Shot placement on big Eastern groundhogs.

[alnpar]

Shot 284 prairie dogs this year with a 17 hornet. All were 25gr Vmax reloads. I can't find any .172 cal 25gr bullets now anywhere.

Where did you find that many. Seems most have been poisoned out in SE Colorado last June were we went. Maybe 100 or so in three days. Not worth the 800 mile drive

 

[ohlongarmisle]

I'm a relative newcomer to the 17 hornet, only ammo or components available when I bought the gun were 15.5 ntx loads and pills. Found a single box of 20s with some dust in then the other day and haven't shot them yet. I'm curios for those that have lots of kills with the 17 hornet. Whats your favorite bullet? I've ordered some varmint nightmare noslers and want to order some 25s and maybe some mono bullets eventually. But if it's not needed, I'd happily divert to a specific bullet if wisdom and experience necessitates...

I use the 15.5 Hornady NTX almost exclusively on GH's ,and the round has dropped it's share of coyotes also, no runaways with shot placement where it needs to be.

 

[crkckr]

Great pics! But they make me awfully jealous! I'd love to get the opportunity to get into a bunch of them. My uncle and I used to shoot rockchucks in N. CA years ago, he always used a very accurate Sako .223 whIle I, as often as not, used my .338 Win Mag (!). Or my .243 Ruger 77V, which was pretty accurate. He was pretty recoil sensitive but loved watching me try for those 400 yard shots. There simply were not the numbers out west that you guys back east find! We would sit for quite a while trying to glass up a shootable (exposed) 'chuck and just finding the things was almost work! I didn't hit too many of them (my uncle seldom missed anything!) as the Ruger 77 was accurate for a .338 (1" at 100) but wasn't a varmint rifle. But I sure scared the bejesus out of a bunch! These days I'd like to get my .22 Cheetah out there. That thing could wreck havoc on them!
Cheers,
crkckr

 

[NDAR15MAN]

You guys that shoot a lot of ground hogs are very lucky. Here in Iowa it is impossible to shoot more than 1 or 2 a year. Farmers would never allow permission no matter how much damage is done to their land. 3 ground hogs a year here is a very very good year. MD

 

[comfisherman]

I use the 15.5 Hornady NTX almost exclusively on GH's ,and the round has dropped it's share of coyotes also, no runaways with shot placement where it needs to be.

Interesting. They seem to shoot alright in my rifle, my first foray in using the rifle was on a very windy beach and was a bit surprised at how much they got pushed around by it. Probably wasn't a fair assessment and a poor application choice for the task at hand. I'd like to try the 25s whenever hornady gets around to making more.

Had a brief foray in sub calibers with a model 12 savage with the ugliest Richard's microfit Culbertson prone stock back in college. Was fun on sage rats but near 13 lbds and went down the road pretty quick. Last year ended up with both a hornet and 204, and it's been a whole new learning curve getting setup and acclimated to tiny bullets.

Some of those groundhogs are massive. Did some rock chuck hunting back in the day but they looked like about 70% the size of the ones in the picture. A rancher had them tearing up the backside of a dike and we went out and whacked them. Sadly unlike sage rats we seem to have shot them all as we had 7, 3, 1 and then never saw another for the rest of the year or even the next.

 

[Rover3]

NDAR15MAN, Why will they not let you shoot them Iowa?

 

[comfisherman]

NDAR15MAN, Why will they not let you shoot them Iowa?

Don't want to speak out of turn for Iowa farmers, but I know some owners in Oregon who are pro hunting and 2a but had to stop allowing hunting. One had 3 calves shot in a single winter, other had so many holses shot in his pivots he stopped allowing general hunting to occur.

It's been great for me as I still have access and no longer share with the masses, but it's a loss to the broader community. But the farmer made the easy decision varmint infestation > shot up pivots. And lots of folks lost access to some choice ground.

 

[alnpar]

Don't want to speak out of turn for Iowa farmers, but I know some owners in Oregon who are pro hunting and 2a but had to stop allowing hunting. One had 3 calves shot in a single winter, other had so many holses shot in his pivots he stopped allowing general hunting to occur.

It's been great for me as I still have access and no longer share with the masses, but it's a loss to the broader community. But the farmer made the easy decision varmint infestation > shot up pivots. And lots of folks lost access to some choice ground.

Makes me so mad when people abuse property. If you want to shoot at something, bring your own targets. But respect the lawn owners and their property. When I shoot PD on any property, I pick up my empties, and never, ever leave any trash.

 

[ohlongarmisle]

Makes me so mad when people abuse property. If you want to shoot at something, bring your own targets. But respect the lawn owners and their property. When I shoot PD on any property, I pick up my empties, and never, ever leave any trash.

