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GROUND HOG HABITS

Does anyone have a feel for where and why GH make their dens in certain locations. I am thinking along the lines of things like the following.

1. A hay field has dens in it. The field gets plowed. There is no more food. Do they retreat to nearby tree lines and fence rows or move longer distances.

2. A field is plowed and soybeans are planted. It's at least several weeks before the soy beans are up and edible. Where do the GH come from that will live in or on the edges of the bean fields after they are up. Do the GH travel long distances to find fields with good food? Do they travel over long distances and constantly make new dens wherever there is a good food supply.

3. How far do GHs travel in their wandering or looking for a mate?
 
I have seen groundhogs move out to the crops durning the summer and retreat to the woods in the winter . Pretty amazing we have 1 hole that in the last 4 years we have killed maybe 20 different hogs out of it . 7 differnt ones so far this year .
 
It seems amazing that they can find dens that other GH have dug. I too have shoot many GH over the years from the same den. I wonder if they do it by sight, smell or just remember where they heard GHs whistling over several years. May be they see other GH standing up and looking around and they have the ability to remember all of those locations. Some animals are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. Finding unused dens may be a survival method they inherit.
 
Interesting questions. I would not doubt that they would move to nearest treelines or unplowed fields if their home turf gets plowed up. I actually think that at least here in NW Pa. more of them live along treelines and in the woods within 25 yards or so as too much farming activity here still. I agree with Hedgehoghunter that they will move into the crops during summer and then get back into the woods and rockpiles for winter. If an ongoing hayfield that is only disturbed a few times a year by cutting then they have it made and more and more holes appear. Some of the cut hayfields around here look like PD towns out west..

Frank
 
The previous posts are correct that they will retreat to the Wood lines to winter for more protection from the elements. During mating time the Boars will roam and will find uninhabited burrows at this time. Also the Sow will kick out the Pups when they reach a certain age, post suckling, and at this time they will discover available dens. I am not so sure the tilling will make them move as I have seen too many that just unearth themselves and continue to inhabit the burrow.
 
I've been observing them for over 40 years and have come to the conclusion that there are no absolutes but generally speaking there are some thing that work most of the time.

I agree with the winter den comments, they will generally move into tree lines and woods for cover in the winter. Holes that appear vacant in the field in early spring may become populated later in the season.

The key to hunting these guys is locating the food supply. Hay fields that are not re-tilled every year are normally excellent sources of established holes that keep getting re-populated every year.

I've seen burrow in corn fields especially at the edges next to hay fields. Watching the edges of corn fields that butt up to hay fields can yield good results.

Seeing freshly mounded dirt around a hole in an open hay field is a hog hunter's dream

By far, I've had my best success hunting tree lines next to hay fields. Fence lines can also be very productive.

First thing I normally do when hunting a new field or an old field for the first time that year is walk the field and tree lines looking for active holes then plan my strategy from there. Look for a clean opening, insects buzzing around the hole or freshly dug out soil. If you see cob webs over the hole then no one is at home however check throughout the season since some one may take up residences later especially if vacant in the spring - like one of the other posters said, the pups will eventually leave the den for their own burrow. Unoccupied holes are a prime target for these young critters.

Just love hunting ghogs.
 
