A family of foxes killed the groundhog and took his hole.
I'm kind of mad about it.
.223 mad.

Back to the stick.
I have been doing a job for what seems like forever, and now I can go back to my regular life.
Stick hunting takes time.
It is now squirrel season. Last year I got skunked with the throwing stick. So I have decided that this year I will rotate back and forth between the stick and a a Snake-charmer shotgun, and limit my shots to 10 yards or less. This will keep me in the right distance, and right mindset.
Yesterday I was able to get to within 10 yards of a group of squirrels on the ground. I did well enough that I passed on small scrawny squirrels and instead focused on the big ones. I had chances to shoot small ones but instead went home with nothing, which is perfectly fine with me. I have never been this close or this well blended. At 10 yards or less squirrels see everything, the camo has to be very good, and slow stalking speed is very hard. It probably took me 30 minuted to cover the last 5 yards where I was entering the area where the squirrels were feeding. The ground was covered with dry leaves.
If I'd had my throwing stick I would have taken a shot at one of the small squirrels, I was certainly close enough.
My first squirrel with a stick may actually be when I club one.
I had a squirrel jump on my lap once when I was hunting.

Over the years I have found that it is a good idea to check with the wildlife department of the area one plans to use a spear. My discovery is not to many jurisdictions have provisions for spear hunting. And I have been told.on occasion, that since there is no spacific provision then it is a prohibited activity. A primitive season may be limited to bow/arrow and muzzle loaders. Check and get an informed information.

I went out yesterday for squirrel. I selected my favorite hickory stick and a tomahawk for backup. The hickory is a little on the heavy side, so it isn't as fast, but I seem to throw it more accurately than the others. Squirrels are tiny, to accuracy is most important. I left the house about 0800 and headed up the gravel driveway, slowly, but not too slow.
About 100 yards from the house a squirrel runs across the driveway about 20 yds in front of me, between 2 patches of woods. I freexe up and watch. He has left the driveway and is in a very small very bushy tree about 5yards off the driveway. The bush is shaking all over the place as he takes berries or whatever. I go to a slow stalk and continue forward. As I am moving forward he jumps off the bush and dissappears. It could be he spotted me, or maybe not. I've noticed they tend to feed in cycles throughout the day.
So I keep my very slow pace and continue. I hear movement to my left. Another squirrel, and one high in a pine tree. After looking at the situation I decide the brush along the driveway here is just too thick. I could never get a stick through most of this stuff.
So I pick up the pace a little and move off into the field toward the oak ridges. I know a few places where I am sure I can find squirrels, and the woods are a bit more open.
After entering the woods on a old logging trail I move toward the oaks and start to slow again.

At 09:06 I see movement. This isn't the spot where I was planning to go. But it is still a pretty good spot. It could be more open, it isn't perfect. But there are squirrels around me.
About 20 yards up the path is a place where I recently cut down a big oak. This spot is very open and there seem to be squirrels feeding in it. I decide this should be my goal. So I start moving at about 1 step every 20 seconds. I'll go slower as I get closer.
At 09:26 there is movement just to my left side. I am about halfway to the clearing, it is taking longer than I though it would.
I freeze up and wait to see what this squirrel is going to do. He is close enough, but he is in the brush. He is about 4 yards from me. I am in the open but I have good camo, he doesn't see me. My stick is resting on my right shoulder as it has been for about half an hour.
He goes a little farther, now he is getting behind me on my left side, not good. A little farther and he hops out of the woods and into the logging road directly behind me at about maybe 3 or 4 yards.
I remember a squirrel dodging my blowgun dart once, and remember hearing that you can only hit a rabbit on the run with a stick because they will dodge it if they see it coming. I figure that if I turn quickly he will run, and maybe I can get a running shot.

That is my plan and I go with it. I turn and start my throw. As soon as I move he kind of goes "OH CRAP!" for a split second in disbelief, the tree has come to life, but only a split second. Then he runs for it, and I've started my throw.
But my arm doesn't feel right. It is all heavy and sluggish. The throw goes a bit low and clacks off a tree as it chases the squirrel. Immediately I have the tomahawk in my hand and freeze again. The squirrel is having none of it. He is gone.

