Soybean damage

[Nomad47]

A few minutes after setting up, I spotted this pair of pups. They had the misfortune of choosing to stand up side by side and one bullet took out both at 175 yards.
I'm not sure if all the damage pictured was caused by just the two of them or by a whole family. But nothing else showed at the hole in the next 1.5 hours.

I wouldn't blame anyone for not believing this but it was the second "two-fer" of the day. On the previous setup, a pup came out into beans at a whopping 35 yards, shot it. A little later mom came out, shot her. And after a few more minutes, 2 pups came out and were trying to figure out what happened to mom. Of course, they were standing side by side and I couldn't resist.
The setup: I was parked at a 270° corner of the beans with just the front corner of my pickup visible to the groundhogs as they came out of the weeds. Apparently when they saw the pickup and no motion, they thought it was safe to enter the beans. But when they got about 4 rows into the beans, they became visible to me.
I shot 3 other 'hogs on that setup - 216, 491, and 505 yards.
View attachment 1053656

 

[Wirelessguy2005]

Good stuff, thanks for sharing

 

[hogpatrol]

Good shootin' Bill! Nothing like a double on Father's Day. It looks like you got the whole fam damily.

 

[Nomad47]

Thanks, Wirelessguy and hogpatrol.

Actually, those setups were on Thursday. I just now got around to posting.

Got 12 that day. None Friday due to rain after taking wife to a Dr appointment down in Columbus. 6 last evening after having to take time for a grandson's baseball game. None today due to too many waiting projects.

149 so far this season.

 

[hogpatrol]

Thanks, Wirelessguy and hogpatrol.

Actually, those setups were on Thursday. I just now got around to posting.

Got 12 that day. None Friday due to rain after taking wife to a Dr appointment down in Columbus. 6 last evening after having to take time for a grandson's baseball game. None today due to too many waiting projects.

149 so far this season.

Wow! That's an impressive score. I just cracked 30 but my excuse is rain, rain and more rain. The farmers are four weeks behind, just go the first cut done and the hay was so high, we couldn't see any except in bare fields and along the hedgerows. Things broke loose with 20 last week.

 

[Nomad47]

I hear ya. I know PA has had a lot of rain. BTW, I grew up in rural PA but the nearest town was E Liverpool, OH.

I have had to skip some of the first cuttings of hay/alfalfa due to all the beans I've been asked to "babysit". But there will be plenty of time for 2nd and 3rd cuttings after the beans get too tall.

 

[357Mag]

Nomad47 -

Howdy !

Great work ! Keep goin' !!


With regards,
357Mag

 

[Iowa Fox]

Nice job. Nothing worse than a bunch of stinking animals digging up your place.

 

[lpreddick]

A few minutes after setting up, I spotted this pair of pups. They had the misfortune of choosing to stand up side by side and one bullet took out both at 175 yards.
I'm not sure if all the damage pictured was caused by just the two of them or by a whole family. But nothing else showed at the hole in the next 1.5 hours.

I wouldn't blame anyone for not believing this but it was the second "two-fer" of the day. On the previous setup, a pup came out into beans at a whopping 35 yards, shot it. A little later mom came out, shot her. And after a few more minutes, 2 pups came out and were trying to figure out what happened to mom. Of course, they were standing side by side and I couldn't resist.
The setup: I was parked at a 270° corner of the beans with just the front corner of my pickup visible to the groundhogs as they came out of the weeds. Apparently when they saw the pickup and no motion, they thought it was safe to enter the beans. But when they got about 4 rows into the beans, they became visible to me.
I shot 3 other 'hogs on that setup - 216, 491, and 505 yards.
View attachment 1053656View attachment 1053657

Congratulations Nomad 47!!! 1 shot 2 kills is my newest motto since I did a pair a week or so ago. I suspect damage to a bean crop is more costly than damage to alfalfa. Nothing for me as the temp is 91°!

 

[K22]

I believe you because it happened to me a few years ago although in my case it wasn't intentional. I fired once and when I when to retrieve the hog I found two pups stacked up against each other, a 'twofer'.

Pups tend to stick together when out in a group. They are as dumb as mud too.

Last year at one of the places I hunt the farmer planted soybeans along a tree line that ran about 200 yards long. By July the gboys had eaten a strip 20 yards wide and about 150 yards long. The tree line was loaded with hogs. I shot 27 out of that tree line. They love soybean plants. This year he's planted corn.

 

[Nomad47]

Yes, K22, they will move in as soon as the beans are discovered. Good ol' Soybeanus Digestus. Around here corn and beans are rotated quite a bit, so hopefully you will get that tree line with beans back next year.

