First 2 Groundhogs

[Johnch]

I just got back from a walk at the Marsh I am a member of

I figured the groundhogs might be out , so I took the Ruger 77/22 Hornet that I had bedded
I had some 45 HP gr cast bullets that I was given last fall
Great shooting , but the lube was not enough as after 10 shots
As there is leading the last few inches

So I am getting the mold and will cast more and use a different lube


I also grabbed a 1911 Norinco 45 ACP pistol , just in case I had any CLOSE shots
Great shooting pistol , just a cheap finish
Oh , I took some 45 ammo that I wanted to shoot up ..... only had 8 rounds left
45 ACP ammo loaded with 45 cal muzzle loader sabots and 357 Lee 158 gr plain base bullets
CCI large pistol primers and HP38 powder .... my load "JUST" cycles the pistol
Also I had another mag with 200 gr RF cast bullets if the groundhogs CHARGED

100 yards from the parking area , I had 2 groundhogs run into their holes with no chance for a shot

I then walked and stalked about 1/2 mile of dike before I saw the next groundhog I had a chance to shoot
A easy 50 yard shot with the Ruger rifle

I started getting a nasty headache , so I headed back down another path
Again I kept seeing groundhogs as I walked , but no shots

I about got back to the spot I had seen the 2 groundhogs 100 yards from the parking area
I stopped 75 yards away
I stood there for 20 min with no luck

So I started walking and when I got close to the first hole I grabbed the 45 and looked
There starting out of the hole was a groundhog still in the hole

LOL That was a easy 8' shot

I need more of that type of easy shots

John

[ElCheapo]

I spent years shooting groundhogs here in Pa. We have a bunch of them! Same thing happened to me. I was walking by a hole and looked inside, to see a groundhog looking out at me! One shot from my 22 mag did the trick. Just one suggestion...Take along a good pair of binoculars and use them! You will kill way more groundhogs if you see them before they see you.

[725]

What fun. Never heard of a sabot .38/.45 load. Cool.

[missionary5155]

Good morning and Congratulations !
Ground hogs are a worthy pest to be dealt with. Ground hogs are a great way to "hone" the white tail stalking.
Mike in Peru

[John Van Gelder]

My collateral function around the old dairy farm in NY was wood chuck control. I have shot "whistle pigs" with a bit of everything. Cast bullets in the .30-30 work well, but may be a bit much. I had several loads that worked well back when I lived in the East, a favourite was 4.5gr. of 700x in a .38 spl case and the Keith 358429 bullet, that did a good job on "chucks". The old standard .38 WCs also worked very well. When I mover to Alaska summer mornings would find me up in the mountains looking for marmots, chucks cousin. I took a lot of marmots, with the 358429 bullet in hollow point form in .357 cases over 7 gr. of Unique. Any good upper body hit anchored them.