This gives me a chance to test one of my theories. Quickly I hop over to my stick and retrieve it,crunch crunch crunch across the leaves. Stow the tomahawk, crunch crunch crunch back to my spot on the logging road. And then right back to final approach speed, about 1 step per minute. Right away I feel my right hand getting cold as the blood starts to circulate again. Apparently my arm had gone to sleep a bit.This morning is kind of cold, I'm sure that made it worse.
7 minutes later the squirrels are out again, that is exactly what I wanted to know. It would have been 15 or 20 minutes if I had just walked in at normal speed. But since I didn't make a big loud approach, they shrug off the throwing stick noise pretty quickly. So I can keep hunting if I want to right now.
But my teeth are starting to chatter and I realize I am colder than I thought I was. So I start a trip back to the house at about 4 steps per minute, then I start to shiver. And I go to a normal walk and head home.

Finally connected, sort of.
I looked out my bathroom window and saw a groundhog feeding out in the side yard. They are pretty jumpy around the house as the dog just loves to kill them.
I wasn't really dressed for this so I threw on my camo face net and my camo bonnie hat. I grabbed my hickory stick and my pocket knife and went to the other side of the house and quietly eased out the door. I stopped for a second and took inventory of everything, mostly quiet. I went around the front of the house and slowed down. The chickens were out there and they had noticed me. They always make a lot of noise when people are around. But I had slowed to the point they weren't paying attention. I guess I seemed like a fast shadow.
I got past them and moved on to the gravel driveway. I tried to pick my way on patches of grass where I could. And I used the wind to help cover my sound.
As I got across the driveway I started to wonder why I hadn't seen the groundhog yet, he should be visible. But I have learned to never trust such assumptions. So I continued on at about 3 steps per minute.
That side of the yard is pretty lumpy from the cows.
Closer and closer to where he should be, and no groundhog. I was starting to become convinced he had busted me and ran. But I figured I would continue in full stalking mode until I was positive.
A little farther and I could see the groundhog just on the other side of a little hill, feeding. I have experience with these guys, I know how this goes.
He feeds I move for the count of 7 then I stop. 3 seconds later he pops his head up and looks around. He feeds I move for the count of 7 and stop.
I have figured out where his hole is and have started an intercept course.
I know he is going to run for that hole, and he will have to go past me.
Eventually I decide I am not that interested in killing him for food, and so I am close enough. I stand up just a little bit, I've been in a crouch.
He sees me and looks at his hole. I can see him trying to decide. He bolts in the opposite direction. I know where he is going, and he is a very long way from his goal. He is cutting a path to my right. I realize that if I want to I can get to him before he can make it to his hole, and club him. But I don't really want to.
So I calculate his run, I lead him a bit and I let fly for a less than lethal touch. He is running full out on his little stubby legs but the throw is pretty good. I see the stick just lightly clip his back, he flinches and studders for just a second then continues for his hole.
I pace it off at 18 yards. About my limit for any accuracy, and probably twice as far as I would like on something as tough as a groundhog.

Stick season is over for now. The woods are noisy, and my clothing is heavy. Now is the time for deer and a rifle.
I'll get back to it next season. But for now I have set a goal of studying tracking for one month, then bird language for one month, and back and forth for 2 years. That will give me a solid year of each. I can also work on knapping while listening to the birds, already showing some improvement.

Thanks for the reports. Another enjoyable read. Until next stick season! Good luck on you horn hunts "an' try out them skills"!

Frank: Your patience and persistence would make your paleo ancestors very proud of you. Excellent thread!
Bill

I hit a squirrel with a snowball yesterday. He sprung up into the air and into another tree. That's the same kind of "loft" I get when I scare one of our cats.
He flew right into another tree!! BWAA HA HA HA HA!

How about a throwing cross?
Bound together by traditional methods or modern.
Two 12" hickory sticks.
more likely to strike a deadly blow.

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
How about a throwing cross?
Bound together by traditional methods or modern.
Two 12" hickory sticks.
more likely to strike a deadly blow.

I've heard of a thing called a primitive throwing star. I am not convinced they were ever used, but I have never tried one.
Now, I have seen a primitive battle cross. It looks like a cross about 3 feet long. All points sharpened, and all of it flattened and each arm shaped into a wing. I was told a group of guys would throw a volley of these things all at the same time. The wing shape would make these things fly disproportionately far for their weight.

