Trad Gang

With all the rain we've had, my buddy is about a month behind in mowing his hay fields this year.

He was finally able to get a couple fields cut and bailed a few days ago, so I took advantage of the situation and did some woodchuck hunting yesterday afternoon.

I managed to bring one home with me, missed another, and wasn't able to get close enough to a couple others to get a shot.

It's the first real hunting I've done since turkey season, and I had a blast.

    (http://i.imgur.com/MPvRe7k.jpg)[/IMG]      


Bob

Shoot! I thought I had the picture thing figured out. We've gotta leave, but I'll try it again later.

Bob

I remember as a teen wanting to hunt chucks with my grandpaw in north Alabama. They were so sharp I would have never dreamed of bowhuntung them. What's the trick to getting close enough for a shot and are they subject to take your arrows in their den?

Out here in the west we call them rock chucks.  I think they are a cool looking critter but I know they can be a problem for farmers.  If anyone knows of good rock chuck hunting in the Wenatchee Wa area let me know.

I tried a different picture, and it worked fine. I don't know what I did wrong with the other one.   :dunno:

Bob

A good friend and I use to hunt them ( ground hogs, here )
all the time. They were plentiful along the banks of the Big Sandy.

Congrats Bob.  I have yet to get after them... I had been waiting for July so the babies were big enough to make it but I have a hard time getting into the hunting season "feeling" when its so hot out.

I have a pretty good spot close to here... I will have to get after them soon.

Three so far this summer. We have a problem with at our church property. They burrow into our drain lines and have plugged some of them up. I usually have to stalk them, keeping the corner of a building or a high mound between us until I get close enough. Great fun and good practice for deer season. They can be very tough to stalk.

Hunting sod poodles is my passion. I've been seriously hunting them since I took up traditional bowhunting almost 30 years ago, always shooting several per year.

Up until a year ago the hunting was great within walking distance of my house. I do believe the coyotes, foxes, whatever have all but wiped them out. I hunted yesterday and checked my best area only to find dozens of old unopened holes. Some are decades old and large enough to drop a volley ball into. They're just gone. A sad day for sure.

I only got one so far this year. It made my 250th with a stickbow. I hate to think it was my last.

Fairly rare around these parts, although I do see a survivor around town a couple times a year.  I'm afraid the "rip out all the terraces, wood lots, fence lines" movement has made them scarce in these parts.  What the woodchuck population here needs is a good windstorm, because though some people will spend tens of thousands of dollars to clear woodlots, they gladly farm around blown down trees for decades before they deteriorate enough to be farmed over???

I apologize to real land managers that may have taken offense to that post.  They too, seem to be a rare breed.

Boy I miss groundhog hunting.  When I grew up in NC Ohio I was a chuck hunting machine.  I got pretty serious in high school... my last year in 1992 I killed an even 50 groundhogs with my recurve. That was in an area that a good hand with a 22-250 would work hard to get 100 in a year.  The Old Man always said that if he was king of the world you'd have to bring him15 groundhog tails before you'd be allowed to buy a deer license.  I learned more about how to bowhunt from chasing woodchucks than from anything else.  For whatever reason (coyotes?) they are uncommon here in my area of WC IN, so I haven't shot one for 20 years.

R

Possum Head, I hunt them a couple different ways, depending on how ambitious I'm feeling.

I killed the one in the picture by sneaking along one side of a hedgerow separating two fields, and checking out the other field whenever I had an opening in the brush that would let me do it without making a lot of noise.

I snuck through at one point, and up to a big hollow tree stub on the edge of the other field. The chuck was out in the field feeding, but too far for a shot. I watched it for probably fifteen minutes before it made It's way close enough to the hedgerow to take a shot.

I drew when it stood up on It's hind legs for a look around. It was facing away from me, but before I could shoot it dropped back down and turned quartering toward me again. I was already drawn, so I took the shot. The broadhead went in just in front of the left shoulder and came out behind the right shoulder.

