After Work Hunt

[only1harry]

In Orange county.  Are you from NY too?  

Hey I just shot some Crow Magnums into the duct putty of my silent trap and recoverd them.  I think I 'll be using these instead of the CP's or Kodiaks on the G-Hogs this year.  Check out the expansion of the CM's!  They didn't penetrate far, only about 0.4" compared to CP's and FTS which are almsot a full 1" but I think I 'll give them a try on the G-Hogs since they are so big, I think I 'll need all the expansion I can get.  I had good luck using CP's and Kodiaks last year on the G-Hogs but I had a scope them.  The rules have changed.  No scope for a couple more weeks so I think I will benefit from the CM's explansion since I don't expect to be as accurate on iron sights.  Just under 3/8" expansion with CM's, but over 5/16" which is about 0.31-0.32" (3/8" is 0.375")!  It's nice to know I can make a 32cal. wound channel.

[longislandhunter]

Hi Harry,

Last year I tried using the Crow Magnums for the first time on G-hogs and I was not impressed at all. I've used RWS Super Hollow Points in my 350 Magnum plenty of times on G-hogs and they worked very well for me, but the Crow Magnums just didn't seem to work that well. Perhaps you'll have better luck than me, but after testing them on the G-hogs on the duck farm I decided never to use them again for G-hogs.

Looking forward to your results.....

Jeff

Harry I'm out in SUFFOLK COUNTY...

[only1harry]

Jeff,

Did you use the CM's with the 350 .22?  My 350 is very accurate with them to 30yds.  The chrony shows they shoot around 750fps (22.7fpe).

So what exactly happened?  The g-hog managed to run down the hole after being shot?  Can you be more specific please?  What did they do that you didn't like?  Did you go for a head shot or neck shot?  I 'd like to know so I don't make the same mistake.  

I don't intend on shooting them in that thick skull with CM's.  They don't have the penetrating power of a CP, JSB Exact Jumbo or other domed pellets.  I only plan on neck shots behind the ear/skull with CM's.  The heavy 18.2gr CM's I think would need to travel at least 700fps to penetrate deep inside the skull and you 'd have to strike high up in the forehead near the top (ear area) if you 're going for a head/skull shot.  This makes it slightly harder to pinpoint that area from a distance or easier to shoot over their head.  I like getting them just behind the ear and down a little (0.75") in the neck area where the spine meets the skull.  That seems to disable them quickly, but a nice frontal head shot right between the ears up high on the skull or just a hair in front of the ears, works well too but with a good penetrating pellet like CP or Predator.  The only downside to the CP is that it hardly expands even after having gone through 1" of plywood.  I don't have any predators.. but the CP and Kodiak worked well last year with head and neck shots.  I did hit one in right behind the shoulder area accidentally when my scope had creeped and was loose (I didn't know it at the time) using a CP at ~41-42yds.  The impact was up near the top of his body behind the top of the shoulder.  The groundhog jumped up, rolled around a few times trying to bite the POI, and then ran 30ft to its hole as I was getting ready to take another shot.  That bothered me and always thought what would have happened if I had used a CM that would have expanded to 0.31/0.32".  Probably nothing different since the shot was not an immediate threat but the g-hog did die most likely that same day because 2 days later the area around the hole started stinking.  It's also possible the CM would 've done more damage.. who knows.. we 'll see what happens this time around.  I looked for him all day at 30min. intervals and he was a no-show.  Oh well, there 's always tomorrow..

[only1harry]

So you and Jeff (LIhunter) are neighbors then!

[longislandhunter]

Hey Harry,

Here's a link to the post I made last year comparing details of my G-hog hunt with the Crow Mags and my GAMO 1250 .22

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.com/airguns/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=4071&posts=11&highlight=crow%20magnum&highlightmode=1#M28144

Basically the Crow Mags just didn't "put down" the G-hogs to my satisfaction and these were good solid side of the head shots from powerful rifle.

As for Joe and I being neighbors,,,,, we are indeed :)

Got to spend some time visiting with Joe and Dave over at Cobra Airguns today,,,, as always had a great time visiting with them.... :)

Just to make it a clickable link:

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.com/airguns/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=4071&posts=11&highlight=crow%20magnum&highlightmode=1#M28144

Bryan

[only1harry]

I should have taken your word for it!!  

