Since I've just gotten my pic posting problems straightened out.....I can finally share some pix that I've been wanting to for a while now....
Let's start way back on Labor Day weekend....
I had a great weekend planned. Saturday after noon, Cade and I planned on joining our good friends Tim and Gary Kosteczko on a camping/fishing/bowfishing weekend.Then Monday, morning go to a trad only 3D shoot with Dad and Cade!
Saturday morning I woke up as usual before daylight, ate breakfast, checked TG and when I went to the sink to put my bowl in....
I looked out the window over the sink into the back yard and there he was.......my nemesis!
The woodchuck that has been giving me fits all summer! I mean I'd tried so many times to kill this woodchuck by sneaking up on him, it wasn't funny anymore. My wife and kids were even to point of laughter. This thing was making a fool of me!
My wife even commented to me after one of my failed attempts..."some hunter you are"
I normally wouldn't be so set on killing something basically in my backyard, but this one and the other before him had dug so many holes under my shed, that it was actually sinking on one side. Couple that with the fact that, I was having such a time killing him...I was getting like Bill Murry in Caddyshack! The "gopher" had to die!
I was even to the point that I would have shot him with a gun, but no way in my neighbourhood....
So anyway, I looked out and immediately put my plan into action. I grabbed my bow and quiver full of Snuffers, and my DB blind...
The plan was to walk out, let him see me, set the blind up, and wait him out. I knew the pears that were falling off the trees in my backyard would be enough to draw him back out before long.
Well he did just what I thought when he saw me, and I quickly set the blind, nocked an arrow, and sat on my stool.....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050153.JPG)
I'd only been sitting there for about 15 minutes when I saw his head pop out....but he came up out of a hole that was between the boards of the ramp that I drive my mower into the shed with...hmmmmm....
Slowly I reach for my bow, but he sure was cautious. Over the next few minutes, he was still just barely peeking out above the ground, between the 2x8's.....
It took a solid ten minutes for about half of his body to come above ground. I had already decided that would sacrifice and arrow into the shed if need be. I was thinking if I hit him right in the chest, I could actually pin him right to the shed. Then there would be no way he could get back in his hole......
I couldn't believe how my heart was pounding as I drew "Timex", my 62# Kwyk Styk...
I released, and in a flash, the arrow was gone, and he started his descent, but he wasn't quick enough......
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050157.JPG)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050156.JPG)
You can see why my shot had to be right on the money or things could have gone real bad.....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050159.JPG)
My nemesis and very worthy opponent....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050166.JPG)
Maybe not a "real hunt", but a good way to start out my weekend!
Up next...the camp out/fishing/bowfishing trip....
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I LOVE IT :thumbsup: ..... No string Tracker???
QuoteOriginally posted by Guru:
My wife even commented to me after one of my failed attempts..."some hunter you are"
I hope her statement was retracted!
Good shootin man!
Way to go Curt!!! Great Shooting!!
Good shot :notworthy:
I love it! I waged war with one old boar this year in the middle of my field. I missed him three times and finally got him last week (I think). I got a shot that flew just a tad low and he hunched up and ran for the hole but stopped at the hole hunching up. Upon examining the area I got blood, hair and the arrow had hair and fecal matter on the fletch. I'm sure I sliced his bowels open as I haven't seen him since.
I hate them.
Nice shootin! Those are good looking arrows too!!
Cool Story Curt.... :thumbsup:
Congrats :thumbsup:
He shoots, He scores!!!!!!!!
Love it man.........>
Nice shootin' Curt! You must have remembered to pick a spot.
Kinda reminds me of my first, and only, "harvest" with trad equipment.
Raccoon was living INSIDE a factory where my buddy worked. It was after hours so you can put the rest of the story together, although mine was more a "search and destroy" kind.
Yes, Raccoon season had come in the week prior. (I knew this because my G-pa was a HUGE coon hunter and to this day I wish he had lived a few years longer to turn me into a houndsman.)
Great story. Bill Murray would be proud!!! lol
Due diligence.
I think that chuck should be a true trophy in my book.
Very nice! These are the kind of threads I love to read. Like Justin said, those arrows are beauties, what are they? You know, in case I ever have a life or death encounter with a rock chuck out here in Idaho.
Travis :thumbsup: :D
Good Shootin' Guru!! :scared: Fine Shooting,now are You gonna Skin It And Make a Hat out of Him Just for Spite?? Or Stuff Him and Set him in the Window for the Others to See?? :goldtooth:
Great story! I could feel the tension while sitting here reading and drinking my morning coffee... good shot too :)
Anyone that has hunted them know they are a real challenge; kind of the big game of small game. I remember spending nearly everyday hunting them one summer; and keeping count. I got 12; and that might not seem like much; but it meant a LOT of hunting.
I also like the fact that anti-hunter vegans would ask me to kill their woodchucks; provided I wore camo; hid myself; and snuck in and out of the property. No problem :)
Where I live now there are 'rock chucks'; yellow belly marmots; and they seem to ALWAYS have rocks all around them and each shot is 'sudden death' for my arrows. I miss woodchucks !
