Jul 8, 2017 4 min read

I watched the field, to no avail. Groundhog hunting was hitting hard times since the expanding of the coyote numbers. Since man has been trying to eliminate this carnivore for hundreds of years with little success the future of groundhog hunting might appear dim. Significant hog numbers do exist in certain places. These are mostly areas where human habitat is high.

Looking at the future of the pasture poodle, I still believe there is hope. In many instances, the animal that is primarily the prey adjusts to this new predator. It might take a few generations but it can happen. Despite this drop in groundhog numbers in the open areas, I still take the old varmint rifle with me as I sit in the fields watching through the binoculars. Sometimes I hit lucky and find a field that still holds a stable number of targets. The groundhog has found it safer to move closer to the houses and out of these fields. He is adapting.

I was hunting with Mike Weber last week and the conversation turned to groundhog outfits. Of course, almost any rifle-scope combo can be used, and has been used, but there are certain rifle-cartridge combos that are designed for such hunting and some that are useful for both groundhogs and deer-sized game. We all have our favorites and ill swear it is the best and can prove it. After all, our hunting partner just missed one at 400 yards. That is one reason I hate to hunt with a partner shooting the same caliber rifle as the one I brought that day. You think if I had been shooting my Swift instead of that 22-250 you might have hit that one. In reality, either one would have done the job if the wind hadn’t been blowing but it doesn’t feel that way.

That day, Mike hit one at more than 400 yards with his 25-06 despite the breeze. That is one great cartridge, maybe the best for long-range deer hunting or poking at groundhogs at long range. When shooting at hogs it bucks the fickle wind better than the smaller rounds. However, there are two obvious disadvantages to this round in the pastures and that is the noise factor and the recoil. I know it doesn’t kick like a 30-06 or .300 magnum but in big-game season one doesn’t fire 2 shots while wearing a T-shirt. This is what makes the hot shot 22s such good varmint rounds. They just don’t kick the snot out of you.

To be a great groundhog round, the rifle-cartridge combo must be accurate and fast. The accuracy is necessary for the shot to stay within the small animal and the speed flattens the trajectory, allowing less hold over on the long shots.

I remember one season when I bagged groundhogs with eight different rounds. I did it just to see if I could. They were .222, 22-250, 219 Donaldson Wasp, .220 Swift, 25-06, .243, 6mm Remington, .270 and .264 magnum. Each rifle did its job but, of course, some did better than others. It was natural that I used the .222 at shorter ranges than the .264 and limited the latter to places where the noise didn’t upset the neighbors. Incidentally, the .264 turned into a fantastic long-range caliber for me.

Today’s shooter is offered a vast array of new rounds for varmint hunting, and I am an old fuddy duddy that insists on using some of the old ones. I love the .222, which dates back to the 1950s. The .22 that I think is the best is the Swift, which I believe was first offered in 1935. I believe the newest is the .264, which dates back to the late 1950s and was first offered in the collectable pre-Winchester model 70. If I had to stay with one round, however, it probably would be the 220 Swift followed closely by the 6mm Remington.

I must admit to never shooting a chuck with a 17 caliber, but I hunted with a friend who used a 17 Remington. The same could be said about the 204 and many others. After all, I can’t afford them all. But here’s a hurrah to those rounds designed to shoot little critters at distances few could imagine 100 years ago. The pesky groundhog has done its bit to rifle and cartridge development. You notice I didn’t mention scopes, that’s for another day.

Well, enough of this talk about rifles and cartridges. It’s time for me to see if there is a groundhog in the garden eating our beans. He has packed his bag and moved residence. He’s taken up a new place right in the back yard.

George Block writes a weekly outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.