GTA
General Discussion To Gateway To Airguns => Hunting Gate => : dave2288 October 16, 2008, 09:31:43 PM
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ok, so, for the last few years, there has been this groundhog that lives around my house...for the most part, it keeps to itself...well, it started chewing the deck last week...its gotta go. this thing is so hard to get, because it never walks away from my house...when it moves from its burrow, it walks the perimiter of my house, making it hard to get out there for a shot without spooking it. well, today i finally saw it, and for some reason, it was fine with me loading my sisters cfx.22 with a predator 15 yrds away from it(probably closer, actually), so i loaded, set the ao, and looked through the scope...i wanted to get this thing so badly...too badly...adrenaline was pumping through me...it stood up, gave me a perfect profile shot, i pulled the trigger, and i thought i hit it low. it jumped, ran a foot, then stood up again, i tried to load again, but it just slowly walked under my shed, and got out of sight just as i finished reloading. i can't believe how calm it was during all of this, and i CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED!!! even though it hasn't been bothering the house for too long, i've been trying to get it since the beginning of spring...this was my first shot off at it, and i'll be really suprised if i get another one...
oh well...
what do you expert hunters do in that situation? i don't have time to sit in one place and calm down as i wait for it...its very inconsistant in when it walks around, so i would need to dedicate a whole day to this, which i can't...
any advice?
Dave
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What range is your CFX zeroed for?
Close ranges can fool you because most of us zero further out. When they are up very close, you have to hold over, just as though they were way out there. If you have a 1.75" scope height over barrel and you're zeroed for a 1" kill zone at 25, your pellet trajectory hasn't time to climb into the kill zone yet.
Doesn't sound like you spooked it much.
No blood?
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Well, did you hit it at all? Any blood trail? If so, it may be bothering you, again, but in another way if it's died under your shed. I understand that it is not uncommon to have them go to ground in their dens when wounded. (Maybe the den is under the shed?)
Go back to where you shot from and measure the distance. If it was close to fifteen yards, you may want to recheck your sister's scope. Could be you just pulled off a bad shot. And does she shoot predators? Maybe the scope's zeroed for another pellet with a slightly different trajectory.
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You may have actually hit him. I'm a********^%uming you were aiming for the head . If this is so you may have actually hit him much lower due to the very close range. That would explain him making that "jump" before taking off. As you know they are extremely tough critters. They can easily take a body hit and keep on going giving the appearance that they're not hit at all. I always go for head shots when hunting G-hogs but a friend of mine, who also has permission to hunt the duck farm that I hunt , learned the hard way that body shots usually wind up with a lost G-hog. He complained to me that he hit several g-hogs and they just ran away and slipped down their burrows. I explained to him about the head shot kill zone and his success rate took a turn for the better. The only reason I mention my friend is that during the course of this summer I killed a couple of g-hogs that had pellets lodged under the skin when I skinned and cleaned them. I have no doubt they were the g-hogs that my friend shot in the body and that simply ran off.
If the weather was warmer I'd say you had plenty of time to get another shot at him, but I agree with you,,,, considering the cooler temps lately you may not have much time. He may be even more wary of coming out now due to your encounter. If he is going to emerge it's probably safe to say your chances of seeing him are best either very early or very late in the day and I would say late in the day is your best choice. I'm talking real late in the day, perhaps the hour or so just before it actually dark. I would say he'll also be more inclined to come out if the house and yard area is very still and quiet, as little human noise as possible. If you get such a day I'd get in full camo, get in a good concealed location within range and wait out the last hour or so of the day.
Also, even if you hit him directly in the head and he goes down,,, do yourself a favor and immediately reload and run over to the g-hog. I learned it's not uncommon for a g-hog, even though he's mortally hit, to summon up a last spurt of energy and get moving towards their hole. You want to immediately get between them and the hole if you can.
Hope you get your second shot, but if you don't at least he'll be hibernating soon and won't be chewing your deck again until the spring.....
Jeff
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I think you`re up for a PCP with multi-shot repeater option heh heh. Shame you didn`t get your g-hog.
