# Newbie!



## pitotshock (May 30, 2011)

Just thought that I would poke my head in here and introduce myself. I have been lurking on the site for a year or so and a lot more this summer as we have started to make our own hay this year, or should I say we have started to fix more equipment than make hay...

My name is James and my wife and I have a horse farm west of Ottawa, Ontario Canada and we have about 50 acres of mostly grass hay fields. What makes our farm absolutely gorgeous to look at is a nightmare to cut hay in: with rolling hills steep enough to roll your tractor over if you take them sideways. Lots of groundhogs in our area that seem to make mounds in just the right spot to make you pucker.

Our hay-needs are about 2000 small squares for in the barn use and 120 4x5 rounds for the feeders outside in winter. We seem to be averaging around 100 small squares per acre in first cut. We don't take a second cut at all, as we don't use it ourselves. The fields have been unimproved for a number of years 10+ years as best that I can tell.

As for our equipment we have Case 885xl and Kubota M7950 for tractors, NH479 mower conditioner, Gehl 1470 Round baler, NH268 Hayliner small square baler and a NH 4 bar rake. My wishilist for the future is to upgrade the mower first then the small square baler. Absolutely love the Gehl round baler and got it at an auction for a fair price.

The 268 was the biggest pain in the butt this year as one of the knotters was very tempermental, but I have replaced the bronze bushing on the knife arm as it had quite a flat spot. Working right now to replace a few bearings on the plunger and few other odds and ends. I'm convinced this baler has seen a quarter million bales! Everything in the chamber/chute area is so worn down that the bolt heads are missing 50% of their thickness. I estimate the plunger bearings are 1/8" smaller diameter compared to the new replacement. With another parts baler we picked up cheap, we are going to run this old girl another couple of years and at 1000 to 2000 a year should be achievable.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Welcome James, glad to have you aboard. The fellas here run plenty of NH small square balers so you should find plenty of help if needed over in the Machinery Forum. Sounds like you and the little woman are going about things in a right kind of way. Enjoy your journey as it will provide some of the most memorable times that you will experience in life. Work on those groundhogs when you can as their holes can do some devastating things to tractors and equipment. .17 calibers are great tractor companions.

Regards, Mike


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## pitotshock (May 30, 2011)

We seem to have a bit of a problem with ground hogs in our area and no matter how many I shoot, it doesn't seem to make a difference. The neighbours aren't doing anything about the problem on their end so it just keeps spreading around. When the guy behind me planted 140 acres of corn, those ground hogs just seemed to move over to my place for the year.

My choice is a .222 rem with boat tailed ballistic tip 50 grain bullet. One summer I shot over 40, but it didn't help. Time to go out shooting is the problem, and with the horses out on pasture near by I don't let too many ya-hoo's help out either.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Good caliber choice, time to shoot is the reason I pack heat in the tractor. I hear you about the ya-hoos.

Regards, Mike


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## Toyes Hill Angus (Dec 21, 2010)

I like to have a little fun with this job, I use 30-06 Remmington accelerators. They are 40 grain ballistic tip .22 caliber bullets in a plastic sabot, and chambered for the .30 cal. Not only is there nearly no risk of ricochet due to the bullet construction and also the velocity, but my favorite part: there is nothing left but a 5 foot circle of groundhog dust (less to bury), and they never slip back in the hole and make you wonder if you succeded. Sometime even the simplest things amuse me.


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## pitotshock (May 30, 2011)

I always wanted to try those crazy sabotted .22 in my 30-06, sounds like a pile of fun.


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## Toyes Hill Angus (Dec 21, 2010)

correction: they are 55 grain psp (pointed soft point) 4080 fps (feet per second) Remington Express. Here is a you-tube video that says it all!!! Different users claim to have poor accuracy with them, I did not have this experience with them. But the last time I bought them they were $34 for 20, so they are expensive enough. And they are hit and miss for availability, they seem to be seasonal. Bigger shops seem to keep them like Quinte Outdoor Sports in Belleville (that's where I got them last)


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## JoanW (Oct 1, 2011)

Groundhog recipes:

Groundhog / Woodchuck Recipes

Woodchuck cooking and recipes - Wild Life Recipes

http://briansbelly.com/belly-recipes/groundhog-roundup/

Good luck!


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I don't have time to shoot em usually. I do take a anhydrous tank with a wand I made up and gas em. Gives me a grim sort of satisfaction to think about em flippin and jerkin in their holes when the anhydrous hits em.


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