Screamin' Groundhog

[bob208]

I opened the hood on an old truck. one was setting in the battery box he snapped his teeth at me made a clicking sound. that hood went down real quick. they like to chew the wiring on cars. I helped rewire a friends corvette 3 times.

[FLHTC]

I shot a groundhog last night just before dusk, he had been making his living off my garden.
At the shot, the old sow started screaming and sounded like the dying screeks of a little old woman that lasted all of 30 seconds or more, a most unnerving sound. I almost felt sorry for the ol' gal until I remember that she cleaned out my sweet potato vines.
I only mention this because I never heard a ground hog make a sound when shot.
Anyone ever heard of such a thing?

Might have a little to do with pain

[oldred]

Groundhog is good when cooked properly, nothing at all wrong with eating them and when I as a kid we hunted them for food. My grandmother knew how to make them very tasty by roasting them with veggies and the proper spices, as far as wild small game food groundhog ranks right up there with the best of them.



BTW, a few years back here on the farm my son shot one with a 22 and it crawled back into it's hole under our barn and died. A couple of days later my daughter came running into the house crying and holding four starving baby groundhogs, just try telling your 8 year old daughter that those things need to be put down! I lost the argument real quick and my wife took off to Wallyworld to get some cans of orphan kitten milk and a bunch of other things to care for these critters, it became a real learning experience for us and I'm really happy now that it happened. My daughter took those things and cared for them until they were grown at which point I finally had to take them far out into the woods in what is part of a national park where they likely never came into contact with people again, probably a good thing since they were tame to the point of being pesky! When I released them near a creek three of them seemed thrilled to be in such an area but one would have no part of it and kept following me back to the truck and trying to get in, my wife couldn't stand it at that point and so I let him back in and we brought him back home. That darn thing lived for years in our barn and every Summer the kids would call for him to feed him cookies and other goodies until he finally failed to show. It was quite a learning experience for the girl and I have to admit there were times I actually enjoyed have that darn thing being around since he was quite playful and some of his antics were very amusing! The one thing I learned that surprised me the most was just how intelligent these creatures are! The kids taught them all kinds of tricks and they quickly learned things like how to open containers where the pet food was stored, all in all they are a LOT smarter than most people might think!

[Forrest r]

Groundhogs are down right tasty, eaten 100's of them over the years. Used to boil the bigger ones with salt/pepper/onion for a couple hours then let them sit till they cooled to the touch. Them I'd get out the old hand crank grinder & turn them into burger. They're so lean that we'd have to add fat to them to get them to stick together to make burgers, meatloaf or meatballs out of.

I like to alter the 22's I use on them or other vermin, gives the lowly 22lr it a little more smack.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Djs3909]

Forrest r.... What did you do and how'd you do it? Looks cool

[Forrest r]

Those were done with a paco kelly tool, they're the scorpion nosed hp's & have excellent results with head shots.

[DougGuy]

They will bite the living daylights out of a dog too! Don't for a minute think they won't sink them teeth into your arm like a Singer sewing machine if you happen to grab one up trying to get it out of a trap!

I shot a young one here but didn't eat it, after all I have heard, if I get another one I might try it.

[brassrat]

One was poking around at the range today. I am shooting a, real accurate, Mini-14 /w red-dot, and the rounds are coming close depending on his spot, at the moment. Shooting him is verboten and everyone is amused at him and his non-fear. I am then handed a broom to move him. I didn't get too close before he waddled/ ran off. Good laugh, all around. A women left, later, and complemented me on his treatment.

[MBTcustom]

You know, I've never seen one of these creatures. Maybe we don't have them here. Seems to me that any hole I dig fills up with water pretty quick except for 3 months out of the year, in which case, you would be better off taking a shovel to a concrete slab. Maybe that's why no groundhogs.
Our main pests are coons possums and armadillos.

[salvadore]

The ShoBans I use to work with claimed a lot of folks on the Res dine on Rock Chucks. Never heard any prep instructions.

[Charlie U.]

Yeah, I have heard some weird noises from woodchucks as they expire. Moans, snarls, and squeals that make you cringe.

They are tough critters and can take a hit. In my experience the 22lr is rather minimal for taking down big tough woodchucks. It takes perfect shot placement to drop 'em cleanly.

I have been waging a bit of a Jihad on them here at my house because they keep trying to take up residence under my shed and burrow its foundations.

Eating woodchuck?.....no thanks. They are such filthy animals.

[Vinne]

Maybe that's why no groundhogs.
Our main pests are coons possums and armadillos.

Same here but after Katrina the rats took over. You hear of people saying "rats as big as cats" well I seen them and bigger!!
Nothing less than an '06 to take them down.