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I like Jeff, have taken several dozen groundhogs over the last 4-5yrs and I can tell you this with certainty: G-hogs require you to have some patience and determination to get them. What I do is, make a point to check the windows every 30min. like clockwork if I 'm home most of the day. This guarantees me I will see it within a couple of days. Although sometimes they only come out for 20min. or so and will get spooked by a car or a neighbor walking out to their mailbox, 30min. spot checks of all the (relevant) windows has proved very fruitful for me and this year it yielded 17 g-hogs, 16 recovered, all on my property.
I 'm pretty sure you did NOT hit the g-hog. The pellet most likely striked too low under his chin or neck because he was less than 15yds away, and if you were shooting down on him from an elevated position, the POI would be even lower. The G-hog would not have made a few steps and then stop to look or stand up again if he were hit. And you also said he walked to his borrow. No way. He 's not hit, which is a GOOD thing (I 'll explain later). He would have run straight to the nearest burrow or escape hole (not all holes are burrows) if he were hit. G-hogs will often jump after the gun goes off because they get startled easily and are very "jumpy" to begin with. I shot at a groundhog from 11-12yds away that was up against my shed & missed. He got so startled when I pulled the trigger, that he banged his head (loudly) hard onto the shed's outter wall from his instintive reaction to turn and run. He also jumped a little too but I have seen what you describe. They 'll jump 1/2ft or more up in the air, land and run or stop farther down, turn around and look to see what that noise was all about or if anything is pursuing them. Usually when hit and injured (non-fatal shot), they will roll over on their back and kick with all 4's like trying to get a predator off of them, like house cats do and many other animals. After a couple of secs they realize noone is on top of them or trying to bite them, so they get back on all 4's and run to their burrow. When you see this reaction, reload immediately and try to get another shot at them asap because 4 out of 5 chances are that you did not make a fatal shot. You should always reload anyway like Jeff said after taking the 1st shot and even shoot them again if they 're moving at all or crawling because they are very strong and could reach the burrow if it's not far away. Don't wait for them to stop moving, shoot them on the move the 2nd time around.
Another thing is certain. He 'll be more weary next time because he 's already had an encounter with you and was shot at. The reason he stopped after the shot and looked around, was because he had never been shot at before, and was merely scanning the area to see where and what you were.. what you looked like. If he picked up on your location, he 'll be checking it often next time he 's out there feeding. They put their head up every 5-10secs. anyway while out feeding so make sure you freeze when they do that even if you don't think he 's looking your way. Those eyes have a a 180deg. peripheral view so they can see a lot more than you think. It actually gets harder to get them after an unsuccessful encounter, but don't give up hope. I had g-hogs that would see my hand or arm at the window 35yds out and run for cover and I still managed to get them later on. These g-hogs would actually look up and check the windows because they had seen me there before or seen a gun barrel sticking out, etc. You must be very still if the g-hog looks your way. If there 's no movement sometimes they 'll continue going about their business. That is, if they 've never been hunted before or have not taken a good look at you in the past.
You do not want to injure a g-hog and have it die later if it lives under your porch or deck or anywhere near your home. The surrounding area, or in this case your entire house, will smell badly for a month or more while the g-hog is decomposing. I speak from experience on that one as well...
My best advice to you is, try to keep your shots inside 20yds if you don't have a gun that 's over 15fpe. Practice with that CFX .22 or your own gun at 10, 15 & 20yds, or learn the hold-over if your sister doesn't want you messing with her scope. Practice the way you would shoot at the g-hog. If you shoot down at it, practice that way. Put a target or a DelMonte fruit/veggie can on the ground and shoot the bottom of it. Do not put a target 4ft off the ground. Put it on the ground like where the g-hog would be.
I recommend staying behind a window so you don't spook it, and then shoot it when it comes into view or range. I keep a couple of my windows open when I 'm in hunting mode, so I won't spook them or make noise while by putting the window up. I also leave a small pillow on the window sill so I have a soft bench rest and don't have to rest my arm on aluminum or metal or be uncomfortable because I sometimes I wait 5+min. for them in the shooting position to give me that broadside opportunity so I can place the pellet behind the eye, or between ear & eye.
