Rose Hauling Groundhog Hunt

   My dad works for Rose Hauling (mulch, topsoil, rock, etc.) and we hunt on the property very often. We deer hunt, spring turkey hunt, goose hunt (one of the best goose hunting spots in VA), and rabbit hunt. Recently, the groundhogs have been getting into some of the gardens they have out there. I took it upon myself to try and take out a couple with my .22, even though there had been plenty removed by the workers via .22 magnum and .22 hornet. On the first day I hunted, I was only able to see one groundhog, but that was ok because he had burrowed only 30 yards away from one of the gardens and had been a serious problem. I sat down about 10 yards from the hole (only way to do it with tall grass), put down my bipod, and dialed in my scope. It was over as soon as he popped his head up. He was in pretty rough shape, to the point where I'm not going to post a picture of him. He had pretty much lost all of his hair and looked absolutely awful. The next day, I went out again and found one on the edge of a field feeding in some short grass. I stalked towards him until I was around 70 yards away and put my bipod down. Once again, it was lights out and I disposed of this one after getting some hide and the tail for fly tying, since this one was in much better shape. Dove season is just around the corner, so stay tuned, thanks for reading!

Rabbit Control

  My friend was having problems with rabbits in his garden, and invited me to come over and hunt some with him. Our weapons of choice were .22s with subsonic ammo (to keep the noise down for the neighbors). We pretty much walked around the property, fished at "his" creek, and found ways to pass the time while waiting 15 minutes in between checks on the field with the garden. Around 6:00, I spotted one at around 70 yards away, that clearly knew something was up. So I set up my bi-pod and settled in for the shot. My first shot did not connect. I'm not sure if I hit a couple weeds that may have sent the bullet off course, but for whatever reason, the shot didn't connect. Luckily, the rabbit poked his head up higher to see what had happened, and this time I had a very clear shot, and my shot connected well. We put the rabbit on ice and went back into our routine of checking the field every 15-20 minutes for more rabbits. We finally spotted another one, and I hung back while my friend put a stalk on it. Although I couldn't see him when he shot, I clearly heard a loud plop of his 38 grain fiocchi subsonic hitting its mark. He brought that one back and put it in the cooler with the other one, and that was it in terms of action for the rest of the evening. I should be able to write about some REAL hunting sometime in September, when some small game/migratory bird seasons open back up. I figured I would make a post considering this is the only hunting I have done since April when I went turkey hunting 5 or 6 days (no luck). Thanks for reading!

 

My friends gun on top, mine on the bottom