The Ground Hog Lottery

[K22]

I'm out yesterday hunting ghogs. The field is cold - not seeing anything. I decide to try another farm so I'm packing up when a lady in a pickup (not the farmer's wife) shows up in the remote field where I'm hunting and ask if I've seen any cows. No, I haven't I inform her then tell her that I just a guest here hunting ghogs and this isn't my farm. She says a few of their cows got loose and she thought they might have wonder over here - they haven't.

She asked if I was looking for other places to hunt ghogs - we're infested with them she says. Are you kidding - I'm a ghog addict Of course I didn't say this but politely replied, yes, I would be most happy to help with the infestation - in fact many of the farmers in this area call me the "Ground Hog Man." She laughs then invites me to follow her to her farm.

When we arrive her hubby has found the cows. She introduces me telling him that I'm known as the, "The Ground Hog Man." He smiles.

She takes me on a guided tour of their farm pointing out just about every known hole - there goes the rest of the evening for my hunt on the other farm but I figure in the long run I'll be better off - there are holes everywhere, big holes. She claims the hogs haven't been hunted for over 10 years. By now it's getting last so I make plans to visit next week.

I may have hit the ground hog lottery - well we will just see - haven't hunted a virgin field in may years.

 

[brokeasajoke]

Sweet. As much as I want to hunt them here in WNC, I don't see many. Maybe one in every hayfield or a maybe a couple in a mile of field. Crows on the other hand are plentiful. Of course herw in the mountains there are not very many large fields (we call them bottoms) which to hunt. I guess the only way I would shoot them here is in a pasture where their hole is a danger to livestock.

 

[lpreddick]

You have hit the jackpot. I've had the same experience and if you do a good job, she will tell her friends and you could get a call from several. I advise that I remove my kills so as to not have a stink in a few days or the family dog rolls in a rotting carcass. I also have access to the blue cotton towels used by hospitals and I give some to my farmers and their wives...

 

[284winner]

I'm out yesterday hunting ghogs. The field is cold - not seeing anything. I decide to try another farm so I'm packing up when a lady in a pickup (not the farmer's wife) shows up in the remote field where I'm hunting and ask if I've seen any cows. No, I haven't I inform her then tell her that I just a guest here hunting ghogs and this isn't my farm. She says a few of their cows got loose and she thought they might have wonder over here - they haven't.

She asked if I was looking for other places to hunt ghogs - we're infested with them she says. Are you kidding - I'm a ghog addict Of course I didn't say this but politely replied, yes, I would be most happy to help with the infestation - in fact many of the farmers in this area call me the "Ground Hog Man." She laughs then invites me to follow her to her farm.

When we arrive her hubby has found the cows. She introduces me telling him that I'm known as the, "The Ground Hog Man." He smiles.

She takes me on a guided tour of their farm pointing out just about every known hole - there goes the rest of the evening for my hunt on the other farm but I figure in the long run I'll be better off - there are holes everywhere, big holes. She claims the hogs haven't been hunted for over 10 years. By now it's getting last so I make plans to visit next week.

I may have hit the ground hog lottery - well we will just see - haven't hunted a virgin field in may years.

Not many around anymore.

 

[K22]

You have hit the jackpot. I've had the same experience and if you do a good job, she will tell her friends and you could get a call from several. I advise that I remove my kills so as to not have a stink in a few days or the family dog rolls in a rotting carcass. I also have access to the blue cotton towels used by hospitals and I give some to my farmers and their wives...

I'm going out there this coming Friday for my first hunt on her farm. Most of the hay is still too high and hasn't been cut yet but there are some plowed areas next to a tree line with numerous holes that she showed me on my initial tour. That tree line can be hunted now. She claims the hay fields are loaded with holes.

While I hunt many of the farms in this general area; she offered to secure permission from two adjoining farms. It's strange because I had scouted this new area in the spring looking for some new farms but never got around to stopping and asking. I do need some new places since I've weeded down the ghog population quite a bit in the farms that I've now hunted for about 20 years. While you never get all of them its rare now that I see more than 3 in any given hunt and sometimes see none. Even some of the ones I see are not shooters because of where they're located, i.e. no backstop or too close to a road or dwelling.

I always remove the kills and toss them deep into the tree line. I learned a long time ago that if you don't the buzzards will gather and mess up your hunt.

 

[snert]

K, when you need help next summer, just give me a call. I been wanting to road-trip....!!!

