Annual Groundhog tally for 2012

I'm up to 25 this year. Time went by too fast and now the soybeans are nearing the height where it gets really tricky to shoot (well, except in the spots where the groundhogs thinned out the beans).

I managed to shoot this momma at 100 yards. She was nice enough to stand up so I could take the easy shot. Model 700 22-250 with a 55gr VMAX and 35.0gr Varget.

Longest shot this year was 330 yards. He was a little guy too.

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Cranked 3 with the 243win using Sierra 80SBT bullets Fri evening, then went back out - with a whole pocket full of ammo! based on what I had seen earlier. It was completely calm this evening, so out came the 22 hornet with 34HP's. Had the perfect setup and whacked 7, with an 8th one probably dead in his hole (but he did manage to pull himself together enough to make it back into the fence row - and I couldn't find him, so can't count it). Brings me to 33 on the year.

I'm real impressed with the 22-250. The 243 with 80 SBT's, well that's the most explosive bullet I have ever shot in this caliber on ground-hogs. I have something working pretty well now with RL19, but still not as accurate as I would like. I finished the 75 V-MAX load with RL15, but in the end it wasn't a one-holer either so I am back to these 80's now. I think I'll try some H414 next. As for the hornet, not as impressed with these Midway 34gr Dogtown bullets as I thought I would be. Oh they're accurate alright, but don't seem to have as good a knockdown power as the little 35 V-MAX's. I guess when I run out of these I'll start in on my supply of 40 V-MAX's in the .222. Maybe by then I'll have made some more 52's up for the 250 and found the perfect 243 recipe with these 80 Blitz bullets. Good fun!
 
Welcome sbranden! You are knocking down some good numbers - we gotta get you a camera! What 22 Hornet rifle are you shooting?

Looks like everybody is getting out now. I'm seeing lots of groundhogs along the roadsides and such. Good posts guys, keep em coming!
 
I knew the 'hogs would be out yesterday as I'd been seeing lots driving to and from work the past couple days. I set aside Saturday late afternoon and decided to take the 17 Fireball which I recently refitted with a B&C stock and a Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44 scope. This is the same scope as on my 243 (although the target dot is no longer available) and I'm really happy with it.

I was a bit apprehensive taking the 17 Fireball as I had some erratic shots while sighting in the scope. My final groups were acceptable but not balls tiny and consistent like I preferred. Regardless, I felt it was good for groundhogs out to 300 or so.

My first groundhog I missed - an easy 125 yard shot. That discouraged me and made me suspicious of the scope zero...thoughts of a wasted afternoon started to bother me. The good thing is I realized I had a better way to watch this location in the future and it afforded a nice long shot of the entire edge of this field.

I decided to set up and watch another nearby den, also a short 130 yard shot. Hopefully connecting here would confirm the zero was good and I just blew the prior shot. The 90 degree afternoon sun bore down on me as I lay in the short alfalfa...ticktock ticktock, the afternoon feels like it is melting away and I certainly feel like I am melting in the heat. Finally I make a desperation move and try to whistle the groundhog out of his hole. It worked! A big head popped up a moment later and it crawled out as I settled in behind the gun. The groundhog moved behind a large milkweed plant partially obscuring him, but the head was not so I took my shot. I had instant an instant bang-whack-flop with a flag waiving in the air!
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Hooray - maybe the gun was zeroed after all. Upon inspection my shot hit it high but still in the head, so perhaps my other shot went high too. Either way I got this one so decided to keep hunting.