i have studied these critters for 14 yrs and am still learning. we rarely have level hay fields around here. the farmers fertilize their fields and in time this washes into dips and small valleys and "sink holes". the hay/grass is always greener here and, yes, the ghogs are lazy and dig holes along the slopes of these valleys/sink holes and when mowed, the fresh dirt becomes obvious. the soil around fence post is easier for them to dig as are foudations of barns...one such barn was about to collapse due to so much undermining! fence post holes can be so straight, following the post, that a kill can drop out of sight which is why i usually wait for these to wander just a bit ...lost too many down the tube. wood piles yes! old logs, lumber, post, etc are piled up on many fields and there is almost always a hole with a family of pigs and they like to sun themselves, often sleeping as they sun. seeing these ghogs is a challenge since the seem to take on the color of the logs and stretch out on it and are easily missed unless you look for a ghog shape, esp the head/ears since the bodfy is "log shaped". i love taking a novice and asking him "do you see that ghog?" rock piles are a lot like fence post in that the dirt next to the rock is easily dug. these are harder to spot due to the variations of the shapes and shadows. alfalfa is ghog cocaine! they will eat this stuff to almost popping and their blood is almost orange-red and they are BIG. they prefer old, established holes but dig new ones if you shoot one that gets into a hole and dies...don't blame them here. fresh holes are often the pjups run off by mom or a new arrival establishing his presence. barn pigs are the smartest followed by fence post ones and the dumbest are the open field ghogs. once watched my friend shoot at one five times, missing and throwing dirt on the thing until i couln't stand it and put it out of it's misery. miss one at it's mound and wait...it or another may come out to see "what's all that noise?" i have shot a rock just to see if one would respond and have been rewarded with a target. they are temperature sensitive since they can't sweat. a hot afternoon with a rainshower will almost always bring them out. they seem to sense the temp difference from their hole to outside and i'll occ see one with just his nose/head in and out until the temp drops and hello...and goodby. they are alert to movement and if eyeballing one at short range...don't move and he will often stare, then resume eating and stop and stare. make your move when his head is down or back to you and you get the close shot. shoot from shade or next to a large bale of hay,or camo yourself or truck and you blend into the elements. they are curious about noise...old farmers trick is to click together two silver dollars or such, esp early in mating season and a male will come suspecting two males are fighting..not sure about this one. one last observation..we have a vining "weed" here called kudzu...it can grow one foot a day. the stuff takes over and once established the ghogs move in and you can see 10-30 holes with connecting paths and can be a shooting gallery experience, but once the stuff starts to grow ...nothing...total cover and they must eat the stuff. interesting animals.
 
Webster -

Howdy !

From my NE Indiana experience.....

In flatter farmland ( central and NE Indiana, NW Ohio etc ) groundhogs will den quite often into the side's of " ditch banks " , creeks; etc.
This helps keep them near a water source, and perhaps makes the construction of their multi-chamber dens a little easier.

For proper drainage and other considerations, a groundhog will sooner burrow into any small rise that there might be out-in a open field, in-lieu of burrowing straight down into flat terrain. Or.... into the crest of a small hillock in the field; instead of going straight down.

Rail road " beds " are another good spot to check out ( in very flat terrain ), as they afford the animals a higher vantage point from which to scan for danger.

As Midwest farm seem to keep increasing in size ( mega-farms ), more and more " fence rows " are disappearing.
These used to be a reasonably good spot to check out for groundhogs, but todays monster farm machinery is incompatible w/ the operation of small farm fields.

In those locations where ( fairly deep ) drainage ditches run alongside rural roads, having a " grid type " road network in rural county areas ensures that drainage ditches appealing to groundhogs are always close by.
One example : eastern Allen CO. in NE Indiana, western Paulding Co. in NW Ohio .

The correct depth drainage ditch ( or creek ) oriented in a suitable compass direction, will always have groundhogs living in it's side bank(s ).


With regards,
357Mag
 
I have to say this is a cool thread and hopefully more members chime in! I have studied these critters and hunted them for a long time. They are pretty numerous in my parts here in NW Pa. and there are still good hunting spots. I agree with .357 Mag that they will dig sideways before they dig down, just makes sense for easier hole cleaning in the spring. My best friend and I actually won 2 woodchuck hunts 2 years running during mid 90's. We shot 29 the first year and shot 44 the second year (in one day)and won going away. We had split up the second year early in the morning and I had whacked 4 by 7:30AM and my buddy comes rolling across the field in his K-5 Blazer to pick me up as I was carrying 4 huge chucks and my Win 70 Heavy Varmint and he had already whacked 5. Midday they will siesta when the heat is on and i think we shot maybe 3 from around 11 Am til around 3. Then it was game on and we finished strong. .220 Swift, .243 AI with 70 BT's and 22-250 were our rifles we used. Went to the gun club to check in at around 9 PM and 2 young guys in their 20's got out of their car and dumped 14 chucks thinking they had the contest nailed. We dumped 44 out of 2 large plastic trash cans and I still will never forget the look on their faces. ;D But they did win largest chuck by weight (14 pounds) and smallest one ( less than a pound) that was blasted pretty bad and was just a piece of fur. A good time was had by all! :)
An interesting critter and fun to hunt!