It had a ways to go to get back to It's den, and it didn't quite make it. Others have.

I've also been known to throw together a rough brush blind where I can cover several different holes at once. Sometimes they come close enough for a shot, and sometimes they don't. Stalking is more fun though.

I've had a few take arrows down a hole on me when I didn't get a pass through, and I've had some chewed up pretty bad. I don't use my good hunting arrows for woodchucks. I use a bunch of old carbon and aluminum arrows that I keep just for chucks.

A couple of you guys have killed an impressive number of woodchucks, and I give you a lot of credit. They're wary little buggers.

Thanks for the replies.

Bob

I killed probably 2/3 by stalking or ambushing, the other third by waiting them out - when you run one in a hole get 10-15 Ft on the opposite side that you spooked him from, get an arrow on the string and the bow ready.  Lots of times they'll take a look back out shortly.  Close shot, but you'll have to hit a spot about the size of a quarter behind the eyes, in front of the ears.  If he didn't come back out in 40 min then he wasn't likely to.  You'll learn patience!

R

Ryan, same here. 2/3 from stalking, the rest waiting them out on the opposites side of the hole. I only give them 3 minutes though, then move on. The dumb ones will come right back up, the smart ones-forget about it.

I do and have five to my credit this summer. They are tough little buggers, that's for sure. As said, if you spook one down into its hole, take up ambush ten or so yards on opposite side of hole as the holes are on an angle and when "chuckie" comes back up to take a peek, it will usually be facing away from you. They can be very curious and it can be their undoing.
I had one come out to feed in a mowed lawn once this summer. This was a lawn so really close cropped grass. I was about 80 yds. away and figured since it was too far for a shot, I'd give it a "shot" and try stalking up on it. I would take a few steps as he put his head down to feed and freeze when he picked it up. Just like a deer. And when it fed directly away would just about run to close the distance. Got to within 20 yds. undetected and then proceeded to miss the shot. S#@%*t. Great stalking practice though. Movement, or lack of, is the key. Fun way to hunt during the summer.

Nice hog, Bob!
Looks like a nice bow, too. Bamboo backed? Looks like a node showing. What kind of arrow, broadhead you shooting?

I've shot a few groundhogs with my recurve but they aren't the easiest to get within bow range. I should really try harder to go out and make some more stalks on these guys in the spring!

It's neary impossible to get within 100yd of one in an open field around here. I've alway hunted them from inside the woods edge. I make paths or clear the deer trails so I can stay around 10yd inside. The holes are generally right along the edge.

As a rule, I don't take open field shots. I don't want to buy a tractor tire or dairy cow because of a lost broadhead.

QuoteOriginally posted by frank bullitt:
Nice hog, Bob!
Looks like a nice bow, too. Bamboo backed? Looks like a node showing. What kind of arrow, broadhead you shooting?

Thank you Frank.

The bow is a Huntworthy Productions "Outlaw", made by James Parker. 51@28, reflex/deflex, with a bamboo back and carbonised bamboo belly. You can't really see the finish in the picture with the glare on the limbs, but It's a pretty bow, and a shooter too. James makes a great bow, and he's a heck of a nice guy to deal with.

I use a bunch of different arrows for woodchucks, mostly older carbons and aluminums. I don't use my good hunting arrows, and I'm not fussy, as long as they fly well.

The arrow I used on the chuck in the picture was an Easton Excel. I use my old Wensel Woodsman's for chucks and other small game, unless I'm hunting with a dog.

My girlfriend's sister goes to a lot of garage sales, so I gave her a list of arrows to look for a couple years ago, and she keeps me supplied with cheap arrows.

Bob

Bob, I thought it might be one of James bows! Yes, he does great work.

Haven't got a shot on one yet this summer, but they are coming back well here in my part of Indiana. I did watch last week as our year old German Sheprd, trapped and killed one behind the house, along the creek!

