Chucks and Headshots

[Rick in Oregon]

In the East, you guys have woodchucks. Out west we have rockchucks, cousins of yours. Yours hang out in bean fields, ours hang out in rock piles or rocky banks. Shooting our rockchucks can be tricky, as there's a good chance the chuck is wise to our goings-on, and trees, brush and other obstacles to a good sight picture makes it a challenge sometimes.

These guys seem to like to tease a rifleman, just peeking out and daring you to shoot their tiny noggin....



The classic standing pose...but obscured by a juniper tree. Can you snake that bullet in from 200+ yards?:



If I wait long enough (arggh!) they might, just might align themselves for that anticipated shot through the tangles:



And if one waits long enough, the chuck may just pose for that perfect shot with no obstacles in the way:



So with rockchucks, many times a head shot is all these guys will offer. So I try to oblige them with a well placed shot to the noggin. Rifle is my Cooper Phoenix M38 221FB shooting 40gr Nosler Varmageddon's over either RL-7 or A2200:



All the pics of these rockchucks were shot with my Nikon DSLR with a 300mm Nikon telephoto lens, as they will not let you get as close as the pics show. No body shots on these guys, so no crawl-off's, which we all try to avoid.

Spring is finally here, and the varmints are out on full display! I love this time of year! (The chucks probably do too, right up until they see a truck pull up and stop..... )

 

[JamesinAsheville]

That's all you need....we had a saying {anything below the head counts as a miss}....we even had shirts made.

 

[ohlongarmisle]

In the East, you guys have woodchucks. Out west we have rockchucks, cousins of yours. Yours hang out in bean fields, ours hang out in rock piles or rocky banks. Shooting our rockchucks can be tricky, as there's a good chance the chuck is wise to our goings-on, and trees, brush and other obstacles to a good sight picture makes it a challenge sometimes.

These guys seem to like to tease a rifleman, just peeking out and daring you to shoot their tiny noggin....



The classic standing pose...but obscured by a juniper tree. Can you snake that bullet in from 200+ yards?:



If I wait long enough (arggh!) they might, just might align themselves for that anticipated shot through the tangles:



And if one waits long enough, the chuck may just pose for that perfect shot with no obstacles in the way:



So with rockchucks, many times a head shot is all these guys will offer. So I try to oblige them with a well placed shot to the noggin. Rifle is my Cooper Phoenix M38 221FB shooting 40gr Nosler Varmageddon's over either RL-7 or A2200:



All the pics of these rockchucks were shot with my Nikon DSLR with a 300mm Nikon telephoto lens, as they will not let you get as close as the pics show. No body shots on these guys, so no crawl-off's, which we all try to avoid.

Spring is finally here, and the varmints are out on full display! I love this time of year! (The chucks probably do too, right up until they see a truck pull up and stop..... )

Head shots are my specialty when available, with the 17 hornet quite doable out to 250 yards ,a hair north on a calm day.

 

[K22]

I been hunting eastern ground hogs for over 50+ years but I have never taken a purely head shot except with a 22LR at short range.

I have taken, as recent as this year, frontal shots (chest center) when a hog is sitting on the mound of its burrow. While not absolute, the vast majority of the time when an eastern hog pokes its head out of its burrow it is scanning for threats at the start of a feeding cycle. If you are patient, they will emerge from their burrow to give a more favorable profile for a shot if it is the start of a feeding cycle. Sometimes they will appear / disappear / reappear until they are satisfied there are no threats.

I prefer the crawler profile shot, just behind the shoulder since it gives me more latitude with the wind, but I'll take standing shots in high hay with chest high profiles.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

K22, head shots are many times the only shot I get with these sneaky little rascals, just peeking over a rock, from around a rock, sometimes only an eye and nose is visible, so either take the shot or wait for a body shot that may not happen that day.

This old guy is using a distraction by young pup bouncing about on the rocks while he peeks over a rock outside his den. Sneaky indeed:



All this assumes the rifle shoots 1/4" at 100 yards, which is about a requirement with these guys for any degree of success for anything 200 yards or beyond. This is one of those "only accurate rifles need apply" sort of thing.

Again I mention, pics taken with a Nikon 300mm lens, not up close as the pic appears.

 

[ohlongarmisle]

K22, head shots are many times the only shot I get with these sneaky little rascals, just peeking over a rock, from around a rock, sometimes only an eye and nose is visible, so either take the shot or wait for a body shot that may not happen that day.

This old guy is using a distraction by young pup bouncing about on the rocks while he peeks over a rock outside his den. Sneaky indeed:



All this assumes the rifle shoots 1/4" at 100 yards, which is about a requirement with these guys for any degree of success for anything 200 yards or beyond. This is one of those "only accurate rifles need apply" sort of thing.

Again I mention, pics taken with a Nikon 300mm lens, not up close as the pic appears.

Rick do you think I can hit any in your country? these are 100 yds,17 hornet 204 shoots as well but with better wind bucking abilities. I'm heading out west for those hopefully this year.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Rick do you think I can hit any in your country? these are 100 yds,17 hornet 204 shoots as well but with better wind bucking abilities. I'm heading out west for those hopefully this year.

K22, by the looks of that, I'm thinking you're "headshot worthy".
You're gonna do just fine out west!

 

[goodbadugly]

AKA Whistle Pigs..

 

[ohlongarmisle]

K22, by the looks of that, I'm thinking you're "headshot worthy".
You're gonna do just fine out west!

