Groundhogs Anyway You Like It

6mm06

Well-known member
Shooting groundhogs is a barrel of fun, regardless of how you do it. I've been shooting groundhogs for over 40 years. I dug up some old photos of groundhog hunts from several years past and decided to post some of them and just get a discussion going about how you like to hunt them. Just keep in mind that we are all different and may do things in a different way. No one way is better than another. Your photos and stories are welcome and will make for a good topic.

Over the years I've stalked, crawled through the grass, shot off Harris bipods, bench and sandbags and offhand at groundhogs. I've killed them with a variety of rifles, pistols and even a bow.

I've taken them with a 44 mag, 357, and 22 caliber handguns (both long rifle and magnums), some with open sights and one with a scoped Ruger Single Six revolver. A T/C Contender 223 really put the groundhogs down one summer, at distances that were amazing for a handgun. My buddy and I laid the rifles aside one summer and just used Contenders. We took over 50 groundhogs with those pistols. We used 30 Herretts too. I took a couple with a model 41 Smith auto 22 lr that I wish I had back. I should be kicked in the tail for letting that one go.

Rifles that I recall using have been 22 long rifle, 22 magnum, 218 Bee, 223, 22-250, 243, 6mm, 6mm06, 25-06, 257 Arnold Magnum, 270, 7mm STW, and 35 Remington. My son upped that to include a 375 H&H this past summer. And, I've taken them with the use of a dog and dug them out with a mattock. I've taken them from distances of three feet to close to 400 yards.

The area I hunt doesn't allow for distances much beyond 400 yards, so I hunt where I can and have a good time in the process. Just plainly stated, I love groundhog hunting. My life's experiences at hunting groundhogs has been a barrel of fun. I enjoyed everyone of them.

I've been working on a groundhog hunting video that talks about just having fun, relaxing and using whatever gun or set-up you want, and we demonstrate that in the movie. That's the joy of it - having it "my" way. You can have it "your" way too. Mix it up even. We had a grand time after Nelson took that one with the 375 H&H. That was classic - and I got the shot on video, which was exciting as well.

My advice to everyone, for whatever my two-cents may be worth, is to just go out there and enjoy yourself. Think out-of-the-box so to speak and hunt them however you like.

Good hunting and shooting to all. God bless.

Amazing what age does to a guy. I looked wet behind the ears bach then, but I could
really shoot that pistol - Model 66 Smith, 357 mag.
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Contender 14" 223, Burris 7X scope
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Model 29 Smith, 44 mag.
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Ruger Single-Six, 22 mag, Bushnell scope. I crawled a good distance throught the tall
grass to take this one at 30 yards.
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Ruger 10-22, old Weaver 4x scope
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Son, Nelson, age 2 1/2. Nothing like starting them young.
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Nelson's groundhog taken with CZ 550, 375 H&H mag, 116 yds.
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Nelson, Jim and me. Guns include 375 H&H, Dtech AR 204, and Remington Sendero 7mm STW
We all three got groundhogs that evening.
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Rifle on bench is a Remington Sendero rebarrel, 6mm06, Nikon 6x18 scope with dot reticle.
The other rifle is an Arnold Arms 257 magnum, Leupold 3.5x10 Vari-X 3.
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Nephew Charlie on his first groundhog hunt. He took two with a Remington 700, 22-250,
Leupold 12x Target scope. He was one happy "young-en"
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Great post and awesome pics.

I've taken exactly three woodchucks. Never did see many growing up in Michigan but did catch one in a 220 conibear trap that was living under an old tool shed and shot two with a .54 cal muzzleloader on a farm I did a lot of deer hunting on.
I have yet to see one here in Arizona.
 
Some good photo's there 6mm06. You've defineatly been after them for a while. Looks like that early start did Nelson good. That 375 H&H shot was something to see. I haven't had the variety of weapons to use as you have, but I'll add a few with the 17 HMR, and my T/C 30-30 pistol. I actually got 5 in one day with the T/C when I was younger with the longest being 150 yds. I took a young hog one time while bowfishing for carp. Being young and in my early teens, I didn't even consider that I would have to get the arrow out of him since he was teathered to my bowfishing rig. Needless to say, he wasn't very cooperative and bowfishing tips aren't effective killers. I've taken several with my Ruger MKII and Single six .22's and hope to take one with my Omega muzzleloader this year. My longest confirmed kill is 450 yds and my closest was when I belly crawled to a hole after missing one and waited on the opposite side for him to peek out and look for me from my original shooting position. I put a 30-30 round in the back of his head at less than 12" from my T/C. The most I've killed in a single year is 45 and I hope to soon top that. They are certainly a fun animal to pursue and hone your skills on. BTW, I enjoyed your crow video experience.
 
