An Important Day

Today, Feb. 2, is one of the year's most important days. It is Groundhog Day, which is the day we find out if we are going to experience six more weeks of winter or whether we are going to be blessed with more hospitable early spring weather. In our area Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog, will emerge from his den to predict what the next six weeks' weather is going to be like.

Phil is one of only a handful of groundhogs that will be out and about today. Most groundhogs will remain in hibernation until the average ground temperature reaches about 50 degrees, signaling to them that they can emerge from their winter hideaways. I generally spot my first groundhog (excluding Phil) of the year sometime in early March. After that it becomes common to see groundhogs crossing back roads or easing through farm fields where they are looking to pack on a few pounds.

I could once count on seeing avid, orange-capped groundhog hunters sitting along roadside fields early in the spring. However, during my lifetime, groundhog hunters have virtually vanished from the rural landscape.

One reason is numerous places that were once farmland have disappeared, victims of suburban sprawl. Replacing farms, housing developments have sprung up in many rural areas, and groundhogs have lost much favorable habitat.

Another is that many former groundhog hunters have aged and no longer have the desire to spend time hiding in tick-infested fencerows where they can pick off groundhogs that are out feasting. A few of these former enthusiasts have told me that they just do not want to shoot an animal they are not going to eat. However, a farmer once told me harvested groundhogs that are left near the entrances to their burrows are not wasted: Scavengers such as vultures, crows, and foxes will feed enthusiastically on these animals, just as they do with groundhogs that are trying to cross highways but are killed by automobiles. The farmer went on to explain groundhogs' burrow entrances (groundhog holes) that are masked by farm crops can cause serious damage to their expensive machinery when the farmers try to harvest crops. The farmer hoped that groundhog enthusiasts would keep hunting.

Finally, a few groundhog hunters have related that there are not as many hogs around as there used to be. "Coyotes get them by ambushing them not far from their burrows," several have told me. "You can't shoot something that isn't there."

Anyhow, today is an important day. Let's hope that Phil doesn't see his shadow.