[WestPhillyFam]

Just wondering if anyone was hunting groundhogs with their crossbow? My uncle is letting us hunt his small farm and it will only acommodate archery safety zones. He's got a deer problem but his bigger problem is the groundhogs so we want to try our hand at helping with that, too. We've eaten groundhog, so we'd bring home some dinner, too, so sparing the meat is a consideration.

We've found some advice on small game heads to use, but wondering what your special tips are if there is anyone who likes to do this and has experience. We are new to crossbow hunting and we've never hunted groundhog before.

The 11 year old is interested, too, and may make this her first quarry (she just passed her test and will be 12 soon, or as a Mentored Youth).

 

[mightyjoeyoung]

G5 small game head. Those things are total destruction on little critters. Shoot them in the shoulder or head and they'll be just as dead, just as fast as with a .22 LR.

 

[cspot]

They are great practice and I highly recommend it especially for new hunters. I always just used some old broadheads that I have laying around. The downside is lost arrows and heads can get a little pricey. Here is my son a few years ago with a whistlepig.

 

[octagon]

Sweet

 

[Swamped]

I would definitely suggest taking a new hunter out for ground hogs with crossbow it is a blast and can teach many lessons.
I stalked one on ground last week that was munching on my plot non stop.
Got within 35 yds(not so easy with an orange cap on)put him down.
I use old broadheads.
Take a range finder and have some fun!!!

 

[PA Waterfowler]

We have whacked quite a few this year with our vertical bows using the G5 small game heads. Tremendous amount of shock. Few moved after being hit.

 

[WestPhillyFam]

Thanks for all the advice! We don't have any old broadheads since we've just started with crossbow, so we'll likely get the G-5's. How come kids hunting groundhogs always have shorts and street shoes on?

Great pic and looks like a fun time. My 11 year old has been fired up about it for awhile.

 

[007hunter]

I'd have to be pretty hungry to eat one of them. Yuck.

 

[WestPhillyFam]

I'd have to be pretty hungry to eat one of them. Yuck.

I haven't eaten any yet, so time will tell. The kids liked it, the husband thought it needed to be stewed longer (a friend made a stew for them). I have a friend who loves boiled raccoon

.

 

[PA Waterfowler]

Hogs go into our pulled mammal Q along with any other mammals or birds we have left in the freezer!

Even though there is not one pit of pork in it you couldn't tell. Just put all the meat into the crock pot with carrots, onions and garlic and cook for the end of eternity! LOL just kidding. Usually about 12 hrs or until everything falls apart. Shred the meat, add your favorite BBQ sauce and enjoy on a kaiser roll!

PA Waterfowler

 

[WestPhillyFam]

Hogs go into our pulled mammal Q along with any other mammals or birds we have left in the freezer!

Even though there is not one pit of pork in it you couldn't tell. Just put all the meat into the crock pot with carrots, onions and garlic and cook for the end of eternity! LOL just kidding. Usually about 12 hrs or until everything falls apart. Shred the meat, add your favorite BBQ sauce and enjoy on a kaiser roll!

PA Waterfowler

That sounds really good and just the kind of recipe we like. Can you eat the meat off the ribs, too

?

 

[PA Waterfowler]

95% of the hogs we get are shot with .22-250's, .223's and other high power high energy cartridges. With a V-max bullet and a center mass hit the ribs are usually blown to pieces if not disintegrated. So no, we don't use the ribs. I'm sure there is some meat on them, but it probably isn't worth the work.

We usually just take the back legs off of them, mostly because that is whats left in our case but also because the meat to work ratio is high.

 

[West Philly Mike]

95% of the hogs we get are shot with .22-250's, .223's and other high power high energy cartridges. With a V-max bullet and a center mass hit the ribs are usually blown to pieces if not disintegrated. So no, we don't use the ribs. I'm sure there is some meat on them, but it probably isn't worth the work.

We usually just take the back legs off of them, mostly because that is whats left in our case but also because the meat to work ratio is high.

I was joking about barbecuing the ribs

. Thanks for the tip about the legs. We plan to hit them with a bow or, if we do it somewhere other than the place we plan to go to which is archery-only, my daughter will try for them with her .17HMR.

 

[Hiamovi]

If the land owner gives you permission you can hunt inside the safety zone with any legal hunting weapon.Safety zone regs don't apply if you have permission.

 

[WestPhillyFam]

If the land owner gives you permission you can hunt inside the safety zone with any legal hunting weapon.Safety zone regs don't apply if you have permission.

The buildings on the property are not the problem - it's the adjacent properties. The property is long and narrow and there are houses lining one side of it (road on the other). At no point on the property do you get 150 yards from those neighbors because it's no narrow. Maybe it would be possible to get permission from the whole line of them, but we are OK with picking up a new skill and hunting a little more safely in a populated area.

 

[mightyjoeyoung]

Safety zone for archery hunting (including xbows) is 50 yards...