Our Dogs Cornered An Intruder.....

[Sixgun]

today. My wife is screaming from the barn, "come here quick, the dogs are going to kill it". I say, "If its got two legs, leave the dogs alone.

Anyway, I have no idea how this miniature version of Punxsutawney Phil managed to survive 13 dogs chewing on it but he did. I chased the dogs off and that groundhog plum near took my hand off. He was mean, real mean.

I managed to get him in a trash can/feed barrel. I was worried about him having rabies but after about 10 minutes without the dogs on him, he calmed down and showed no signs of sickness.

I carried him out in the field (in the trash can )and said, "Now, don't mess with them dogs--they is mean!" The groundhog was very grateful for me saving him and promised to stay in the field. He also said he would dig no holes in the areas where the horse's are. He ran out of the trash can and into the grass, off to find his buddies

There was a time in my life where I would have sent a 250 grain Keith bullet towards him. I leave 'em alone now. Must be a middle age thing.



He's mad--lookee at those tooth's

[madman4570]

Yep, you have turned soft.
Got a cute big fat woody living under my shed.
he comes out every morning to usually get one of each--- apple/banana/orange
Eats better than me!

[TedH]

I bet he stays away from your barn for a while after that experience.

[Chuck 100 yd]

What did ya name him??

[Doc Hudson]

If you'd shot him, you could have cooked him and had a fine meal!

Braised Groundhog in Spiced Red Wine Sauce
Larry “Doc” Hudson
1/2 lb. bacon; finely chopped
1 5-lb groundhog, cut into serving pieces; or use 2 or 3 3-lb groundhogs, cut into serving pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup wild onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbs. brandy
1 tsp. red currant jelly
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
1/4 tsp. dried thyme.
In a heavy flame-proof 5-quart casserole, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Drain and set the casserole aside.
Wash the groundhog quickly under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the pieces with salt and pepper and then dip them in the flour, shaking off any excess flour. Heat the casserole until the fat sputters.
Add the floured groundhog pieces a few at a time and brown them evenly on all sides. As they are done, transfer the groundhog pieces to a plate. Pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from the casserole and in it cook the. onions and the garlic, stirring frequently for 6or 7 minutes. Pour in wine and chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping off any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the casserole. Stir in the brandy, currant jelly, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme. Return the pieces of groundhog to the casserole, add the drained bacon, cover the casserole tightly and simmer over low heat for two hours or until the meat is tender but not falling apart. Pick out the bay leaf and taste for seasoning. The dish should be quite peppery.
Serve the groundhog directly from the casserole.

[J Miller]

He's cute. Looks like a cross between a beaver and a rat.

Joe

[Sixgun]

What did ya name him??

"Terry" after Terry Murbach

Ah Doc, That does sound good. Maybe society has made food so easily available, many of us have given up eating game animals, especially small game--could be a Liberal "thang" to give up our hunting. ---------Sixgun

[Fiddler]

Do rodents get rabies? I have no idea. Just wondering.
I've heard of carnivores (coons, foxes, bats, felines, canines, etc) getting rabies, but for the life of me, I can't recall any rodents or herbivores (deer, horses, etc.) becoming infected.
Thirty years ago, several of my rural friends swore up and down that blacksnakes carried rabies, and there was no way I could convince them that reptiles and other coldblooded creatures could not carry the virus. Was I wrong? Was I right?
Will we ever be able to separate fact from fiction concerning rabies?

[Sixgun]

Do rodents get rabies? I have no idea. Just wondering.

'Ya know Fiddler, you got me thinking on that one. I always thought all warm blooded animals could get rabies----I'm gonna go do some "googleing"---------------Sixgun

update---yep--groundhogs can get it, but it is rarely seen

[KirkD]

I'm getting a little soft myself. I've not been as diligent as I need to about the porkers down in the Soybean field (formerly the alfalfa field).

[Marlin32]

They are good eating, at least the young ones are.

But have grown soft around the edges myself. Having this spring (after hibernating under my barn all winter) a woodchuck coming out and helping himself to my clover and soon, my garden. Wife was having a fit, knowing that one day he would be inside the fence and squaring off with the dog. But wouldn't let me shoot him. SOOO, I live trapped him, after about fourth day. Took him several miles SE of my house, turned him loose on an abandoned farmstead, which has some trees, a couple of old buildings and alfalfa right next to it. When I let him loose, he looked like he was shot out of a cannon, never saw a groundhog run that fast, stopped once at about 30yds, looked both ways and then finished the sprint to one of the old barns.

His name is "Woodie" my wife wants to drive by every so often to see if she can see him, make sure he likes his new home. She feels awful about having upset him from his home. Good grief woman.

I guess I am lucky, knowing my wife like I do, Woodie might be in my living room watching tv and eating apples right now had I not trapped him. Shooting him was out!!

[firefuzz]

What did ya name him??

"Terry" after Terry Murbach

Oh my, here it comes.