She made it look easy!   :bigsmyl:

Are those things any good to eat? Look like they've got some meat on their bones. Maybe smother 'em in onions?

Come on, fess up. I have no doubt that one of y'all has thrown one on the pit....

  :campfire:

Believe it or not woodchuck liver is excellent. And frankly I don't care much for liver. It's very mild and tender, similar to chicken livers. When I was a kid we had a hunting camp in Dutchess Cty., N.Y. My dad had the local record of 29 confirmed kills with his .22 Hornet back then. When I was about 16 I decided to try and beat it. I waited until about now, after the first hay cutting, and when the young were out on their own. I started at first light and walked until dark. I don't think I sat down for more than fifteen minutes all day. Every time I got back to the truck I'd put on dry socks, got a drink and snacks and take off again. I have no idea how far I walked that day but I've never walked that far since (probably total!). No road hunting allowed and I had to cut the tails off and keep the livers on ice for proof. I've killed quite a few of them with the bow but this was for quantity not quality. I used a .222 w/ a 4X scope but most of my shots were under 50 yds. I ended up with 46 confirmed kills that day. The local farmer was really happy. I went back about ten years ago and walked around the same farm and never saw a one. And no... I didn't get them all. They claim the coyotes, which were not present in '59, pretty much wiped them out. Anyway, chuck livers soaked overnight in salt water, rolled in flour and fried in butter with some salt and pepper are excellent. bw

Now that's what I call determination Barry, cool story.

Barry, that was a great story, thank you. 46 chucks in one day is quite an accomplishment.   :bigsmyl:

Thanks for your reply Barry, and I haven't used anything but Woodsman broadheads for a long time, by the way.  :thumbsup:  

Thanks for all the replies everybody, I appreciate it.

Bob

Just the other day my lapdogs had a young one surrounded in the back yard and had a heck of a time calling them off it. Almost got bit by both dogs and groundhog breaking it up...8^)

I too was a groundhog killing machine as a kid and young man and killed hundreds of them, and although I haven't intentionally  hunted them (mainly because of limited access anymore) it is still pretty popular for some to hunt around here...

They can become pretty smart and learn quick of a kid sneaking with a .22 or bow and can become pretty good adversaries if educated..

Although there doesn't seem to be as many now days, likely due to coyotes and clean farming, they are still pretty common around here...

As for table fare, I'm not any kind of a liver eater, but rumor has it around here some say the young ones can be palatable, and although I tried it years ago, they're not for me. They are way too stinky, tough to skin, and way to many glands to cut away... I think they have something like 11 different type of glands on their body...

Have a question that's been debated.... Can they smell you like deer... Can or will they wind you if up wind, say within 50 yards?

Like Josey Wales said, "Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms".

Other than standing on one to get my arrow out, I don't handle or eat them. The last one I shot was living in an old dead cow compost pile.

Last year. Shot at like 3 or 4 feet...

 (http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab28/miklvines/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-06/0625142113.jpg) (http://s846.photobucket.com/user/miklvines/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-06/0625142113.jpg.html)

He didn't go far after that shot did he?   :D  

That's awesome, thanks Mike.    

Bob

Yeah, he didn't do much after that one.  

I was out practicing in the back yard, getting my broadheads ready for the year, and I noticed he would stick his head out every time I would go get my arrow and return.  So each time I came back, I just got a step closer, then another step closer, and another step closer, till he popped his head out, like he always had and there had been no problems before (just some guy who looked exactly like him, shooting a longbow), except this time I was just a couple feet away at full draw.  Then the Eclipse broadhead did it's job and quickly I might add.

You gotta admire a man who hunts dangerous game while wearing Crocs!

Nice shot.

You're making me misty for my younger days in PA. Sticking whistle pigs.    :campfire:

quote:

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Originally posted by Wudstix:
You're making me misty for my younger days in PA. Sticking whistle pigs.     :thumbsup:  

Bob