I have hunted ground hogs for years with the bow.  Great fun. I like to find areas with a lot of holes and multiple dogs and hang a tree stand.  Builds patience and practice for the unpcoming deer season.

Put a stalk on one in the back yard yesterday but he caught my wind.  I know where he lives though.

I haven't hunted them since my teens and early twenties (1960-1975)in Indiana.  I found them terrific quarry and I learned a lot about using the sun, concealment, and using the critter's tendencies and habits to my favor.

The last one I killed was while on Spring Break from college. My baby brother was with me. That whistle pig was in a wide open alfalfa field. I put the afternoon sun at my back and crawled a few feet towards him every time his head was down. He caught the Wasp-tipped broadhead square in the teeth. Dead when he hit the ground.

I stopped hunting them for decades because they became relatively scarce in the areas I lived. I wouldn't even shoot one when I had an "easy" shot while deer hunting for that reason.

I see a lot  more these days though and it wouldn't bother me to hunt them again.

One of my favorite "tricks" with groundhogs was to "force" them to use a particular burrow hole that I could wait in bow range near. I would hang a blown up balloon outside the entrance of the burrow I wasn't waiting by.  This caused them to come out the other one. In fact, they'd come out the other burrow hole and look back at the balloon covered hole.  Sometimes they have more than two holes though.

Sorry no pictures. We were scratching our hunting stories on cave walls in those days.

"Put a stalk on one in the back yard yesterday but he caught my wind. I know where he lives though."


Okay guys, let's hear your opinion – Is a groundhog's nose sensitive enough to wind you like a deer?


Growing up in Ohio, I too hunted and killed many a groundhog, but haven't hunted specifically for them for years, but they're still around. Have at least 2 living in my back yard right now but no desire to shoot them at this time... As I was once upon a time, a lot of varmint rifle folks around here are into it and know a guy who killed over 700 in one year, so he claimed... But back to the question – can a groundhog wind you???

I know they seem to have an uncanny sense you are about. Whether they are winding me or not I'll put what I think is the perfect stalk only to pop my head over the last piece of cover to find they have gone to ground.

I shot one while deer hunting once. It growled and rolled over a wide area until it died. As luck may have it a large buck came down the trail later, stopped just out of range and carefully backed out of the area. Since then I won't shoot them while deer hunting.

I have never seen evidence that they are sensitive to your scent, Hawkeye N PA says they most certainly are. He's killed way more than me so I have to believe him.

We're still dealing with winter here. I've been checking holes and have seen some early sign of breeding (males opening up dens to visit their girlfriends), but no sightings yet.

Serious grounhog hunters advise waiting until June when the young ones are weaned but here at my place I'm on a grounhog eradication program. On my 6 tiny acres the population remains constant despite 23 years of shooting them with bow and rifle.

You guys from Pennsylvania. Go and get Puxatawny Phil. What a bum weather forecast he made.

I don't know about winding you but I do know if you harass them enough they will spook at road traffic. I harassed one enough last summer when he seen my truck driving down the road he would head for his hole. They are smarter than people give them credit for I think.

I like to spot and stalk 'em. Especially a little later when the weeds are a bit taller. I shot this one with EVO... some might remember that pass around.

Another excellent method is to find the den. Sometimes you can glass them from a distance and see where the den is... then post up outside the den and wait. On a warm morning, it won't take long.

I'm going out in the morning myself!

Ya, I read that there is a bounty out for Phil's head.

Another Yea  on Phil's head!!!!

Along time ago I posted a thread on a groundhogs ability to wind a hunter.  A biologist replied and said in laymens terms that they have a great sniffer.  But with the farmer in the field they don't usually pay much attention to human scent. That is, until you give them a reason.

I'd agree with the hogs seemingly lack of concern about human scent. I know I didn't pay any attention to it all when I was hunting them. It seemed the only thing that would spook them was movement.  

One thing I did experience that bummed me.  I hunted these critters hard one summer and found I could  easily get within 100 yards of them without spooking them much -- they didn't get whizzing arrows until I was 20 yards or less. I think I conditioned them to short-range concern.

A neighbor took a .243 out to my hog grounds one weekend and destroyed them!  Like shooting fish in a barrel he bragged.

Lots oh fun for sure can't wait to get out after'em this year. Might even try and put one in the crock pot for stew.

I see them while driving but very, very, Very seldom while out in the woods.

I know they can smell ya!  But, if you have the wind right and they are preoccupied, you can sometimes cross open ground to get into range.  

Stalked the same one again yesterday but he caught sight of my black hat.  Gotta get sneakier now.

There are some wide paths cut into the woods at a local resivoir to give access to the lake. The wide paths are all grass/clover covered so the rabbits and groundhogs love eating on those paths. The paths wind and turn a good bit, which should be perfect for stalking them. Going to get after it as soon as the weather turns warmer.

I usually kill one or two every year that dig under my barn or outbuildings.I can see them out in the yard from the house. I wait until an opportunity arises and then slip out and try and get the jump on them. Sooner or later they make a mistake and end up with a broad head threw their chest. You can always count on a broken arrow if you shoot wood.Tough little buggers.I don't usually hunt them however.

I have an ongoing war with this 1 woodchuck for 2 years now in the back yard. I spot him from the deck and the hunt begins.
I shot under him with a wensel woodsman twice and I shot over him once. Never got another shot as he takes off when I get close. He's a crafty SOB.

I refuse to use a gun on him. He deserves better as he has escaped my arrows all these times.
The battle continues........I named him "baldy" as I shaved his back and shaved his balls!

.....Philip

I shot under one once and he jumped up in the air. Upon retrieving the arrow I found hair and blood and he never showed himself again. I'm assuming I disembowled him.