First Groundhog of the Season

[Don McCombs]

Still snow on the ground, but this one was feeding in a bare spot near the garden. Need to get an early start if I'm going to beat last year's total of 25.

[Peter Person]

Don,
How are you getting them?
Destructive little critters, for sure.

[Eugene]

How are you getting them?

Same question. I have them burrowing under concrete pads.

Have set live traps. Rifle with scope and waited for hours. Nothing.

25 ground hogs. Don, do you have any ground hog recipes?

[Barnyard]

My Border Collies are taking away my targets. I find dead ones around the yard every now and then.

[KETCHAM]

I use a scoped .22 rifle.......deadly....Not near as many as Don...but I get an average of 2 to 3 a year

[Don McCombs]

PM sent to Eugene.

[Indy4570]

I like a .17HMR, fast n flat shooting. not good for meat procurement unless you are very good at headshots

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

I get a few f them around here, my preferred choice is a .22 magnum though. We have enough coyotes in this area they seem to keep the groundhogs down, and I work on the coyotes on occasion.

[ricky racer]

How are you getting them?

Same question. I have them burrowing under concrete pads.

Have set live traps. Rifle with scope and waited for hours. Nothing.

25 ground hogs. Don, do you have any ground hog recipes?

Around the house if I can't get them to show themselves in the day light I use a conibear trap. It's wicked.....

[Don McCombs]

That's exactly what I use. #160. Put one in the burrow entrance and it works like a charm.

[Bill]

I have not seen a wood chuck on our farm the last few years. When we moved in, in 1974 place was over run with varmints. Took several years for dog and 223 Savage to get things under control. Now the coyotes do the job,at some point they might be a problem.
Bill

[Don McCombs]

Coyotes will only be a problem if you have chickens, small pets or have calves or foals. They keep the deer in check, too. I'd rather have coyotes than groundhogs.

[SONNY]

The come get all my D--- coyotes from here!! they even destroy my gardens!! watermelons, and sweetcorn don't stand a chance around here!! They only come in after dark when you can't see them! thanks; sonny
PS,-- I second Ricks hog gitter solution, it's the ONLY thing that works!

[BIGHOSS]

Conibear trap is what we use. Never had one trip without leaving behind a dead groundhog!

[Slim140]

I got 6 of 7 last year from a ladies house from under the same small building. Her husband passed a few years ago and she ask me to take care of them. I was using a live trap with lettuce, carrots, apples whatever we had that a cat wouldn't eat. The first 6 were no problem but it got late in the year and that 7th one would not go in the trap. I trapped a fox, 2 opossums and a raccoon while trying to get the last one and finally pulled the trap and waiting until it warms up a little here to see if I can get him for her.