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Groundhog tactics?

CNP-Outdoors

CNP-Outdoors

Member
8
2
Ohio
I have a few things I consider when I’m Groundhog hunting. Was hoping to see if you guys have any other thoughts I haven’t heard of?
Here’s what I am trying:
- finding their hole locations (talking with landowners)
- covering up a hole with brush and checking back to see if it gets cleared out.
- baiting them with apples or other things.
- Checking around brush piles, tree lines buildings and equipment where holes may be.
 
Whistle pigs have been effectively extirpated from the landscape around here thanks to coyotes and red-tailed hawks. Occasionally you'll see one in town, but gone are the days of shooting them as a productive hobby. Used to hunt them in fresh cut hay fields 20 years ago, but it's a waste of time these days.
 
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Groundhog hunting was my springtime/early summer addiction. Basically sit on a hillside and glass the entire area. Either shoot from a distance in my comfort zone, or put a stalk on them and try to get closer. Definitely easier after the first hay cut, especially when the round bales were left out in the field for a couple weeks. Stalk the field keeping the round bales between me and the groundhog I was after.
My weapon of choice early on was my .22 mag. I could knock them down out too 125 yards on a calm day. Later in life I broke out the .243 and sis some longer range carnage. I had a few threads for my groundhog seasons earlier on the site.
Was always a relaxing form of being outdoors without the stress and overthinking and waiting on a deer coming by.
 
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bowhunter1023 said:
Whistle pigs have been effectively extirpated from the landscape around here thanks to coyotes and red-tailed hawks. Occasionally you'll see one in town, but gone are the days of shooting them as a productive hobby. Used to hunt them in fresh cut hay fields 20 years ago, but it's a waste of time these days.
Click to expand...
I have got 3 on a property in the past couple of weeks but it sounds like it’s nothing like it used to be.
 
J said:
Groundhog hunting was my springtime/early summer addiction. Basically sit on a hillside and glass the entire area. Either shoot from a distance in my comfort zone, or put a stalk on them and try to get closer. Definitely easier after the first hay cut, especially when the round bales were left out in the field for a couple weeks. Stalk the field keeping the round bales between me and the groundhog I was after.
My weapon of choice early on was my .22 mag. I could knock them down out too 125 yards on a calm day. Later in life I broke out the .243 and sis some longer range carnage. I had a few threads for my groundhog seasons earlier on the site.
Was always a relaxing form of being outdoors without the stress and overthinking and waiting on a deer coming by.
Click to expand...
I have my 22-250 and got 1 furthest out at 303 yards a couple weeks ago. Happy with that flat shooter.
 
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If you really want to up your game, grab the shotgun and a handful of shells and stalk them when the beans/hay are high enough where you can’t easily see them.
You’ll see their runs through the beans and hay.
 
J said:
If you really want to up your game, grab the shotgun and a handful of shells and stalk them when the beans/hay are high enough where you can’t easily see them.
You’ll see their runs through the beans and hay.
Click to expand...
That could be a good time. Would have to up the shot size to turkey loads or heavier probably to take down a fat hog I bet.
 
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I learned to bow hunt on them in the 1970s. Killed my first one at the age of eleven with a 35# Bear recurve. Very challenging and similar to deer with their ability to wind you. In my young mind I was stalking big game. Was a great childhood
 
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No need to fill up holes on a groundhog den to see if it's active. If there's trash in the hole, they aren't using it. I trap nearly all my ghogs. Rarely do I pull out my .22, .17hmr or .223 unless one just happens to not have the smarts to disappear when I pull up in the truck.
 
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SNIPERBBB said:
No need to fill up holes on a groundhog den to see if it's active. If there's trash in the hole, they aren't using it. I trap nearly all my ghogs. Rarely do I pull out my .22, .17hmr or .223 unless one just happens to not have the smarts to disappear when I pull up in the truck.
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How you trapping?
 
I'll send some pics later when I can get on my PC. Don't think I have any pics of my body grip sets for ghogs as 99% of what I do is with cages since most paying customers are in town
 
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