number three

the third one so far

You could cook that up with some turnips mmmmm.....

My dog has killed four little ones in the last few days. Now that he has a taste for them,it's hard to get him to come in the house.

Doesn't look happy.

Some years back I got 14. 13 shot from my front deck and one with my truck. We don't get too many in the fields since the coyotes moved in.

There is a big boom in population here. More then ever. Cant figure out why. They
are out numbering the rabbits!!

Five years ago I caught 18 of them after I learned how to trap them. I haven't had much of a problem with them since. Maybe one or two a year. I haven't seen any sign of any yet this year.

(quoted from post at 23:47:59 06/19/15)

the third one so far

Click to expand...

Back in the 50s and 60s it was common to see chuck hunters riding the roads where I lived in the early evening shooting them.
Now, most of the small farms around here are gone and there are not that many open fields. Besides, all the "transplants" have their land posted and don't like seeing any critters killed.
Back in the mid-sixties, my brother shot 300 in one summer; all "cut off their tails" verifiable. And.......he did it all with a 22 with a well sighted-in scope. He was out every evening after supper.
The one thing I noticed back in those days, no matter how many were killed, the population out in the fields remained fairly static.
My Dad had a part shepherd who, when she was in her prime would get a chuck nearly every day. Many days he would have to go down and move some stones on the stone wall when she would get one cornered there.
I used to shoot them a lot myself but once I intentionally swerved on to the shoulder with my car and killed one......felt bad about that.....go figure!

a groundhog study was done on an Army base many years ago where an area was fenced off in 2 plots of identical size and topography. No hunting was allowed on one plot for 5 years while unlimited hunting on the other plot. At the end of the study, the 'hog populations were nearly the same.

Around here most of them are near houses as the coyotes keep them cleaned up in the fields.

what are you using for bait may I ask

They over ran me last year, I trapped 1/2, shot the rest, they thin the previous year, but over ran me the year before that. Seems I reduce the population but it bounces right back in a year. So every other year its a problem lately. I've got one trying to rebuild a den under the back steps again, he's gotten off with warnings as I have missed each shot. He knows I'm after him too, he's got a den down the hill, but they love to be up near this house. I had an un-planned cover crop of pig weed in the upper garden patch, and they love that stuff, but I tilled that in for green manure, but he likes whats on the surrounding lawn. Field adjacent is not cut yet so, and I'm waiting on my new to me tractor to be delivered so for the first time in 13 years I can try to enjoy cutting this field, that helps keep em back, but they do run the old fence row as its wider with small trees and vegetation, makes a nice covered path.

They certainly are smart, vicious when caged though, wear a thick pair of welders gloves if handling. I dump them into a steel garbage can from a trap, can grab them from the back of the neck, control their body, they will submit. Most times I just tip the can over where I release them, lately I've had to dispatch most of them as I could not keep up with traps. I use ripe bananas for bait when trapping. Been a long time since I have caught one by hand, I used to be really good at out smarting them in the field, it does take patience though. They can get smart to that and will run to an alternate den if need be, as there is a network of them here now. Most go to their own den, but I have seen them run to another known hole more than once, after seeing them use another den exclusively. Depends on their age too, young ones are not as smart or cunning. If they do this, it might be a battle once inside if occupied by another one.

Outflank them undetected when grazing, know their path to the den, get in between them and the den, spook him where he's grazing with a rock or something, or just wait. Its like catching a ground ball in baseball, they will run right to you, but freeze at your feet, then you pounce and pin them to the ground. Thick gloves are required, elbow length if you can, but welders gloves will do. I've never had one be able to get to me by accident, but trust me, they could lop off a finger or darned close to it !

I caught my 3rd one this morning. I really don't know why I am catching them since my garden is almost all gone. They got to be full. My corn and beans look like they been run over by a stampede!! They have even been eating my tomato's.