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While walking back to the truck I spotted another one watching me from a creek bed
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. I ranged it at 235 which would be a nice test. I got down, lined up my shot and sent the tiny 20 grain pill his way. This time I aimed a bit low as I anticipated it would go high...and it dropped the 'hog right where it stood! The hit was a bit high which confirmed my suspicion. She came from the woodline below where the afternoon shade was starting to creep up.
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So I resume walking back to my truck. A passing car flags me down and the guys hollers out "Are you a varmint hunter?" Turns out he's a military guy recently transferred to my area and wants to coyote hunt together. We chat it up awhile...I talk him into some groundhog hunting as well...he tells me about his 22-250...we agree to meet up soon and he drives off. I had already taken off my field pack and put up my rifle but decided to take one last scan of the field I was in. Sure enough I see a speck of movement a good bit off and it's a groundhog coming out for his evening meal.
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He's a good ways off so I get my stuff out of the truck and put the stalk on him! My first shooting opportunity looks good and I range the 'hog at 440 yards. I had my doubts to connect at this distance given my high hits but I dialed in the drop from my dope card, made a slight correction for my high hits and cut loose a shot. MISS! Dang it! And of course it ran off
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. I stayed in place hoping it would come back out and took the opportunity to recheck my distance, dope and wind. I decided to add another click of drop and hold off to the right for the cross-wind. It came back out moments later, but cautiously...and only exposed its upper body. I took what it gave me and loosed another 20 grain pill across the field. The groundhog disappeared and I was left wondering...so of course I had to trudge down there to see if I got it. I was excited to see I did hit it and it was right where I saw it!
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That 17FB really stops em cold even at these distances. So I guess I'm feeling much better about how well the new stock/scope is doing!

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You guys are really having a ball putting it to the groundhogs!
My hunting has been limited waiting for beans to come up, or hay to come down. I did get out last weekend and picked up a new farm. Pickings were slim, but I did find a mother and several little ones with a den near a manure pile. The range was only 125-130 yds. and I popped the mother first, then waited on the offspring. Within five minutes, I had two of the young ones down. I didn't take pics with the camera, but did with the iPhone.....now I need to figure out how to get them to photobucket! I guess I could email them to my computer, etc. Maybe later....
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Then on the way home I stopped by a farm where last year we only used the pellet rifles for safety reasons. Sod poodles were everywhere, but all at distance...except one, 64 yds:
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That ended me with four for the day and 20 YTD.
FF to yesterday, went back to the new place, and picked off another one near the manure pile with the 204. I also shot one with the pellet rifle under 40 yds., but it made it down the hole, so it didn't count.
I left there and headed to a farm I've been hunting since 1970. The hay had just been cut around and between beanfields, and targets were everywhere!
It was still over 90 degrees at 6:00PM so I set up in the shade of the truck and a round bale:
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Some views of the area:
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All shots under 250 were made with the 204, everything over 250 was handled with the swift. I missed one shot on a pup at 396 yds., but all the others were hits. I killed two at the 396 hole a little later. The results of the day:
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Ten in the back of the truck, and one I could see down the hole, but no way my arm was long enough to reach it! I'm counting that one, though
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Notice the pellet rifle leaning against the hay bale....there was a hole complex about 30' away, and the groundhog would stick it's head up, but when I moved it would drop down the hole! Curiosity was it's undoing! I had to shoot it left handed/left eyed, but it got shot with the pellet rifle! It did make it down the hole with a neck shot, but I didn't count that one either
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. Eleven counted for the afternoon making 31 YTD.
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Outstanding work, Flyrod! You must have some Pennsylvania genes in your VA 'hogs! They reproduce so well up there. Can I come up and live catch a couple for transplant down here?!?!?!
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Man, you guys are knocking them out. I'm still waiting on hay to come down around here. Flyrod1, everytime I see the wooden box, it reminds me of when I was a kid and dad kept all his chainsaw stuff in his. He had his painted OD green. Surprised you're sitting on it for fun after having to use them for work
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. I like the looks of your hunting areas, nice and flat with little banks to shoot against. Keep after them guys, I'm hoping to check on my spot this week. If the rains hold off enough, I may get to hunt again this year
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No wonder you VA boys can get those long shots with that wide open country you're shooting. Beautiful! Nice shooting by the way! Some of those hogs look huge!! Jealous!
 
440 yards with a 17 fireball - WOW!! That's some shooting right there, good work.

Great pics guys. I always snap a cell phone picture of my kills but rarely do I ever "pool" them for a group shot at the end. Anyway, here was one with my CZ 527 American 22 hornet from this past weekend. Transferred to gmail, then up to photobucket so it may be small but hopefully you'll get the idea. Thanks.

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I added 3 more in the last few days. 2 with 17hmr and 1 with 22-250. One farm they are cutting the barley and with be planting beans later this month hope for some good shooting once beans start breaking the ground. Only have taken 7 so far this year have pics but haven't loaded them yet. Wahoo I remember when you hunted with me in 2010 you didn't even have a scope with adjustable turrits your taking off with it. Keep after them buddy I hope we can get togeather soon should have some free weekends soon I hope.
 
