Rock chucks & the 327

[sixshot]

A farmer friend called me a week ago & ask for some help, he told me he was over run with Rock Chucks again. Several years back I shot 199 chucks on his place, all with handguns. Most were taken with single shot handguns but I took quite a few with various revolvers. My best day back then was 41.


Today I had a G2 Contender with a 12" 221 Fireball barrel & a 2X7 Burris scope & my 8 shot 327 Blackhawk using 135 gr. Ferminator HP's with 13 grs. of H110. I prefer to use just revolvers but Rock Chucks have eyes like a Pronghorn Antelope & you just can't close the gap on most of them, so many of the shots are well beyond 100 yds & quite a few are well over 200 yds. I've taken them out as far as 500+ with various TC Encore single shots.


As soon as I approached the first lava reef I saw 4 Rock Chucks run, I quickly turned my 4 wheeler side ways & set up my portable shooting bench which is a piece of counter top set across the back of my 4 wheeler with my sand bags on top & a folding stool for a chair. Within 3-4 minutes the first Chuck peeked up over some lava & I send him to that giant barley field in the sky. Then another & another. Within 10 minutes I had 5 Chucks with the Fireball using 40 gr. Vmax's & 16.8 grs. of 4227. I had only shot this load at 50 yds but it was a doozy, most times staying under .2" for 3 shots, just one ragged hole.


After 30 minutes I looked to my right & there was a Chuck standing on a lava rock, partially hidden by some sagebrush, he was closer so I decided to try him with the 327. Its really hard to turn to the right when you're sitting on a stool, your back & rib muscles won't allow a right handed shooter to keep a steady sight picture & those of you who have seen me know I'm really muscled up, at least that's what I call it, my wife says its FAT!


Anyway, I missed him twice so I turned slowly so I'm facing him & get a good sight picture with my left eye (shooting right handed) & that Ferminator HP hits him dead center in the big middle & he pin wheels off the rock with a lovely sound drifting back to me that says "dead". This one I had to range because it was a pretty tough shot, I ranged the rock at 61 yds & I couldn't have hit him any better. A few minutes later I smoke another one with the 327, a real sneaky one that keeps playing peek a boo at about 30 yds. He finally peeked & I said boo & nailed him just under the head lights (eyes).


By then it was starting to get late & I could tell the FB was off just a little but without a spotter I couldn't tell just how much. I drove over where the farmer said he was seeing the most Chucks & I just about croaked, I spotted 38 Chucks in one small patch of barley, they were everywhere! I called one of my boys & told him to get some ammo loaded, it was on! I'll get zeroed nice & tight monday & then tuesday we will help this farmer save a whole lot of barley because he's got a problem just like he had a few years ago, tuesday we'll fix it. I ended up with 15 Chucks, 2 with the 327 & 13 with the 221 FB. The Ferminator bullet & the 327 go together like pie & ice cream but Rock Chucks hate it. If I had to venture a guess I'd say I spotted about 70-75 Rock Chucks in about 2 hours hunting, I'm pumped!




http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k3/6shot_01/5008D120-EE20-43EA-894A-CC2E2D82BD8F_zpsgu8169ne.jpg (http://s84.photobucket.com/user/6shot_01/media/5008D120-EE20-43EA-894A-CC2E2D82BD8F_zpsgu8169ne.jpg.html)


Dick

[M-Tecs]

Very nice. I have three 22 Hornets. Two Contender barrels and on CZ 527. I am not liking the Hornet as much as I throught. I am thinking of replacing the Hornets with FB's or 20 VarTarg. Do you have or did you have a Hornet in the Contender? If so any thoughts on the FB verse the Hornet in a Contender?

[Jeff Michel]

Great story!

[NavyVet1959]

So, what do they taste like?

[Don Fischer]

So, what do they taste like?

Taste like chicken!

[sixshot]

At one time I had 41 Bullberry barrels & I think 3 Hornet barrels, they were great for shooting Ground Squirrels when my kids were little but the 221 FB brass lasts much longer & there really is no comparison velocity wise. I like the FB much better myself.
The 22 K Hornet is a better option, but that thin brass is always going to be a problem.
Years ago when I lived in another town a young high school colored kids would see me shooting rock chucks & he would come down & ask me if he could have them. I always let him have all he wanted. I ask him one day how they cooked them & he said they threw on a bed of coals, hair & all, didn't even gut them. His mother was Indian. Then when they were done they just peeled off the cooked hide & ate them, true story, don't know how the guts effected the meat.
Never understood how everything wild tastes like chicken!!! Snakes, turtles, lizards, etc. all taste like chicken, so I've heard.

Dick

[WFO2]

Nice shooting ...A good day hunting .

[Hawk4570]

Taste like chicken!

Tastes more like beef to me. Nice slow pot-roast is perfect. DON'T try frying 'em unless you have really good teeth & jaw muscles.

