Cartridges for Groundhog Hunting

[DRK]

Right on the IN/MI border here. I am surrounded by 5000 acres of corn & 'beans. Still plenty of wood chucks around here. I'll hunt every day in the spring/early summer before the 'beans get too high.

I shoot a 6 TCU w/70 gr BTs, run it out to 300 yds or so before I hit a tree line. Normally I set up the rifle and get to doing something. If a woodchuck comes out I'll poke at him. I enjoy it.

 

[snert]

Same thing here in CNY….heard every story under the sun and then a shooter/ veterinarian told me that a big strain of hepatitis was the culprit, although the last couple years they seem to be making a good comeback. Seems a ton of’em live under Amish guy’s barns………damn.

Cornell had/has a research facility full of groundhogs testing HEP. In the wild it just kills em off and they bury themselves.

In CNY I shot 36 in 14 hours over two days on two farms last year. I killed over 650 off one farm near Cortland over 25 years.

I am seeing a "no alphafa, no groundhog" trend

 

[snert]

I shoot 22 PPC, 222, 17 FB, 20 VT, 22-250, 220 Swift, 6BR. I have kills to 700 with the Swift.

My eyes were opened when I shot 8 twist 6mm's in AI form. 850 was like shooting 500 with the Swift. Then I shot the Redline. After missing multiple times with a 22-250 in the wind at 700, we went 9-10 and only held 1/3 of the wind that I did with the 250. xx grains of powder and 4000 feet per second with a 75 grain bullet in 224 makes for some serious thump.

 

[Drop Port]

I started groundhog hunting with a 22-250. It worked great at the moderate ranges that I was hunting. As my range increased, I moved to a 6mmAI. Eventually, I was invited to hunt on a series of farms in central PA. Some of these farms had many groundhogs and plenty of longrange potential. I moved up to a 22-243AI 8 twist and a heavy 6.5x284.

Overall, my all-time favorite was the 22-243AI shooting 75gr A-Max (moly) bullets at 3,670 ft/sec. It was astoundingly accurate and dropped 3 rounds into .625" @ 600yds (once lol). I took many hogs between 600yds and 1,000yds. The 75gr A-Max annihilated grounds at all distances. I think the rifle/cartridge was capable of going farther but shot opportunities that exceeded 1,000yds just didn't exist in the farmland where I was hunting.

I started out the same way with a 22-250, then PA and MD long fields had me shooting a 6.5-284. Now with less hogs I find myself shooting whatever rifle I feel like practicing with 22RF to 338 Norma. If I'm serious about spending the day it consists of a 22RF, 222 Vixen, 6BR 1-8" and a 6.5x47L with 140's

 

[nmkid]

I shoot 22 PPC, 222, 17 FB, 20 VT, 22-250, 220 Swift, 6BR. I have kills to 700 with the Swift.

My eyes were opened when I shot 8 twist 6mm's in AI form. 850 was like shooting 500 with the Swift. Then I shot the Redline. After missing multiple times with a 22-250 in the wind at 700, we went 9-10 and only held 1/3 of the wind that I did with the 250. xx grains of powder and 4000 feet per second with a 75 grain bullet in 224 makes for some serious thump.

Sure enjoyed those "Redline" posts.

 

[ShootDots]

Many moons ago, I used to hunt prairie dogs. Prairie dogs are about 1/3rd the size of a nice woodchuck. I hunted them with everything from a .223 to a .257 A.I. Accuracy, wind, and trajectory are the triad of a great prairie dog rifle. The .257AI with a 1-12 twist barrel of 26" pushed an 85gr Nosler Ballistic Tip to 3550f.p.s. My best shot on a Prairie Dog was a 1 shot kill at 508 "long-legged" paces. I am quite certain that that particular rifle would slay about any woodchuck to any "normal" 'chuck ranges with aplomb!

 

[snert]

Sure enjoyed those "Redline" posts.

He is fielding a 240 now. Summer should be a shoot-off between the two.

 

[357Mag]

it seams that the faster a bullet goes and the bigger a case is the acuacy of said case goes down .now we are talking about hitting a chuck in the chest that is for all it is in size of say 3 inches wide and maybe 5 inches high.my ppc in 6 mm has a1/4 inch 5 shot group at 100 yards and that on a good day makes it a 300 yard gun.energy on target is ample for this load.what arte you guys getting in groups for your bigger casesas far as 3 shot or 5 shot goers.aslso what do you concider the max range for your rifles that you have shot chucks at.

it seams that the faster a bullet goes and the bigger a case is the acuacy of said case goes down .now we are talking about hitting a chuck in the chest that is for all it is in size of say 3 inches wide and maybe 5 inches high.my ppc in 6 mm has a1/4 inch 5 shot group at 100 yards and that on a good day makes it a 300 yard gun.energy on target is ample for this load.what arte you guys getting in groups for your bigger casesas far as 3 shot or 5 shot goers.aslso what do you concider the max range for your rifles that you have shot chucks at.

icidesAll -

I wrote both the Indiana DNR and Ohio DNR back in 2018, to posit this question:
Has any a study done, on the potential negative impact of agricultural herbicides and herbon groundhog populations.