Frank
 
We live on a groundhog condo. Good thing our house is anchored to the bedrock, because otherwise they would have undermined it. we live near the top of a round hill and there is no safe direction to shoot in. I'd probably leave them alone anyway as I haven't shot one in 40 years.

I do like to watch them. They seem to change holes frequently during the year and sometimes a skunk will move in and take over. One time we saw a very dark "chuck" on the lawn and it turned out to be a baby porcupine, eating grass, no less.

I have never seen pups in seven years up here so it might be a bachelor condo. We did see a young one in December wandering in the snow. It was bitter cold and I figured it had been woken and evicted by another animal. I went for a gun to put it out of it's misery but it disappeared before I could do that.
 
You can actually kill more GHs by hunting them in open woods. Especially along stone walls bordering edges.
Fun with a rimfire.
Treelines and fencelines next best, and plenty fun for distant shooting.
 
All you guys have pretty well covered just about everything. Not much I can add. I think they eat 4 to 6 times per day. I have fairly good luck from 9 am to noon. And I know they have already eaten once while I was still asleeep. But evenings are the best shooting times for me - from 6pm to about 30 minutes before sunset. I can't ever remember seeing one after sunset.
To add to LP, they also like to climb up on round bales - to see better, I think. I won't shoot one off a round bale unless I'm certain of a kill, and I aim a little high. I don't want my bullet going into the bale.
I also think they move 3 to 4 times per year. But I have no idea why. Maybe for the same reason I do - change of scenery. ;D
 
forgot the bale of hay. they will perch on one and take a nap. some are good climbers. my gunsmith tells me if i know of a colony near trees to look at the lowest limb when it's hot and you could see one alseep, just like squirrls, they will stretch out with tail against the trunk...i have not seen this yet. fence post climbing seems to be an inherited trait. there is one field where we have seen post so worn from clinbing that the post is a different color and looks worn. shoot one off and next week another has taken the spot. a woodpile perch seems to be special in that you kill one and before you know it, another claims the spot and pays the penalty, of course. shot at one, saw him fall but 5 min later another one same spot...did i miss the first? shot the second and went to look...two dead ghogs the same size, one on top of the other...siblings. their eating habits interest me in that i think they can go a day or more and not eat. i have one in my front yard, burrow under the bushes and he is out every other day eating only in the evening. i think they sleep like cats...3/4 of a 24 hr day. how long will they stand...several min...saw aomething in shadow and could not be sure, so i watched for 3-4 min before he turned his head just enough to see eyes and face...bad move.
 
I have seen multi groundhogs climbing in or up a trees . The last 1 I saw in a tree I had missed it earlier and within 30 minutes it was laying on the low tree limb watching me . That was strange shooting something that was watching you pretty much eye level .
 
Years ago, in PA, we had a chuck that set up housekeeping in a briar patch in the pasture. He was almost impossible to deal with. Except one afternoon i looked out an upstairs window and saw the critter about 15 or so feet up a tree, sitting on a branch just like a squirrel. That was a serious mistake on his part. Id seen them on posts and stumps but never up a tree like that before.
 
Old hay fields that don't get cut and fields with good top soil are my best producers. I have some fields that are in creek bottoms with feet of good top soil and they are gold mines. I can't shoot them all.
 
Stenger , Fill me in more I'll come up to help .Come on guy I'm supporting your state as soon as Bruno finishes my 6 Dasher . Just remember have fun trying . I have a couple more weeks before the beans will be to high its been a good year considing my major farm was planted in corn 750 acres I didnt even look at that .With 300 acres of beans thats keep me busy funny how you shoot 1 and another hog fills it hole .
 
Got a call this morning neighbor is a large farmer for this area .Per him the new borns are starting to may their way out in the fields .He called me to inform me of the new holes and what farm had the most . We also have had alot of rain Ive been told to set up along the driveways that he didnt mind if I got into to 2 or 3 rows of beans that he wanted them out of there.I have a Richard Franklin designed shooting table that i trailer also.
 

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