Groundhog Questions!?

[jcabin]

This will be my first year hunting. I'm signed up and going out to the hunter-trapper education course at my local rod&gun club in 3 weeks. I'm sure they can answer alot of my questions there but I don't feel like waiting, and they can reiterate on them when the time comes.

Groundhogs, they are all over. What do you do with the groundhogs once you kill them? I don't plan on eating them unless I had to survive, and I don't plan on getting them mounted. I'm actually having some conflicting emotions about killing them in general because they are of no use to me in any aspect, food, prize, clothing.

Why do people hunt groundhogs? The only thing I can think of is that they destroy farmland somewhat like how crows destroy crops. If thats the case then I wouldn't have much of a problem killing them, if they are hurting a farmer. However, unlike deer, I won't be enjoying the dead animal for months and years to come through meat and mounting.

Also, it would be great if there was a place I could bring the dead bodies to, where people would use them. Are there any places such as this? Specifically Monroe County?

[wis bang]

Their holes are dangerous to field animals & farm equipment.

leaving them lay = fertilizer, let them give back what they took from the farm.

[jackinblack]

We slashed open the bellies and let the birds and other critters have a buffet.

[hornady]

There are people who eat them, not many but a few, Ground hogs are a large Rodent and cost farmers a lot of Money in crops, vet, bills as well as damaged machinery, one thing I have never been turned down on is shooting wood chucks. Most guys shoot them and throw them back in the woods the Fox and Coyote will clean them up.

[Dannytheman]

Back when I was younger tha farmer who owned the property would give me 5 bucks for every dead one, and I would get 3 dollars from a family that lived in a trailer at the creek bed!

So 8 bucks a hog? I was smiling all week!! You might find someone that wants it to eat, ask around!

[PROVANTAGE]

Good for shooting practice. If you can hit a hog at 200 yards you should have no problem shooting larger game. Also my grandfather who was an old dutchman used to eat them just to make my grandma sick lol. Dont feel bad about shooting something you dont eat there are exceptions.

[Delcoadvocate]

Definitely throw them into high weeds or the other side of the fence line, just to keep the farm animals away from the decaying animals. The live groundhogs do cause problems, but dead ones can to. Don't throw them into or near a stream where livestock may drink. If there is no fence line or tree line to throw them into, we usually kick them back down one of the holes.

[epfreak64]

A good groundhog is a dead one

[XD40coyote]

They are basically oversized rats. They dig holes that livestock can stumble into and seriously hurt themselves. The holes can cause damage to farm machinery too. In fact a groundhog cost me a pretty penny getting my old truck's driveshaft replaced after I had hit a groundhog hole I didn't see in a field. Bent the shaft just a little bit, enough to keep having the universals popping. One of them exploded on me while I was on the interstate, boy that was exciting. I was by the exit ramp and I limped the 5 miles or so home, unable to go over 15mph. I thought it would totally bust the whole way back. Well it's what the mechanics told me happened. The grinding/rattling noises had been going on for some time before the one exploded. When all the stuff was replaced, no more grinding rattling sounds anymore. All from one dinkin groundhog hole, it's the only thing I could think of that could have bent the shaft.

If you have foxes and coyotes in your area they will eat the dead groundhogs, just leave them out in the open along field edges, or if you know where an active den is, just lay them nearby. I've raised many fox pups with dead groundhogs from me and my buddy trapping them, and me laying the dead ones out where I know the fox parents go.

[fingers80002]

The meat is very tasty if prepared properly.