The Ground Hog Man

[K22]

K22.....Well then, there will not be any confusion with MY name here in regard to yours with the local ranchers.....as I'm known as "The Rock Chuck Guy". Guess it's just as simple as geography, right? West vs. East with almost the same critters, cousins anyway.

A good morning last month with my Cooper M38 Phoenix in 221FB.



All one-shot kills courtesy of the Nosler 40gr Varmageddon over 20.0grs of A2200. All shots were taken at roughly 200 yards, give or take. Another good morning, just like yours. Good to see you here again doing what we all love to do the best.

Good shooting "Rock Chuck Guy". I'm addicted to ghog hunting. Thank goodness I have a wife who indulges we. I mean how many wives buy their hubby a Weatherby Supervarmint Master for his 60th birthday. That was 11 years ago and she's still indulging my ghogging.

She's a city girl so when we were first married she suggested that I join ghogs anonymous to cure my addiction. Being newly married I decided to give it a try so I went to the first meeting. There was no nobody there! There was a sign on the meeting room door that read, "Sorry, Everyone has gone Ground Hog Hunting - Next meeting scheduled for the first full day of rain - check your local forecast."

Again to please my new bride I decided to go to the next meeting. At the next meeting (rainy day) all we discussed was rifles, loads, tactics, best shots, best stalks, and new places to hunt.

 

[Nomad47]

Good shooting "Rock Chuck Guy". I'm addicted to ghog hunting. Thank goodness I have a wife who indulges we. I mean how many wives buy their hubby a Weatherby Supervarmint Master for his 60th birthday. That was 11 years ago and she's still indulging my ghogging.

She's a city girl so when we were first married she suggested that I join ghogs anonymous to cure my addiction. Being newly married I decided to give it a try so I went to the first meeting. There was no nobody there! There was a sign on the meeting room door that read, "Sorry, Everyone has gone Ground Hog Hunting - Next meeting scheduled for the first full day of rain - check your local forecast."

Again to please my new bride I decided to go to the next meeting. At the next meeting (rainy day) all we discussed was rifles, loads, tactics, best shots, best stalks, and new places to hunt.

Now that is funny. We're the same age and I also have a wife that indulges me. Even packs me a lunch so I can hunt from morning to supper time.

 

[Lorene Yoder]

Nice story to share.

 

[hawkeyeshoooer]

Thumbs up ground hog man.

 

[drags]

In my 59 years of groundhog hunting I have many stories, I went up to Clearfield Co. Pa. to hunt and the farmer had a dog (a pup) that he wanted to train to hunt groundhogs. He told me to bring the dog a couple of groundhogs to get the dog interested and I brought the dog 2 groundhogs and he started chewing on the groundhogs immediately. The farmer later told me that dog was the best groundhog hunting dog he ever had. Several years later my father and I was hunting the farm, while we were hunting the dog was watching us and I shot a groundhog and the dog ran out and got the groundhog and went back to the house with the groundhog. My father wanted to take a groundhog home to eat and I shot another one so my Dad bad hip and all took off to get the groundhog before the dog when the dog saw my dad going after the groundhog he stopped and my father got it brought it back and gutted and skinned it and put it in a cooler. My father grew up in the great depression and would always eat wild game and my mother could really cook it.
drags

 

[sscoyote]

Hunted them for about 5 years or so every day I had off of work and school in Western MD back in the '80's. I'd park my old VW Bug alongside a pasture at one spot, and roamed around taking targets of opportunity. One time when I came back to the vehicle I'd left the door open and the farmer was so appreciative he filled the passenger seat full of sweet sugar corn. Never forget it.