Rob

[fatoldfool]

It is right odd considering how the older I get the less I want to see something die. Being a farm kid and having several close calls on a tractor because of groundhog holes in fields, I grew up hating them. Of course as soon as I could afford a varmint rifle I started busting them and leaving them in the hole. I have eaten groundhog, but they were not a staple on the table like squirrel. Now I have one living under my shop. She had 4 babies last year.....and I have not shot one in 15 years.

[cas]

I KNOW he didn't bite you, I can tell by the pictures. If he had he probably would have curled up and died.

[uncowboy]

Well Jack with 13 Yorkies running around I would say he is lucky you saved him . I could see you comming home to find 13Yorkies covered in Groundhog scraps cleanning them selves . Lucky groundhog. OH and ya, you went soft! J.Michael

[Noah Zark]

Isn't that Gus, the "second most famous groundhog in PA," the one that peddles PA Lottery scratch-off tickets in TV commercials?



"Keep on scratchin'!"

Noah

[Streetstar]

It is right odd considering how the older I get the less I want to see something die. .

I've felt that sentiment too. It even angers me sometimes thinking about all the habitat lost to sub-divisions and things in my little community in the name of "progress".



But i digress----- i saw one of those critters recently for the first time, i am working in the Baltimore area, and saw the fat little fanny burp wobbling around eating something. I watched him(or her) for what must have been 10 minutes, as i had never seen one before.

[Sixgun]

Mike (uncowboy) & CAS---You think your funny? Remember, we will all be sleeping under the same roof very soon. Do I need to eat a double helping of fried onions, cabbage, brocolli, Bush's beans, old deer jerky, and throw in a few hard boiled eggs? I can't wait for the fun to begin.

[Ysabel Kid]

What did ya name him??

"Terry" after Terry Murbach

Oh my, here it comes.

Rob

I CAN SEE THE ALL CAPS FLYING NOW!!!

[junkwrencher]

Once again a stero-type has been broken.Gun lovers are bloodthirsty killers.I once allowed a mother field mouse to move her entire litter out of a shed I was cleaning out.I just couldn't do away with babies, although I may get them when they're grown. She picked them up one at a time by the nap of the neck and moved them to another location. I also found myself in the middle of a pack of rutting skunks, I was carrying a side-lever gun and knew I couldn't get them all so I stood still, they took their love elsewhere and never sprayed a drop. Dick Preonnokke observed that on some native reservations all the game is gone for some distance around them because of a lack of restraint. If we understand the true meaning of meekness, which is power under control,sometimes we can live in peacefull existance with nature,and then we remember how good she tastes.Groundhogs are best eaten in the fall after the acorns have started to fall.Right now they're eating too much grass and don't taste near as good.I salute your restraint in the control of the dogs and shooters.Power under control...

[piller]

If you don't need it for food, then I agree with not shooting it. If the critter is not harming anything, not tearing up anything needed by you, and not rabid, then why not leave it be as you did. May this good deed come back as a blessing for you.

[EdinCT]

My Dad told me about a afternoon in the early 1930's when he and his best friend laid with a Stevens crackshot through a stone wall waiting for a big old chuck to walk by the opening. After a long time she did and they shot her because she was in a field next to the families gardens.
The next day they were walking in the feild and found a tiny woodchuck and caught it. They raised it with my Grandmothers help and had a real good time with him. He said the chuck really loved donut holes and would come running when he heard the bag shake.
Well one afternoon near fall the boys heard a rifle shot and Gramp came off the hill with his 38 WCF. They said what happened and Gramp said he rolled a chuck on the run leaving his beans. The boys called there pet and Gramp felt awful bad when he didn't come, but they couldn't find him where Gramp said he would be. The next day he showed up with a 40. cal groove across his back. Gramp said it is getting near fall take him up to a hay lot far from the house early in the morning so he can find a winter den. The boys turned him lose and we never shot chucks in that field for 40 years. Now its all houses and I wonder if the old boys kin are eating beans there now?
To show how boys don't grow up Dad caught one when he was in his fifties that was about a third grown. He kept him in a cage for 3-4 days talking nice and spoiling him with good greens. He stayed mean as can be so Dad turned him lose next to his place of business were he could watch him.

[Charles]

Good for you. The older a man becomes, the more value he attaches to all forms of life. We have just seen too much death and dying. When I was younger, I would hunt game and slaughter varmints wholesale. The last thing I killed was a ground squirrel playing around the target berm about five years go. I swung the front sight on my Remington 24 (25-20) on him and squeezed the trigger. The result was a two piece critter.

There was no reason for me to kill that little guy other than I could. That did it for me. I am done with killing, unless a rattlesnake gets to close to me or mine. Self defense not withstanding.

[2571]

Do rodents get rabies? I have no idea. Just wondering.

'Ya know Fiddler, you got me thinking on that one. I always thought all warm blooded animals could get rabies----I'm gonna go do some "googleing"---------------Sixgun

update---yep--groundhogs can get it, but it is rarely seen

Sylvatic plague more likely than hydrophobia. Animal arrier usually asymptomatic. First syptom in humans is death.