I am tickled pink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DalesCarpentry]

I am tickled pink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was on my way to the store today and almost run over a Groundhog. This means fellows they are waking up. Still seems a little early here in Pa but I am not complaining. Have they come out of hibernation where you live yet? Dale

[rural17]

Saw a dead one on the side of the road here in southern lower Michigan. Maybe it's time to have fun! 
Jeff

[NONYA]

i SAW A BUTTERFLY YESTERDAY,couldnt believe it.

[Ladobe]

The sage rats and picket pins have been up off and on for a few weeks now as far north as Washington state, and with the warming trend ought to be up to stay for the season very soon.   Glad to see it as they are all back down for the season by mid-late July in this state.

Can't count butterflies as they fly here year round.   

L.

[Glanceblamm]

We have been seeing some Robins within the last two weeks. They seem to be running late this year.

[gooser]

 well I haven't seen any chucks yet,but my neighbor claims to have shot one 2 weeks ago when we had a warm day(in the 50's). I have been watching for them too. seen a few geese a couple days ago...
 Mid-Michigan area, saginaw.
 gooser

[Glanceblamm]

You will know when it is starting to warm up good when you see that smashed snake that tried to cross the highway. Even these don't last long though as there seems to be a big redtail hawk at least every three to four miles along the Interstate stretch that are ready to do this cleanup...if they beat the crows there, that is.
We have an abundance of the Hawks & Owls for sure...According to my 1940's vintage Varmint & Crow hunters Bible they used to shoot the dickens out of these things, Especially the Owls. Both species are highly protected now of course and are hard on the Pheasant population along with the smaller varmints. The Coyotes don't really help this situation out either but the Biologist are mainly blaming the habitat loss as todays farmer needs to till from fence row to fence row.

In short, I really do not expect any good varmint shooting around here this year. I can scan miles and miles of New soybeans that border drainages and woods and see little or no damage caused by the groundhogs. It used to be easy to take out 40 or so during the spring/early summer but the groundhog is almost non-existant except for the ones that can be seen around the suburbs of the larger city's.
I will take out some ground squirrels again this year. I wouldn't even fool with them except for calls by locals who tell me that they are invading the farm yard from the outbuilding areas pock-marking the yard with holes.
This is like a mini prairie dog hunt and I use the old H&R .22 revolver early and the bolt action .22 WMR once they wise up some.

[rex6666]

Glancblamm
I am not tring to be a smata$$, but do they spray the crops their with insecticides?
this coupled with how many people killing 30-40 in the spring and summer might have
an efect on the population, they are rasing young at this time arn't they. I don't know how GH
raise their young, being from Texas, but would think if you kill a female in the spring you
have killed 3-4 young also.

[petemi]

I have studied Raptors, birds of prey, all my life and banded hawks and owls for 15 years.  Raptors only enhance woodchuck populations by taking out mice, meadow voles, and other smaller rodents that compete with them.  By doing so, they also increase grain harvest for farmers. Adult woodchucks are way out of their prey spectrum, except possibly the Great Horned Owl and the Golden Eagle.  It pisses me off when people shoot a "chicken hawk" and it is a Rough Legged with feet so tiny he can only feed on mice, small birds and carrion.  Learn the facts, learn the rules before you shoot.  It is time to wake up!  Raptors are beneficial to wildlife, not a threat.  I am not a "Tree Hugger",  I'm a hunter, predator, varmint, big game, small game, bird hunter, and I'm good at it.  I had 67 years to learn, and I learn more every day, a lot of it here.  The bottom line is:  Hawks and Owls aren't working against you, they're improving your hunting, shooting and farming.  And if you want to stretch it out a bit, their rodent control is helping to cut the cost of your food and fuel......time to say Amen.

[woodchukhntr]

I haven't seen any 'chucks yet since there is still snow in places (central NY).  I saw some robins a couple of weks ago.

'chucks are getting scarce around here due to changes in farming practices, abandoned farms, and coyotes.  Then there are the guys that shoot them as soon as they come out.  I don't hunt them on the farms until mid-May at the earliest.  That's when the young can take care of themselves.  I will make exceptions to that rule and hunt in areas like state land where the grass will grow and hide them in May, effectively closing the season.

[Inrut24/7]

dale, I took the 22 mag for a walk here in bedford county this past friday afternoon, I saw 2 whistle pigs but they both saw me before i got within rimfire range.

