Seems a lot of places have dried up here in Eastern PA due to housing. So figured I would put some feelers out to see if anyone would have any places to share or suggest where I may be able to hunt them. Looking to be east of Milton area all the way to the Jersey line. Best to PM thanks in advance.
Looking for places to Groundhog hunt in Eastern PA
- Thread starter farmer44
- Start date
Hunting ghogs in Eastern PA is becoming more of a challenge due to over development and farming practices. The former doesn't require explanation. Recent farming practices have been focused on corn and wheat which limits available fields. The farms I used to hunt had long rolling hay fields, cut three to four times a year and were idea for ghogs. Now they plant in strips of corn, wheat, soybeans and hay making it difficult to hunt with a center fire rifle. Soybeans are excellent until they get too high in early June which limits the amount of hunting.
For the last four years the ghogs have disappeared, for the most part, from the fields due to the yearly crop rotation practices and moved into the tree lines so I'm pretty much reduced to hunting the tree lines.
The best places I've found are north of I 78 farming practices not withstanding. The areas I'm familar with are east of Harrisburg and west of Allentown. Most farmers will still let you hunt ghogs.
For the last four years the ghogs have disappeared, for the most part, from the fields due to the yearly crop rotation practices and moved into the tree lines so I'm pretty much reduced to hunting the tree lines.
The best places I've found are north of I 78 farming practices not withstanding. The areas I'm familar with are east of Harrisburg and west of Allentown. Most farmers will still let you hunt ghogs.
Do what the majority of old GH hunters did when their favorite hayfields sprouted houses.......start shooting competition Benchrest. PA, especially eastern/central region is a still a mecca of shooting competition venues that along with adjacent states allows some form of competition virtually every weekend from winter through fall. Having transitioned away from varmints to shooting paper targets some 20 years ago, I really don't miss it. I have met a horde of like-minded accuracy demanding shooters in BR that I would never have met just GH hunting. Shooting is my #1 passion, and there is never a lack of paper targets.
Drive, look, check google earth for clear zones, use county GIS to locate the owner and talk to them. They do not bite however watch the dog! A Farmer is an excellent judge of character and will know to trust you or not! Respect their land and wishes and your name will be spread amongst them. Relationships need to be built not expected.
There is a shoot in Ridgway Pennsylvania that offers steel silhouettes of animals out to 1000 yards. We shoot crows at 850 yards woodchucks at 900 yards bobcats at 950 yards and coyotes at 1000 yards. These are all life-size targets. There are currently 150+ shooters each month between May and October. If interested go to Ridgway rifle club and click on VBR shoot.( varmint bench rest) as for groundhog hunting, here in northwestern Pennsylvania I have to adapt to how the farmers rotate their crops each year. But we have lots of them!
Look for hay fields and ask the farmer for permission after their first and second cuttings. Found it best that way.
I was at the Harrisburg sportsman show yesterday and there was a few large corn fields that were cut surrounding our parking area. There must have been 100 geese in those fields.
I was at the Harrisburg sportsman show yesterday and there was a few large corn fields that were cut surrounding our parking area. There must have been 100 geese in those fields.
Farmer where in eastern pa. Are you.
FYI - IBS Score shoot venues -Muncy, Pa 60 mi./ Bowmanstown, Pa 35 mi.
IBS Group shoots- Mainville 45 mi.
http://www.internationalbenchrest.com/
IBS Group shoots- Mainville 45 mi.
http://www.internationalbenchrest.com/
You need to just put the effort into finding spots. Hazleton is surrounded by small towns that are rural, it shouldn't be that hard.
For me it is a futile search, and I live 30 miles south in a pretty rural setting. It is to the point that virtually all the locals who hunted GH's religiously
and years past would compete with one another in annual kills simply gave up. Farming practices have changed and in order to reach maximum yields farmers in my area have resorted to trapping and gassing the critters.Yep, one farm where I hunted for years the farmer has resorted to trapping hogs in standing hay fields (i.e. where he didn't rotate crops each year). Where they rotate planting each year which is the case in most of the farms were I hunt the ghogs have moved, for the most part, into the tree lines and don't get established in the field.
No question farming practices had put a serious dent in ghog access in the areas where I hunt. Making it worse is that many farmer are also taking out the tree lines because the shade retards crop growth. I've lost 60% of the my prime areas to these issues along with over development. Last year was the lowest kill in 15 years, i.e. 65 hogs over 32 hunts. Still, I'm not ready to quit.
Appreciate the thoughts on competition. I shot bullseye pistol competition for about 30 years but nothing beats hunting in my view. It's the ultimate test of shooter and equipment.
No question farming practices had put a serious dent in ghog access in the areas where I hunt. Making it worse is that many farmer are also taking out the tree lines because the shade retards crop growth. I've lost 60% of the my prime areas to these issues along with over development. Last year was the lowest kill in 15 years, i.e. 65 hogs over 32 hunts. Still, I'm not ready to quit.
Appreciate the thoughts on competition. I shot bullseye pistol competition for about 30 years but nothing beats hunting in my view. It's the ultimate test of shooter and equipment.
Farmer I live 20 minutes from Wilkes-Barre, on the other side of the river, and am able to find areas. But, I don't do it religiously. Good luck.
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