My last house on an acre near the entrance to my neighborhood, I think I ran across a dozen ground hogs in the 7 years I lived there. Popped one with quiets that was trying to get into the garden.
In 4 years at my current house, on >4 acres much further back in the same neighborhood I've eliminated about 4 or 5 each year. So far this year, I am up on around number 9. Just popped one almost on my back porch. He was on my front porch a few minutes earlier, circled around and came back up through the woods. Pretty sure he doesn't make it, maybe he will. Popped him through a citronella bush with a reasonably clear target at 8yds. Though he was head on to me on his back haunches, so pretty sure it was only a single lung hit. Pretty sure the immediate follow up missed and the third round was a bit of a hail mary after him in the woods 40yds away as he was rounding some wineberries. I thought that had stopped him, but when I walked down, nothing. So either a 2nd not immediately fatal/disabling hit, or I missed (it would have been in his backside) I know roughly where all of the burrows are back in the woods, so he wasn't too far from one. I'd give him 50/50 he survives a single lung hit. He was definitely sluggish after he got the first 10 yds.
I have 6 more DRT. One I hit that died under my shed (yuck) for sure based on the carrion smell and swarm of flies 4 days later. And another I hit that might have made it under a neighbor's shed and died (sorry there if you are my neighbor and reading this).
So 7 for sure dead, 1 maybe, 1 might (or might be dead already as I type this). What the heck? I think the most I whacked in a year previously was 5, and 4 the two years before that.
So I need to invest in one of those 22 gatling guns? Because I feel like I am fending of a damned horde of them. Also it is too bad my wife won't let me (and well, I wouldn't feel comfortable with my kids) keep my buckmark with can on in my office desk drawer.
Was it because of such a mild winter? I feel like I clear them out and the ones from neighbors just migrate in. Should I try filling the burrows at some point? A good way to distinguish between ground hog and fox burrows? Because, the foxes leave my chickens alone, so I like having a bunch around to keep the squirrels in check (and I'd like to think they get the occasional ground hog too).
In 4 years at my current house, on >4 acres much further back in the same neighborhood I've eliminated about 4 or 5 each year. So far this year, I am up on around number 9. Just popped one almost on my back porch. He was on my front porch a few minutes earlier, circled around and came back up through the woods. Pretty sure he doesn't make it, maybe he will. Popped him through a citronella bush with a reasonably clear target at 8yds. Though he was head on to me on his back haunches, so pretty sure it was only a single lung hit. Pretty sure the immediate follow up missed and the third round was a bit of a hail mary after him in the woods 40yds away as he was rounding some wineberries. I thought that had stopped him, but when I walked down, nothing. So either a 2nd not immediately fatal/disabling hit, or I missed (it would have been in his backside) I know roughly where all of the burrows are back in the woods, so he wasn't too far from one. I'd give him 50/50 he survives a single lung hit. He was definitely sluggish after he got the first 10 yds.
I have 6 more DRT. One I hit that died under my shed (yuck) for sure based on the carrion smell and swarm of flies 4 days later. And another I hit that might have made it under a neighbor's shed and died (sorry there if you are my neighbor and reading this).
So 7 for sure dead, 1 maybe, 1 might (or might be dead already as I type this). What the heck? I think the most I whacked in a year previously was 5, and 4 the two years before that.
So I need to invest in one of those 22 gatling guns? Because I feel like I am fending of a damned horde of them. Also it is too bad my wife won't let me (and well, I wouldn't feel comfortable with my kids) keep my buckmark with can on in my office desk drawer.
Was it because of such a mild winter? I feel like I clear them out and the ones from neighbors just migrate in. Should I try filling the burrows at some point? A good way to distinguish between ground hog and fox burrows? Because, the foxes leave my chickens alone, so I like having a bunch around to keep the squirrels in check (and I'd like to think they get the occasional ground hog too).