If interested in reading any of this..... search: " The Indiana Hog Board " and
" The Ohio Hog Board "; and look for post responses I made ( 357Mag ) around 10 - 11 May 2018. I included some of their responses to my question.

My point:
Groundhog exposure to things like Roundup, Prowl, Bigfoot, Lorsban, 2,4DB and so forth ain't doing groundhog' health any favors. IMHO - the advent of " No Till " farming and the associated dependence of powerful agricultural chemicals was / is the huge contributor to suppressed groundhog numbers. At the same time, coyote presence seemed to be on the rise. And... " Soybeanus Digestus " are on the coyote hot lunch program.

It's tough out there !



With regards,
357Mag

 

[357Mag]

He is fielding a 240 now. Summer should be a shoot-off between the two.

Snert _

Howdy !

There's a place for both of Fredo's wildcats !

Looking fwd to your reports !


With regards,
357Mag

 

[vonb]

Groundhog, quail and turkey population is on the decline. What's in common?

 

[AckleymanII]

Coyote

 

[Benchrest Braxton]

I don't agree that accuracy goes down as case capacity goes up.... for any calibre.

 

[AckleymanII]

Rifle builder, barrel quality, load techniques.

Some of the smaller cases are putting out similar velocities as the 243 Win, but short necks do not aid in throat errosion.

 

[TRSR8]

I shoot 22 PPC, 222, 17 FB, 20 VT, 22-250, 220 Swift, 6BR. I have kills to 700 with the Swift.

My eyes were opened when I shot 8 twist 6mm's in AI form. 850 was like shooting 500 with the Swift. Then I shot the Redline. After missing multiple times with a 22-250 in the wind at 700, we went 9-10 and only held 1/3 of the wind that I did with the 250. xx grains of powder and 4000 feet per second with a 75 grain bullet in 224 makes for some serious thump.

Most of my life I shot various 22-250’s, shot a bunch with 17 MK IV, 17 CCM, Swift even 14 Walker hornet.
Now exclusively a couple 20 TAC’s. IMHO nothing better… a true 500 yard laser and you get to watch everything through the scope….no recoil. Not a lot past about 350-400 where I go.
Buddy goes up to Camden, N.Y. Where guys shoot on a big, big farm out of a tower to about 1500 yards with a couple .338 Lapua’s.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Saw first woodchuck of the "spring" this morning. A long lean looking one, running on top of the 20+" of snow still on the ground. Winter storm warning for Thursday/Friday. Don't know of anyone that hunts them, mostly they get shot if their digging holes under buildings.

 

[7315br]

I started groundhog hunting with a 22-250. It worked great at the moderate ranges that I was hunting. As my range increased, I moved to a 6mmAI. Eventually, I was invited to hunt on a series of farms in central PA. Some of these farms had many groundhogs and plenty of longrange potential. I moved up to a 22-243AI 8 twist and a heavy 6.5x284.

Overall, my all-time favorite was the 22-243AI shooting 75gr A-Max (moly) bullets at 3,670 ft/sec. It was astoundingly accurate and dropped 3 rounds into .625" @ 600yds (once lol). I took many hogs between 600yds and 1,000yds. The 75gr A-Max annihilated grounds at all distances. I think the rifle/cartridge was capable of going farther but shot opportunities that exceeded 1,000yds just didn't exist in the farmland where I was hunting.

Nice to see someone else likes the .22-243AI. Mine has a 30* shoulder and a shorter neck than the Middlested version (lotsa versions of this wildcat). I use it for long range Praire Dogs. 3640fps with the 75 gr ELD-M. Does well to 1200 yds. Best first shot kill was 948 yds. I tried several different cartridges thorugh the years for long range PD's. 6/284 (too much muzzle jump even with a brake), 20BR, and the 20/250 (limited by the bullet performace of the 55 gr Berger beyond 850 yds). That bullet will get there, but pencils to much unless a head or breaking bone shot. Too many drag-offs. The 75gr ELD-M has worked the best for me. Nice job on the hogs!

 

[sw282]

While a speedster won’t beat a PPC at a bench rest competition, the bigger cases can surely supply enough accuracy for varmint hunting. Speed flattens trajectory and supplies the “POP” out past a couple hundred yards. Rifles shooting fast bullets can be quite accurate, of course that rifle barrel won’t last as long but who cares. Give me a Swift, 22-250 or big 6mm any day of the week.
This Swift is accurate enough for a head shot on this young whistle pig at about 250 yards, he was peeking out of the grass next to his hole.
View attachment 1421033

0h yes. That's what its all about! The ''P O P''

 

[H2OBUG]

22-250 or 223
It is no fun if you can’t see the bullet impact in the scope.

 

[maddysdad]

looking at that 6mm GT cartrige.any ony shooting it at hogs.

 

[ckaberna]

Here’s a fun target, he is about 3 - 3 1/2” wide by 8” tall. About the size of a fat dog or young ground hog. I down loaded these years ago, (probably from the old varmint hunter site) I forgot that I had them.
Tack this up on a breezey day, walk back a couple hundred yards to the other side of the pasture and see how you make out. No range finder, no flags…. lol
It can be a humbling experience.

View attachment 1421075

If I could “like” this twice I would!