How to spot a groundhog in interesting terrain?

[msinc]

I always liked to sit at a high location and just glass the field for hours. When your sitting at a place in the field don't make fast movements or stand up. Also liked a high location for safety and you can see over the grass. A high location should give you a good ground backstop. Shooting uphill is more dangerous. I never stalked they see the movement. Because of the shape of your field you may have to move a couple times. A couple after noons at the field will give you an idea of the GH population. Your lucky the grass is short. Sometimes the dens are not in the open field. They may be just inside the tree line. Dens in the open field can usually be seen. Depended on the terrain you may want to sit in the shade of the tree line. It also makes it harder for them to see you. Looks like it may not be more than 150 yrds. for most shots so you have to be carefull about movement. Even going from laying down to sitting up they may catch the movement.

Yep, elevated is always good if you can get it. If you cant then use a tree stand. Not the best thing to precision shoot out of unless you have a rest or bar to sit the rifle on, but if you have either it works just fine.
I have killed several with my bow, but I always had to do it from a tree stand. I have never been close enough to one where he gave me time to get drawn on the ground. As above, it might seem like they have poor eyesight, but they can definitely see movement real quick.
Even with a rifle I don't remember ever killing one stalking. Tried it, seen some, but they always saw me first. One thing about woodchucks...when they freeze and stare you had better be doing the same thing!!!

 

[Webster]

Yea, I've seen them crawl up on fallen logs and even one climb a small tree to get a vantage point to survey the area. One of farms where I hunt there are high voltage towers running through the fields and they often climb on the concrete pillars at the base to get a look.

Never thought about using a weed eater - it would work real great around the holes when the hay is high except I hate the thought of carrying one around plus the farmer will think I finally lost it mentally.

Yours truly, Groundhog Addict.

I did most of my shooting around 1970-1990. Took a 15 yr break and now back at it. Low GH population now. In the hay fields I hunted some of the dens didn't have dirt mounds? You could be 3 feet from one if the hay was up 3" or more and not see it. These dens tended to have small diameter openings. In some of the fields there were large dirt mounds. I assume these are older dens used for years by bigger GH. The farmers know where these dirt piles are and plow, disc, plant and cut hay around them to prevent damaging equipment. If you see a field with the hay cut and a patch of tall weeds it it should be a den. When i walked out in the field to check my kills I checked out these suspicious areas. If you shot a GH by a den it is usually taken over by another GH. If you stuff the kills into the holes to get rid of the body it might prevent another GH from living there. Ask the farmer where the dens are. He lives on the property. Have not seen a dirt pile den for several years. I think the coyaotes and hunters eliminated a lot of these living in open fields. I suspect a higher % now live in the tree lines or tall weeds at the edge of the field.

 

[msinc]

........If you stuff the kills into the holes to get rid of the body it might prevent another GH from living there..........

Sometimes, but most of the time around here in about two weeks or so another one will move in and I will find the dried up carcass of nothing but hide and skeleton laying on the ground outside the hole where the "intruder" dragged it out and left it. This could be something that goes on where the population is higher too....we have quite a few and really haven't been hurting for them in some time. 30 years ago there were no woodchucks in southern Maryland.
They will not try to move in if a red fox has already claimed the den, but I have seen skunks and woodchucks come out of the same hole. I believe the skunks are transient.

 

[Webster]

Sometimes, but most of the time around here in about two weeks or so another one will move in and I will find the dried up carcass of nothing but hide and skeleton laying on the ground outside the hole where the "intruder" dragged it out and left it. This could be something that goes on where the population is higher too....we have quite a few and really haven't been hurting for them in some time. 30 years ago there were no woodchucks in southern Maryland.
They will not try to move in if a red fox has already claimed the den, but I have seen skunks and woodchucks come out of the same hole. I believe the skunks are transient.

I heard guys say the coyotes could smell GH shoved in the den entraces. I think a coyote can smell a wounded or bloody carcess a long way off. If I shoot a GH at about 100 yrds with a 58 VMax at 3600 fps I can see a large cloud of red mist. I'm sure they can smell this a long ways off. One farmer told me he has seen coyotes follow his tractor in the fields. They have learned it gets the field mice scampering. As soon as he stops the tractor they run.

 

[WyleWD]

One item about stalking that if it was mentioned then I missed it. Know that a 'chuck's best senses are seeing movement, and sense of smell. When stalking or setting up, try coming in from downwind.

