Groundhogs

Buck_Up

Buck_Up

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About 35-40 years ago, I used to hunt and kill a ####-pile of groundhogs. South-East Ontario. About 27 years ago, they became scarce. Lots of theories on why, mostly coyote predation, but I'm not totally convinced...
I see several per year now, usually while turkey hunting, but they are no longer common at all. I heard that they are increasing near Renfrew but have not confirmed.

I am wondering, for those in Ontario, are there places that have significant numbers of groundhog? If there are, I may opt to take a drive with my son and whack a bunch. (for old-time sake...)
 
Lots of theories on It, I do not believe it was coyotes to blame. I heard a rumor it was increase pesticide usage, but I don't know anymore. I remember cruising back roads with my dad hunting them as a kid...
 
I read somewhere that the pheasant decline and ground hogg decline are related. Increased herbicide use, particularly roundup, are the main factors. Roundup has just been exposed as a carcinogen and that they knew it all along. Pheasant and ground hogs live in the areas that get blasted with roundup. Theory I read also listed evolving farming practices, coyotes, hunting etc. As other culprits, but not as major. Once a species hits a certain critical low population there is almost no recovery.
 
I stopped shooting ground hogs when the population crashed... I won't shoot another one unless there is a significant increase in their numbers.
 
They thrived in pastures that weren't plowed very often, and in overgrown fence lines and rock piles. Very few of these conditions exist in Southern Ontario anymore, so I'd say it's also habitat loss that has contributed to the decline. There are also theories about early hibernation leading to den starvation, so don't shoot them in the fall, these might be the one's with superior genetics.
 
R.Henning said:
I’ve noticed big changes in the fields I used to hunt, mainly the switch from clover/hay/pasture to cash crops. Ground hogs and corn fields don’t mix very well. Kinda sad, used to love ground hog hunting.
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That is the theory I subscribe to.
The farmers around Carlton Place to Almonte were happy to seem 50 years ago.
With a Remington 40XB in 6mm Rem they knew me as the guy with the "White Barrelled Shotgun".
When I returned to the area 30 years ago the conversion to corn was well along and it was a farewell to the hogs.
 
I can't speak to recent experiences but when I first emigrated here we lived in King City on 18acres. Boy there were a sh*tload of the buggers on the field. It was cut for hay and the ground was sand so the digging was easy. That was back in '85 though. We had a dog who would lay for hours waiting for one to pop it's head up. Nobody hunted them but the dog, we did live right next to the 400 series hwy. She unfortunately took to leaving the carcass by the house:puke:
 
Crop rotation and the fact that no ditch can be left alone hurt. The farmers clear cut and bulldoze everything and tile the land then straighten and denude ditches for faster water flow. Rampant coyote population and hawks take toll as well. Every now and then i get access to a farm that has a few and my 2506 comes out.
 
I believe the hog decimation comes from a variety of factors, many of them already mentioned but with 1 more theory that I subscribe to as being a major one. Severe drought conditions! Over the past 20 or so years we have had 2 or 3 severe summer droughts that lasted 6-8 weeks or do. Most lawns were parched, grass was like dust, no moisture to be found. No morning or evening dew on the grass / ground and hogs died of dehydration. There are a few pockets of them left in low lying areas near rivers etc and they managed to get enough water/ moisture to survive.
 
Changing climate patterns were also cited in the thing I read. Extreme precipitation followed by extreme drought, followed by an extreme winter....... really throws these sensitive creatures off.
 
Thanks - interesting theories. It seems that the collapse and failure to recover is widespread.

I always felt (with no proof) it was likely a combination of factors, habitat loss, predation, and possibly a disease or pathogen. By way of example, Lyme disease, wasnt prevalent back then.

The ones I have seen while Tky hunting are few and far between, but an interesting observation- several of them with burrows have been more than 100yds from pastures in the hardwoods. Not where I expected to see them.
 
Willy Tincup said:
I believe the hog decimation comes from a variety of factors, many of them already mentioned but with 1 more theory that I subscribe to as being a major one. Severe drought conditions! Over the past 20 or so years we have had 2 or 3 severe summer droughts that lasted 6-8 weeks or do. Most lawns were parched, grass was like dust, no moisture to be found. No morning or evening dew on the grass / ground and hogs died of dehydration. There are a few pockets of them left in low lying areas near rivers etc and they managed to get enough water/ moisture to survive.
Click to expand...

I've always figured it was pesticides and crop rotation that were the major contributing factors but I like the drought theory to. Whenever there is a 2 or 3 week drought, followed by a rain, the dirt pigs seem to crawl out of every ditch to get at the moisture. The majority of the ones in my area have gotten tired of digging themselves out after the field is worked up and have move into the bushes.
 
Shooting ground hogs brings back a lot of great memories with my Grandfather. He lived in Schomberg. In the summer especially after a hay cut we would head out after super to Lloyd Town to a couple farms and shoot ground hogs, how many you got was only limited by how good a shot you were as there was plenty to shoot at. We started off with a single shot BSA 22 LR. I then bought a Win 22 mag and Granddad a Rem 5mm mag which Remington had just brought out. Both worked great on ground hogs out to 100 yds. and did not raise any eye brows with noise. Shooting a doz, an outing was very common. I inherited the 5mm when Granddad passed, still have along with a lot of ammo.

Believe it or not we have a quite few here in NW Ont. I often see them sitting on rock cuts by the road side sunning themselves . I have a couple living down in an old rotting wood pile by the river. See them often in the summer sitting up on logs catching some sun. I never bother them, kinda nice to see them.
 
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