day easy.
 
Ranger said:
Hey Grnhawg, you cuttin my grass, lol, JK. Where are you hunting. By the sounds of it we may be hunting in the same area. Ya I do quite a bit of dirtpiggin around Mount Forest myself and I must say you can find some fields that are full of them. Me and a buddy would shoot 20-30 a day easy.
I hit one or two farms along the river and then go over towards Holstein, Durham and Markdale. I was up around Neufield or something like that a couple years back on a road trip without a rifle and saw some promissing area heading east on gravel. Over around Stayner is mighty fine turf too.
 
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