Huntin' grounhogs

[wildcat hunter]

Guess I'm a softie, Many Years ago I was hunting hogs with my buddy, he got one in the center of the body. The arrow was sticking out both sides and the hog was squealing and trying to get back down the hole but the arrow stopped him. I felt so sorry for him, we dispatched him with more arrows and never used the bow on hogs again. I used dads 303 Brittish or my 220 Swift from then on.

[b.glass]

Yes, I always hate it when the first arrow doesn't kill a critter immediately.

[reddogge]

I mentioned I try to eradicate them because they dig colonies of holes in the middle of my field which plays havoc with tractors and mowers. I don't have much mercy on them and if they crawl into their hole and die with an arrow through them so be it. One less.

[Greg Dearth]

I used to bowhunt them alot when I was younger. I would go out in early spring and scout for newly dug out holes. I would then later glass and stalk these locations. I can remember one year, when we didn't have much money for a family vacation, so I hunted them every evening for a  solid week. If I recall I think I killed something like 8 or 9 groundhods that week. Sure was alot of fun and made for some nice eating. One of the tricks I learned that worked well for when I spotted them way out in a field, to open for a stalk. I would take the long shot and after the miss the groundhog would run for it's hole.I would then run as quickly as I could and get behind it's mound. Since the bow didn't make a loud noise like a gun the groundhog would soon start peeking out of it's hole and I would get a nearly point blank shot. Over time alot of groundhogs were done in with this trick. One time one of those long shots worked out. I killed one that I later stepped off at 55 yards. Another time a friend and I were crossing a farming lane into the next field. we spotted a  groundhog running straight away from us. We both grabbed for an arrow and I was lucky enought to hit it in the back of the neck running at about 25 - 30 yards. I sure got a lot of fond memories of hunting groundhogs. I miss hunting them like I used to. They seem to be alot more scarace these days.

[stiknstringer]

I killed my first "ground grizz" out of a mulberry tree when I was a kid. Not with a bow or gun but by hitting him several times with rocks. They can be very cunning.This may sound made up and you can believe me or not but I've seen them under mulberry tree's that have branches hangin out on the shoulder next to busy roads dropping mulberries, and the hog would lay on his side eating the berries acting like or making me think he was dead. The only way I'd find out he wasn't dead was when I slow down like I was going to stop and he would run back to cover. I think it's similar to the farmer on the tractor thing.  

[bowzonly]

http://s48.photobucket.com/user/bowzonly/media/IMG_0385427x640.jpg.html?sort=3&o=55#  Love those Ghogs.  I don't have the big bucks to hunt big bucks but if I have enough small game to chase I am quite satisfied.  Ghogs have given me plenty of adventure and plenty of stories to tell. I have had woodchuck stories in TBM, BOWHUNTER and TRAD ARCHERS WORLD., and I still have enough material for at least one more.

[b.glass]

Cool photos! Which TBM is your story in?

[Red Beastmaster]

This thread got me itchy to get after them!

I checked the holes around the local woodlot this morning. It was 25 degrees and 3" snow with melted patches. Nothing.

I went back out in the afternoon, nice sunny 45 degrees. As I eased up to "The Pet Cemetary" (big mound of rotting cows, dirt, & manure-stinks when thawed out), a big ole smelly hog came a running up from the other side. It froze when it saw me and I proceeded to miss the rushed 10yd shot wide left! Crap! The hog dove in his hole and never came back out.

The arrow ended up buried to the fletch in the semi frozen mound. I pulled it out, sniffed it, and stuck it in the ground to let it air out a couple months. I usually can't bring myself to save an arrow after it gets shot into the cemetary. Whew!

This was my first sighting this year and my first shot of hopefully a great season. Hunting sod poodles is about the coolest thing you can do with a stickbow!

[bowzonly]

B.glass now you got me thinking.  Actually I may have misspoke on that one.  I have written a bunch for TBM (mostly small game) and I cant remember off the top of my head. I may be getting confused with a story I wrote for TBM called MORTAL COMBAT in which I mention ghog hunting. That photo in my last post is from a recent TRAD ARCHERS WORLD.

[Friend]

Hunting ground carp is the one critter that I willfully plan to crawl on my belly in the midst of burning sun, mud, biting bugs and flowing sweat.

Patience has offered many 5 and 10 yard shots. The 15 yard opportunities seem to work out best for me.

Also, frequently scout hogs movements over several days to strategize before making a 1st approach.  Successful approaches, even with a miss, have proven to be most fulfilling.

[hawkeye n pa]

Couple years ago I was standing on the escape hole,on the woods side of the fence line, as a large ground hog came running in out of the alfalfa.  I shot in front of him and the arrow lodge in his hole.  When he couldn't go down he came to the hole I was standing over.  Was pretty intense for a little while, hard to shoot at your feet, let alone real quick!! I finally won the war but the barb wire cut me up some.

[b.glass]

This has been a cool thread. Thanks for starting it reddogge!

I've been keeping an eye peeled for the big one I saw go into our barn last fall. We are about to get a big bunch of white stuff dumped on us so I don't think I'll be seeing him/her soon. I am developing a plan.

[Zbone]

Anymore theories on groundhogs and the wind?

[Tony Sanders]

I have been seeing some Groundhogs hit on the road, so they are certainly out and about. This is one of my all time favorite things to do in the spring and summer. Now that I am retired, I can go after them more often now. Here is one short story from last year.

 Tony
 
  http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=179;t=000107;p=1

[Zbone]

Yeah, me too been seeing dead ones hit on the road for a couple weeks now, and the one under my deck was out feeding the day before yesterday.

Am sure the males have been out for a while now making their rounds...8^)

[Onions]

been seeing them here as well!! Have the bow in the truck everyday.
they are fun to stalk!!

chris <><

[reddogge]

Originally posted by b.glass:
This has been a cool thread. Thanks for starting it reddogge!

I've been keeping an eye peeled for the big one I saw go into our barn last fall. We are about to get a big bunch of white stuff dumped on us so I don't think I'll be seeing him/her soon. I am developing a plan.

Glad you are enjoying it. I am too since I have a love/hate relationship with them.

[b.glass]

Whew! Thought I had killed this thread for a minute there! I'm good at that.

[Red Beastmaster]

I have collected a few momentos over the past 25 years hunting them with the bow.

I have a collection of teeth I found around dens and runs, probably 8 or 9 so far. They are pretty cool and makes you wonder how all that tooth can be inside such a small head.

I also have a few special arrows I kept. I have the arrow that killed "Groundhogasauras", a monster hog who eluded me for 5 years. Also arrows from my 100th & 200th kill. Number 200 didn't resurface until a year later when a new hog cleaned out the den and pushed my arrow and some bones outside the den.

[Charlie Lamb]