Hey - you had a treestand out there in the form of the playhouse - but no big deal; there will be more.... :D
Nice shooting Curt. I had a battle with one this year that's been living under a shed of a vacant house next door. I had a lot of fun putting sneaks on him over the past two months but he's a crafty sort and while I would wait for the shot, he'd figure out something was wrong and scoot. I missed him twice in what seemed virtually impossible as my Snuffer passed UNDER his belly on both shots. Last week I put a sneak on him that worked perfect. I got set up behind a bush as he fed my way and lined up perfect at maybe 5 yards oblivious to me. I drew back and discovered that I'd grown too fond of chasing him to actually kill him. What can I say... He won. It happens.
:thumbsup:
That first photo: too funny!
He got what he deserved :bigsmyl: nice shooting :thumbsup:
That's way too cool. I can see another shoulder mount coming soon! Very good shot!
perfect 'money shot' curt! :thumbsup:
Those woodchucks have to be the most difficult and cagey critter I have ever attempted to harvest.
Nice set up, and well planned.....
:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
:thumbsup: Can't wait to hear the rest of the stories. Great pics!!! Joe
Coool! Now that there is a true hunting, "redneck" style! Worried about the tractor for a moment, but still took the shot!
I love the older wheelhorses better anyway!
A chuck is still my goal this year, thanks for wetting my appetite Curt! :thumbsup: Good shootin, Steve
:bigsmyl: :bigsmyl:
Great shot !
Too funny..Great pics.
Nice, Kurt. One summer we had a woodchuck problem here....a female with 5 young ones. Once I shot mom the others were pretty easy to get to....young and dumb. However, we still have one or two and one ate all our brocolli this past summer in one afternoon! I finally found his den about 20 yards from one of my treestands but at an impossible angle. He's on the top of my list for next Sring...well, he's right up there with the turkeys.
Tan that hide! The first finger tab I ever made was from an old boar groundhog. Tough leather.
Good shootin, too.
Good start. :thumbsup:
Man, Talk about a pressure shot, that snuffer could have done some real damage to that mower!! Nice shot Curt!! :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
"License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."- Carl Spackler
Guru, good job! :thumbsup:
Well done brother! Nice shooting!
:bigsmyl: :thumbsup:
nice job, and they're so TASTY!
I'm a small game addict. I'd travel to hunt those. That looks like too much fun.
BTW, I've been setting up in the barnyard. I'm trying to catch a chicken killin bobcat. So far he's beat me three days in a row. Maybe I'll post a backyard kill pic sometime soon. :thumbsup:
Thanks fellas, yes the woodchuck is a very "humbling" creature without a doubt!
Curtis, You'd luv hunting them little beasts!
Ok, so we'll do the the campout/fishing/bowfishing part in pix.....
One of Cade's favorite activities...catching crayfish....
• (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050169.JPG)
Tim....
• (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050183.JPG)
Cade....
• (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050186.JPG)
Our set-up...
• (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050188.JPG)
After all the fun that included some catfishing way into the night....the boy was wore out!
• (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050192.JPG)
We woke early the next morning, and hit the river for some bowfishing. But it turned out to be the slowest we've ever had....I can't even remember if we had a shot between the three of us.
My Mom and dad showed up to spend the day with us...
So we did a little more fishing...I promise I'm getting to the bowfishing part.....
The biggest of the weekend.....
• (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050197.JPG)
Mom up close, the Tim's girlfriend Kelly, brother Jeremy, and my Dad way in the back...all just relaxing, enjoying the beautiful day...
• (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050202.JPG)
Tim and Cade(another of Cade's favorite activities).......
• (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050218.JPG)
be right back....
So Tim and I just couldn't take it anymore and had to try the bowfishing again. This time we cruised the river with the canoe. The main problem with the bowfishing was the high, cloudy water...we just couldn't see then.
But we had to try....
Tim paddled, I was the first shooter....
It was tough to say the least, we could tell we were spooking some fish that we couldn't see, from the mud trails they were leaving..
But as we cruised past a downed log, I spotted a carp, pulled up, thought "aim low" and shot before my window of opportunity closed....
Perfect!
• (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050223.JPG)
With the old 58" Grizzly, and AMS reel....
• (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050224.JPG)
My one and only shot......
Tomorrow we'd be off to the 3D.....
Now that groundhog bit is cool! You don't see that everyday!
Looks like a fantastic time at the lake with the family! Looks like a nice smallie Cade has.
I used to catch crawdads in the creek when I was little. Some great memories there.
Nice cat too!
Timex, ya gotta love that! cool pics , thanks for sharing..Marco
Forgot to finish this one up..... got this fella while out scouting/squirrel hunting back in early Oct.
Put a big 160grain blunt right thru him, but he still managed to climb a tree. Last arrow in my quiver knocked him out of it......
• (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/P1050346.JPG)
Great pics Curt!! Good times had by all. Joe
Nice pics another good summer, hopefully next year includes some more fish with the bow. I know we will try at least...
Hope we can make this campin thing a tradition as well, don't know who has more fun Cade or us
P.s. That would have been the second biggest cat if u didn't "release" the other one lol I am not going to let you forget that just yet
Now you can add "Critter Ridder" to your resume. I like it.
:bigsmyl:
First thing I thought seeing the picture of Cade with the mud bug, "perfect bait size", then you showed those fine smallies and cats... way to go. Great family photos, you are a lucky man.