 

[fredo]

In my 59 years of groundhog hunting I have many stories, I went up to Clearfield Co. Pa. to hunt and the farmer had a dog (a pup) that he wanted to train to hunt groundhogs. He told me to bring the dog a couple of groundhogs to get the dog interested and I brought the dog 2 groundhogs and he started chewing on the groundhogs immediately. The farmer later told me that dog was the best groundhog hunting dog he ever had. Several years later my father and I was hunting the farm, while we were hunting the dog was watching us and I shot a groundhog and the dog ran out and got the groundhog and went back to the house with the groundhog. My father wanted to take a groundhog home to eat and I shot another one so my Dad bad hip and all took off to get the groundhog before the dog when the dog saw my dad going after the groundhog he stopped and my father got it brought it back and gutted and skinned it and put it in a cooler. My father grew up in the great depression and would always eat wild game and my mother could really cook it.
drags

Can certainly relate, on both fronts!
My dog shares an affinity for 'chuck hunting! I just put the GPS collar on him, and will invariably find him excavating a hole somewhere. If he doesn't just bring his prize back to the house, that is!

As youngsters, my friend's Father made us eat what we shot around the farm! So, quite a few young chucks we shot "made it into the gravy", later in the day. Along with pigeons, starlings, etc...

Ahhh, the good ol' days. We were like a delta force platoon with our .22Mags, stalking the fencerows to root out the enemy, LOL

 

[snert]

Can certainly relate, on both fronts!
My dog shares an affinity for 'chuck hunting! I just put the GPS collar on him, and will invariably find him excavating a hole somewhere. If he doesn't just bring his prize back to the house, that is!

As youngsters, my friend's Father made us eat what we shot around the farm! So, quite a few young chucks we shot "made it into the gravy", later in the day. Along with pigeons, starlings, etc...

Ahhh, the good ol' days. We were like a delta force platoon with our .22Mags, stalking the fencerows to root out the enemy, LOL

I thought I was the only guy to make starling stew and pigeon pot pie...

 

[K22]

Can certainly relate, on both fronts!
My dog shares an affinity for 'chuck hunting! I just put the GPS collar on him, and will invariably find him excavating a hole somewhere. If he doesn't just bring his prize back to the house, that is!

As youngsters, my friend's Father made us eat what we shot around the farm! So, quite a few young chucks we shot "made it into the gravy", later in the day. Along with pigeons, starlings, etc...

Ahhh, the good ol' days. We were like a delta force platoon with our .22Mags, stalking the fencerows to root out the enemy, LOL

Let me tell you that ghogs legs are not bad eating especially if you have several beers before hand.

When I lived in Western PA I use to save them up all summer then have an annual ghog roast in October. I'd invite my hunting buddies over for a feast. After a couple of six packs we'd eat anything. I grilled them with a tad of A-1 sauce, pepper, oregano, and garlic salt. This feast was conducted when wifey went to visit her mother in Philadelphia for a week.

I ritual ended when we move to eastern PA. Wifey laid down the law, no more ghogs legs in her freezer. She told me that we are moving to civilization and you can't behave like a mountain man anymore.

However I think the incident that sealed my fate was when my neighbor, Dale, a non hunter - tennis player saw us guys drinking beer and eating during my last annual ghog roast. He wondered over to my back porch and asked what we were cooking. My buddy said Pennsylvania Chicken. I toss Dale a beer and invited him to try some. As he started eating a leg he remarked that it had a strange taste. My buddy let the cat out of the bag and told Dale that it was groundhog. Poor Dale turned about four shades of green then puked on my back porch. The worse was yet to come.

He told his wife that I tried to poison him. His wife told my wife when my wife returned from Philadelphia. I was in real hot water. Dale didn't speak to me for three months - which on balance was a good thing since he was at the opposite end of the political spectrum. After some token scolding wifey found it kind of funny - she didn't much care for Dale either.

Amazingly we are about to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary!

 

[snert]

Oh, if the "dale" in my life would only go away so easily!!!!

 

[Whiskey4]

In reading this thread i think i have learned something, When did the written permission law come into affect in Ohio ?? I moved from Ohio to Georgia in the late 80's and have been in Ga. since but visit on a regular basis and have never heard of the written permission law.. I grew up and still hunt in Muskingum Co.when i visit on the farm i grew up on and the farms down the road...