Agree, one reason i take no one to my spots securing over 5000 acres in Ohio is no easy task took me two decades,by spring 2023 should have another 1500,I pack out all groundhogs also. A plus for many farmers who despise the buzzards who prey on calving heifers.

 

[Mike Patton]

Nice
Loved hunting Chucks up in NE PA. Started hunting them with my friend's 308 deer rifle around 1970. Alot of Chuck Hunting changed over the years, There wasn't much if any interest in chuck hunting except from the farmers. In the 80's there were a few guys that wanted some more hunting rather than the short Deer season and small game in PA. The 22.250 came out as King and getting someone to build in a heavy Barrel. Remington 40XBR was the shooter and getting out to 500yds you were considered a King Chuck hunter.
In 2004 Ruger came out with the .204 Ruger. A 222 Mag with a 32 or 40 gr Hornady bullet the 32 gr could get 4,200 fps. Ruger sold a Mark II Target Grey with a 26" heavy barrel. I bought one of the first off the line. When I went to PA to shoot with the old timers that all shot 22.250 or 6mm Rem thought that the bullet and cartridge was too small. Once I started hitting chucks out to 500yrd they still were not convinced. It was like a Laser and good in the wind. I did change to the 39gr SBK. . Well every visit I would shoot and hit the long shots. Then would miss the less than 100 yard shots. I also brought my Volquatsen17HMR and then was told that it may be illegal due to semi auto so I never shot it. Heck was shooting squirrels at 200 out of trees here in GA.
Anyway the .204 Ruger was claiming high kills and with the SBK 39 gr. was devastating on chucks and Yotes. Hugh front SPLASH . Would destroy the chuck.
One of my last visits before my mom passed I took my custom built .260 with a Bartlein 26, 1:8 5R put into an AX AICS Chassis.
l WAS GETTIN <1/4" MOA. started shooting chucks out past 3-4 farmers fields 1.000yds ++. Also had a Vortex Razor 7x27-56. That was some good shooting over the 22.250
TRULEY MISS THOSE DAYS AND THE FRIENDSHIP WITH FELLOW SHOOTERS AND THE OWNERS OF THE FARMS. Saw then go from being broke 365 and then getting a NG Lease or Well on their property. Story of Poor to RICH. Was extremely happy for all of them.
Getting back to the post.
Go with a .204 Ruger!!!!

Yes the 204 is incredible

 

[tomsd]

Alright - have a nice Savage bolt action - - in 17 HMR - with a Bull barrel - that I have not really sighted in. Glad to hear/read these reports from the field - as it will help motivate this old fart to git up off da couch.

 

[CNY Yote Hunter]

Shot 284 prairie dogs this year with a 17 hornet. All were 25gr Vmax reloads. I can't find any .172 cal 25gr bullets now anywhere.

Midway gets them from time to time in a pack of 500

 

[Mr. Magoo]

I'm in southern AZ and would love to make a trip to help rid you of those pesky PD's if you have enough for three of us to keep really busy. Last June drove to SE corner of CO. and only a few hundred. Had a ball but not sure the motel and only few expensive places to eat was worth the trip. So now looking for anywhere we can shoot all day for three days or so!
As far as shooting goes, I was shooting over 215 yards with my Savage .17 HMR with Bull Barrel. Now I just got a new CZ 457 Varmint. Shooting it with grandkids with Shioloutte Pigs (6X8 inch) at 235 yards. I find the CCI ammo brand will grouped differently. I also have used my CZ457 .22 Cal for the same range. The $20 box of S&K, and Lapula is great. But lately I found the Norma shoot just as good and half price and less than the above!
So if I/We can come up and rid/eradicate them, my phone is 520-678-0041, as I don't see a way to PM you.

Id take you up on that but what i dodnt mention is we recently had a coyote poulation boom that I think decimated the rabbit and groundhog population, since I only saw a few this spring, one in the summer, and I only saw one after the hay was cut until now. Up to last year, theres no way I could have stayed ahead of the groundhogs, so it has to be coyotes killing them off. Come to think of it, I think the 'yote population boom has run off all the foxes too as we used to have a few (I don't generally shoot foxes as they're one of the things that keep the mice and gopher population under control and since there's very few sheep and goats here, they don't kill much livestock other than chickens and no sane person would leave their chickens out at night anyway)

There's a few farms further north that still have prairie dog problems though. I had been wanting to get out and do some shooting there but something else would always seem come up. (I didn't even go fishing this year!)

 

[HRM Johnny]

… no fishing?!!