After 25-30min. of having the groundhog on my iron sights today I finally took the shot using the 350 with a CM when he was completely broadside and had inched his way closer to me, about 23yds out.  I aimed right behind the ear in the neck area.  He jumped WAY up in the air about 5ft (!) and I could tell it didn't look good.  He landed and started running towards the hole about 14-15ft away.  He definitely slowed down a lot the last couple of feet and it looked like he was walking - he barely made it down the hole.  I was so PO'd!!  I think another few feet and he wouldn't have made it, or I could have had a chance for a 2nd shot.  Dang, it!!  :)  

I waited a couple of minutes and he didn't come out.  I also had my eyes on the other side of my shed because I know the 2 holes interconnect under the structure.  I have seen them go in one hole and stick their head out the other.  I ran downstairs and inspected the area.  I found 2 drops of blood near the hole.  My (friendly) neighbor across the street started approaching and asked what I shot at.  I asked him to keep an eye on the shed while I get the hose to try and flush him out if he 's still alive because I don't want the area stinking for 3 weeks.  I brought the hose over and had him shove it deep in the whole (a couple of feet) and I was at the other side aiming at the hole with my 350.  After about a minute we turned it off because the water was backing up and had filled the hole outside.  I brought the hose around and did the same thing to the other hole while was at the opposite side waiting for movement - nothing.  We turned the water off when we saw water backing out of the hole and filling it.  He had to be dead already.  Only 7-8min. had elapsed by the time we were done with the hose.  He has to be a gonner, unless he had dug a tunnel to another hole 50+ft away connecting the 2 but it was unlikely because the water had started backing up after about a minute or 1.5min.

Oh well, back to the Kodiaks and CP's if I ever get a shot at another one.  I think I 'll order some predators too.  I 'm sending the gun out for an advanced tune tomorrow and when I get it back I 'll mount a scope.  I had a bad feeling shooting at him without a scope and Crow Magnums but I guess you live and learn.   This one was by far the largest one I had taken a shot at.  I was watching him this morning in desbelief how massive he was.  I had several articles around to judge his size and I also concluded that he was longer than that big male cat that was standing there by his hole the other day and more than twice as wide.  Oh well it's all in the past.  Looking forward to the next one if they 're out there but not before the 350 gets and overhaul and a good scope.  

I wonder if I can stick a snake or something in there with a big fishing hook at the end to pull him out.  Anyone know how deep these holes are?  I wish I had a little camera I can stick at the end of a wire to see what's down there.

[longislandhunter]

Hi Harry,

Yeah, that the kind of performance, or should I say "the lack of performance", I experienced when using them on G-hogs. Don't feel bad though, from your description and details it's a rather safe conclusion that he died quickly and didn't linger on down there suffering. It wouldn't have mattered if you had a scope on the gun, I believe the results would've been the same based on my tests with the pellet. As for the trying to "snag" him and pull him out,,,,,, you could try I guess but I doubt you'll have success. When they dig there tunnels the also dig separate sleeping and "bathroom" chambers. When they dig these chambers they actually dig a shaft at an upwards angle from the main tunnel, go up a foot or two and then hollow out their chambers. They do this so that their sleeping and "bathroom" chambers are actually above the main tunnels and therefore always stay high and dry no matter how much water runs down the main tunnel. He's probably lying dead in his sleeping chamber so snagging him is all but impossible. They are quite the engineers !!

Jeff

[only1harry]

You 're right again.  I remember reading how they build their burrows and the seperate chambers for toileting, etc. on a web site.  They also showedit on the Discovery (Kids?) or animal planet a while back.

I 'm really down right now, let me tell you..  I hate to end it like this.. only because I can't be 100% sure if it were shot placement or not.  One thing is for sure, the pellet had to have hit some vital area near the hed or around the neck or upper chest at worse case scenario, and the way these pellets mushroom to >0.30", and the blood trail.. he couldn't have lasted long at all.

[longislandhunter]

He probably died within a few minutes of getting down the hole,,, especially since you saw him running out of steam fast as he headed for the hole. I know how you feel cause that's how I felt in the past whenever I had a a G-hog make it back to his hole after being hit,, but don't be to upset cause the facts that you described all point to a G-hog that died soon after being hit. As for whether it was shot placement or not,,,,, I can tell you that the G-hogs I hit when I did my testing with the Crow Magnums were all hit right in the sweet spot and they still did exactly what your hog did, that's why I decided never to use them again for G-hogs. It wasn't you, it was the pellets. Don't be to upset,,, he expired quickly...

Jeff