Re: Groundhogs are cute...but...

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CDFingers wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:47 am Unless you eat 'em, I'm against just killing them. Of suck.

CDFingers
That's the general policy on our land. Just can't relocate them and wasn't able to bring myself to clean it. Don't know why. I clean squirrels and field dressed a deer. Something about the ground hog.

Also had a change of heart with outdoor cats. Hate them running around killing all the bunnies and birds in my yard. And taunting my dog. Then we moved to the country and got tired of seeing everything of value or use destroyed in the barn. So, we have two cute psychopathic barn cats, and barn is varmint free. I now sort of understand the cat thing--they're useful on a farm, and they love some attention when I come out to do chores--though I suspect they just like that I feed them.

Re: Groundhogs are cute...but...

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cooper wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:52 am
CDFingers wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:47 am Unless you eat 'em, I'm against just killing them. Of suck.

CDFingers
Also had a change of heart with outdoor cats. Hate them running around killing all the bunnies and birds in my yard. And taunting my dog. Then we moved to the country and got tired of seeing everything of value or use destroyed in the barn. So, we have two cute psychopathic barn cats, and barn is varmint free. I now sort of understand the cat thing--they're useful on a farm, and they love some attention when I come out to do chores--though I suspect they just like that I feed them.
Yup. For 20 years it's been indoor cats only. At our new place, we've been feeding a feral mom and her kitten. We hope they stick around and don't get eaten. We'll trap/spay once they've become a bit less feral.

Re: Groundhogs are cute...but...

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Heard a thump on my porch this morning, turned around to see what it was. Groundhog. On my porch. Audacious little bugger. Cats were unconcerned.

Ya know, I read about .223 as a varmint round. It does seem like a good choice for this application. Especially if you have 30-50 of them running feral.

Re: Groundhogs are cute...but...

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I think it’s a bullet selection - IMHO. Honestly, I think a LRNFP (Keith type, wide meplat - med/soft alloy) out of a .357 carbine would be devastating on the little varmints. The bullet needs to expand rapidly in a short distance & I wouldn’t want to waste my expensive hollow points. I’ve never shot a ground hog but I have shot quite a few raccoons (as a similar sized animal.) with a .357 I always aim for the heart lungs (side) as their brains are tiny & impossible to hit (I’ve had a lot of head shots not produce a clean, rapid kill.) a .22 rifle is far & away much more effective than a .22 handgun, put a scope on it and you should be fine at 50-75 yards.

On to cats. I’m one of those folks that really like them - I have 3 neutered, outdoor only cats & one of which is super friendly. The 2 Tom’s are 7, 9 years old, and are very good mousers. I like that they keep my house, shed, camper etc, rodent free, and come up for pets when I’m in my front yard. They won’t go in the fenced area in the back Because my schnauzers chase them. I like that you can leave food and water for a week outside & they are perfectly fine when you come back.


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Re: Groundhogs are cute...but...

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The typical factory 10/22 is not reliable with anything but high speed ammunition, which is probably not accurate enough beyond 50 yards. A scoped Marlin .357 probably isn't any more accurate, but it is more lethal. I did a lot of Woodchuck control work when younger, but they were wary, so the ranges were typically 200 or so yards, and I used much more powerful rifles.

Re: Groundhogs are cute...but...

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Cats and Whistle pigs. Now there's a combo. Haven't thought much about the .22-250 in a while. The date on those reloads is 85. Blast from the past. I stopped hunting them (ground hogs), after the fellow who used to eat them died.

We have more feral cats than I care to admit. Mostly all fixed. I thought between the trap and the surgery, once released I'd never see them again. Wrong.
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This isn't going well, is it?

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