 

[hogpatrol]

Brother and I picked up two farms this year. One hadn't been hunted in years. In the first evening, we killed six, thirteen total the first week. It was a whack-a-mole operation. Kill one and another would pop up. Here's hoping you hit "virgin" hog country and have a similar scenario. Please give a report on your new venue and Good Luck!

 

[K22]

Brother and I picked up two farms this year. One hadn't been hunted in years. In the first evening, we killed six, thirteen total the first week. It was a whack-a-mole operation. Kill one and another would pop up. Here's hoping you hit "virgin" hog country and have a similar scenario. Please give a report on your new venue and Good Luck!

I will give a report

The last "virgin" field I hunted was in 2008. It was a similar situation to this most recent invite to this new farm. The new farmer was visiting the farm where I was hunting and as I approached the truck in the evening he invited me to his farm for a future hunt which I of course accepted. I was especially excited since he said the farm hadn't been hunted in many year and he was overrun with groundhogs

The first hunt, being unfamiliar with the farm, I walked the field searching for holes - there were none and I mean none in the field. Back then the diary farmers were growing primarily alfalfa so my experience was that if there were hogs on this farm there would be at least some holes in the field. It was still early enough to hit another farm so I walked back to the truck intent on leaving. The farmer intercepted me and ask why he hadn't heard any shooting. I explained, politely, that I couldn't find any holes in the field. He informed me that he turned the crop over ever year or two and assured me that the tree lines were loaded with them.

I decided to go back to this beautiful alfalfa field, lines on three sides by heavy tree lines, the maximum distance being 225 yards at the furthest point - just about perfect. Around six in the evening they began rolling out, monster hogs. I shot six in the first hour letting ones under 100 yards pass. Shot several more later. Since then to date I've spotted 309 with 257 confirmed kills in this single field. Yes - I keep detail logs. Better yet, two other fields yielded similar results but the distances were longer ranging from 175 to over 300 yards from my set up points.

 

[MrMajestic]

Take your handgun on new farms, plenty will be within 50 yards trying to figure out what you are and will you hurt me..

 

[K22]

Take your handgun on new farms, plenty will be within 50 yards trying to figure out what you are and will you hurt me..

Back in the 70's and 80's in Western PA I hunted exclusively with a handgun, a 357 S&W Model 27. I became quite skilled at stalking aided by the hilly terrain in Greene County which was loaded with ghogs. I was able to stock within 50 yards most of the time. My technique was to identify the holes and plan my approach covering my movement as much a possible. I'd walk the fields making several loops - it was the most satisfying hunting I ever experienced.

I was a competitive pistol shooter (i.e. bulls eye and hunter's pistol silhouette) in those days so it was a naturally extension for me to try handgun hunting especially after reading Jeff Cooper's hunting exploits. I started competitive shooting with a 22 revolver (Model 17 S&W) and a 38 revolver (Model 14 S&W). I qualified distinguished expert with each (280 x 300). However eventually I went to auto to be more competitive but never lost my love of revolvers. I still shoot them today but not in competition anymore.

Back in those days I managed to take quite a few ghogs, foxes and one white tail with the old Model 27. I was totally into it.

Truth is now at my age, 72, I'm not that good with a handgun anymore and I hate wounding an animal so I stick to a rifle.

See what happens when you engage an old fart - they reminisce too much.

 

[PatMiles]

Yes - I keep detail logs.

Hog logs, I like it!

 

[CaptainMal]

Stop all this chatter. Get to that farm and the others and then give us a report.

Man I used to flat out LOVE "hog" hunting in Pa.

 

[hogpatrol]

That does it. All this talk, I'm eating an early dinner and going on patrol. The Annie pistol is in the truck.

 

[rebel]

Ton's of rain over the next 4 days. Will have to make quick runs and stay near the truck when it stops occasionally.

 

[K22]

Stopped by the new place on Friday but they still haven't cut hay so I decided to wait even though there is part of the tree line exposed from plowing. However there's another farm I go to regularly that just cut hay (first cut of season) so I went there. The weather was absolutely perfect - no wind - low humidity - sunny.

Hunt started bad - saw one on my way to where I wanted to set up. He made me and ran into hold. I set up at 200 yards to wait - figure he might come out a again. Twenty minutes his head emerges from hole. For the next thirty minutes or so we play "cat and mouse". He doesn't like what he see and won't come out and I'm getting restless. When he give me a shoulder high shot I take it. Go to hole - missed. Even though I prefer crawler shots I should have made this shot especially with my 223 Rem w/ Douglas match barrel - a 1/4 moa rifle.

