Massive Groundhog Infestation

[N2 Shooter]

The groundhogs keep coming, so I keep killing! In just a few hours today, I encountered five of these bastards and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. The FX Maverick VP in .30cal has a proven track record that delivers, and boy oh boy am I grateful for that. I recorded some slo-mo and some straight 4K videos to show off the ATN X-Sight 5 scope higher quality recording capabilities. I even included a pulled shot, just to show that no, I'm not perfect! H&N Slugs put down massive devastation, and put most of these chucks dead in the dirt without so much as a wiggle.

 

[nomojo65]

I feel your pain! Up here in Mi. I’ve seen more this year than I can remember? I’ve downed a couple but many more out there. Skout .25 33gr.

 

[ChickenDumpling]

Oh, I'd like to come and help you out Thanks for sharing that video!

 

[N2 Shooter]

I feel your pain! Up here in Mi. I’ve seen more this year than I can remember? I’ve downed a couple but many more out there. Skout .25 33gr.

The litter sizes must have ballooned because I've never seen so many before!

Oh, I'd like to come and help you out Thanks for sharing that video!

I've killed 12 just in the last week, so there are plenty for you to put in your crosshairs!

 

[Buckeye68]

@ N2 Shooter
I have place a 25 minutes from Youngstown and I’m up to 8 kills already this year. Unfortunately, I’m only there a couple times a month. Shooting them is fun and I’ve been successful at it but, I decided this year that I need to come up with another way to take them out even when I’m not there. I bought three Duke 330 conibear traps which is working great. I use wood stakes to guide them into the traps. I have one setup in front of a wood pile that is most active with 6 kills and the other traps only one each. Here’s a picture of my wood pile setup. Sometimes I’m lucky and take them out when they fresh and other times I have to put on a Dr. Fauci Corona mask!

 

[Contndr35BB]

The litter sizes must have ballooned because I've never seen so many before!

I've killed 12 just in the last week, so there are plenty for you to put in your crosshairs!

N2 , I'm with you , I'm at 81 g-hogs so far this year . I see so many road kills it's hard to believe ! The soybeans are taking a hit like never before . My dairy permission is tough to shoot w/ centerfire guns as it is bordered by schools ,churchs & homes. The noise is what I've always been concerned about . This is a college town so.... This is why I've moved to suppressed .22 lr & air weapons. I have used .22 Hornet sparingly. I took a large hog earlier this week that was gobbling ground grain off the feed pile . I never saw that before !

 

[Contndr35BB]

@ N2 Shooter
I have place a 25 minutes from Youngstown and I’m up to 8 kills already this year. Unfortunately, I’m only there a couple times a month. Shooting them is fun and I’ve been successful at it but, I decided this year that I need to come up with another way to take them out even when I’m not there. I bought three Duke 330 conibear traps which is working great. I use wood stakes to guide them into the traps. I have one setup in front of a wood pile that is most active with 6 kills and the other traps only one each. Here’s a picture of my wood pile setup. Sometimes I’m lucky and take them out when they fresh and other times I have to put on a Dr. Fauci Corona mask!
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I got 20 the same way early this season. Most were along or inside buildings where it was tough to shoot .

 

[N2 Shooter]

@ N2 Shooter
I have place a 25 minutes from Youngstown and I’m up to 8 kills already this year. Unfortunately, I’m only there a couple times a month. Shooting them is fun and I’ve been successful at it but, I decided this year that I need to come up with another way to take them out even when I’m not there. I bought three Duke 330 conibear traps which is working great. I use wood stakes to guide them into the traps. I have one setup in front of a wood pile that is most active with 6 kills and the other traps only one each. Here’s a picture of my wood pile setup. Sometimes I’m lucky and take them out when they fresh and other times I have to put on a Dr. Fauci Corona mask!
View attachment 476076View attachment 476077View attachment 476078

One of the reasons I kill so many is there are several fields adjacent to my property. My brother owns a football sized field 50 yards away, and there are 3 half block fields 100 yards away.

My goal is to kill as many as possible, even if they aren't on my property, because if they have a litter, eventually those pups will grow up looking to establish their own burrow. I think setting traps up in those other abandoned fields would turn into a full time job removing expired piggies and resetting traps.

Another thing in my favor, is I only have to clean up bodies that are on my neighbor's property. Any piggies killed in abandoned fields are gone the next day, either by possums, raccoons or coyotes. And if I place my shot just right, they will take a hit, but not succumb immediately so they will go and bury themselves for me. The H&N Slugs IIs have made that very hard to do as of late, because of their awesome terminal performance.

My efforts have paid off though, as I only have one burrow on my property this year, and I terminated that intruder and filled it back in. I think I've taken around 25 this year, well on pace to break my all time high of 32.

We definitely have to get together in the near future and whack some groundhogs!

Hopefully the state keeps these as nuisance game unlike what they recently are doing by reclassificating wild boar to trapping only, no hunting.

 

[Vetmx]

I’ll pass something along that you guys might find interesting if you don’t already know it. It may help as you try to stay out ahead of a groundhog population. I’ve hunted a couple farms for groundhogs for over 40 years. A field that has 10 mounds, a groundhogs house, for two years or so gets all the groundhogs cleaned off and mounds flattened. Eventually groundhogs will find that mound, even if we can’t tell where it was and reopen it. So once they take up residence, even under a shed, rouge grundys will eventually find the abandoned groundhog house and set up shop.

 

[MongooseV8]

What are your reg settings? Im building a 30Cal Maverick right now to shoot the H&N 54g Slugs. Never shot a 30Cal so any help would be great. Looks like those slugs do pretty well, have you recovered any to gauge expansion?

 

[N2 Shooter]

What are your reg settings? Im building a 30Cal Maverick right now to shoot the H&N 54g Slugs. Never shot a 30Cal so any help would be great. Looks like those slugs do pretty well, have you recovered any to gauge expansion?

I think I'm running my regs at like 135/110, but I'm not exactly certain anymore. I think I'm getting 930fps out of the 50gr H&N Slug II, but honestly, I need to chronograph it again. I'm running a 600mm barrel with STX superior liner.

I do feel my reg settings are running a tad hot, and honestly, there is only so much you can get out of the 600mm barrel. If you want to push the 54gr, make sure you have the 700mm barrel, heavy slug liner and maybe the Titanium hammer weight.

I have not recovered any as of yet, so I'm not certain on the expansion.

 

[Chuck-in-Ohio]

I’ll pass something along that you guys might find interesting if you don’t already know it. It may help as you try to stay out ahead of a groundhog population. I’ve hunted a couple farms for groundhogs for over 40 years. A field that has 10 mounds, a groundhogs house, for two years or so gets all the groundhogs cleaned off and mounds flattened. Eventually groundhogs will find that mound, even if we can’t tell where it was and reopen it. So once they take up residence, even under a shed, rouge grundys will eventually find the abandoned groundhog house and set up shop.

True true.

Have seen the very same thing myself over the course of 25 years in my back hayfield.
No need to leave seed stock, they shall return.