Cartridges for Groundhog Hunting
- Thread starter maddysdad
- Start date
Jud96
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I’m a big fan of the plain old .243 Win. I started with one when I was 16 and I still have the same rifle that’s been overhauled with a new stock, barrel, and trigger 10 years later. I think it’s hard to beat for groundhogs. It’s fast, flat, bucks the wind pretty well with the heavies, and components are not hard to find. It has been easy to reload for me and both barrels I’ve had have shot well.
I've taken groundhogs with almost ever rifle that I've owned. In close quarters, I used a 22mag and 17HMR, neither if which was very impressive and hogs often got back into their holes. The 17 was, however, wicked accurate at 200yds. On the top end, I bought a German LH Weatherby Marn V in 460Wby mag on a whim. I didn't have a use for that thing whatsoever. Soooooo ....... I started shooting a few groundhogs with Hornady 350gr HP bullets. Those hogs NEVER made it back into their holes. If I missed, the hogs ended up in the new holes. LOL
Here in eastern PA regarding GH, rabbit and pheasant the reasons are twofold -1) farming practices- i.e. elimination of fence rows and use of poison gas used in burrows. They use gas because 2) housing developments make it too risky to control them by hunting. Turkey is in decline due to too many wet Springs which the poults cannot survive.
snert
Silver $$ Contributor
I'm not being a curmudgeon, but I dont see the wet spring theory as valid. (In regard to turkey) I moved to PA (western) from CNY, where turkey are like starlings, or seem to be. Ok, our springs end in July, (kidding) but our weather there was much more difficult on birds and we had a lot. I personally opine that the reality is for every square mile there are 50x as many houses here. And darn little woods that are raparian.
20vt, 204, 222, 223, 223ai and maybe a 22-250 or 22-250ai.
Gary in MD
Gold $$ Contributor
When fur prices went to crap after about the early 1980s, a lot of guys stopped trapping, including me. Fox and coon populations went way up and the coyotes have increased all over. The high number predators and the changes in farming practices have put a big hurting’ on everything from ground hogs, rabbits, quail, pheasants, turkeys, etc. Just my humble opinion.
Gary
Gary
drags
Silver $$ Contributor
I have been hunting groundhogs for 62 years not just casually hunting but going out as much as I could. I have used 22rf,17rem,204ruger, 22hornet, 222rem, 223rem, 220swift, 22-250, 22x47lapua, 6mm rem, 264win mag,6.5x06, 7mm tcu, 7x300wby, and I may have forgot a few. I agree the groundhog numbers are down, but for the last 7 years I have kept records of my kills 468 kills on 7 farms in a 15 mile radius from my house in south west Penna. Now that I am retired I go out about 4 mornings per week and I hunt between Memorial Day and Labor Day, I don't hunt in the spring because the young ones are not weined yet. My favorite rifles now are a Tikka t3x in .223 shooting the 69gr STMK and the 22x47 Lapua shooting Hornady 80 gr. match bullets. For me groundhog hunting is my favorite.
Drags
Drags
Back in the late 60's through the mid 80's I hunted groundhogs extensively in Greene County in southwestern PA. A close friend of my father's own two large cattle farms near Nineveh that were overrun with ground hogs. I had exclusive access to the farms.
In those days I hunted mostly with a revolver, 357 Magnum, Model 27 S&W. The rolling terrain provided a lot of areas for stalking within 50 yards. I would roam those fields with the revolver strapped on my hip. These were some of the best hunts I ever had. I didn't keep records in those days, but I do remember one particular Saturday on a beautiful summer afternoon bagging 8 hogs with my pistol, all within 50 yards.
Ditto for me, ground hog hunting is my absolute favorite past time. These days however, it's all rifle here in eastern PA. But those hunts in Greene County were the best ever!
DRK
Silver $$ Contributor
That surprises me. I'm probably only 500 miles from you. We have six holes in the back ditch that I saw when I walked it the other day.
Between Chad & me we shot well over 100 last year. There's more left, already had one in the grass out back last week.
I don't think I saw it mentioned but I'd add the 6mmAR (which is what I have) or the commercial version 6ARC. The accuracy is unreal and the rifle can be had in a bolt or AR (which is what mine is). Lots of bullet choices too....I shoot prairie dogs with mine but think it well suited for g-hogs too!
WyleWD
Silver $$ Contributor
Same here in west central Ohio. There are a few counties in the NE quadrant of the state that have huntable numbers and even those counties are WAY down from what they were 15-30 years ago. JME. My 220 Swift and 17Rem barrels will probably outlast me. WD
I hunted GH's since '66 mostly on or near the family farmland here in the foothills of the Pocono Mtns.. My progression of weapons were: .22 LR (single shot .22 borrowed from an uncle), .22 mag, .222, 22/250, .22 Hornet, .220 Swift,In the last 15 years, since I can't just step out of my house and hunt the hillside across the twsp road due to new houses, I have been relegated to using a .17 HM2 and to date has never failed to put one (marauding my garden) down in one shot. Lack of suitable GH hunting areas is what got me into BR competition.
I had a Remington 40-X rebarreled to 220 Swift several years ago. Haven't shot a groundhog since. Sad.
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