American Shooting Journal – August 2019

66 American Shooting Journal // August 2019

and badgers that prey on them. A

smart groundhog will have more than

one burrow to escape to, as all the

predators know they are delicious.

In late August the maturing young

begin digging practice holes near

the den before leaving home to start

their own lives. Because they are slow

runners, the smart groundhog is never

far from a hole. Those that venture far

tend to get eaten, and they know that.

THE PREFERRED METHOD IS

to stake out an area and pick them

off from a distance after locating

their holes. While a .22 will suffice

for expert shooters, a larger caliber

with good shot placement is

recommended, for these are tough

animals that can easily escape to their

holes to die where you cannot retrieve

your hard-won dinner. The .30

carbine and .223 are about ideal when

used with fast-expanding bullets.

Any and every gun has been

successfully used over the years,

you like for long range shooting.

Groundhogs notice movement

and keeping still is the way to be

unobserved. If they do see you and

you become still, they may soon go on

about their business. Move only when

their head is down feeding or they are

otherwise distracted. Go slowly, softly

and quietly. While wary, they are

vegetarians and thus have to eat a lot.

That overriding priority means that

they are soon back about the serious

business of eating so they will have

enough fat to get through hibernation

in the lean, cold months of winter. If

you scare one and he darts into his

hole, he will likely be back inside of 15

minutes, so sit tight and wait him out.

Change your position while he is in

the hole because that is the first place

he will look when he first peeps out.

They are also curious animals. If

an unusual noise is occurring nearby

they will often pop out of their holes

for a look. Music (but not talk radio)

played a safe distance away from the

hole so they do not feel threatened by

the noise or even a swinging gong .22

target being rung can work to draw

them out. Do not shoot until they are

completely out of the hole. They will

not come all the way out if the strange

noise is very close to them. Music

should be soothing, low volume, and

nonthreatening to inspire curiosity

and not apprehension. Stealth works

better, though, and is a lot less trouble.

Just wait. The hungry varmint will

soon come out if he is in that hole.

Groundhogs can also be

successfully stalked. I have done so

and gotten within 20 feet of them but

you had better be good at this game

if you expect success by this method.

They have a very keen sense of smell

so wind direction is always important.

GROUNDHOGS BREED IN MARCH

and April and the female rears the

young by herself. The pups are mature

and able to be out on their own by

the end of August, so hunting them

between March and the end of

August may leave young to starve to

death in the den. Unless you are out

to exterminate this food source, you

should not hunt during these months

including shotguns and pistols. We

aren’t talking big game here. The trick

is to kill these tough little whistlepigs

instantly before they can make a

dash for their holes. Head shots are

preferred and anything outside of a

perfect head or chest hit will generally

result in a lost meal, a situation that I

would rather avoid.

This is a good time to practice

game shooting with big bore guns.

While a .577 3-inch Nitro Express

may be overkill on steroids (to say

nothing of the cost of that cartridge!),

it is good practice with the gun you

will be staking your life on if you hunt

dangerous game. After all, you are

also out here to have fun and this is

one game animal that you can use

anything on!

Because of the proximity of the

quarry to its holes, you can shoot these

at long range or short range, whatever

type of shooting you like. You can stalk

them or set up blinds at short range, or

you can position yourself as far away as

Best bet is to set up

near groundhog dens

and watch for animals

to emerge to feed on

plants. Author Jim

Dickson recommends only

shooting when they’re

well away from the safety

of their burrow to ensure

you recover your prize.

(FOTOREQUEST)