Centershot,

That is a nice sized rockchuck. Our groundhogs are bigger than rockchucks. Lots of good food, fields of alfalfa, orhcards, and the like make them super fat. Maybe one of the members from Pennsylvania will chime in, they really grow them big up there. I remember the largest groundhog I shot it was when I was in high school. This was long before cell phones with cameras and the internet. My usual course of action was to pick 'em and throw them back in their hole. This pig was huge. At the time I measured him with 4 of my hand width's across the back. That is roughly 15" across the back. If there was a 20+ lb groundhog he was it. Too bad I didn't know how special it was or that I would be talking about it to a guy in Idaho on the internet nearly 30 years later. My cousin and I used to shoot them with our deer rifles at that time too. We shot several with 7mm Remington Magnums and a 300 Weatherby Magnum where they literally had their guts hanging out dragging their body which was nearly cut in two back to their holes. Pound for pound the toughest animal I have ever seen.

Let's get back to the 17 HMR. Full disclosure, I am an unabashed hater of the 17 HMR. I bought a Marlin the first year they came out and used it for squirrels and groundhogs. It would destroy way too much meat on a squirrel and lacked the "ass" to anchor groundhogs unless you had perfect shot placement. I hate it. My cousin who I mentioned earlier feels the same way you do. He loves it. Go figure. Different strokes for different folks. He now has a 17 Hornet and it has replaced the 17 HMR.

Here is a pic of a small one I shot in the spring when I was out turkey hunting. They sure are good eating.

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