[DalesCarpentry]

Petemi I have to ask. In the picture in your avatar is that a bird that caught a cat? If so could you possibly post a larger picture of it? I think that is a pretty neat picture. Inrut better luck next time. Dale

[petemi]

The picture in my avatar came right out of the galleries here.  The instant I saw it I loved it!  It is a honking big Red-tailed Hawk, undoubtedly a female.  I've banded several thousand redtails over the years, but never caught one that way.  If you look closely, the birds feet are low and forward and her head is turned looking back with the "who pooped in my Easter basket look".  If it is a real photo, I'd have loved to have been there to see what happened next.  Released hawks come out of your hand that way, legs hanging and looking back at you.  The cat could have been added.  I've got albums of hawk photos, but they were all taken before digital cameras.  I should look into ways to get them on the computer.

[Glanceblamm]

Glancblamm
I am not tring to be a smata$$, but do they spray the crops their with insecticides?
this coupled with how many people killing 30-40 in the spring and summer might have
an efect on the population, they are rasing young at this time arn't they. I don't know how GH
raise their young, being from Texas, but would think if you kill a female in the spring you
have killed 3-4 young also.

It is possible, or a variable for sure. The soybeans are planted in early to mid June and by the time they sprout to the time they are tall enough to hide a mature groundhog really isnt that long. The shooting distances become longer as the groundhog gets warier and this  (seed) is often protected because of the crop rotation to corn the next year which gives them great cover. Pasture lands used to be  hard to control. Seemed like shoveling dirt in the holes used to be a weekly chore that had to be done so a cow wouldn't break a leg even though one would get out early and late when possible to take out a few.

I think that the habitat loss has been the main factor. Used to be that the hedge row and the shade produced made for poor crop growing areas but the grasses and saplings would quickly grow providing much cover that is now gone.
Fence rows used to be the same but of a lesser extent. A lot of these areas have been trimmed back by a full 40yds on either side.

[Glanceblamm]

I have studied Raptors, birds of prey, all my life and banded hawks and owls for 15 years.  Raptors only enhance woodchuck populations by taking out mice, meadow voles, and other smaller rodents that compete with them.  By doing so, they also increase grain harvest for farmers. Adult woodchucks are way out of their prey spectrum, except possibly the Great Horned Owl and the Golden Eagle.  It pisses me off when people shoot a "chicken hawk" and it is a Rough Legged with feet so tiny he can only feed on mice, small birds and carrion.  Learn the facts, learn the rules before you shoot.  It is time to wake up!  Raptors are beneficial to wildlife, not a threat.  I am not a "Tree Hugger",  I'm a hunter, predator, varmint, big game, small game, bird hunter, and I'm good at it.  I had 67 years to learn, and I learn more every day, a lot of it here.  The bottom line is:  Hawks and Owls aren't working against you, they're improving your hunting, shooting and farming.  And if you want to stretch it out a bit, their rodent control is helping to cut the cost of your food and fuel......time to say Amen.

petemi,
I need those rodents to keep my Coyotes fed
Seriously, I do not play vigilante with the state managed wildlife but will take out the feral cats at every opportunity.

[Qaz]

 The GH are already out here in VA and I have already shot three. Two the first day I went out, one two days later.

[Ladobe]

I am not tring to be a smata$$, but do they spray the crops their with insecticides?
this coupled with how many people killing 30-40 in the spring and summer might have
an efect on the population, they are rasing young at this time arn't they. I don't know how GH
raise their young, being from Texas, but would think if you kill a female in the spring you
have killed 3-4 young also.

Can't say on eastern GH's, but can comment along these lines on our western sage rats - Beldings.   Pups are usually already in the nest by the time the adults come up in my hunt area, which depending on elevation might be anywhere from very late March to early May.    We try to schedule shoots for about the time the pups come up and while the first crop is still new enough to not easily hide them.   Poisoning doesn't have as much effect on overall populations as our shooting does.   Why I have so many ranching communities who not only let me host shoots on their land, they welcome us with open arms and our money is no good at their businesses.   They have to bury poison here, a so called deterrent to collateral damage.   Don't believe it - it doesn't prevent many from being picked up by the carrion feeding species.   Poisoning is very expensive and requires special equipment to be buried, and it only impacts the population initially.   Since most ranchers get 3 crops in that area, they'd have to poison at least two times a season to have much real impact on that seasons population of diggers.   Even with poisoning and although we kill many thousands at a particular 10 day shoot, they are back in numbers just as strong again the following season.   Some years the ground literally crawls with them and you can shoot dawn to dusk without moving your portable bench in some fields.   But by thinning the herd in April/May at least our shoots save a rancher from having to poison for the spring crop, and cut rat numbers for that season back enough he gets 2nd and 3rd crops, some years without having to poison at all.

   

[Trav]

Well said.  I am at 10 so far this spring.  10 shots, 10 kills (I did miss one, but picked up a double on the next shot).

[gooser]

well I finally seen 2 woodchucks,however it was while driving. will be going out this weekend looking for them.