It’s summer, and a young man’s fancy turns to…groundhogs! Yep, those pesky little beasts are out in the fields, making nuisances of themselves once again.

Among the best ways to deal with this hole-digging menace is the ubiquitous .22 caliber rifle. Over the span of many decades, I have sent quite a few ‘hogs to that big soybean field in the sky. Good riddance.

Why the .22? First, almost every hunter, farmer, informal plinker or teenage boy owns at least one. I would wager that on an annual basis, more .22 rimfire cartridges are expended in the United States than any other cartridge.

Second, the report of this rimfire round is pretty mild; thus it will not incur the wrath of the neighbors or bring the gendarmes on the run to see if someone is fomenting revolution.

Third, even though its velocity is way, way slower than .22 centerfires, it packs enough punch to do in the wily woodchuck. That is, when the bullet is placed in the proper part of the anatomy: i.e., the brain or heart/lung area.

And there is another plus for the .22 rimfire. The ammo is much less expensive than the big, exotic stuff. Yes, I know what you are thinking; right now, even .22 ammo is somewhat hard to find, and when it is found, it is more expensive than it used to be. I couldn’t agree more.

Still, it is cheaper to shoot than my Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 magnum. A box of this stuff retails at close to $40.00 for a box of 50 rounds. Thank goodness I have friends who reload the empty cases for me.

So, with what .22 ammo I can find in my ammo cabinet, I hit the trail as often as I can with a variety of guns. Two of the most-often shot are my Marlin model 49DL scoped semi-auto rifle, and an old, battered Ruger Single Six, single-action revolver which has an extra cylinder bored for the .22 magnum round.

With these two guns, I kept the ‘hogs out of my father’s bean fields when I was but a lad. I don’t know how many of them I shot, but I do know that they were pretty hard on Dad’s beans before I lit into them.

The little ^&*(*%s used to hide in an old barn adjacent to a bean field. I would find a place of concealment and, when one sallied forth with visions of an easy meal, I would place the sights on his head, just above the eye, and squeeze the trigger. Goodbye groundhog.

Lately, I have been having lots of fun and pretty good success with another pair of .22s: a GSG (German Sport Gun) and a Savage Model 93 in .22 magnum.

The GSG is a semi-automatic .22 rimfire pistol based on the Colt Model 1911 platform. This little-known German company also produces the same pistol for the well-known brand Sig/Sauer. My GSG was purchased for under $300.00 about 3 to 4 years ago. I don’t know what the price is now, but I am sure that it is not exorbitant.

This is a very accurate pistol and just the ticket for some informal plinking, i.e., tin cans, water bottles, balloons and paper targets. Always have a solid and safe backstop in which to shoot. There is no excuse for careless shooting.

Of course, ear and eye protection is mandatory. Science has proven that even the lowly .22 round can produce enough decibels to injure a person’s hearingDon’t take any chances.

My Savage rifle sports a variable-powered scope, is accurate and has proven to be a very effective game-getter. I have not shot a groundhog with it yet but feel it should be devastating with head shots. Bean-chompers beware!

It has proven effective during late-season squirrel hunting. When the leaves are down, sharp-eyed squirrels can easily spot human intruders in their bailiwick, and longer shots are required; thus, the .22 magnum round is just the ticket. With my good scope, accurate rifle, and a solid rest against a tree trunk, my chances of putting a few more squirrels in the pan have increased exponentially.

The world of the .22 rimfire offers lots of fun and enjoyment. Be careful, follow all applicable laws, and enjoy your shootin’.

For more insight and tips on how to make the most of the time you spend hunting, check out the articles in MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.