Woodchuckin’

[Orchard6]

I’ve been after the local woodchuck population pretty hard this year! 21 so far with 17 of them taken with revolvers and cast boolits! Most of them were taken with my BFR in 454 Casull (can’t never have too much gun!) using a 260 grain cast penta point from a MP mold, loaded over 35 grains of H110 for a velocity of right around 1800 fps.
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A few caught some 150 grain hollow points from my Blackhawk in 357 magnum. These are trucking along at 1400 fps on top of a stiff charge of Blue Dot.

Ranges have varied from a few feet to a 51 yard off hand shot with the BFR! Here in orchard country we don’t get long shots on these critters because there is way to much cover for them to hide in.

[Good Cheer]

Holy mole, you gots a serious infestation!

[Bazoo]

Wow. Pretty sweet shooting. Do ya eat them? I always heard they was good eating but ain’t tried any yet.

[armoredman]

Good question, I've wondered the same.

[skeettx]

GREAT postings
Thanks
Mike

[Whole Bunches]

Wow. Pretty sweet shooting. Do ya eat them? I always heard they was good eating but ain’t tried any yet.

Delicious if you like dark meat. Unless a yearling, it might need parboiling in salted water to tenderize. Boil until a fork will slide in. No woodchucks in Florida, but I ate many growing up in Indiana.

[sixshot]

I'd say 1800 fps from that FA ought to get the job done, probably went clear through.......nice work, keep after them!

Dick

[Johnch]

Nice shooting

At the marsh when we have the dikes chopped or at a lot of the farms I hunt ground hogs at
We can take ( Not always hit ) shots out to 1000+ yards
As to not hurt my ego to much
I limit myself to 150 yards with the BFR in 45/70
And 100 yards with the DW 15 in 357 Mag if I have the 10" barrel with the scope
I have shot AT ground hogs past 600 yards with the FN FAL with the Lee 170 gr Flat nose
Jut 2 hits in 20 or so tries

John

[Txcowboy52]

Great shooting! Good post ! I never seen a woodchuck, but I wouldn’t mind trying some of that. Looks like fun shooting. No woodchucks in Texas that I know of ! Lol

[Bazoo]

I shot a groundhog once with a 270 Weatherby Magnum. I don't remember the bullet weight, it was a standard bullet not a varmint round. The distance was about 25 yards, and let me tell yall something; 270 Weatherby Magnum will anchor a groundhog right where he stands!

[Winger Ed.]

Yeah!
Somehow, dinner always tastes better when you kill it yourself.

You might take their shirts off and offer them on S&S.
Some of the prepper folks might want 'em to make leather.
It wouldn't work for me--- but ones into all that primitive living might even be able to get the Mrs. to chew them.

[CastingFool]

I've shot a couple woodchucks with my Henry Bbs in 45 colt at 65 yds. Lately, I prefer to use my Axis 223.

[ChristopherO]

Fine handgun shooting. I've only shot one with a revolver, 44 Mag borrowed many years ago. Normally a 222 or 223 was the weapon of choice.
I've made leather out of one hide. Quite tough.

Et a couple, too. I've become a better cook since then. They may actually be enjoyable if prepared properly and are young of the year. Mine weren't.

Really miss groundhog hunting. Coyotes did a major thinning 35 years ago. See a few from time to time though.

[versa-06]

Coyote's have become a real pain here in south western section of Va. Be nice if everyone was after them like I am, We all know how destructive they are on wild game I need ramble. They do make good targets year round. Yote season never closes in Va. --06

[35 Rem]

I envy you having that many groundhogs and am in awe of your ability to kill them with a revolver! I used to live for groundhog shooting but the coyotes came and groundhog numbers have never recovered. I have a 17 Remington, 22 Hornet, 218 Bee, 221 Fireball, 22-250, 220 Swift and 22 CHeetah and 6mm Remington all bought specifically for groundhogs that just sit in the safe now. Darned frustrating. Sure you can shoot a coyote or two with them but it's nothing like sitting over a huge soybean field with dozens of targets popping up at random on any hot Summer day.

[Orchard6]

Thanks guys! To answer a few questions, here they really aren’t considered a game animal, more of a nuisance animal than anything. Not too different from how prairie dogs are viewed, I guess. People do eat them on occasion but normally they’re donated to the National Turkey Vulture rehabilitation program around here. Last year they were few and far between but this year the population has exploded, giving ample opportunity to try out my sixguns on them!

The damage these things do can get pretty expensive to repair as they like to tunnel across the drive rows in between the rows of apple trees and when the tractors come through often the tunnels collapse causing some nasty mini ditches across the rows. We’ve broke wheels off of equipment hitting them on numerous occasions so they are greatly despised here!

I’ll try to keep y’all updated if I get any more!

[Dutchman]

Northern Indiana a few years ago....

https://images15.fotki.com/v1674/photos/2/28344/2721152/scan0021-vi.jpg (https://public.fotki.com/dutchman/fuji_6900/rodent/scan0021.html)

[Orchard6]

I'd say 1800 fps from that FA ought to get the job done, probably went clear through.......nice work, keep after them!

Dick
The expansion with the penta point is immediate and violent! If I don’t hit them in the head, there often isn’t much left!

[ChristopherO]

Thanks guys! To answer a few questions, here they really aren’t considered a game animal, more of a nuisance animal than anything. Not too different from how prairie dogs are viewed, I guess. People do eat them on occasion but normally they’re donated to the National Turkey Vulture rehabilitation program around here. Last year they were few and far between but this year the population has exploded, giving ample opportunity to try out my sixguns on them!

The damage these things do can get pretty expensive to repair as they like to tunnel across the drive rows in between the rows of apple trees and when the tractors come through often the tunnels collapse causing some nasty mini ditches across the rows. We’ve broke wheels off of equipment hitting them on numerous occasions so they are greatly despised here!

I’ll try to keep y’all updated if I get any more!


I grew up on an orchard and row crop farm. Know exactly what you are speaking of. One of the perks was hunting and shooting the scads of groundhogs after a long hard day of work. Good times and memories of satisfying shots made. I see them here and there but the vast numbers of the critters we once experienced are years gone by due to the expanding population of coyotes. They did more to the groundhog numbers in 10 years than all the 22 bullets did in the prior 150 years.

[Orchard6]

I grew up on an orchard and row crop farm. Know exactly what you are speaking of. One of the perks was hunting and shooting the scads of groundhogs after a long hard day of work. Good times and memories of satisfying shots made. I see them here and there but the vast numbers of the critters we once experienced are years gone by due to the expanding population of coyotes. They did more to the groundhog numbers in 10 years than all the 22 bullets did in the prior 150 years.
I keep the coyotes in check pretty well around here too! I took 5 or 6 just off of the 185 acre home farm last year. I’ve taken 2 so far this year but I know there is more out there.