[dk17hmr]

I love rock chucking but never get to go because they aren't around here. If you need any help I'm only a couple hours away and just worked up a load for my 257 weatherby running an 85gr ballistic tip at 3715fps.

[Ramjet-SS]

Nice story and you are lucky that would be complete blast. I bet my converted K Frame to 327 Fed loaded with a MiHec 120 grain CG HP moving out at 1250 FPS would really make short work of those critters. Keep the reports coming.

[sixshot]

Your K frame 327 is a great gun & I always have a revolver with me but rock chucks have such amazing eyes you don't get many chances to shoot one with a sixgun. I take 20-30 every year with my revolvers but its tough getting under 75-100 yds most days. I've glassed them many times at 300 yds & they are looking right back at me, their eyes are that good.

Dick

[runfiverun]

that's how I have been told they cook them too.
but the taste is more like pork/beef than chicken.

I have been thinking about giving one a go but it's have to be an early spring one as the bottle flies usually get to them long before I do.

Doug you shoot more like what I use.
generally i'll take the 223 with 65gr home swaged bullets, or the 243 with 58gr V-max's.
but sometimes i'll break out the 25-06 and use either 75gr hollow-points or the 87gr sierra,
running them in the 34-3600 fps range makes a mess of them if you hit them square in the upper chest.

there has been a bunch of chucks out this year, but with the warmer weather the last few day's the shooting windows are gonna get shorter each day.
I have broke the 60 mark this year but have given them the last few weeks off.

[MT Gianni]

Almost 30 years ago I lived 15 miles SW of Sixshot and R5R. A friend showed me pictures of when he was growing up in the 50's the Blackfeet would go camp on his dad's property and shoot chucks for their spring meat. Another acquaintance ate one on a bet but would not skin it. Like many things that live with their bellies on the ground the fleas get to their dens and stay. Almost as greasy as raccoon with a very tough hide, like pork layered with gristle was how he put it.

[sixshot]

Actually I told that story wrong, they would pack mud on that rock chuck & then bake it over the coals, then they cracked the baked mud off & the hair & hide came off with it. Sorry I wasn't thinking, that was several years ago. Tuesday I'll run the kill number way up, my gun is on now. Then I move on to another farmer thats been waiting on me.

Dick

[Old Scribe]

I have to drive a short way to some BLM land to shoot chucks. I haven't gone out this year as my partner isn't able to go along yet. I like my #3 Ruger .223 but need to get something that can be reloaded quicker.

[runfiverun]

the AR comes in handy.
I prefer it for Ground squirrels [with 50gr bullets] but it does passable work out to 250 or so with the heavier 65gr bullet on the chucks..
when one sees you at 175-200 yds just about the same time as you see it and it's hightailing it through the rocks that second/third quick shot makes a big difference.

I usually prowl the rock piles with the bino's looking far ahead then work into position as close as I can get.
if they see me and bail before I get set up.
then I find a fairly hidden shooting set-up in another pile of rocks and wait them out.
they'll usually come out in 10-15 minutes and I can generally get them with one shot.
it's pretty close to deer hunting type spot and stalk hunting.

but it's amazing to see them watching every move you make from 300 yds away.
and how easily sometimes you can whack 4-5 of them off the same pile of rocks or in the same field once your set-up if they can't see you.

[harley45]

Forgive my ignorance but these "rock chucks" are they pretty much the same thing we call ground hogs or woodchucks here in Indiana?
Thanks

[runfiverun]

yeah they are bout the same.
the rock chucks are yellow bellied marmots.
they hibernate in the winter but also hiternate in the heat of summer.
they are the only mammal that does this AIRC.

[sixshot]

Rock chucks are only out about 3- 3 1/2 months a year, the rest of the time they are sleeping. That's why when they are out they are really putting on the fat, they never stop eating. Barley & Alfalfa are their favorite foods & they can destroy a lot of it in a hurry, especially when the pups are born. You would have to see it to believe it, the amount of barley or alfalfa they can clear off of a field in a few days.
About 30 years ago & less than 1/2 mile from where Run Five Run lives a guy set up to shoot some chucks along a lava reef. He spotted what he thought was a rock chuck in a crevice & took the shot only to find out he had killed a man that was hiding in the rocks hunting rock chucks himself. A tragic mistake that one of the local cops quit over because it stressed it out so bad from seeing a guys head blown off from a 22-250.

Dick

[harley45]

Having seen want happens when one commits suicide with a 308 I can sympathize with the former Officer. Somedays it's a tougher business than most realize.

[Markbo]

Heck Ive never even seen a rock chuck. As far as I know we dont have them in Texas.

[Ramjet-SS]

Your K frame 327 is a great gun & I always have a revolver with me but rock chucks have such amazing eyes you don't get many chances to shoot one with a sixgun. I take 20-30 every year with my revolvers but its tough getting under 75-100 yds most days. I've glassed them many times at 300 yds & they are looking right back at me, their eyes are that good.