Apache throwing star

Seems those Indians thought of it before me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLJYfbKz4GE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQD-TPXM5pQ

Here are throwing stick videos

Seems the length of your arm and bent is ideal and what was used.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NhXk-TVSPg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUAiTxqBRqE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VriOVU_pxN8

Frank, Cool! However, make CERTAIN you smack groundhogs and especially squirrels hard enough to crush their skulls BEFORE picking them up. A groundhog is MEAN, and their claws are needle sharp, remember. Also, they bite straight THROUGH the soles of almost any shoe or boot. Wild squirrels will Screw You Up BAD, in the blink of an eye, too. Imagine sticking your hand down a running garbage disposal. They go Totally Psycho, Instantly. That's why it's called 'Squirrelly'.
Grandpa said groundhog was pretty good IF you had a woman who knew how to fix it. Fix squirrels like chicken. At least you won't have to pick the shot out of yours.
Jim

My friend wounded a squirrel with a .22. When it went into its nest he climbed up and grabbed it.
He said it was just like having his hand stuck in a hole punch machine.

I always carry a stick reload.

Oh, you've already SEEN that Turbo-Ginsu Effect. It's SO hard not to laugh! I mean, the IDEA that something as small and innocuous as a Squirrel can do that much damage in so little time! After having an apparently 'Barked' squirrel Come To as I was reaching for him, I usually Bayonet any Questionables with my pocketknife BEFORE picking them up. Much easier on MY skin, that way.
KY Jim

Very close to groundhog season now.

2 to 1. Two throwing stick attempts for every one rifle attempt.
I parked my truck in a parking lot fairly far away from the small abandoned bunch of buildings which I am responsible for cutting the grass. Down the road, into the woods, through the woods to the edge of the grass for the group of old buildings. Nothing.
I know they are here, I just don't know why they are not out in the open right now.
Next, today. I geared up, camo shirt and pants, hat, and face net, charcoal for my hands, 2 sticks. A shooting stick, and a reload.
Down the gravel road, through the barbed wire, across the creek, through the woods, slower, past the cows. I start my final approach to my destination of the abandoned bunch of buildings in the country. But first, I decide to work my way around another very old building I discovered a few days ago. I don't know really what it used to be. Tin roof, wooden sides, doors and windows rotted away,and a stone foundation. A perfect habitat for groundhogs. I start my approach to this building, slowing down as I go. It is a sunny day, and I prefer to stay out of the sun.But I have no choice.
I cross the field and take cover under the nearest available tree, then I start my slow stalk to the ancient building.
As I very slowly get closer, I start to notice something different about the rock foundation. Where ever there is a hole, it is painted with our local clay, a sure sign of groundhogs. They are living under the building and going through the foundation holes. I hear a "clunk" inside the building, buildings don't normally clunk.
As I am getting closer, and examining these holes, one of them quite unexpectedly has a rodent head in it.I freeze. He looks at me for a second then disappears. Apparently he doesn't like the look of me. I stay put and count to 100, then I very slowly get on the move again. About 10 minutes later I round the edge of the other side of the house.
More clay covered holes in the foundation. I'm not at all concealed at this point, I probably should have been. I'm just camoed and moving very slowly and quietly. It is very quiet and calm. Then, just like before, a rodent head appears in one of the holes, about 7 yards away. It stops and looks at me. It turns its head sideways, then looks at me straight on again.I don't move. It sits there a very long time staring at me. Then it reaches one foot out of the hole and moves out just a little bit, then the other front foot.One of my feet is starting to go to sleep now. It wiggles back and settles in staring at me. Now both feet are starting to go to sleep and also my hand holding the stick. But I am determined to stay put. It ducks back inside for just a second,enough time for me to get a couple much need proper eye blinks, then it shows back at its sitting place. It goes back to just sitting there staring at me.
All of the sudden the thing shrieks at me.BEEP!!!! Grrr grrr grrr. I don't move, but my skin jumps all over my body under my clothing, and my adrenaline red lined for just a second. It shrieks at me again.
Now a much smaller one shows up to also look at me. If nothing else, I have definitely found a great hunting place. The little one parks itself to the left side of the bigger one. After a while the little moves to the right side. Then a little while later it moves to a lower hole,where it shrieks at me once, then disappears. The big one stays put.
More time passes. Now the big one is still standing guard over me, and I am really getting sick of this. Then it starts to fall asleep and I decide I've had enough. There is no way I am going to sneak past a sleeping groundhog.Especially with my body tired and my feet half asleep.
So I took a step. Of course the thing shrieked and ran back into the foundation of the building, and kept shrieking at me until I was about 50 yards away. I went to another place after that had 2 young ones and an older one all out feeding, but I couldn't close the distance before they went in for the evening.
Great places to hunt in the future, I just have to be smarter about it.