Great post, I love the Pictures. I can tell we have turned the corner into a new year as I am starting to get the itch to shoot a few. Working on reloads and getting a few different guns set up the way I want them for the season. Helps me get through the winter months. I will have to take more pictures this season. I have used a few calibers but not as many as you.

.22lr
.22 Hornet
.222
.17 Ackley Hornet
.204
.25-06
.30-06
.280 Rem

and probably a few others I have forgotten about. Here are some from last year with my CZ .204
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I'd like to add this caption to the first picture

"Alright, Where's the rest of them hiding? Talk dagnabit!!"

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Don't know where everyone is hiding. I'm hoping to see some good groundhog pictures here, complete with lots of guns and some good stories to go with it. Wake up everybody.

Jdunham, that 17 Ackley Hornet sounds interesting
 
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Don't know where everyone is hiding. I'm hoping to see some good groundhog pictures here, complete with lots of guns and some good stories to go with it. Wake up everybody.

Jdunham, that 17 Ackley Hornet sounds interesting



David...

I never took pictures of my Woodchucks, but I did take a lot of pictures on PD shoots, but all of my pictures are 35mm Kodachromes.

I hate to admit this, but I got my first digital camera this past Christmas /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

.
 
jdunham, I forgot, I killed one with my Encore in 280 rem and one with my Encore in 22-250. Here's a past picture to keep this alive, other year with my AR at 200yds. Check out the claws on this sucker.
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Here's on with the Russian combo gun.

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I have only been hunting ground hogs for a little over 35 years. So I have a few years to go before I can catch up with you. GH hunting is my favorite. I normally spend 45-60 days a year hunting varmints. It seems to be getting a bit tougher every year. The coyotes in my area are taking there toll on our ground hog population(I think). The other problem is those darn home owners. I drive by places that I shot at years ago, that are now a bunch of houses. Whenever I drive by a golf course I consider it a waste of a good ground hog field /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

I shot 97 ground hogs last year. 4 coyotes, and a bunch of crows. And I loved every minute of it.

I am a handicapped hunter who now has to depend on his Kawasaki Mule for transportation. This has limited where I can go, and has also lowered my killing numbers, but that is OK. Just as long a I can get out. Now I go out and set up in one place and I have to stay there for the whole hunt, but I do not mind that. Just as long as the sun is shining. Tom.

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Tom, that field looks similar to one that I sometimes hunt. Good looking place. It's good that you can still get out and do what you love. The "Mule" is a blessing. Thanks for the photos.

Corey, that's a good looking picture. That groundhog does have some very long claws. The over / under - is that one of those Russian types? That's a good looking one. How does it shoot?
 
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Nice setup you got there HOGGHEAD. I sure did enjoy tearing them up with my AR until I stole the scope for another project. Is that an adapted surveyors tripod?
 
David, that is a Russian Baikal. It's a 12 ga. 3"/223 rem. and shoots great, even for a pencil barrel rifle. This was the first critter I shot at with it. I was testing a 40 gr. V-max load to see if it was fur friendly for fox. It ended up being very unfriendly to fur and the groundhog. He was taken at a lasered 127 yds. from the shooting sticks. Tom, that looks similar to some of my areas too. Hogs love those fields with wood edges and brush piles. The little red arrow is where I was sitting for my longest shot at 450yds. I took the picture standing on the mound where the hog was sitting. It took 4 tries with my AR.
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That is one beautiful field.

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Yes, and I have shot a lot of deer in that field also. That farm belongs to a very good friend of mine. The farthest field in the picture is 1,000 yards(on the left) from my rifle in the picture. A little too far for me to shoot at hogs, but maybe someday??

I bought the tripod the way it is. It has a couple of different front pads for different forearms. Tom.

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A bucket of KFC, a gallon of sweet ice tea, a shade tree. Cooper 22-250, Browning 204, Browning 22 Hornet, Browning 17 Ackley Hornet, Remington 700 223, Remington Model Seven 223, 17 Fireball Predator, 17 Ackley Hornet in T/C Contender w/ MGM barrel.

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Sonny,

You sure know how to spend a good evening. That KFC and tea is making my mouth water right now, so I may have to go get something to eat. And, talk of all those sweet rifles and the photos has me thinking ahead to summer.

How are you liking the 17 Fireball?
 
Come on down to the Piedmont, we'll kill some this summer. Get that greasy chicken all over everything.

The 17 Fireball hasn't seen much action lately. It was absolute death on groundhogs last summer. It is a precision shooter, four ear canal shots out of four attempts. I need to get it out after some foxes and yotes, it is probably the premier cat gun. It has stayed in the safe due to the 17 Ackley Hornet I had built on the Browning A Bolt frame and action.
 
Hey Sonny,

We may have to get together for sure and shoot a few pigs. You do the shooting and I'll do the filming.
 
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