Groundhogs

Use a 12 gauge. I do that to get rid of sage rats and gophers. One shot, one kill, with a tight spread pattern. Over kill? Perhaps. Does it do the job better then a 22.? Yep. Plus no real worries of ricochet.

He's gotta eat.

Baiting close to a hole = free food fast. He probably has an additional exit farther away that you don't know about, as 15' between holes doesn't give him much distance to roam.
I wait and sit at about 50 yards, and watch the wind. If the wind is from behind me toward the hole, I move.

They usually come out after a good sleep, and set near the hole. They will stand up and scent the wind and get a good view of stuff at a distance...they also make a great target when they do that. A 224 grain, soft lead, .530 round ball at 1400 fps tends to make them tumble when you catch them standing up.

LD

I’ve shot more with a shotgun too. I used to sneak around our shed to the compost pile every Sunday morning after breakfast. About once per month there was a woodchuck there that I could usually hit on the run from 5-10 yds with my moms 20 ga H&R.

If you can't get a shot, try adding standoff distance between you and him. I stopped shooting them unless they are causing a ruckus. I also learned that you can keep a hole from being dug out again by putting animal waste into the hole first and then filling it in. They won't want to dig in poo, just like the rest of us. Lastly there is always the smoke bomb placed into the hole, then fill it in and any other hole that has smoke coming from it.

GaryinVirginia said:

What bait do you use for groundhogs?

I've tried everything and hear cantaloupe is best. He moves so fast that I can't get a shot. There's about 5 yards between his holes.

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The bait I use is peanut butter on apple. That said, hardly any die that way as it's usually a bullet that takes them out.

If a groundhog comes out of its hole and then goes back in, most of the time it will come out again within a few minutes. If you're ready, you can probably hit it.

There is a family of the critters that have made the 25 yard back stop at my gun club their home. All summer they roam the grassy areas between the target butt areas down to the fifty and one hundred lines Gun fire doesn’t seem to bother them. It’s against club rules to shoot any animals on the clubs property. Between the trout pond and the marshy areas there’s plenty of feed, cover and water. Turkeys are common. Must drive the hunting members nuts.

NY Mayor fumbled his groundhog and it later died. Other ways to get rid of them than shooting...

No bait needed. Lay a #220 conibear trap over the hole. Anchor it with a 3 ft piece of rebar.

GaryinVirginia said:

What bait do you use for groundhogs?

I've tried everything and hear cantaloupe is best. He moves so fast that I can't get a shot. There's about 5 yards between his holes.

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I had a groundhog problem under a shed. Red tomatoes worked wonders. I would catch one every day in a live trap. I finally trapped/shot/smoked them out of the massive burrow.