I saw my first one yesterday, least number seen in 3 years of us being here, maybe your dogs scared one into my backyard.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePal
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I saw my first one yesterday, least number seen in 3 years of us being here, maybe your dogs scared one into my backyard.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePal
There are probably a number of factors involved in seeing less ground hogs,everything from habitat loss to Coyotes; but have you ever considered our hunting practices could also be to blame. I have commented to guys about hunting them in the spring, as soon as they pop out of their holes... right in the middle of breeding season. If you are hunting them to eliminate a pest for the land owner, have at it, if you want to maintain huntable numbers, hunt smarter. Have any idea how many guys are hunting the Mount Forest, Durham, Varney area? Think of how close the area is to some major cities. Also consider the numbers being taken, just on this thread comments of 30 a day... that's 15 couples, having 2-6 young a year means around 30-90 are not born, do the math on shooting 70 hog in one day. Can we hunt them out, obviously if we continue to hit the same farm over and over, year after year. When I was younger a friend bought a farm that was over run, he wanted them controlled, they had not been hunted for years, first year anything that showed its head was taken, and there were a lot taken. The farm was decimated in one year.
Don't count ourselves out of the equation when it comes to lower numbers of hogs. I will continue to hunt hogs; but I limit the number I take off a property, and I only hunt after breeding season. I am taking ground hogs which makes my landowners happy, and gives me the time outdoors.
Oh, and they have gotten smarter, I see them along the roadway all the time, as if they figured out a safe place to be... there and the park in town.
Have you not noticed that in the area you are referring to, the farming practice has changed considerably.
The farms there used to have a lot of hay fields , pasture fields and fields that were allowed to go into fallow, no longer , now all these fields are either growing corn, soybean or some other grain crop.
This plus the fact there are many coyotes around that are perfectly able to get any ground hogs that are out in the open.
You may see some in fence lines, but these also are getting to be fewer as the farms are getting bigger and fence lines are taken out.
We used to hunt that area and around Durham , groundhogs galore but not now. Durham used to have a yearly groundhog shooting competition as the area was know for the abundance of them, but that has fallen by the wayside many years ago.
Most groundhogs I see nowadays are in the bush. Not they typical is the field as in days past. They are still there.
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The places we hunt the farmer says we are the only guys that hunt there. There has to be more going on my buddy has been hunting them there for 30 years and its only the last 5 or 6 years they have declined. I knw this year one of the farmers insisted we go talk to his neighbor as he was waiting for us to come up to hunt. We were there but beans were to high. The feilds also look cleaner with few visible burrows like we used to see
You are very unlikely to find groundhogs in cultivated fields.Quote:
We were there but beans were to high. The feilds also look cleaner with few visible burrows like we used to see
Quite the opposite up my way ... I have had to shoot a few right up and around the house and garden and have never had them about before.
In the last several years, I have and do see more groundhogs within the city limits than out in the country, see them around factories, parks and blvds. between the larger streets in town.
I guess there they are safer from predators, man and coyotes.
There you have it. Coyotes have no problem eating ground hogs along with every rabbit, grouse, turkey, and any other animal in the woods.Quote:
Originally Posted by jaycee
The woods are a lot quieter around our area than they used to be simply because a hungry dog will literally eat anything.
Put down the ground hog gun and pick up the coyote gun.
we and other groups in our area have made a concerted effort and it is paying off.... slowly but surely.
My opinion based on our area - your mileage may vary.
We are seeing tons of hares around this area, I am actually surprised, the coyote numbers are high, the fox numbers are coming back and the rabbit numbers are on an up swing along with the deer, the only thing that seems to be down in groundhogs, it is odd.Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Jack