The day gets worse. Finally get to my set up point - it's a 300+ yard long tree line - I set up to shoot east to west. Its about 5:00 PM and one rolls out at 211 yards, crawler shot. Take my time - I miss again. Now I'm rattled. Field goes cold so about 6:00 I take a small hike to another field. See one at 115 yards - on the edge of another tree line. I set up - shoulder shot only - sent a 55 Nosler - hog down.

Hiked back to the other tree line - one out a 167 yards - sent another 55 Nosler - hog down. Field goes cold again to I reverse set up to other end west to east. However I see the first one I missed in the other field but this time he's out crawling. I stalk over the back side to within 246 yards - sent another 55 Nosler - hog down - Go figure - I miss at 200 but connect at 246!

See three more that evening - got all of them at 184, 225, and 233.

Eager to hunt the "new" farm when hay is cut.

 

[rebel]

Don't feel bad, I had a stander at 100 yards between downpours today (cruising fields in the truck), this one has some houses bordering part of it and the one neighbor is rooting me on, the other 'likes groundhogs" but says she understands.
I pull over in the pro guy's driveway, start to get set up and anti comes out slamming truck doors and hollering. I sent one, even though there was to much brush in the way just to prove a point. Farmer wants them gone, neighbor has horses wants them gone - tough crap honey. Next time I'll be on foot, parked where she won't see me. Weird to have that here in southern appalachia. But whatever, I missed but won't next time.

 

[snert]

I once had a "lady" march out of her new development into the field I was shooting (legal and NOT in her direction though after meeting her it crossed my mind) to quiz me on all things groundhog. A sample of her line of questions: "Do you know what one looks like?" Do you know the difference between a dog (mine) and a groundhog?' Do you have children?' ???? RE YOU A SADIST? Do you know how much trouble you are in? Do you know how many cops are coming?

The last one put me over the edge. I told her that if she didn't leave me alone I was going to team up with the sheriff's deputy she called and i was going to arrest her for harassing a hunter. She left when i badged her....

 

[pirate ammo]

Do you know how many cops are coming?

yea,I got a neighbor like that,the problem is they can't do anything about it,I got a copy of the county ordinance posted in my shop.The one time she did call the Sheriffs Dept.
the deputy took a picture,drank a cup of coffee and helped me load it into the back of the truck.He buys powder and stuff from me.

 

[K22]

I once had a "lady" march out of her new development into the field I was shooting (legal and NOT in her direction though after meeting her it crossed my mind) to quiz me on all things groundhog. A sample of her line of questions: "Do you know what one looks like?" Do you know the difference between a dog (mine) and a groundhog?' Do you have children?' ???? RE YOU A SADIST? Do you know how much trouble you are in? Do you know how many cops are coming?

The last one put me over the edge. I told her that if she didn't leave me alone I was going to team up with the sheriff's deputy she called and i was going to arrest her for harassing a hunter. She left when i badged her....

I once had an in law (anti-hunter, anti-gun) ask me why I kill those cute and furry ground hogs. My answer - to feed the ugly and nasty buzzards. The farmers and buzzards call me "THE GROUND HOG MAN" for a reason. One farmer claims to see the buzzards following my truck when I visit his farm.

Hopefully Saturday I can visit the new farm which is in dire needed of THE GROUND HOG MAN. if they have all the hay cut.

PS: Yesterday I went back to the farm I visited last Friday (first cut of season). I don't know what's going on this year, maybe all the wet weather and healthy food supply but I'm seeing hogs every where. Saw 14 yesterday, 6 shooters which I nailed. Haven't seen it like this in a long time. Even saw some active holes in the fields which has been rare in recent years due to the crop rotations every year.

 

[hogpatrol]

I once had an in law (anti-hunter, anti-gun) ask me why I kill those cute and furry ground hogs. My answer - to feed the ugly and nasty buzzards. The farmers and buzzards call me "THE GROUND HOG MAN" for a reason. One farmer claims to see the buzzards following my truck when I visit his farm.

Hopefully Saturday I can visit the new farm which is in dire needed of THE GROUND HOG MAN. if they have all the hay cut.

PS: Yesterday I went back to the farm I visited last Friday (first cut of season). I don't know what's going on this year, maybe all the wet weather and healthy food supply but I'm seeing hogs every where. Saw 14 yesterday, 6 shooters which I nailed. Haven't seen it like this in a long time. Even saw some active holes in the fields which has been rare in recent years due to the crop rotations every year.

I believe it's the result of a mild winter and good crops of hay and beans from last year. My brother's at around 65 so far and I'm at 31. There's still plenty of families left too. Just need to wait for the second cut.