Dick

Wiley critters then I would opt for my converted O3A3 with Douglas air gauged stainless in 220 Swift. So your success with the single action was outstanding. 😀

[runfiverun]

yeah they are pretty smart.
if you see one off the road and slow down too fast they'll bail. [unless they think they are really well hidden]
do it twice and they'll run when they see your truck coming up the road.

[sixshot]

Lamar is right, you've got to move very slow & easy around rock chucks are they are gone, especially the old silver backs that have been shot at a few times. And when they are hiding in the lava rocks they blend in like pouring water in the tub, you need really good glasses to spot them. I carry a pair of Swarovski's & use them all day long looking for chucks as they are looking for me.

To me chucks are much more of a hunt than Pairie Dogs, with Pairie Dogs you are just shooting, with rock chucks you are hunting! This old boy is a monster, I weigh right at 300 lbs, you can see he's a big one.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k3/6shot_01/100_1964.jpg (http://s84.photobucket.com/user/6shot_01/media/100_1964.jpg.html)

Dick

[rking22]

Man, that is some pretty country behind you! I think Idaho is now on my short list for a roadtrip, Think a TC in 256Win would work pretty well on those western groundhogs!

[sixshot]

Your 256 would work but you would be limited on range, many of the shots start at about 100 yds & run out to another zip code. You can shoot just as far as you want in this country, I've taken them at 500+ with single shots but most are taken between 150 & 300 yds. Taking 9-10 shots to kill one at 600 yds just to get in the 600 yd. club isn't good shooting in my book, I like to shoot 90% or better & usually can do it, even with this crazy Idaho wind, that's what makes hunting Rock Chucks so challenging. A spotter is a must, many times you won't know if you hit one or not because the gun recoils & the Chuck is gone, he either took off or he fell down into one of the big crevices in the lava rocks & you'll never know without someone spotting for you. If you are shooting them out in the barley you can get by without a spotter but not in the rocks.

Dick

[rking22]

We used to hunt TN groundhogs a lot in the 70s. That elusive 600 yard shot, yep we tried several times. The wind was frequently changing direction several times between the 22-20s snout and the prospective recipient of the little BTHP. Never connected, they dropped in he hole on the first shot, not to be seen for hours. We still had a ball. During the 80s the coyotes came in and the groundhogs got scarce so we gave it up. They're coming back and threads like this make me want to get back into it. Now we never had the kind of shooting you have. Getting 5 or 6 shots an afternoon was a great day, 30 or 40 would be awesome!
More great pics please, long time till hunting season here :)

[runfiverun]

5-6 shots a day is about normal.
and you better make them count. [I make up for it by shooting a few ground squirrels before moving on]

sometimes you get on a spot and can get 5-6 in one sitting.
other times they just seem to be deaf.
I sat [laid actually] on the edge of black canyon last year for about an hour shooting chucks out as far as I could spot them, then I'd shoot one standing on a rock 40-50 yds away.
I shot 3 off the same rock within 10 minutes.
I think they climbed up there then looked over the side to see why the other one was laying there.
I was alternating between the 300 xcb and my 223.

I probably would have done better that day but there was some guy's fishing around the bend on the upstream edge of our property line where I normally do pretty well.
I would have yelled at them for being on our property but the gun shots 1/4 mile away pretty much stopped them from coming down stream any further.
plus they were just fishing so I really didn't care.

good bino's are a must.
I don't know how many times I have wasted 20 minutes of my time sneaking up on a patch of orange moss or a dark spot on a rock.

[rking22]

" good bino's are a must.
I don't know how many times I have wasted 20 minutes of my time sneaking up on a patch of orange moss or a dark spot on a rock. "

That just gave me a giggle, I did the same thing one day when I had decided to hunt them in the old strip mines with a Tennessee flint gun! Only I was carefully stalking a moss covered antique oil can :) Some good memories !

[taco650]

Sixshot,

Sure like the grips on your .327, can you give some details please?

Good shooting too!

[runfiverun]

taco I would suggest you pm Dick about those grips.
I know who made them, you'll be better off talking to him in private about it if you want a set.

I found a pile of rock chucks yesterday, probably 5-6 family units all in one place.
but I have to wait until the place is closed to get at them.
instead of rock piles they burrowed their way in to a big old pile of wood and pallets, I'm thinking this makes them wood chucks.

[sixshot]

Lamar (R5R) is correct, I'd need a pm as I make the handgun stocks. Those are Amboyna Burl, made them about 7-8 years ago.

Dick

[taco650]

Lamar (R5R) is correct, I'd need a pm as I make the handgun stocks. Those are Amboyna Burl, made them about 7-8 years ago.

Dick

Got it. Didn't realize you made them. Nice job.