Some Interesting Facts About Groundhog Hunting
Groundhog hunting is a very popular sport mostly during the summer months when many other games are off season to hunt. During this time you will find the groundhog frolicking in the fields munching on the greens. While the groundhogs are readily available, it does not mean that catching them goes without valiant effort.
Some hunters will try to catch the groundhogs at long range while others prefer close range, if you are able to get that close because groundhogs are very keen to possible threats. Usually when they think a threat might be prominent they will stand up on their hind legs and scout out the area.
Where to Find the Groundhogs
Groundhogs dig holes that run underground and that is why you will usually see them in the fields or in the woods but they are the easiest to hunt in the fields.
Before you set up shop for the day in some random field walk around and see if you can find any groundhog holes unless you are sure of the area. The holes that groundhogs dig are easy to spot because they come out to the ground on an angle.
Groundhogs just love crops where hay, clovers, or alfalfa are found but they also like pastures and corn fields.
Look for groundhogs around streams, ditches, or around railroad tracks. Groundhogs can be found across the country and they do not really have any natural predators so they can get pretty large, often with weights as high as 35 pounds.
Groundhogs are known by most farmers to be a pest or a nuisance because they can destroy crops with their digging and harm farming machinery with the very deep holes that they dig.
These deep holes often pose problems for other farm animals who may walk into them and injure themselves. When vegetable crops are growing the groundhog can wreak havoc on them and this makes the groundhog a foe of the farmer.
How to Hunt Groundhogs
Any kind of gun can be used to hunt a groundhog but if you decide to use a high caliber rifle just make sure that you use ammo made of smaller grains. 22’s can be a tough gun to hunt groundhogs with because it is difficult to get good placement with this gun and it is not a good gun to use if you want to shoot long range.
Bigger caliber guns will damage the groundhog too much but they are good for long range shots. The .223 or the 25.06 make better choices for groundhog hunting, especially if you plan on eating your catch. The best way to hunt groundhogs is at a far range of about 400 feet because they won’t know you are coming.
Just use binoculars to keep an eye out for these little critters. The best way to actually go groundhog hunting is to locate the area that you plan to use and locate a place that is high enough that you can look down into your hunting area.
A Little Groundhog Trivia
Unless you plan to hunt groundhogs on your own private land you will need a hunting license to legally hunt them. The best time of day to enjoy groundhog hunting is at sunrise or just before sunset. Groundhogs do not have a long life span and are lucky to make it six years while they are in the wild but can live many more years when in captivity.
The female groundhog generally has one litter per year and there can be as few as two or as many as six babies. One thing is certain though and that is that groundhogs are pretty much everywhere and can easily be yours for the taking.
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