Spring has finally arrived !!

[CatShooter]

Are woodchucks in the east really that spooky??? Out here in Montana the rockchucks must be a lot dumber. Last year I had a set up at a friends place where I was leaning back against a big blow-down pine tree about 100 yds. from a big rockpile with lots of 'chucks. Rifle set up on tall bi-pod. Big brush pile from tree about 15ft to my left. When I walked out there I new I was going to spook all the 'chucks on the rock pile just as I knew that with-in about 10 to 15 minutes some body was going to stick their head up to see if I was still there. Lots of times I have to use my binos to glass all the little nooks and crannies to pick them out and sometimes I'll go ahead and bust them right then and there. Sometimes if it's real sunny I'll wait until that little bugger wants to get some heat off those rocks (seems they can't resist)--then I'll bust 'em. Quite often shortly after I shoot the first one another will stick his head up to see what all the noise is all about. Well I played out this scenario at my buddies place and after the 3d or 4th 'chuck was dead I looked over to my left and ther's a chuck halfway up out of his hole right at the edge of the brush pile. Took a shot with my .22 pistol and figured I'd pick him up on the way out. 2 more chucks off the rock pile and about 15 minutes later and theres this cheeky bugger at the brush pile again. Huh, must have missed. ( I suck with a pistol) Take another shot with the .22 pistol. Gone. Wait about 15 minutes and take 2 more off the rock pile and wouldn't you know there's that lucky little bastard at the brush pile again. ( I really, really suck with a pistol!) So I pick up and move over to the rock pile, picked up my dead and settled down to wait. With-in about 5 minutes that dumb-assed rockchuck came up halfway out of his hole and was looking right at me. Sun in my face now, not a good thing. Any way gathered up the trigger on the .17 Fireball and that 'chuck lost his mind. Literally.
Don't remember woodchucks being as spooky as you guys make them out to be but I haven't shot at an eastern 'chuck in 40 yrs. or so. They must have been to college since I was last there!

Compared to Eastern Woodchucks, Rockchucks are as dumb as... well, as dumb as a box of rocks - Eastern Woodchucks are absolute Albert Einstein's compared to rockchucks!

Especially if they have a few seasons of sonic cracks over their heads, they get damn right religious about doing the 50 yard dash at the sight of a human or a truck (it's where those loud noises come from).

 

[dedogs]

LMAO So religion IS still alive in the East.

 

[CatShooter]

LMAO So religion IS still alive in the East.

At least the Woodchucks are real believers

 

[Raythemanroe]

Ya, it's true. They don't live long if they pop up again

Ray

 

[Grimstod]

First hog of the year ;D

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

First hog of the year ;D

Nice, good shooting!

 

[Grimstod]

Thanks it was in one eye and out the other but it was only about 80yards. Pesky buggers are destroying the foundation of the garage.

 

[CatShooter]

Thanks it was in one eye and out the other but it was only about 80yards. Pesky buggers are destroying the foundation of the garage.

What kind of rifle is that??

 

[CanusLatransSnpr]

Thanks it was in one eye and out the other but it was only about 80yards. Pesky buggers are destroying the foundation of the garage.

What kind of rifle is that??

Yeah, what kind of rifle is that? Impressive looking rig!

 

[Raythemanroe]

He has a video on it and it is in the pics thread.. Nice old but new gun by the way, super build.

Ray

 

[Grimstod]

Thank you everyone for the kind words. Now that I have this gun shooting the hogs are really going to have something to worry about this year.

 

[lpreddick]

revisted a farm yesterday. there was a large recently cleaned out hole i saw last week, so i took a look. what the heck! there was reddish dirt visible last week but now there was a huge pile-like reddish something. why would a ghog pile dirt so high? then it hit me...i was seeing a ghog standing slumped with it's back to me!!! out comes the 22BR with a 64 gr berger and BLAM-SPLATT. no kick and no tail salute, just dead. it slowly slid into it's hole. the animal weighed in at 9# 5 oz, my third largest for the year. when ghogs stand with their back to you they can definitely look like a plant, a bush or a dirt pile...the ears or a slight head turn are the give away.

 

[Gaoler]

Keep on posting...
'Seems I've lost my groundhog fields... New owners don't want to let hunters have access..

So until I can find somewhere to hunt I'll be living vicariously through y'all...

Lol

 

[lpreddick]

78 degrees on sat, so off to a horse farm that has never been shot! set up on a steep hill looking at the owners garden surrouded by ghog holes and numerous paths they have made visiting each other...it looked like ruts in a road! the wind was at 90 mph+ but directly in my face...no angled shots today. NOTHING! the wind makes the grasses/weeds noisy and the pigs won't come out. finally the wind abates and big red comes out and subcombs to a 68 gr cheek/6mmbr. don't often see two out of the same hole but it was my lucky day, only #2 saw his dead uncle and would only nibble clover at the rim of the hole. 20 min of this and he gradually came out enough to see his shoulder...enough and BLAM-SPLATT. a 7# juvenile. uncle came in at 8#. now the wind was gone and a big one came out at a 90 degree angle to the prior wind so no holding into the wind. np2-DD dot on chest and i sent it...SPLATT and DRT with a slight tail salute...9# it was getting dark so retrieve the dead and visit the landowner who says "thanks and please come back". life is sweet.

 

[CatShooter]

78 degrees on sat, so off to a horse farm that has never been shot! set up on a steep hill looking at the owners garden surrouded by ghog holes and numerous paths they have made visiting each other...it looked like ruts in a road! the wind was at 90 mph+ but directly in my face...no angled shots today. NOTHING! the wind makes the grasses/weeds noisy and the pigs won't come out. finally the wind abates and big red comes out and subcombs to a 68 gr cheek/6mmbr. don't often see two out of the same hole but it was my lucky day, only #2 saw his dead uncle and would only nibble clover at the rim of the hole. 20 min of this and he gradually came out enough to see his shoulder...enough and BLAM-SPLATT. a 7# juvenile. uncle came in at 8#. now the wind was gone and a big one came out at a 90 degree angle to the prior wind so no holding into the wind. np2-DD dot on chest and i sent it...SPLATT and DRT with a slight tail salute...9# it was getting dark so retrieve the dead and visit the landowner who says "thanks and please come back". life is sweet.

Cleaning out farms and ranches of woodchucks is real hell, but someone has to do it!

Thank you for your service to the farming and ranching community!