# Groundhog Hunting



## Bulldawg

Anyone been out groundhog hunting yet ??? Been visiting a buddies farm that is loaded with them , bought a new .308 over the winter and have been dying to use it . Well its been getting good use , killed 3 one day last week and 5 today . Little pricey for the ammo , but sure was fun !


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## jonnythfisherteen2

What kind of holes does it leave in them? I shot 2 over the squirrel hunting season, one almost point blank with a 20 gauge and another at 10 with a 12 gauge that needed a follow up shot. I attempted to eat both. Number one didnt end well. 2 actually turned out okay.


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## meats52

jonnythfisherteen2 said:


> What kind of holes does it leave in them? I shot 2 over the squirrel hunting season, one almost point blank with a 20 gauge and another at 10 with a 12 gauge that needed a follow up shot. I attempted to eat both. Number one didnt end well. 2 actually turned out okay.


 What did they taste like? I've heard they taste like roast beef, but I have never tried to cook any of the ones I've shot.


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## Shaun69007

you can sit a beer can inside the exit hole with a 308



jonnythfisherteen2 said:


> What kind of holes does it leave in them? I shot 2 over the squirrel hunting season, one almost point blank with a 20 gauge and another at 10 with a 12 gauge that needed a follow up shot. I attempted to eat both. Number one didnt end well. 2 actually turned out okay.


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## saugmon

meats52 said:


> What did they taste like? I've heard they taste like roast beef, but I have never tried to cook any of the ones I've shot.


1 old timer told me he only eats the young little ones.He said the young ground hogs taste better than turtle soup.He said the full grown ones are too tough.

I got my encore 22-250,220 swift,and 25.06 already to go. I just I haven't seen any hogs yet.


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## CRAPPIECOMMANDER

Young ones are actually good. Just cook them like your favorite BBQ pork and you will be surprised how good they actually are I'm betting.


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## meats52

saugmon said:


> 1 old timer told me he only eats the young little ones.He said the young ground hogs taste better than turtle soup.He said the full grown ones are too tough.
> 
> I got my encore 22-250,220 swift,and 25.06 already to go. I just I haven't seen any hogs yet.


 I like turtle soup so if they're better than that I'll have to give them a try. I would imagine if I par boil a bigger one it would make them tender. I par boil my rabbits and squirrels before I bread and deep fry them and they are very tender.


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## ironman172

pressure cook, then pan fry in barbecue sauce....shredded sandwich meat and rather tasty as I remember (the young ones)....not my favorite and hard to get past the look of the hog, so hasn't happened for years ....but in a pinch it would be on my plate


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## Minnowhead

The Prairie Grizzlies I shoot are usually the bigger ones. They are pretty infested with ticks and fleas by May. I take a tailgate picture at the end of the hunt and chuck them in the pasture for the scavengers to feast. I'm using a Savage .223


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## jray

Hoping to get out this week I'm trying to get the 100 yd plus whistle pig with a bow this year. Too windy to attempt yesterday but they are out and about


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## Bulldawg

jonnythfisherteen2 said:


> What kind of holes does it leave in them? I shot 2 over the squirrel hunting season, one almost point blank with a 20 gauge and another at 10 with a 12 gauge that needed a follow up shot. I attempted to eat both. Number one didnt end well. 2 actually turned out okay.


It's not as much damage as what you would think , I'm using Hornady 150 gr soft points . I was expecting it to turn them inside out , but for the most part it puts a hole about the size of a 50 cent piece in them . When I shoot them with my .223 with Hornady vmax sometimes you can't even find a hole but it turns them to absolute mush inside .


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## Lazy 8

I call it live target practice. I got a new Fox 40 whistle and man is that thing loud.


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## derail

Bulldawg said:


> Anyone been out groundhog hunting yet ??? Been visiting a buddies farm that is loaded with them , bought a new .308 over the winter and have been dying to use it . Well its been getting good use , killed 3 one day last week and 5 today . Little pricey for the ammo , but sure was fun !


Save your Brass and find someone in your area that reloads. save yourself some cash.


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## Lazy 8

Shaun69007 said:


> you can sit a beer can inside the exit hole with a 308


Does that make em taste like beer can chicken?


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## Bulldawg

derail said:


> Save your Brass and find someone in your area that reloads. save yourself some cash.


I"ve been planning on it , I would like to load up some 110gr v-max . But the gentlemen who was going to load them is not in the best of health right now !


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## FISNFOOL

meats52 said:


> What did they taste like? I've heard they taste like roast beef, but I have never tried to cook any of the ones I've shot.


They taste like groundhog. My dad taught me that when hunters say a game tastes like something else, they are just trying to give an estimate of flavor to a non hunter. 

I use Campbell's french onion soup in a crock pot to cook them. Make sure you get the small white glands of them. 7 to n 9 of them, that look like rice grains.

Like all game meat, if you have a place to hang and age them, the meat tenderizes. But a soak overnight in the fridge works OK.
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/cityofate/2010/02/groundhog_day_recipes_dont_for.php


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## Fishingisfun

Bulldawg said:


> It's not as much damage as what you would think , I'm using Hornady 150 gr soft points . I was expecting it to turn them inside out , but for the most part it puts a hole about the size of a 50 cent piece in them . When I shoot them with my .223 with Hornady vmax sometimes you can't even find a hole but it turns them to absolute mush inside .


If your eating a ground hog it is better to not turn them inside out and ruin the meat. Ground hogs being another thing hunted that don't alway become dinner. I have seen different varmit rounds used that leave a small hole and liquified the inside. The round that was the most devastating I found was the 25.06 with an 87 grain soft point loaded to +3200 fps. Always liked the effect it had on ground hog sized game.


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## Smallmouth Crazy

I have used a 308 before with 125gr Nosler BT, it leaves a nice hole but it doesn't cut them in half like you think it would, probably the most violent round I ever hunted them with was a 220 Swift loaded with Sierra 60gr HPs.


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## Drm50

You guys are lucky down here in SE Ohio the coyotes have ate up all the groundhogs in this area. It was nothing
to shoot 500 a summer. I have 5 groundhog guns gathering dust. 222,223, 220 Swift, 243 & 25/06. The young
we just fry up same as rabbit. My sportsman club use to have a groundhog feed. This was mostly full grown
G-hogs that members went out and shot during the week prior to feed. They were cleaned and put in fridge,
par boiled then Baked in sauce. Most groundhog hunters down here shoot them in the head even if not going
to eat. If you can't shoot a G-hog in head with a Hi-v rifle/ 10x or bigger scope you are considered a poor shot.
This country is pretty rough, anything over 300 yds is long shot.


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## derail

cant say that I have been out. been real busy


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## supercanoe

They are gone around me also. I saw one running across a bean field this spring and that's it.


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## Nightcrawler666

There are a few back in our cow pasture I've been stalking. Got one a couple weeks back with my pistol. The others have been very elusive. Just got the field cut yesterday so, hoping to pick a couple off tonight after work since they don't have as much tall grass to hide out in.


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## bare naked

FISNFOOL said:


> They taste like groundhog. My dad taught me that when hunters say a game tastes like something else, they are just trying to give an estimate of flavor to a non hunter.
> 
> I use Campbell's french onion soup in a crock pot to cook them. Make sure you get the small white glands of them. 7 to n 9 of them, that look like rice grains.
> 
> Like all game meat, if you have a place to hang and age them, the meat tenderizes. But a soak overnight in the fridge works OK.
> http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/cityofate/2010/02/groundhog_day_recipes_dont_for.php


X2


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## brian jones

Yes I've shot at least 5 on my land using my bow!


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