Annual Groundhog tally for 2013

I decided to go a little different direction with the whistle-pigs tonight. The stiff winds ruled out long distance shooting, and I have been having good success spot & stalking the taller fields, so I broke out the flintlock. The last few nights that I hunted some of the taller fields I realized that I could get within ranges that I could take shots with the ‘ol flinter. I actually used my wife’s flintlock which is a Lyman Deerstalker in .50 caliber shooting 240 grain Hornady hollow point sabots. My .54 cal. Great Plains rifle is “in the shop” so to speak and her Deerstalker shoots the sabots exceptionally well along with being lighter and accepting a sling.

The first one was actually in a freshly mowed field with a bit of terrain to it so I snuck up on it from the other side of the rise. As it was feeding about 50 yards away I settled the gun on the Bog Pod and took aim. Now at that point I hadn’t fired the gun in over 9 months so I was a little unsure of where the point of impact vs. point of aim was at any yardage but I couldn’t do any worse than miss I supposed. I squeezed of the shot, hoped for the best… and I’ll tell you what; that 240 grain sabot rolls a whistle-pig pretty good. One shot, one kill…heck, I could have high-fived myself at that point.

Chuck number 1


After that I went to a farm with some tall grass (about a foot tall) and did a little stalking. Number two was about 40 yards away when I dumped him while he stared at me. The third one was almost 70 yards and giving me the stink eye when I rolled him. I missed number four from around 100 yards but redeemed myself by thumping him from about 10 yards away.

Number two

Number three

Three and four together


I was out of reloads at that point and the gun was getting dirty so I headed on home for the night.
 
Now that's what I call old school!! Nice shooting!
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I got out this evening for some field therapy. Dropped a frozen turkey that I wasn't going to use to the farmer that I hunt on. That always helps hold my sole hunting rights to my spot
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. Grabbed the 17rem and the coyote calls and started wandering through the fields toward the woods. Jumped a chuck at 30yd with no chance for a shot. Topped the hill and glassed a rock pile and spotted one sunning at 107yds. Went prone and saw in the scope he was quartered to me slightly. Put it on his eye and squeezed off a 25gr. Berger Target HP and he just swelled up. After a few seconds the legs went limp and he rolled off his rock. Shot him right through the eye and had a small exit in the back of the head. Here is what I found on the rock.
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And this is what I fished out from between the rocks.
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I decided to work my way to the woods and try a few early afternoon calling stands. Saw a bunch of deer and called a small bear within 50yds with fawn bleat on my MFK diaphragm call. That was neat. I worked my way back toward the fields looking for the chuck I spooked and jumped 3 fawns bedded down. When they ran, a bald eagle took off from a tree just overhead. Guess he was contemplating a fawn-do dinner
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. I wandered toward the rock pile where I shot the earlier chuck and spot one working away from a brush pile. I put the 17rem in the sticks and got on my knees and aimed just below the chin when he looked up at me. Bang, flopped another at 121yds.
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As usual, pinhole in, no exit. a little trickle of blood when I picked it up. Shot was at POA. I worked my way back toward the truck when I spotted a light colored one perched on a log in a brush pile at 86yds. I got the angle for the shot and saw it launch about 2' straight up off the log. When I went to retrieve it, there was no sign of entry or exit and she was a big hog I've been after for 2yrs now.
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I walked back to the barnyard and peeked around a shed and caught one looking at me. I ducked back around the corner and scampered to the truck to retrieve my barnyard gun, the Marlin 17HMR. I decided to try and flank her and when I popped around the shed, there was a heavy, tight racked 6 point buck standing 25yds away. I tried to ease between him and the shed but he spooked and scared the groundhog back under the shed. I sat and waited a bit and noticed another one way off digging a hole on the fence row. I worked my way toward it, but it spooked and went in the hole. I did a flanking move behind the hillside and belly crawled to 45yds where she gave me a nice between the eyes shot with the HMR. This was a big hog too.
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Went back toward the truck to load up and was going to call it a day when a dumb one froze about 25yds from me in the barnyard. I had the rifle slung up, so I eased it down, turned down the scope, and put it behind his ear and slammed him too with the HMR. He bled a good bit, but the bulled went all the way through surprisingly.
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I loaded up and went up the road. While there I glassed the building where the buck spooked the chuck and there he was, back out after I pulled away. Not being one to leave a chuck in the barnyard, I went around to another entrance and put the sneak on him. I peered over the chest high weeds and there he was at about 40yds. I took an off hand shot and got him in the side of the noggin with the HMR.
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This was finally the end to my hunt. I spotted 7, shot 6 times and killed 6 with both the 17HMR and 17rem. And incase anybody noticed, I was too lazy to take the 243 shells out of my stock pack while I was trying it out on the 17HMR. After using it today, I will be ordering one without shell loops for this gun too. Oh, and I think the 17rem is ready for fur season
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Glad to see you getting some action Corey.

I was able to get out for a little while today. Hit a farm that I have not been to for a while. Ended up shooting six times and getting six hogs. Shots were from 25 yards to 200 yards.Never even thought about the camera til I reached in my chair bag for it!!
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Took the new 20VT out for a spin this weekend and actually got some groundhogs, bullet was a 32gr SBK this thing is a tackdriver all 6 hogs are head shots

two from yesterday

139 yards
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86 yards
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these four from today

199 yrds, 102 yrds, 306 yrds 230 yrds
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Originally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeI'm happy for you guys that have that many chucks to shoot.

Wait ! Let me rephrase that....
Green with envy.
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Congrats !
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Tim
I wish it was like this all the time but they are pretty sporadic anymore, but if you are ever in my area for awhile give me a call and I'll try to get you into some shooting.
 
It appears that I may be putting myself out of business for next year Tim. I've had to resort to hunting the barn yard and equipment sheds to get a few. The ones I do get in the fields have gone to deep cover. The days of open ground hogging are about done for my farm. It would figure that it would happen once I get my 243 dialed in and figured out
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. Next spring I'll be hunting for new ground instead of chucks
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Originally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeThat stinks Corey.

Maybe PM needs to have a Pdog shoot .

Wouldn't that be a hoot. If I wasn't on a spending probation, I'd be on the next PM rat shoot and pay that beer debt off to you in person
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. My little "chuck wagon" from Dearborn MI will keep me in hock for the next six years though
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Had to, the Yota gave up the ghost and spun the rod bearing. Got a 2013 F150 STX a little while back and have less than 3K miles on it still
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. Was going to get a Tundra, but this one was rated better for fuel mileage and still has the V8 plus had some added amenities included for less money. With all the driving around looking for new farmland, I gotta have me some fuel mileage
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