Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Groundhog hunting (caution- very graphic)

I had a little free time this evening, so decided to get in a little groundhog hunting here in PA.

I have a friend with a farm that is loaded with hogs. He called a few days ago to say that he had just cut a field and it was LOADED with holes. He wanted some 'hogs gone!

I went on Tuesday evening with my dad. We took four hogs (two each) in about an hour, including three off of one set of holes.

I went back tonight to the same field. Within five minutes, I took another hog off of that same mound! Over the next hour or so, I took three more, including one OLD sow that had worn most of the hair off of her feet, the bottom of her chin, etc. Her skin looked like an elephant.

I was shooting a sweet little 221 Fireball that I had built a few years ago. I built it, lost interest before I ever even shot it, and it sat for about five years before I even got it blued. Sat almost another year, before I decided last month to start shooting it. What a pleasant surprise! Shoots sub-MOA (way under MOA ) easily. No recoil, just a joy to shoot.

Anyway, in it's first two trips to the field, it's accounted for eight hogs. And I'm still in the first box of factory ammo, including getting a zero!

Here are a few pictures from tonight... (warning, two are quite graphic...). Factory Remington 50 gr Accutip ammo.

Sweet.

That bottom one looks like a girl I woke up next to one morning when I was in school. The ol' bush hog.

NICE!
whelennut

I wouldnt have admitted to that.

The .221 is about perfect on groundhogs, IMHO.

coldbore where in pa are u from

I'm in Mercer County (NW part of the state).

Are you local?

i am in fayette county

Don't you mean fayette nam ?

I've shot a whole bunch of hogs in Fayette County, but I haven't hunted there in probably 20 years.

There were some great fields there!

yep fayette nam sauer200

Awesome! What ar ethe specs on your rifle?

I been thinking about a trip down to the lower 40 for some groudhog shooting. I am waiting on the rain to cool things off a bit. We used to go every weekend years ago and I used my 6mm Remington 700 BDL with 6 x 18 Unertil scope.

Sometime next week I hope to give the CZ-triple deuce a go and the wife use here CZ-.223 as well. Hunting groundhogs is fun fun fun!

Nothing exotic or fancy.

Rem M700 action, Douglas barrel in a standard sporter contour (not sure exactly which number, it's been too many years..) finished at 24", all beadblast blued, Timney trigger, Bell & Carlson stock, Leupold 2.5-8X.

Pretty run of the mill stuff, chambered and put together by a good friend of mine.

It's no heavyweight tactical rig, but has just enough weight, and little enough recoil, that on a few of the hogs, I'd see the puff of dust from the dirt in their hair "pop" into the air immediately after impact.

Fun shooting little thing.

For many years, my favorite groundhog rig has been a 700 Varmint in 6mm Rem. Recently picked up a 40-X in 6mm Rem that I'm itching to try in the field as well.

On the slightly longer shots, or windier days, that 6mm Rem is the ticket!