101/101

I've been known in the past for shooting a few groundhogs. Went 7 of 8 years taking over 500 with multiple handguns with the best being 636!
Those days are gone. Now 200 kills is the benchmark. Reached another benchmark this year.

Something else cool happened this year. In the past most of my shooting was in large fields. Between me an the Pa coyotes that moved here that kind of shooting doesn't exit. I have to search fence rows, abandoned houses and barns. But, I've had one ace up my sleeve. About 8 years ago I met the local airport manager and convinced him I could take care of all the groundhogs I've seen on the property. First year I took around 100. Every year has been a little less. This year he told me I wasn't doing enough! He gave me total access to the airport property, not restricted like before.
Now I could drive or walk anywhere except the main runway. Taxiways were OK. I hit 'em hard this year. I was close to a lot of houses and had gotten some noise complaints. Sooo, it was subsonic time. I tuned my suppressed .300 Whisper and SSK suppressed Ruger MkIII ( the Quiet Gun). Did about 15 with the Whisper, but found I could sneak around and get reasonable distances from the 'hogs.
My year's total everywhere was 239. I started taking 'hogs from 50- 85 yards with regularity with the Quiet Gun. I secretly set a goal for myself and I finally achieved it. The following photo with all the blood down the side of the 'hog was due to a hit at the carotid artery at 101 yards!! That also was ground # 101 this year with my Quiet Gun. For the first time ever my kills with revolvers and autos exceeded my long gun kill!. Yahoo!!

You are truly a living legend of the Handgun Hunting World Doc

Congrats! Doc

Nicely done

No one..... and I mean no one handgun hunts as hard and true as Larry "Doc" Rogers.... You can start with the "Big Five" or "Dangerous Seven"...take your pick....and work your way down from there....

That's awesome, Doc!

You da man, Doc!

Always enjoy your write ups Doc, keep on banging them hogs! You need to start raising & releasing them so you have some targets. Just had a guy contact me today & he's got at least 3 badgers tearing up one of his cow pastures, you should be here. I'll work on them Saturday.

Dick

Nice job, Larry!

I recall our telecon several years ago when you told me how you work your range hold-overs using the different markings in your reticle due to the slow velocity (and consequently "rainbow trajectory") of the subsonic loads. I didn't get back to you but I bought a similar scope and it is way cool the way it really works!

Quick question: have you found a pair of binocs with a laser range finder built in that you like? I bought the Nikon LaserForce binocs just before this Wyo. trip and "field tested" the h--- out of them. My evaluation: good glass, OK range finder, but the screw-out eyecups are flimsy and get bent sideways, and the glass isn't as easy to bring up and get focused on the target compared to my Wind River Leupolds or my Zeiss. Also the range finder doesn't "work" as good as my old Leicas. They are going back to Cabelas when I get home.

Gregg

Awesome job Doc. My guess is you are the most prolific handgun hunter in history. Amazing that you have kept up with them. Huge congrats.

Greg, my first pair of rangefinding binos were the original Bushnells-extremely large and heavy. Not practical.
Next I bought a NEW pair of 10X42 Leicas for $1700 about 8 years ago. They are great, good quality glass. Only complaint was no angle compensation on the older models. New ones are.
I didn't want to ruin my Leicas, so I use them on US big game hunts and half time in WV.
When Bushnell came out with the lighter ones I bought them. They actually range better than my Leicas and have the angle compensation. My only complaint is the green tint in them. I understand Bushnell took this out. I use these most of the time on groundhogs and permit deer and I've had them on 3 African safaris. They out performed my PHs Leicas in the rain and fog over there. The sand in Africa is a killer for binos. Gets into all the nooks and crannys. I totally ruined 2 pair from crawling in the sand on hippo and croc hunts. Bushnell replaced the first pair FREE with new ones. The second pair was sold to me at cost. I gave them an extensive write up on how and used and abused them (not on purpose). Maybe that helped me a little.
I feel indebted to Bushnell for how they've treated me. I have no complaints on the Bushnells for US use (did use them on a SD prairie dog hunt this year. Did great) and will continue to use them. They'll be on my neck today for a turkey hunt and tomorrow for a doe hunt. I don't feel you can go wrong with them.
Oh, Cabelas has the Leicas for $900 off (at least here in WV) now.

Way to go Doc!

Congrats Doc. I miss the six gunner. Always looked forward to reading your articles. Some of my favorite handgun hunting these days has been for squirrels with my suppressed Ruger 22. Congrats again.

Here in South Central Missouri our ground hog population is pretty pitiful now days. Lots of us hunted them until the Spring of 1974. That year it went from Blue Cold to Heavy Rain like flipping a switch. I suspected most drowned that Spring in their dens. Coyotes also moved in about that time, and have kept the numbers down since.

Very impressive job with your handgun hunting. You are a true inspiration.

The only thing breathing that I could shoot in quantity around here would be squirrels. I was much more enthused about cleaning them when I was 15.

Bob

Bob, I'm sure the water did not get your groundhogs. Probably the coyotes.
We had a 500 year flood in 1985 here that covered most of my prime fields. I worried about drowning, too. Didn't happen. Lots of groundhogs the next 20+ years. The reason?
When a groundhog digs his hole he digs straight down a ways, then he digs back "uphill" to the ground. An air pocket gets trapped in the uphill part of the den allowing them to decrease bodily functions, especially respirations. That allows them to survive a few days.
We had several other big floods after that and they survived.
The "killer" in WV was the coyotes and me!

Thank you Doc Larry for the good info; I had been contemplating the Bushnell's as my next possible choice after I return the Nikons. You helped me make up my mind.

Gregg