First time for chuck shooting since 2017

[Bojo]

I have been worki g on my car engi e over at my brothers house. Farm bext to him has quite a few chucks in it. I set my savage 12fv 22-250 up on a couple of sand bags and would just glance at the field every now and then. Missed my first shot at about 175-180 yds, came down a bit.
A few minutes goes by and i did not miss a second time.
Next day back again same setup. Chucks were mot standing up very long or often at all. 3 chucks playing peek a boo every now and then. Watched a red fox in the 350 - 400 yd distance a bit.a liitle bit later i smack a chuck at right near 200. I tell my buddy ill let it sit there a bit and see if i can whack the other two. About 10 minutes goes by and now i find myself watching that same red fox tearing up that fresh killed chuck. Fox fed for about 10 to 15 minutes then trotted off. Alas no more chucks were out , i went and retrieved my carcass.

Really neat to watch that fox .

 

[K22]

Hogs bobbing up and down is a challenge for sure. Timing the shot and not jerking the trigger requires discipline and is not easy to execute on a consistent basis especially if you have to factor in timing the shot also with the wind.

Typically what I've experienced is that feeding hogs will frequency bob up and down surveying for threats. I've missed a fair number when they quickly changed from standing to crawling. Therefore, my preferred shot is a crawling shot if the hay is low enough to allow the shot. When the hay is high, sometimes there is no choice but to take a standing / bobbing shot.

As evening approaches, I've often seen hogs standing on the entrance to their holes for extended period of time. This is a great time to take a standing shot. One of the best shots I ever made was such a shot on standing hog in 2019 at 261 yards with my 223 Rem. It was a difficult shot because of the upward angle and obtaining a stable position on my shooting sticks but I made a perfect high chest hit.

Another standing shot opportunity is when the hog is at the edge of a tree line, sometimes they will stand for an extended period of time surveying for threats before emerging into the field to feed. This is another good time to take a standing shot.

Yours truly, Dr. Hog. Professor of Hog Behavior

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Dr. Hog, Phd Hog Behaviorist.....love it!

Out west, we of course have rock chucks instead of the eastern ground hog. Hay is not a problem, just lava rocks, as these guys live in the rock outcroppings, so a synthetic stock is a big plus so you don't goon up a sweet Claro walnut stock whilst sneaking about in the rock piles.



You guys deal with 'head bobbing', we deal with just an eye and ear peeking over the rock. If your rifle is not a quarter-incher, no need to apply, as most times an eyeball may be the only target these wily critters give you. Not to worry, as this makes for a better rifleman.

I'll just add that once the nice weather arrives, chuck shooting is at the top of my "Fun List"!

 

[PigButtons]

I have been worki g on my car engi e over at my brothers house. Farm bext to him has quite a few chucks in it. I set my savage 12fv 22-250 up on a couple of sand bags and would just glance at the field every now and then. Missed my first shot at about 175-180 yds, came down a bit.
A few minutes goes by and i did not miss a second time.
Next day back again same setup. Chucks were mot standing up very long or often at all. 3 chucks playing peek a boo every now and then. Watched a red fox in the 350 - 400 yd distance a bit.a liitle bit later i smack a chuck at right near 200. I tell my buddy ill let it sit there a bit and see if i can whack the other two. About 10 minutes goes by and now i find myself watching that same red fox tearing up that fresh killed chuck. Fox fed for about 10 to 15 minutes then trotted off. Alas no more chucks were out , i went and retrieved my carcass.

Really neat to watch that fox .

Glad to hear that you are able to get back at it after so long a time away. And that your skill level is still good enough to tear up some hogs. As for the fox, he'd been toasted too if it were my shot on my farm. Both are just varmint.

 

[Bojo]

Glad to hear that you are able to get back at it after so long a time away. And that your skill level is still good enough to tear up some hogs. As for the fox, he'd been toasted too if it were my shot on my farm. Both are just varmint.

Most around here only whack the foxes if they become a problem. Goxes and coyotes do not seem to cohabitate well... foxes are the lesser of the 2 devils.

 

[timeout]

Most around here only whack the foxes if they become a problem. Goxes and coyotes do not seem to cohabitate well... foxes are the lesser of the 2 devils.

So long as you don't have free ranging chickens during denning time, fox are the farmers friend. Their diet is as much as 90% field mice. They also eat things such as crickets and grasshoppers. Right now during garden season I would be grateful to have them help me with rabbit eradication. Back in the mid 1900's, before we had coyotes and the mange decimated them, we had oodles of red fox, pheasants and rabbits. The practice of cutting hayfields in May, removing all the fence rows, and herbicides are what caused our pheasant population to plummet.