First 2019 Groundhog sighting

[hpshooter]

Wife and I spotted our first 2019 groundhog along route 29 South in Lynchburg VA in front of the Walmart.

Was 41 degrees F with no wind.

Only way to have made it better would have been to see in in an area where it was shootable.

 

[K22]

You're killing me - counting the days until I hit the fields (usually late April here in eastern PA). I'm a ground hog addict.

 

[dkhunt14]

I saw one on Jan 2nd. It was pretty cold out. We shot one late December in deer season at the same place. It was cold that day but not like the 2nd. Matt

 

[hpshooter]

" It was cold that day but not like the 2nd. "

In '75 or '76 I shot one in the snow several miles out of Blacksburg VA while deer hunting. Wife has more than a few years of calendars with whistle pig sightings noted, generally have seen them every month of the year for the past few years. Unfortunately, haven't hunted them as avidly as in years past.

 

[dedogs]

generally have seen them every month of the year for the past few years.

It's all Al Gore's fault! dedogs

 

[msinc]

Have not seen anything yet...it's been very cold, but it just got in the 50's this evening...I will be looking tomorrow. It is neat to see them out early, and like everyone else I too love to hunt them. We have a horse farm and wifey has some rather expensive hay burners...but, I hate to shoot them early because you can really hurt the population. I tell her I kill an ass load of them, but that is not true. Two things I have been known to lie about...woodchuck killings and Mexican hookers. Here is one I saw a while back, it was like 20 degrees out: {just imagine a ballistic tip smackin' him center mass....I can close my eyes and hear the WHACK now!!!} it's clear I've had too much bourbon...I'm fantasizing about shooting woodchucks!!!!

 

[dedogs]

I'm fantasizing about shooting woodchucks!!!!

Take this picture to a printer and get it blown up life size and get multiple prints. Place them at various unknown ranges and have a ball. Good practice. dedogs

 

[Rustytigwire]

You caught him flossing

 

[Short Bus]

I saw one wednesday. 40 degrees outside in middle Tennessee. I have seen them on the sides of the interstate in the snow as I drove thru Ashville, NC

 

[Clucknmoan]

There was one ran over in Richmond KY when I was there last week. Thought about all you ground hog hunters when I saw it!

 

[centerlineseal]

Pickett Pins were out "en masse" today while sighting in a few rifles, ... here in SW Idaho. Mid 40s, but it sure seems early!

 

[msinc]

Take this picture to a printer and get it blown up life size and get multiple prints. Place them at various unknown ranges and have a ball. Good practice. dedogs

You caught him flossing

First off...thanks very much to everyone for all the likes on this post!!!! It is greatly appreciated. I guess I should take a moment to explain this photo...I mean, as much as I love to hunt woodchucks, no one is sick enough about it to set up a trail camera and get pictures. So, here is what happened...
Me and a coonhunting buddy were running two young dogs one night when they hit a red hot track and blasted it about 150 yards straight away. Sure seemed like a deer and they ran it like one {dogs can trail a deer very fast and "run with their head up" because the smell is so strong}. They abruptly stopped and shut right up and when we got to where they were milling around I found this hole. Both of these dogs knew better than to run "off game" so they didn't "tree" the hole. By this time they realized their mistake and were trying to play it off like it never happened. The only other animal around these parts that hounds can run fast with their head up is a red fox. When they first started the track we could smell a definite strange animal odor in the area...red fox smell a lot like a skunk, but it wasn't that smell and we thought it might have been a coyote. So, in an attempt to identify what animal ran in the hole I set up a camera. Never did get a photo of the animal, there is zero chance this chuck could have ever ran that fast, but I did get this photo the next morning. Whatever it was slipped out right after we left to go get the camera which wasn't long as this is practically in my back yard.

 

[WV Hitman]

Saw my first one on Feb. 5 at our local airport where I have exclusive "varmint control" rights. Put the sneak on and shot him at 62 yds. with my suppressed Ruger MK III and Aguila subsonic HP. That brings my total to 13,095 with handguns. (I don't own a rifle).