I left my truck and crossed the grass as walking speed. As I walked I put charcoal on my hands, and I pulled my facemask from my hat and put that on.I had my hunting stick in my right hand, and my reload tucked in my belt.I slipped over a cattle gate and stopped and closed my eyes for a second so I could hear better. A cardinal was already alarming on me, no surprise there. I sloweded down to about 5 or 6 seconds per step, I call this traveling speed.

I'm moving through locust trees with little underbrush, the cows have taken care of that for me. I hear "pek pek pek". A turkey has picked me up and is alarming. I'm still about 150 yards from where I plan to hunt groundhogs.
So I freeze up and wait for the turkey to wonder off, but it won't. It must have chicks around here someplace. And it is still walking back and forth announcing my presence to the whole world.It's just out of my vision. So I take one normal step. The turkey shuts up and runs over the hill, good enough.Back to traveling speed.
I pick up a cow trail and stay in the trees just outside of the field I am trying to cross. I stop at the edge of the trees and look at my options. It looks like I'm going to have to cross the open area, I figured as much.I wish it wasn't so hot, at leas I have a boonie hat to keep the sun off of me. I leave the protection of the trees and drop down to final approach speed, about 10 seconds per step. I have about 35 yards to cross, it will take me about half an hour.
As soon as I leave the trees a cardinal picks me up and starts alarming on me, I hate cardinals. But there is nothing to do about it now. I just keep moving toward the patch of trees that contains the old broken down house. The cardinal follows me. Then finally gives up and goes away.

At about 50 yards I can start to see into the shadows of the trees, and I can sort of see the building. I keep looking as I move. And quite suddenly the sun catches the coat of a big groundhog. It has climbed up on a tree stump to look around. It hasn't seen me, and I keep moving.
Right about now a squirrel decides I am too close to his tree and starts chattering at me. I freeze to see what the groundhog is going to do. It ignores the squirrel, lucky me. I know this particular hog, it is an old smart one I call The Sentry. The young ones are the ones I am after.
The Sentry hops off its stump and disappears into the grass. That's fine, I keep moving.
I finally get into the trees around the house, I'm getting close now. A few days ago I dropped by and placed a small stool at the base of a good tree so I would have a place to sit, that is where I am going. It's shaded, partly concealed, and offers 2 shooting lanes.
So as I'm getting to withing a few yards of the stool I still haven't seen any more groundhogs, most importantly, I haven't seen the young ones. I'm starting to wonder if I have blown it, or if I have picked the wrong spot.
But just as I get to the stool, I see the grass moving up ahead. The young ones are in the grass at about 15 yards. I have moved into their feeding area while they were feeding and they didn't know it.It should just be a matter of waiting until one of them gives me a shot.
I peek at my watch, and very slowly I just start to sit down, I am just bending my knees when I pick up movement to my left, at the house.I freeze, I stay frozen.I can't quite see whatever moved. So I very slowly move my head very slightly. It's The Sentry!

The Sentry has taken up position on the window sill of one of the empty windows,I don't think they ever had glass in them. The Sentry is in an elevated position where it can see me quite clearly. It is at about 15 yards, just staring at me, waiting for me to give it any kind of confirmation that I am not a tree stump.
I'm watching the young ones, The Sentry stares at me. We do this for 15 minutes, I timed it. I straightened up so I was standing again.
Finally one of the little ones comes into view at about 12 yards. He stands up and gives me a shot. I'm not too tired or anything, I figure now is the time. I let fly. Not a bad shot.
Before the stick is out of my hand The Sentry screams and dives into the house. The little one hesitates and the stick misses about 6 inches to the left.
My reload is in my already in my right hand, but there is nothing to throw at.

I move my chair to a different spot, different view of the hunting area, different approach. Never the same thing twice.
2 days later I will sit in that chair and shoot a young groundhog in the head with my .22mag at 1 yard.

This report ties in, but but isnt stick hunting. So it will be very brief.

Groundhogs around here are usually hunted from long range with rifles, so they are very jumpy. I went out with my .22 mag and spent a couple hours stalking up on mine. Just like with a throwing stick.
Headshot, distance- 1 yard. I was right in front of it, it never knew I was there. Their eyes are ususlly very good.