Trad Gang

I finally got a couple of pictures of one. We have them in our backyard and I have been trying to get a picture all summer. I dont know how you folks get close enough to shoot one. Everytime I would sneak around the house, They would hear me and take off. They either have great eyes and ears or I cant sneak worth a darn......Roy

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I shoot them with a 22mag.............

I just sit out on my dad's back deck. It's never more than 25 yards.

Hey Roy, nice pic. Have you gotten permission to hunt any yet! Try a tree stand, and go in early.

Good shootin, Steve

Fix yourself a blind and sit a while. Next picture should be a cool one with you in it too. Mike

No permission yet    , son still says I cant shoot anything that has a day named for his birthday....lol.....Roy

I have a couple targets in a small piece of woods at the end of the Marina where I live. Last summer I was pulling arrows when I heard a rustle in the brush. I stood still to see what it was and here comes a groundhog. He was working his way along the trail I was standing on, stopping every few feet to stand and look around. He looked me over several times, but I never blinked an eye or moved and he looked thru me. Closest we got he was almost on my toes looking straight up at me. It was cool to be almost eyeball to eyeball with one. He moved along and never knew I was alive. Another time one did about the same thing while I was shooting, again I froze and he stood up next to my target butt for a bit before he moved along.

They are my nemesis.  I missed 4 shots this year before connecting on one.

Killed this one this year (my one and only so far w/ trad gear).  Walked up on him while he was busy watching a coyote hunt about 100 yards away from him.

Ace hex head to the head...

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I grew up hunting them in Ohio. First hunted with .22 then a Kodiak Mag. Fun to hunt.

I grew up hunting the little beggars in Ohio.  Chucks taught me a bunch about how to hunt with a bow and arrow.  I got pretty serious my last year in high school (1991) and killed 50 with my bow that spring/summer.  This was pretty good with a bow in an area where a good hand with a 22-250 that really got after them might shoot 100 in a year.

Dad used to say if he was king of the world you'd have to bring him 20 groudhog tails before you could buy a deer tag - then you'd be ready to deer hunt with a bow!

I've killed them by sneaking, from trees (both with ME up the tree and with the CHUCK up the tree - they can climb amazingly well), waiting them out and by dumb luck.  A good strategy (and one guaranteed to teach you patience) is to spook the hog down the hole then VERY quietly set up on the other side of the hole - 5 to 10 feet away - with an arrow on the string and the bow up and ready and wait.  Eventually he'll stick his head out, generally looking where he last saw you, at which point you shoot him in the back of the head.  You'd be surprised how hard it is to hit that 2 by 2 inch target (brain pan) at even a few feet.  I used to figure if he didn't come back out within 45 minutes he probably wouldnt.

I dont have enough around home in IN now to hunt (too many coyotes, I suppose) and I really miss chasing them.

Good luck on the chucks!

Ryan

Killed quite a few with a 22 Hornet. This year used a flint lock and  a bow had some success. But twice as much fun.

what Ryan said works beautifully, I have a few around me and shoot
8-10 a year with my longbow and half of them are at ten feet using
that trick. If you can get one to run one down its hole without spooking it bad then get on the downwind side (they can smell very good) quietly and quickly and wait sometimes they will pop back out in only seconds to see were the danger went and thump! another trick is if you can get in between one and its hole it short circuits there brain and they will freeze or I have had them charge me and try to run between my legs! either way it presents you with an interesting target opportunity. I think all their security is in their hole and they don't know any other option, except maybe climbing a tree, witch still gets them shot.        
Anyway good practice, happy hunting.

a couple I shot last summer with my whisperstik
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I cant shoot these either    . We have four that live in our trees. Son feeds them everyday, so they are off limits. This one likes to sit on my bear target and eat...lol... Hes having some pumpkin pie today. We call him squirrzilla, biggest one I have ever seen....Roy


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Hehe - great pics of the target sitting on your target.  :-D   That takes quite a bit of nerve!