Temp got up to 92° today, but I did my duty this afternoon and shot 6 in beans from 174 to 355 yards. That brings my total going back to 2011 when I started keeping track to 2495.
Went out this evening and missed two. I was set up on a hill where I could watch 5 different bean fields. Nothing came out close and the 2 misses were at 832 and 1144 yards.

 

[Nomad47]

Congratulations Nomad 47!!! 1 shot 2 kills is my newest motto since I did a pair a week or so ago. I suspect damage to a bean crop is more costly than damage to alfalfa. Nothing for me as the temp is 91°!

The farmers don't like 'hogs in alfalfa since the holes are hard on equipment. And they don't like them in beans because its hard on the pocketbook. I don't recall the usual bean yield per acre or how much a bushel of beans sells for, but groundhog damage to a bean field can get VERY costly. When the soybean plants are young, when a groundhog nips off the top two leaves and the stem under those leaves, the plant is lost. Deer will eat beans too, but their damage is not near as bad as the 'hogs.

 

[Gabe22BR]

When the soybean plants are young, when a groundhog nips off the top two leaves and the stem under those leaves, the plant is lost. Deer will eat beans too, but their damage is not near as bad as the 'hogs.[/QUOTE]

Umm might want to reword that!!
1 deer can top 1ac per night.
@ $9-$12 a yield bushel/ 30-65 bushel per ac.
@ $57 per ac seed cost only, chemicals, fertilizer, fuel, labor, extra..

We got our deer permit, 57 total so far since June 1st, 14 groundhogs since March..

 

[Ohio Varmint Shooter]

I don't recall the usual bean yield per acre or how much a bushel of beans sells for, but groundhog damage to a bean field can get VERY costly.

I did this calculation a few years ago. I don't remember the numbers, but I remember the end result.

I was told an adult male groundhog can eat about 1 acre of beans per season. I looked up how much 1 acre of land can produce ( average bushels). ....multiplied by what the price of a bushel was.

Then subtract some taxes out (sorry, occupational hazard, I'm a Certified Financial Planner.)...and I came up with about $750 per groundhog is what goes into the farmer's pocket. That's after tax cash.

 

[hogpatrol]

I forget what the loss was in a 20 acre of beans but one year, three of us hit a never been hunted field. We whacked around 30 to 40 out of that small field. The farmer told us we definitely made a difference in what they harvested. Now deer and raccoons? They take their toll and corn, first few rows on the edges are delicious.

 

[WyleWD]

I did this calculation a few years ago. I don't remember the numbers, but I remember the end result.

I was told an adult male groundhog can eat about 1 acre of beans per season. I looked up how much 1 acre of land can produce ( average bushels). ....multiplied by what the price of a bushel was.

Then subtract some taxes out (sorry, occupational hazard, I'm a Certified Financial Planner.)...and I came up with about $750 per groundhog is what goes into the farmer's pocket. That's after tax cash.

Very, very few Ohio farmers gross more than $600/ acre on soybeans at market prices these days. But even if a chuck does $100/ acre damage it's worth it to control their numbers. JME. WD

 

[86alaskan]

dealing with this issue currently, my farmer friend said the deer are harder to track since they graze. they'll walk into the field and mosey around eating here and there. they always know when a g-hog is on a field because they'll eat the bean plants to the ground in a small area.

 

[Nomad47]

dealing with this issue currently, my farmer friend said the deer are harder to track since they graze. they'll walk into the field and mosey around eating here and there. they always know when a g-hog is on a field because they'll eat the bean plants to the ground in a small area.

You're exactly right. Deer are much harder to track what they have eaten. I have had the opportunity to observe numerous deer feeding on soybeans while I have been set up to shoot chucks. They will mosey thru a field eating a leaf here and a leaf there. Very rarely do they pull the entire plant up by root. Chucks on the other hand will eat a plant to the ground (killing it) when the bean plant is young. 12 of my 19 farmers plant soybeans (and other crops) and ALL of them say groundhogs are the number 1 pest. And Ohio has plenty of deer.

Gabe22BR, I will stand by what I said. I see you live in TN. Since you have shot 57 deer and only 14 groundhogs, you either have far more deer than chucks OR you're a poor shot since deer are a much larger target.

 

[Gabe22BR]

We have too many deer. Done thinned down our groundhogs,since theh only eat a half 20' half circle beside the field..
You have some misinformation on how soybeans grow and produce. Might want to check with your local Extenstion agent.

 

[Flouncer]

Is Ohio a Shotgun deer state ? If so, do they regulate depredation or nuisance takes and limit it also ? Every summer when I see my father in Ohio I see soybeans everywhere there.