When for about 30 minutes today did a little scouting killed 1 today saw 2 weather permits I'll get it tomorrow . Did get 2 pups Thursday evening main thing I broke the 200 yard barrier with the pistol . 220 yards now with the pistoloa yehawwwwww . Did order a new Lilja barrel blank and ordered another 1 this afternoon . Got 2 new barrels on its way 6mm twisted for the PPC and the other is goting to be some form of a heavy bullet 6 br improve. Gettem and be safe .
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Corey,
I know what you mean about the seat! I've never used a wooden one at work, it has always been a gray plastic one. The one in the pic was never issued by my company. It was given to me brand new about 18 years ago, and it's finally found it's best use in the last three years
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I'm thinking about painting it in some kind of camo configuration!

Thanks for the words of encouragement, guys. The time is right to get after them!
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Good job Wayne and Wallace. Glad to see you getting some action after all those long work hours, Wayne. I'll try to save a few so we can meet up this summer.

I took a work buddy out last night for his first groundhog trip. He may be hooked. Our first stop was a field that always looks inviting but never produces many groundhogs. I stopped there so he could scan with his binos while I changed out of my work duds and into my hunting clothes. Immediately he says "I see one!" and I'm standing there in my socks trying to get my boots on! I didn't even have the rifles ready or anything. So I scramble to pull out the 17 Fireball, lay it out on the hood and tell him to have at it. The groundhog was visible but just on the other side of a downhill slope so we didn't have a clear shot. I move my buddy to the roof of my truck cab and he says "much better" and proceeds to put a 20 grain Accutip in the base of the groundhog's skull! He took it like a pro at 185 yards.

We move on to a great spot overlooking the long edge of a fresh alfalfa field. It had rained all day and things were damp and sort of gloomy, but we had some activity. One appeared out at 265 yards and I took it with the 17FB. Another appeared around 200 and I decided to try with my Browning Hornet. I shot low when I chose to not check my range card and it goose-stepped back into the brush. Later the one below came out at 235 yards...I checked my range card...and put the 2nd hash mark of my Burris Ballistic Plex reticle right on him and let it fly. The Hornady 35 grain V-Max dropped it. He was small and hard to find, but the good thing about hunting groundhogs on beef farms is the flies will find it before you do. Just stop and listen for the buzz!

I like shooting this Browning 22 Hornet but am doing it less and less because of this Ballistic Plex reticle. I have it calibrated for my 22 Hornet ballistics but you have to estimate where to hold over using those hash marks. I prefer to dial in my adjustments so might have to get a different scope. It is a shame as the Burris is one clear piece of glass.

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Wahoo,
Your putting them down how many so far for the year. That farm I took you to in 2010 was not hunted last year and is planted in corn this year next year should be good. I start back to school next week hope to have weekends off for about a month. I would try to get up with you this weekend but my daughter is graduating from high school soon my friend maybe we can put the 22-250 to the test.
 
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Well, since chance favors the prepared, I've been toting the 243, range finder, and sandbag this week to work. The neighbor to where I work has been spotting chucks between 500-800yds and giving me the forecast. I slipped by today after work to look the holes over. No takers at first, but while flapping our gums one pops up on the close side of a short field at what I initially range as 505yds. I doped the scope for 6.75MOA and go prone on him. He is partially obscured by weeds, so I aim for the shoulder and let one loose and hear just high from my spotter. I bolt another 87gr. V-max in and find him again in the scope. I put it on his belly and turn loose and hear the report from the 243 with the pronounced whump at the end. No runner in the scope, so I figure it is a done deal. I had to run since it was getting late. The spotter later confirmed I spread the chuck out pretty good on the second shot. He didn't go a step. I ranged the point of aim with a steady hold after the hit and got 502yds from the LRF. My new longest shot. I'll see if I can try to get pictures in the morning, but wouldn't be surprised if the coyotes clean him up before I get a chance. I need to re-confirm my dope now that the temps are up since my last two shoots have been high, but I have confidence in this rifle I've never had before. My misses have all been 1/2 MOA or less and most closer to 1/4MOA at 500yds+. #2 for the 500yd club in my career and both witnessed by PM members
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Nice shooting Corey. Love those long shots! Someday maybe I'll get the chance?

Visiting our son and family in Dublin, OH till Monday. Any of you OH boys nearby need a spotter?
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