Any good places to hunt woodchucks in pa ?

[Bobbyboy6br]

Hi all happy new year. I’ve been hunting in New York 40 + years but last few years seems the woodchucks have packed up and moved and no where to be seen . I heard pa might be a good place to hunt . Any thoughts thanks .

 

[itchyTF]

Knock on doors and ask.

 

[1K6BRA]

Here I thought they packed up and moved to New York! The numbers are way down here in western Pennsylvania. My employment has me driving all over the back roads of western Pennsylvania and there will be days go by that I don’t see even one chuck. Don’t see too many hit on the roads either. Lots of ideas why this might be but I don’t know the real reason. Gone are the days when I could go out and shoot 15 in an evening and on a good evening between 20 and 30 on a good farm.

 

[jghoghunter]

Knock on doors and ask but its not near as good here as it use to be. There is either a house of an Amish farm in the middle or end of every field you look at. Try in the northern part of the state first Wellsboro area and around route 6.
Just my .02.

 

[snert]

Where are you in NY?

The Cortland County/town of Groton area has some....

 

[Charlie-NY]

I used to hunt numerous farms off rt80 around Milton. Slowly but surely the number of groundhogs continued to diminish. It wasn't hunting that caused the decline but I'm not sure what did. Locals blamed coyotes, plague, pneumonia in spring pups and everything else.
One farmer set conibear traps over the holes and that worked 100% at eliminating the hogs at his place but most farmers don't do that.

 

[Mark W]

Here I thought they packed up and moved to New York! The numbers are way down here in western Pennsylvania. My employment has me driving all over the back roads of western Pennsylvania and there will be days go by that I don’t see even one chuck. Don’t see too many hit on the roads either. Lots of ideas why this might be but I don’t know the real reason. Gone are the days when I could go out and shoot 15 in an evening and on a good evening between 20 and 30 on a good farm.

I spent 7 years driving around the Western PA countryside, mostly in Allegheny, Washington, and Greene Counties.

I saw more chucks in town around peoples yards and sheds than anywhere else. I’m in Ohio now and I see a lot more of them, but they are usually somewhere that they can’t be shot.

 

[Yule]

Sure not like it used to be in SE PA....

I don't even see many along the turnpike.

 

[JEFFPPC]

I will take you to my deer spot. My groundhogs farms, nah, lol. I got back into it several years ago. I have been welcomed every place I have asked. About 1 in 4 turn out to be a good spot. Like most things in life, putting in the work usually gives good results.

 

[zap]

Lots of the farmers will welcome a groundhog hunter. Look at google maps, pic a few farms with nice fields with wood lines and brush/ hedge rows between the fields and you will likely have a few show themselves. While looking at the satellite views you can also easily see what is behind the fields and through the wood lots. If you see houses, maybe it’s best to not chance a stray bullet getting through. With what the above posters said, it’s not shooting, it’s hunting. You will get shooting likely. A good 2-3 hr hunt could produce several woodchucks.

 

[wright brothers]

It's a little slow right now Brrr.

Many managers have learned how to take revenge on the soybean eating rodents.

One large gun shop had #220 body grip traps for sale. I told the owner they were not legal for anything.
He said the farmers like them.

 

[K22]

15 years ago, it was a Ground Hog Gold Mine here in eastern PA, namely, northern Berks County. Access was no problem, ground hogs galore!

Then came the overdevelopment and the change in farming practices. Where I once had 8 to 9 farms, I am down to 3. Of those three, less than 50% of the fields are huntable for groundhogs due to changes in farming practices, i.e., planting in strips, planting mostly corn. Gone are the long rolling hay fields of yester year.

Some fellow shooters claim it is still fairly good up around State College, but I cannot attest to that since I never hunted up there.

The only reason I go now around here is to get out in nature, take snooze and enjoy the outdoors. If I get a shot or two, it's a bonus safari.

 

[Bobbyboy6br]

Knock on doors and ask but its not near as good here as it use to be. There is either a house of an Amish farm in the middle or end of every field you look at. Try in the northern part of the state first Wellsboro area and around route 6.
Just my .02.

Sounds good thanks

 

[Bobbyboy6br]

Where are you in NY?
Nyc
The Cortland County/town of Groton area has some..

 

[Bobbyboy6br]

15 years ago, it was a Ground Hog Gold Mine here in eastern PA, namely, northern Berks County. Access was no problem, ground hogs galore!

Then came the overdevelopment and the change in farming practices. Where I once had 8 to 9 farms, I am down to 3. Of those three, less than 50% of the fields are huntable for groundhogs due to changes in farming practices, i.e., planting in strips, planting mostly corn. Gone are the long rolling hay fields of yester year.

Some fellow shooters claim it is still fairly good up around State College, but I cannot attest to that since I never hunted up there.

The only reason I go now around here is to get out in nature, take snooze and enjoy the outdoors. If I get a shot or two, it's a bonus safari.

Thanks buddy I’ll check it out

 

[Rem06]

Look for abandon barns and pastures, go before the grass grows.
Crop fields are for crops

 

[thekriebles]

This one is out early this year after last night's ice storm. Fortunate to have soybean fields behind us, but many previous GH areas are now new residential developments.

 

[danny]

I used to hunt numerous farms off rt80 around Milton. Slowly but surely the number of groundhogs continued to diminish. It wasn't hunting that caused the decline but I'm not sure what did. Locals blamed coyotes, plague, pneumonia in spring pups and everything else.
One farmer set conibear traps over the holes and that worked 100% at eliminating the hogs at his place but most farmers don't do that.

Here is what I have found out. Us hunters probably blame Coyotes, but any of the wildlife people that I have talked to say that it ISN'T Coyotes. So, I really don't know, but I still blame Coyotes even though "those in the know" disagree with me.

Danny

 

[danny]

I will take you to my deer spot. My groundhogs farms, nah, lol. I got back into it several years ago. I have been welcomed every place I have asked. About 1 in 4 turn out to be a good spot. Like most things in life, putting in the work usually gives good results.

That's sort of like the guy that comes along and asks "what's the best load for my <insert cartridge>?". Most of us got that load by doing a lot of work and testing. Too bad that this likely won't even work if one wants to quote loads, as what might be best in one, might not be in another, and then there is the question of whether it is safe in another's firearm.

Danny

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

2 of 3 gh saw their shadow Feb 2nd. 6 more weeks.