Ohio G. Hog blastin

T

T

New member
I know me and my ruger m77 mkII .243 varmint are itching for the ground hogs to be coming out here in ohio. I've already been buggin farmers to see if they have any hog problems. But my uncle has about 1,500 acres so that should alright.

Anyone have some nice ground hog shots they would like to brag about?
 
Um, shot one this year at 93 yards with a marlin 17 hmr. Not really a shot to brag about, but it was my first hog and first with the 17. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
T and denver*c, welcome to Predator Masters!

I shot a groundhog (standing off hand) with a 6" barrel Ruger GP-100 .357 using 125gr. JHP bullets with one shot at 103 yards.

How did I know it was exactly 103 yards? Did I use a laser range finder? He as living in the 100 yard dirt back stop at the rifle range. It was in the middle of the afternoon, on a week day and I was the only one there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

It just wasn't his day. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Good hunting, Bowhunter57
 
Hey Tony - I just picked up a marlin 17VS - haven't shot anything with it yet. I live in Fairborn. Sure would love to hunt those groundhogs on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base- but not allowed. They have some boone and crocket class groundhogs for sure! No rifle hunting allowed on base.
I'll be looking for some groundhogs this spring.
 
hey, great minds think alike. well almost, i just got a savage 93FV. i'm sure that marlin is awful nice. i can hit pop cans at 175 yards with mine (calm conditions). Oh yea i'm sure there are a lot of ground hogs around the wright pat. i live about an hour away from the base.
 
beavdha, it's supposed to be 46 up here monday! i think some hogs might even come out. so about 9 o'clock i'll be out scoping some new holes i found last fall. not sure if i'm going to take the .17hmr or the .243. probably depend on the wind

TONY
 
OK T, You want a braggin' shot-- Don't mind if I do. Last week I made the longest shot of my hunting career at, believe it or not, 906 laser-ranged yards on a sitting coyote across a shallow valley that had come into a howling call just close enuf to still be safe, or so he thought. I've recently been investigating the merits of LRF's, ballistics programs, and reference reticles for long-range shooting, and it's working, by the way. I used an XP-100 6.5-284, with Burris's 3-12X LER scope, Ballistic Plex reticle, and target turrets. The shot was sitting from a tall Harris swiveling bipod, with the pistol grip resting on my knee. 2 days later I took another dog at app. 450 yds. with the same rig. Investigate long-range (if you're not already doing so). It works, and it's fun!
 
900 yards with a pistol!!!!! i'll be damned, have you ever tried anything that far away after (target wise)
TONY
 
T, in an upcoming issue of Varmint Hunter magazine, I've got an article entitled, "Portable Range Design for Long-Range Testing" pending, in which I detailed a very simple method of making portable targets to set up in the field, to test guns/scopes/ballistic programs for their effectiveness at ranges farther than point blank. Think about it, if you're shooting a .22-250 or similar small caliber cartridge to say 300 or 400 yds., doesn't it seem logical that a heavier, higher B.C./S.D. bullet will reach out farther? They do, easily. Would 2X the bullet weight go twice as far? 3X, 4X, etc. Of course this is a little idealistic and there's the accuracy/atmospheric conditions to contend with, but believe me until you've shot at long-range in a deliberate, focused manner, you'll never know how far you can go. Try it some time. I have and my learning curve has spiked dramatically since I started doing this several years ago. I'm not saying that shot wasn't lucky. But it sure beats guessing, if you approach it systematically. I've seen this stuff work too many times in the field, UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS to know it is all luck. A couple of days later I took another dog at a laser-ranged 450 yds. and a day or so later I shot a pr. dog with one shot at 489 yds. in a 20 m.p.h. x-wind.
 
Hey Tony,

Did you find any groundhogs Monday? I haven't see the first one yet - I work in Columbus and drive back and forth every day - usually see them along 70 - but it's been too cold for them. They are still holed up. I think when the temps get up in the upper 40's for a couple of days - they may start moving. I'm sure the coyotes will be waiting on them.
 
beavdha:
nope, i walked a bunch of fence rows monday and i didn't see any signs of them yet. but i'm still waiting. Yeah i have to take 70 to get to clark state. that would be some nice high speed shooting at some of those chucks. I'm getting the ol' .17hmr ready tho.
 
sscoyote - That is one heck of a shot!! I have a few rifles built on the xp100 action and have never been disappointed in the out-come. Built a XP100 17Mach IV is winter and can't wait for spring and ground-hogs. Your post tells all if you have done your homework the out-come will usually be positive! Again, nice shot and thanks for sharing.
farr50
 
Farr50, Thanx--got a buddy of mine that used to write some for Small Caliber News, Blaine Eddy. He kills close to 100 coyotes/season, and is really into the .17's. He just told me he built some sort of wildcat 17PPC. I guess he's getting >4000 out of Todd Kindlers 30 gr. Gold (with several kills beyond 500, by the way). That bullet has a much higher B.C. than any other 30 that's made. I'm not sure what twist he's using, but it just might be worth a try out of that Mach IV. I know a lot of guys just stick with the 25's, but I've got a 17" XP MachIV that I'm getting 3450 from a 30 grain Starke and 16 gr. H4198. This is pretty warm though, so be careful if you try it. I've taken several dogs beyond 300 yds. with that combination, and it works just fine for me.
 
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