Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Big Ol Chuck!

Shot this big old Boar Chuck last weekend with the .17HMR. Shot him at just over 100 yds, he just dropped flat and never wiggled. Have shot around 40 this spring with that rifle and have found it to be very effective. Thumps them with authority. The .17 picks up right where a .22lr runs out of steam yet still has the rimfire sound for shooting in semi-urban areas. Fun stuff.

Nice. What's your ammo of choice? I've got a CZ452 American in 17HMR that continues to impress with both accuracy and killing power. I can't see how that tiny bullet does what it does.

Just been shooting the 17gr VMax Hornady's so far. They are all I have been able to find. Thank goodness they shoot good from my rifle. The little .17HMR is amazing. Kept within about 150 yards and it is lights out. The wind was blowing a steady 10 mph and gusting to 20-25 all day long - I tried keeping my shots around 100 yards and connected with consistency. Had one pile where I shot a chuck, another came out, shot him and a starling landed just after - whacked him also. 3 shots, 3 kills all at 100 yards and in a stiff wind! I just held on the upwind side and bang - flop, I was amazed. Would have been all but impossible with a .22lr.

Centershot: Wow what a great picture and such a grand Trophy!
Good for you.
Is that a Leupold 3x9 compact model with adjustable objective?
I ask because I just put one of those on an Anschutz heavy barrel Rifle in caliber 17 Mach2 (for Ground Squirrels mainly) and it is working out wonderfully for me.
Back to the 17 HMR - the lethality of the 17 HMR never ceases to amaze me.
I have killed mature Badgers out to 172 yards with my 17 HMR's as well as Coyote, Fox, Wild Turkey, Rock Chucks and large Porcupines.
I have killed six straight Badgers with ONE shot apiece with my Ruger 77 V/T in 17 HMR.
And that, to me, is just amazing performance from a rimfire!
Thanks again for the great photo - it tells a cool story in itself.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG, Thanks - it is pretty cool spot. My Boss owns a bunch of land along the canyon rim (as well as a few other place I hunt with pellet guns due to houses, those chucks are usually dumb and I shoot them by the dozens). This area gets hunted pretty heavy so one has to do some sneaking to get in range and get off a decent shot. A big old chuck that has been shot at gets very spooky and makes for a very challenging target. I love it.
The scope is an older Vari X III 3.5-10x40 AO. Pretty awesome rig, near perfect for my application and location. I really want one of the 3-9x33 AO's for my .22lr but have never parted with the cash to get one.

Nice!

How'd he taste?😜

You will need to ask the magpies!

I remember my Uncle telling me how he would hunt chucks down in Duck Valley and the Indians would follow him around and pick up the dead chucks and eat them. Think I'll pass.

I'm going to rethink my feelings on the 17 HM.

Extremely accurate, deadly on chipmunk to squirrel sized critters. Sometimes use it to trim weed stalks from my deck.

However, tried it one time on a raccoon at about 60 yds, Hit it fairly twice, but had to finish it with a 22LR. Both of the first 2 shots were good. shoulder shot first time, double lung attempt on second shot. Didn't feel the 17 gr. bullet was enough for a 20=40 pound animal.

Have met people who have DRTd critters to coyote size with them.

I think if you are going to shoot bigger critters then the 20 gr ammo may be a better choice. I believe the heavier bullets are designed to stay together and penetrate instead of blowing up immediately like the .17 grainers.

Think you may be right about the heavier bullet, but the 17 gr was what I had at the time. I still think I'll use my .22 Hornet if after them, but if the 17 is what I have on my deck with me will try again.

Centershot: Thanks for the comeback with the info.
Keep sneakin up on'em!
Four of us, several years ago, took a jetboat camping trip up (and down!) Idaho's River of No Return - we camped here and there and the main purpose of the trip was shed Elk antler and Spring Bear Hunting at the same time.
It seems every remote valley/basin/mountain I went up and in to had "un-educated" Rock Chucks in or on it!
I finally remembered in my duffle bag I had a Smith & Wesson stainless Model 63 revolver in 22 L.R.
I took it with me a couple of times and when the area was ascertained as clear of Bears I would sneak up on and shoot a couple of medium sized Rock Chucks - never got one as big as yours but did get a couple of 2 year olds.
Saw some big ones though - fun Hunting them anyway.
I also caught and released a 100+ pound Sturgeon on that trip.
Idaho has a LOT to offer the outdoorsman!
Thanks again.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Damn that looks fun.




Travis

VG - There are a few 8'-9' Sturgeons in a hole 1/2 mile from where that picture was taken. They are fun to catch but only half as fun as running around in a Jet Boat.

dlflave - it's as fun as it looks.

Man I love this time of year!

I just got back from a rock chuck safari in Southern Idaho and had a blast. My buddy and I ended up with 26 on the first day and about 11-12 the second day due to the high winds that popped up. High winds are common in this area.

We were using .223, 22.250 and a .204 for the centerfires and tricked out 10/22's for the close shots. We had a large portion of the .22lr kills in the 30-70 yard range with the Winchester Xpert ammo with that large hollow point. We definitely shot some "book" rocks and put them down with one shot using that ammo.

The fun and the games as well as the acrobatics comes with those hot stepping centerfires with one guy on the gun and the other guy on the spotting scope. If the recoil would pull our eyes off the target you didn't have to ask the spotter if it was a hit.....his laughter was the answer.

We actually ran into two farmers who ASKED us to shoot some rock chucks in rock piles bordering their hay fields. One farmer guessed that those critters had already consumed about $1100 in hay this early. We did our best and reported back to him of 11 kills off one large rock pile.

Lots of grins.

My boss owns quite a bit of land along the rim and close - he is always asking when I'm going to kill of those ..... chucks. I say I was just out there and shot several dozen! Fun stuff. I kill about 4X more chucks with my pellet rifle as my other guns each year. I do prefer the .243 and .17hmr, but shooting chucks and counting kills by the dozens is pretty fun also with a nice spring air rifle. Seeing hits thru the scope with the .243 rarely happens - the .17 is great for that - and the pellet guns sometimes you can see the pellet in flight.

Should get yourself a 223 and use blue dot loads in it, cheap shooting