Always thank the landowner and take care of his property, do as little damage to any crops as possible, and NEVER leave a carcass hanging on the fence or in a tree. Deposit the carcasses in their holes or in a fence row don't leave them in the open. Pulling a rotting or rotten carcass out of a tillage tools, a bale of hay or straw is not a pleasant task and the farmer won't forget it by the next time he sees you. JME. WD

 

[K22]

I did most of my shooting around 1970-1990. Took a 15 yr break and now back at it. Low GH population now. In the hay fields I hunted some of the dens didn't have dirt mounds? You could be 3 feet from one if the hay was up 3" or more and not see it. These dens tended to have small diameter openings. In some of the fields there were large dirt mounds. I assume these are older dens used for years by bigger GH. The farmers know where these dirt piles are and plow, disc, plant and cut hay around them to prevent damaging equipment. If you see a field with the hay cut and a patch of tall weeds it it should be a den. When i walked out in the field to check my kills I checked out these suspicious areas. If you shot a GH by a den it is usually taken over by another GH. If you stuff the kills into the holes to get rid of the body it might prevent another GH from living there. Ask the farmer where the dens are. He lives on the property. Have not seen a dirt pile den for several years. I think the coyaotes and hunters eliminated a lot of these living in open fields. I suspect a higher % now live in the tree lines or tall weeds at the edge of the field.

In my area, eastern PA, the farming practices of last few years have driven many of the ground hogs into the tree lines because the farmers are rotating crops ever year. The days of the long rolling hay fields with mounds are gone - for the most part. Farmers now plant in strips of hay, corn, wheat, soybeans. It's a challenge to hunt these farms get a shot from any sporting distance.

The good news is that edges of soybean fields are usually loaded with ghogs - they love the stuff. I shot eighteen last year out one small field but all them had their holes in the tree line bordering the soybean fields. The hogs literally wiped out a patch of beans 20 yards wide and about 100 yards long. The farmer was livid! The GROUND HOG MAN however came to the rescue.

I never stuff a dead hog back in the hole. First, unless you can get them in deep enough the buzzards will soon appear and spook the other hogs. Second, it draws predators to the hole. Third, like you said, it may kept another hog from claiming the hole. I carry the dead hog deep into the tree line away from any area I'm hunting or plan to hunt. Learned this the hard way many years ago when I shot several in a field and didn't remove them. The next day there was a buzzard convention in the field - good luck trying to spot a hog with those guys around.

 

[Bangs OH]

Around here, a dead ‘chuck won’t lie there for long before the hungry buzzards (including those damned black ones now) pick the carcass clean or something carries it off. In my neck of the woods groundhogs pretty much ignore vultures because there are so many now, thanks to the Migratory Bird Act. Assuming the crop won’t be harvested/baled soon, I leave dead ‘hogs in the field. Good coyote bait, if they choose to enjoy their “last meal” onsite. In fact, the last ‘yote I shot was eating a ‘chuck I’d shot the day before when I nailed him.
Also, I once saw buzzards drag a “crawler” I’d shot from out of its hole. Didn’t have my trusty mirror to reflect light in real deep, but could see no trace of it at the bottom of the “plunge” hole it dove into, a good arms-length down before it leveled off (and no, not dumb enough to reach in!) Was able to chalk that one up as a kill after all.

 

[rebel]

The black ones are evil. Sit and wait for calves to be born, what follows is rough to see.

 

[Damon555]

I scoped out the field yesterday pretty good.....didn't see any groundhog signs. That doesn't mean there aren't any.....I might just need to look harder. Lots of other critters though....rabbits, turkeys, crows and coyotes (didn't see any but they are there)....There are 2 nice tree stands at either end of the field....My buddy(the land owner) said I can use the stands any time....maybe I need to spend some time in the stand looking and listening......?

 

[Damon555]

My buddy who owns this large tract of land introduced me to the neighbors last night. I just gained another 4 or 5 hundred acres to hunt!

 

[WyleWD]

My buddy who owns this large tract of land introduced me to the neighbors last night. I just gained another 4 or 5 hundred acres to hunt!

Did the neighbors give you any intel on the groundhog population(s) on their lands??

If you have access or permission to use to the tree stands spending a goodly amount of time in them during morning and evening hours might provide an opportunity for a coyote or two also. WD

 

[theallcineyes]

I use a rangefinder, but like you say they don't work very well on groundhog size objects at long range. I try to sit on a hill so I am looking down or across to a hillside. If I have to I will range two objects, one closer and one farther than the GH and split the different. Most of my guns are pretty flat shooting so if I am a few yds off I will still make the shot.
edit to add. Another thing you may want to try is to rest your RF on your scope to help steady it. I do this pretty often. Getting old sucks but it beats the alternative.

 

[Damon555]

Did the neighbors give you any intel on the groundhog population(s) on their lands??WD

From the sound of it there aren't any groundhogs that the land owners have seen...That would lead me to believe that i'll be hunting other critters in this area. They all say there's lots of coyotes, crows and starlings to shoot if it gets to that point.....lol

 

[Webster]

I did some scouting this afternoon and thought I would post some photos of what I mean about the dirt.....center photo is of a well used trail to the den in the last photo. I don't know why they will sometimes have zero dirt and other times have a truck full. It amazes me, I know they don't haul it away, so where does it go??? Whatever the reasons, this is why it is a good idea to mark where they are with a little stick or flag. It is impossible to see the hole in the first picture, even from 50 yards. View attachment 1102123 View attachment 1102124 View attachment 1102126

The hole without dirt. Some people call them plunge holes. Don't have a clue where the dirt goes. From my experience they go almost straight down.