A Day of Rice Krispies

[K22]

Was out in the field yesterday after a week of record high temperatures. They had cut a hay field last week, so I was eager to try my hand at some g-hogging on a freshly cut field. It was so dry that when I walked on the field it felt like I was walking on Rice Krispies - you know that crunchy breakfast cereal. All the was light brown. I saw nothing - not even deer which I usually see in abundance in early evenings. I imagine the hogs can't digest that stuff very well so that just hole up and snooze

So, I went to my default activity, I smoked a cigar and took a snooze like my hog friends. But I made doubly sure cigar butt was drench with water from my canteen before heading home. Expecting rain this weekend, will give it a try next week.

 

[DRK]

321 wood chucks so far this year here. I have nothunted any hay, been hunting the beans. We are just as dry here, we got a good soaking yesterday and have rain expected this weekend too. Will try foe 322 tomorrow or Friday night.

 

[MasterYoda]

321 hogs !!!! When do you start hunting them?

 

[TTE]

If there are no pics .......... it never happened.

 

[jxb]

321 hogs !!!! When do you start hunting them?

Who cares, if they have that many you should be asking WHERE or can I help thin em out ;-)

 

[WyleWD]

321 wood chucks so far this year here. I have nothunted any hay, been hunting the beans. We are just as dry here, we got a good soaking yesterday and have rain expected this weekend too. Will try foe 322 tomorrow or Friday night.

Good job!! You're making a few farmers happy too. I'm envious of your numbers, I'd be thrilled with 10% of that. lol. WD

 

[MasterYoda]

200 hogs in 12-14 days is very impressive for sure. Keep it up. Can’t wait to hear your final number for the year.

 

[Bill K]

Hope you leave some for seed. There must be thousands in that area or you are going to ripe it out for future shoots.

 

[K22]

If there are no pics .......... it never happened.

I have a Lively flip cell phone and can text to other cell phones. I can send you a picture of the brown cut hay field if I go out there this weekend if you PM me your cell phone number. Since I didn't see any g-hogs or anything else, there are no pictures.

 

[K22]

321 wood chucks so far this year here. I have nothunted any hay, been hunting the beans. We are just as dry here, we got a good soaking yesterday and have rain expected this weekend too. Will try foe 322 tomorrow or Friday night.

Wow - that's impressive. Never came close that in any season, even when it was great g-hog hunting in my area. My top yearly total was in 2011, 130 confirmed downed hogs. But bean field have always been a prime area for hogs.

 

[chop house]

I have a Lively flip cell phone and can text to other cell phones. I can send you a picture of the brown cut hay field if I go out there this weekend if you PM me your cell phone number. Since I didn't see any g-hogs or anything else, there are no pictures.

i believe he was referring to the 321 comment...

 

[K22]

i believe he was referring to the 321 comment...

I know, I was just being a smart ass. I take Mr. 321 at his word. I know, it's old fashion to take a man's word - but I am old fashion - a loss virtue - taking a man at his word.

 

[DRK]

321 hogs !!!! When do you start hunting them?

If there are no pics .......... it never happened.

Hope you leave some for seed. There must be thousands in that area or you are going to ripe it out for future shoots.

Wow - that's impressive. Never came close that in any season, even when it was great g-hog hunting in my area. My top yearly total was in 2011, 130 confirmed downed hogs. But bean field have always been a prime area for hogs.

Who cares, if they have that many you should be asking WHERE or can I help thin em out ;-)

Good job!! You're making a few farmers happy too. I'm envious of your numbers, I'd be thrilled with 10% of that. lol. WD

To answer some questions, this is 4 guys total hunting well over 2k acres of beans. We start in April and go to about the fourth of July when the beans get to tail to see them. Shots range from up close to 400 yds. Mostly shooting 17 HMR, 17 WSM, little centerfire. We hunt with one guy shooting, one guy spotting, if a confirmed hit is seen by the spotter it is counted, if not confirmed or ground hog beats feet, then it is not counted.

I am riding on a farmer's coat tails, tagging along. We live next to them, we bought the real estate out of his parent's estate out 10 years ago and we are in the middle of their surrounding acreage in N. IN.

We are not getting them all, we are so over run with ground hogs I am in disbelief. We shot 197 last year and did not think there would be many this year. The other night, we came up on a tree line with 8 visible ground hogs and probably plenty underground. We did not even get set up, let alone take a shot, before they made us and beat feet. There are some that sit on top of their holes and the wind blows they go underground. No way we're getting those, you'd have to have an airplane and dive bomb them! I think we have thousands, the neighbors have replanted acreage due to the destruction on the beans. Here's some photos, I don't have one for every ground hog, we'd have no time to shoot!

