Could use help planning for a Western vacation to shoot Marmots

[VaRandy]

Since coyotes have ruined my long range groundhog shooting in the east, I need to look to traveling even further to try the Yellow Bellied Western Marmot.I know they are found largely in shale hills for the most part. I am guessing that Wyoming might be the closest to my home in NC and that most other candidate states are much further away. I pack so much stuff as to have to drive but will likely stay a few weeks. Hope to make this work no later than next year and could use some help with planning. I am not after a huge number of kills but quality long range work where I determine the distance to the critters for each cartridges by moving my fixed bench setup. Would really love to find someone to enjoy it with me.

Don't know if this would be private land or govt land.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Haven't seen many Marmots in Wyoming... Seen a few but very few. Usually in the forest and not really bothering anything.

 

[LitLBoy]

Think you will have a lot more fun on a PD shoot, any place from the Dakotas west.

 

[DirtySteve]

Just throwing this out there. How about shooting them damn coyotes?

 

[brokeasajoke]

Not many ground hogs here in yancey county NC. A few in hay fields but thats it. I'd like to get in on some of these wild hogs around neighboring county.

 

[17VLD]

Had a lot of fun with rock chucks and my 204 improved with the ole 33 V-Max a few years back near Gunnison Colorado,it was private land.Heard of a couple older fellas that used to shoot 20 BRs back before anyone was really shooting 20s that hunted the Wyoming Rockies.They used Unmussigs
bullets from your neck of the woods to good effect.The nice thing about Wyoming is lots of public land to shoot pds if you can't find any willing rockchucks.
Matt

 

[DogBuster]

Have to agree..you'll get more action shootin' p/dogs...........

Marmots are gonna be high on the rocky rim out croppings.......

Occasional shooting at best....

 

[Blackthorn]

Dogbuster is right about where to find marmots. They love the high altitude rocky fields. I used to shoot a lot of them here in Colorado before they implemented the bag limit. They are not a bench game. They are almost like shooting live PRS targets. You'll need a combo of soft bags and a bipod. There will be strange shooting positions incorporating logs and big rocks. Altitude will effect your trajectories and your breathing.
They are fun to hunt but completely different from PD's and woodchucks. They are fewer and farther between and when the gun booms the others around tend to stay burrowed for long periods.

 

[chuckshooter]

I do one at least rock chuck trip a year and 4 to 5 squirrel/PDogs shoots per year. average shot count for squirrels is 800 to as high as 1800, for chucks as high as 100. the trips are a different kind of fun, looking for chucks is driving around on quads in the Nevada desert looking for the rock out cropping and of course the chucks. squirrels and prairie dogs, set up in one location with benches and shoot for a while and then move to better spot as the shooting diminishes. for me, I'll drive 5 to 6 hours for a 3 day chuck shoot, but if I was driving 20 hours or more, I think I'd want to shoot more rounds. also our squirrels/sage rats hibernate from about late June to mid Febuary, and the chucks are hard to find in the high heat this late in the year, I think the hibernation cycle is September thru winter. if it were me I would not drive past some great prairie dogs shooting looking for some so so shooting at rock chucks. that's my two cents worth.

 

[nmkid]

South of Rock Springs, WY. close to the infamous Flaming Gorge area. Most any area around there. But, I'm giving you info that's 17 years old. That's when I moved from there. Used to be lots of PD just north of RS. Just off Interstate 80.

 

[boltfluter]

In Idaho, where I hunt for chucks, I have never seen one above ground after July 4th. Unless you are above about 6000 ft. Imho prairie dogs would be the way to go for guaranteed shooting. Many,many miles of ground out there in the West with no chucks. Nothing like eastern chuck hunting. Good luck.

Paul

www.boltfluting.com