THX, you were getting me worried,

 

[K22]

K22, head shots are many times the only shot I get with these sneaky little rascals, just peeking over a rock, from around a rock, sometimes only an eye and nose is visible, so either take the shot or wait for a body shot that may not happen that day.

This old guy is using a distraction by young pup bouncing about on the rocks while he peeks over a rock outside his den. Sneaky indeed:



All this assumes the rifle shoots 1/4" at 100 yards, which is about a requirement with these guys for any degree of success for anything 200 yards or beyond. This is one of those "only accurate rifles need apply" sort of thing.

Again I mention, pics taken with a Nikon 300mm lens, not up close as the pic appears.

No criticism was intended, I am just not good enough off the cross sticks to make that shot, I need more margin of error. And in my experience with eastern hogs, most of the time it isn't necessary.

The behavior of eastern hog may be different than your hogs. Eastern hogs live for two reasons only, to mate and eat. These days where I hunt, most shot opportunities are from hogs emerging from tree lines so when the hay is cut, a fairly clear profile is available. As the hay grows taller, often standing shots are needed because part of the hog is obscured.

The days of holes in the field are few due to yearly crop rotation so the hogs don't get a foothold in the fields. There are a few exceptions of course but in years past there were vast fields of alfalfa year after years and there were many holes in the fields. These days, they plant in strips of alternating crops such as corn, wheat, soybeans, and hay.

 

[JEFFPPC]

I was raised as only headshots count and that has never changed.

 

[wright brothers]

Any humane hit is good with me. Over here they are a destructive rodent.
I do pass on marginal shots.

 

[WV Hitman]

I'm in ID now hunting the rockys. Got about 270 in 4 days, all with my .223 Contender handgun, .22-250 XP-R handgun, and Ruger suppressed MK III (got one at 105 yds. with it). Here & in WV for my groundhogs (15,800+ with handguns. Don't own any rifles) I take whatever shot is given to me. The farmers want these guys removed from eating their grass in both states. Head shots are cool, but body shots get some fantastic flips & rotations.
My 5 year ID total is 1650+. Crummy weather & wind this year, but my 40 gr. BTs in both guns are working fine with a little readjustment in aiming!

 

[Gary in MD]

Rick, Great pics!
Head shots taken here too LOL.
This young whistle pig stuck his head up out of the grass at 240 long paces. Anything under a buck fifty demands a head shot


But in the end any shots taken are good…

 

[Hal]

I'm in ID now hunting the rockys. Got about 270 in 4 days, all with my .223 Contender handgun, .22-250 XP-R handgun, and Ruger suppressed MK III (got one at 105 yds. with it). Here & in WV for my groundhogs (15,800+ with handguns. Don't own any rifles) I take whatever shot is given to me. The farmers want these guys removed from eating their grass in both states. Head shots are cool, but body shots get some fantastic flips & rotations.
My 5 year ID total is 1650+. Crummy weather & wind this year, but my 40 gr. BTs in both guns are working fine with a little readjustment in aiming!

Sounds like your having a great time. Keep up the good work.
Show a few pictures if you get a chance and details of your hand guns.

Hal

 

[Fuj]

I was raised as only headshots count and that has never changed.

A .270 at center mass is a spectacular hit and not to be over rated !!
The Crows and Yote's prefer them dispatched that way......LOL I'm going
to start using that SA284 cat of mine. Missed you at the Deer match,
and Lee beat me out for small group at 400 yards. Dropped the last
shot by 1/2" and he walked away with $40 bucks !! What a guy !! LOL

Zach has his first Pa hunting license, and schools out for him in two
weeks. I'll start him out with the family's .218 Bee

 

[ohlongarmisle]

Rick, Great pics!
Head shots taken here too LOL.
This young whistle pig stuck his head up out of the grass at 240 long paces. Anything under a buck fifty demands a head shot
View attachment 1558561

But in the end any shots taken are good…

View attachment 1558563

How about in the mouth? Sorry that's a coyote sometimes I get confused.

 

[Fuj]

The days of holes in the field are few due to yearly crop rotation so the hogs don't get a foothold in the fields. There are a few exceptions of course but in years past there were vast fields of alfalfa year after years and there were many holes in the fields. These days, they plant in strips of alternating crops such as corn, wheat, soybeans, and hay.

The problem were having here where I live in Pa, is the critters are
in populated areas you can't legally hunt, and burrowing under
sheds and home foundations. My son has several live traps setup
and have caught three this year. And the youngsters are now out
and about. Were using alfalfa feed pellets mixed with dried apple
flakes, then a further feeding of .22 Short.......

 

[K22]

The problem were having here where I live in Pa, is the critters are
in populated areas you can't legally hunt, and burrowing under
sheds and home foundations. My son has several live traps setup
and have caught three this year. And the youngsters are now out
and about. Were using alfalfa feed pellets mixed with dried apple
flakes, then a further feeding of .22 Short.......

There are several horse farms near where I hunt. The owners, for obvious reasons, will not allow any hunting on their property with $50,000+ horses roaming in the pastures.

To control the ground hogs, they trap them at fence post lines where the hogs have burrowed. I've seen these traps placed directly over their holes and when they emerge - it slams shut killing them quite completely. Their main concern is to keep the hogs out of the pastures.

I have offered to safely hunt the tree lines explaining that this might prevent migration into the fence post lines but they have politely refused my offer. Such is the status of varmint hunting here at some places. It's a dying hunting activity around here. For the last 5 years, I am the only one hunting them at the farms where I hunt. I used to see some old timer regulars but no more. They are all gone.

 

[AckleymanII]

I will just bet that those head shot chucks would make for some really good eating! Better than Cotton Tail!