 

[K22]

To answer some questions, this is 4 guys total hunting well over 2k acres of beans. We start in April and go to about the fourth of July when the beans get to tail to see them. Shots range from up close to 400 yds. Mostly shooting 17 HMR, 17 WSM, little centerfire. We hunt with one guy shooting, one guy spotting, if a confirmed hit is seen by the spotter it is counted, if not confirmed or ground hog beats feet, then it is not counted.

I am riding on a farmer's coat tails, tagging along. We live next to them, we bought the real estate out of his parent's estate out 10 years ago and we are in the middle of their surrounding acreage in N. IN.

We are not getting them all, we are so over run with ground hogs I am in disbelief. We shot 197 last year and did not think there would be many this year. The other night, we came up on a tree line with 8 visible ground hogs and probably plenty underground. We did not even get set up, let alone take a shot, before they made us and beat feet. There are some that sit on top of their holes and the wind blows they go underground. No way we're getting those, you'd have to have an airplane and dive bomb them! I think we have thousands, the neighbors have replanted acreage due to the destruction on the beans. Here's some photos, I don't have one for every ground hog, we'd have no time to shoot!

View attachment 1567060View attachment 1567061View attachment 1567062View attachment 1567063View attachment 1567064View attachment 1567065

Nice pictures but I believed you without them.

 

[Gabe22BR]

Only 37 here..
I’m the farmer-
I replanted few ac .. kinda got ideal where they was.. hopefully I’m down to my last 2-3 of them…

It’s so hot dry here till yesterday ( had 1” rain)

 

[jxb]

Yeah same way with sage rats in the alfalfa, once it's up about 8" gets really hard to see them unless they are standing on a tall mound and waving at you.

 

[snert]

Looks like ya scalped that one with the two grazing shots!

I've never exceeded 120 or so in a year myself, but I am now in the high 600 count on one farm I shot for about 30 years now. It is only 120 acres and I can only shoot about 1/3 of that. So, the peripheral stock makes for good breed stock.

 

[Doug Casner]

I havent seen 3, 2, or 1 groundhogs in years. Doug

 

[DRK]

Only one woodchuck today. All my hunting partners are preoccupied with the county fair or hunting out of state. I spent the morning & early afternoon at a funeral so a cheer me up was much needed. When I lit the grill, I decided to set up across the road while I waited for the charcoal to get going. There is one woodchuck been evading us all season, extra spookish.

I set up in a little alcove in the corner. After a 20 min stake out, he crept out and stood up. Through and through the neck. Went home, finished dinner, ate with my wife and new born son. All and all a good day.

 

[Klong]

Was out in the field yesterday after a week of record high temperatures. They had cut a hay field last week, so I was eager to try my hand at some g-hogging on a freshly cut field. It was so dry that when I walked on the field it felt like I was walking on Rice Krispies - you know that crunchy breakfast cereal. All the was light brown. I saw nothing - not even deer which I usually see in abundance in early evenings. I imagine the hogs can't digest that stuff very well so that just hole up and snooze

So, I went to my default activity, I smoked a cigar and took a snooze like my hog friends. But I made doubly sure cigar butt was drench with water from my canteen before heading home. Expecting rain this weekend, will give it a try next week.

Many years ago, I had a similar experience. My buddy and I were shooting pds in the Texas panhandle. We had shot a few hundred and took a break for lunch and some shade. We had been using this one big mesquite tree as a focal point to direct the other where more pds up on a hole. (directing people in an area where everything looks the same in every direction can be difficult) We planned to park the truck which we were shooting from (a bench in the bed) under the mesquite. To our surprise when we got to it, it was only about 8' tall. not to be deprived I got in my chair and got under its shade. I was trying to dose off and this pd was barking his arse off nearby. My buddy had a 45 pistol with bird shot in it that he had been itching to try out. He said he would take care of the pd for me. As he walked off I told him that he sounded like he was walking on rice Krispies. He walked about thirty yards as he was carefully watching for rattle snakes. He got to the hole and then backed out like he was backing out from a bank holdup. When he came back, I ask him why he didn't shoot. He said there was a rattle snake partially in the hole, which prompted me to ask again why he hadn't shot. He explained that the snake had about 1.5 feet of his length outside the hole and was about 3" in diameter. He decided he was not certain that it would be a lethal shot so he left well enough alone.