What ever happened to Ontario groundhogs?

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KRASHED

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When I talk to my dad about hunting for extended periods of time the topic of gopher hunting years ago always pops up. He often talks about how him and his cousin would go out and plink of numerous groundhogs because they were so thick that the farmers wanted them gone.

I'm 21 and I think ive seen one groundhog hole in my entire life and you never hear about farmers complaining about them. I have reason to believe that they are pretty much gone.

This is central ontario btw (Lindsay area)

Did they all get shot? Disease? Increased predation? Pesticides?
 
"...seen one groundhog hole in my entire life..." You need to get out in the fields more. Still a bit cool and wet, but they'll be out soon. Likely on Friday. Supposed to be sunny and warm. They like that. Take a drive out in the country.
"...they are pretty much gone..." Not by a long shot.
 
sunray said:
"...seen one groundhog hole in my entire life..." You need to get out in the fields more. Still a bit cool and wet, but they'll be out soon. Likely on Friday. Supposed to be sunny and warm. They like that. Take a drive out in the country.
"...they are pretty much gone..." Not by a long shot.
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I have spent a great deal of my life in the fields, the one hole I reffered to was actually a complex behind my house that my brother and i would lose a leg in every once in a while.

My dad notices the same thing, he saw one groundhog last year on our property (100 acres)
 
Lots of rodents like groundhogs, jackrabbits and even some gamebirds like grouse can go through some dramatic population cycles, to which one might add the relatively recent occurence of coyotes in Eastern North America. Add the changing land practices in many rural areas (more intense farming and some of the pesticides that are used) and that could lead to some significant changes, not always for the better.

In the parts of southern Ontario that I've seen, it seems as though coyotes, deer, turkey and Canada Geese have benefited from the changes over the past twenty years, while pheasants, jackrabbits and maybe groundhogs have suffered. Other waterfowl is holding it's own, while grouse and woodcock are generally stable, or in the case of the latter, probably in slight decline.

During three large rabbit drives in Mennonite country this past winter, I probably saw more turkeys than jacks, and the ratio of coyotes/foxes to rabbits sure makes me glad I wasn't born a rabbit!

You might want to try your hands at crows this spring, or if you live in an area with barnyard pigeons that need some culling, try that (and may let me know where they are, lol!) For some reason I feel like encouraging you to shoot any coyotes that you might see.....

Regards,

Frank
 
In many areas of southern Ontario, coyotes have wiped out small game. I think I've seen 3-4 jack rabbits in the last 20 yrs. Cottontails are a bit more common, but not like they used to be. Foxes are much less common then they used to be too. I've been in sugar bushes where there wasn't a grey squirrel to be found. No doubt in my mind that since coyotes first started populating southern Ont. they've had an ever growing negative impact.
 
go look around the little fields within the Alliston Area. there are hundreds of the little buggers there. but inside town limits and cant be shot at. they know where its safe.

that and lots of yotes.
 
KRASHED said:
When I talk to my dad about hunting for extended periods of time the topic of gopher hunting years ago always pops up. He often talks about how him and his cousin would go out and plink of numerous groundhogs because they were so thick that the farmers wanted them gone.

I'm 21 and I think ive seen one groundhog hole in my entire life and you never hear about farmers complaining about them. I have reason to believe that they are pretty much gone.

This is central ontario btw (Lindsay area)

Did they all get shot? Disease? Increased predation? Pesticides?
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I think you and your Dad are right. I have noticed a steady decline in their numbers too. Hardly see them anymore.
 
My family has been farming for 3 generations in the same area (west of London) and my dad talks about in the 50's and 60's having his 22 mag strapped to the side of a David Brown to blast ground hogs. In working the land for last 20 years I have maybe seen a dozon...almost non-existent in this area. Guess the 22 mag strapped to the side of the tractor had the desired effect:)
 
Dominion Link said:
In many areas of southern Ontario, coyotes have wiped out small game. I think I've seen 3-4 jack rabbits in the last 20 yrs. Cottontails are a bit more common, but not like they used to be. Foxes are much less common then they used to be too. I've been in sugar bushes where there wasn't a grey squirrel to be found. No doubt in my mind that since coyotes first started populating southern Ont. they've had an ever growing negative impact.
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I am under the impression that many snowmobilers do quite a bit of damage to the Jack Rabbit populations down around my way.

As for groundhogs I shoot 50 plus every year. Within 2 years I cleaned 70+ out of a 200 acrea alfalpha field and they are in there thick again this year. I always make sure I leave a few for seed for the follwing summer.

My advice is: try and find fields that have been hay for a few years. If it is a freshly plown field it will take a couple years to get colonies back in there. Also check along railroad tracks. They love tunnelling in that black rock and sunning themselves. Cow pastures are also a good place to look.
 
I grew up in the Lindsay area and as a kid always found lots of groundhogs to shoot at but in recent years I too have noticed they are hard to find. I blame it on the coyotes because it seems that as soon as they became established small game took a nose dive.
 
Im in the hamilton area, surrounded by farms and while growing up I can recall seeing them all the time. It has been years since Ive last seen one and I think I spend more time outside now than when I was a kid. LOL
 
definitely the coyotes are reducing the population.... but really, how have you seen that few in your life in that area..... The madoc/belleville corridor to the OP's east is still riddled with them. I saw 10+ last time I went to see my parents, and that was just in the one clover field by their house.

Heck, I saw 3 on the bus ride home from work this afternoon, down the transit way in the middle of the city(Ottawa)!

You gotta get out more man
 
I believe the groundhog decline began with the increase of the Fisher population in southern Ontario. They will even go down the groundhog holes and kill them.

When we started to see more and more fishers in the area, we stopped seeing the hundreds of groundhog holes that were always there when we were kids...
 
Hello:

I saw my first one of the season on March 18, 2010.

groundhog_vs_xcr_photo_1.jpg
groundhog_vs_xcr_photo_4.jpg



I believe that it was a Canadian Snow Groundhog. :)

I will be out trying to get his friends this weekend if the sun comes out.


Regards,

Chizzy
 
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