1/1/2016. First Groundhog of year spotted

[Groundhog Devastation GHD]

Saw a groundhog standing up like a Dunkard preacher yesterday by his den in Roanoke, VA. I've seen them every month of the year but this is the first time I have seen on on New Years Day. No I did not shoot it!! Season opens officially for me at Memorial Day! Give Em time to have the brood and get them big enough to fend for themselves and become targets also!! GHD

 

[hpshooter]

Saw a groundhog standing up like a Dunkard preacher yesterday by his den in Roanoke, VA. I've seen them every month of the year but this is the first time I have seen on on New Years Day. No I did not shoot it!! Season opens officially for me at Memorial Day! Give Em time to have the brood and get them big enough to fend for themselves and become targets also!! GHD

Have you checked out the Blue Hills Industrial Park. Check both sides of the road starting as soon as you exit Orange Ave. The wife and I have seen as many as 28 in one pass through going all the way to the end of the road at the reclaimed land fill and back out to Orange Ave. Had two young ones run up the same tree across from the Maple Leaf Bakery this past May. Soooo tempting!!!!


T W Hudson

 

[Groundhog Devastation GHD]

Have you checked out the Blue Hills Industrial Park. Check both sides of the road starting as soon as you exit Orange Ave. The wife and I have seen as many as 28 in one pass through going all the way to the end of the road at the reclaimed land fill and back out to Orange Ave. Had two young ones run up the same tree across from the Maple Leaf Bakery this past May. Soooo tempting!!!!


T W Hudson

I work for FedEx and go to Orvis every morning. I have seen the groundhogs on the properties you are talking about. Hopefully they will be fruitful and multiply so as to repopulate the areas that have been over hunted or trapped out and ruined. Are you the same TW Hudson that used to live in Christiansburg and then moved to Rustburg? If you are then you know who I am. This is Charlie from Rocky Mount. Small world!!

 

[hpshooter]

I work for FedEx and go to Orvis every morning. I have seen the groundhogs on the properties you are talking about. Hopefully they will be fruitful and multiply so as to repopulate the areas that have been over hunted or trapped out and ruined. Are you the same TW Hudson that used to live in Christiansburg and then moved to Rustburg? If you are then you know who I am. This is Charlie from Rocky Mount. Small world!![/

You are spot on. We are still in Rustburg. That is our ground hog loop whenever we are in Roanoke.

My email is hpshooter@juno.com, send an email some time and we will catch up on the past.
TWH

 

[MarkS]

Charlie,
The best place in Roanoke is along I-581 near the mall.

Mark Schronce

 

[jpx2rk]

Hate to ask dumb ?'s but I'm known for that. I googled the areas you guys mentioned about the hog population in the Industrial park, and would any of you mind expanding on "how" you hunt hogs in this particular area or setting. It seems to me it would be difficult to do with the traffic, large buildings and such. I used to work in an industrial park so I understand the layout and traffic patterns, but wondering about your approach to this location. TIA

 

[hpshooter]

Hate to ask dumb ?'s but I'm known for that. I googled the areas you guys mentioned about the hog population in the Industrial park, and would any of you mind expanding on "how" you hunt hogs in this particular area or setting. It seems to me it would be difficult to do with the traffic, large buildings and such. I used to work in an industrial park so I understand the layout and traffic patterns, but wondering about your approach to this location. TIA

The industrial park is strictly a breeding ground unless you want to risk serious legal problems which I wouldn't want. A portion of the park may be in the county but I am sure hunting would be frowned upon.

And Mark, the industrial park makes the colony at the Valley View Mall look very small! Hope to see you this year at the RRRC Egg Shoot.

T W Hudson

 

[Groundhog Devastation GHD]

Mark, the one I saw on New Year's Day was exactly where you are talking about.........on the road bank at Valley View. Bobby shot his 190th of the year on December 20th! The most I have seen out at one time in the grassy area between the Orvis warehouse and Elizabeth Arden warehouse has been 11. That area is probably 175-200 yards wide and 600 yards long. Finding that kind of populations and dens on huntable land doesn't happen anymore. To say that population is protected would be an understatement. I would love to go back 40 years to when I had the permit signed by the Governor of VA to shoot groundhogs on the VA TECH Dairy Farm and have the 20TAC and VarTarg. We shot 247 there the first year from May-October and that was using those noisy 22-250's, 243's and GODs gift to rifledom, the 25-06!!

 

[jpx2rk]

Ok, that explains a lot as the industrial park where I worked would get you in some serious trouble as well. That's why I asked the dumb ? Thanks for the clarification.

 

[snert]

Mark, the one I saw on New Year's Day was exactly where you are talking about.........on the road bank at Valley View. Bobby shot his 190th of the year on December 20th! The most I have seen out at one time in the grassy area between the Orvis warehouse and Elizabeth Arden warehouse has been 11. That area is probably 175-200 yards wide and 600 yards long. Finding that kind of populations and dens on huntable land doesn't happen anymore. To say that population is protected would be an understatement. I would love to go back 40 years to when I had the permit signed by the Governor of VA to shoot groundhogs on the VA TECH Dairy Farm and have the 20TAC and VarTarg. We shot 247 there the first year from May-October and that was using those noisy 22-250's, 243's and GODs gift to rifledom, the 25-06!!

Last year it was the guys in WV and now it is you guys in Virginia...do you post this to make me so dang frustrated i want to cry or just to gloat in your warm weather? Last GH I saw was Sept 29...and it is 7 degrees here today...I don't expect to see one till late feb when the boys dig out of the snow and visit the girls, and I won't be shooting again till may. NY sucks.

 

[Clavius-Walker]

I saw that one Phil in PA on the TV the other day, would love to smoke him.