Stay quiet, stay still, be patient, and you will get him soon if he doesn't go into hybernation. Mark the time you shot at him, and you will most likely find him there again near the same spot at the same time another day. They usually come out when the day is warmer especially now in the Fall, but it's not uncommon for them to come out in the morning or around Noon if there are other g-hogs around. They seem to divide the day up between themselves and come out at different times so they don't run into each other. Like they each get a time slot.. They do usually keep on a schedule though, if the neighborhood is quiet. Also try to be quiet inside the house. Don't play the radio or TV loud and he 'll come out again. Another way to approach him is from the back while he 's facing away but make sure you have the house or a big tree between you and him and don't make any noise. If you get into a 15-20yd position behind him, get ready (lean on something) and just wait for him to turn sideways.
Also try to find out where his burrow(s) are, so that you are mindful of them and check them if you can from a concealed position, because while you 're setting up with your rifle, etc. he could be watching you, instead of you - him. They 'll just pop their head out of the hole and can be hard to see.
If you don't hear anyone mowing the lawn or weed wacking in the neighborhood and everything sounds quiet, look out (slowly) a couple of windows. He 'll be out there.
Looking forward to the pics! :-)
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Look's like our fellow hunters covered all the bases but one thing to work on is controlled breathing, ever notice when your bench shooting and if you look through the scope you can see your heartbeat as the crosshairs move slightly back and forth. Adrenaline can work against you when hunting, I act as though I'm punching paper with fur and a tail on it hehehe. You'll get em if he hasn't gone under for the winter, good luck. Ed
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well, i sighted in her gun for her with those pellets(its the most accurate pellet for her gun_, and at that dstance, i'm sure it is supposed to hit 1/4" low. i plink with her gun quite a bit, but i will admit, lately, i haven't been picking it up. after the groundhog got away, i took out my 350mag .22(cdt tuned) and was shooting cans at 55 yrds offhand..THATS the gun i've been shooting...put ram jets in her, and she doesn't know what it means to miss. i went with the cfx, because it was downstairs(i went outside for the shot, and i was walkin around while it was eating..i know i was load, because the leaves were everywhere, but he just kept eating). there was no blood, but i'm sure that miss was from my heart pumping, and not from me not knowing the gun...i don't like it too much, honestly...i'd rather shoot my g1, 350, or patriot, but it was closest. and, it is an accurate gun...at 30 yrds she can hit under 1/2 inch(my shot is a little bigger with it, but under an inch...i just am not a fan of the cfx...i think i'm jus starting to like wood stock guns...).
thanks for all of your help everyone...also, what can i use to lure it out? i'm trying to remember...i think over the summer, it used to eat som of the cracked corn i put out...any ideas?
Dave
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Dave, use the 350 on it next time :-)
I forgot to mention that if it lives under your deck, it's way too close to your house! It is most likely digging tunnels under your foundation which can cost you a lot of $ in damages! Get it as fast as you can, and keep an eye out for more. If there 's one, there 's more. You will only see 1 at a time (99.9% of the time) if your property is an acre or smaller, unless it has young which may come out whith theri mom when they are of age (usually after 6-7 wks). Their young are now grown up and would have made their own burrows in July & August.. not far from mom! It's not unusual for the young g-hogs to settle into their own burrow 30-40ft away from their mom's. Male & female do not live together btw. They mate & seperate but the male is never too far away either.
I never baited them but I heard they like all sorts of garden vegetables.
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ok, i'll do my best...i'm unemployed right now, and i should be starting my next job in 2 weeks...i'll put most of my efforts into this thing for the next 2 weeks.
thanks for all of your help, everyone!
Dave
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If things start stinkin in the next couple weeks, then you know you hit him...:)
Gene
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AHHAHAHAAHAHAH
Ah, so true Gene...so true.
Good luck with it Dave. You'll catch it at the right time sooner or later.
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Kinda hope he's still kicking around, nothing worse then a dead critter and smell that you cant get to to get rid of.:( Ed