As spring gets closer, my eyes keep wandering up the mountains wondering when the snow will melt. My favorite summer adventure is hunting the little buggers up above 8,000 feet. As soon as the road has thawed enough to get in there, we start looking.

Any body else big into high country chucks?

Not so much high country but we have a big old canyon with a bunch of them in it. Much of the better shooting is with air rifles on farms close to developments. I usually shoot a hundred or so each spring. Usually wait until about Mother's Day, by then the little ones are out and the shooting is excellent. Fun Stuff.

I have seen hundreds of them up your way, always tempting me.

Coldboremiracle: Some of my closest held "secret Hunting spots" are indeed those for high mountain Rock Chucks!
I have one secret spot from which I and a carefully chosen fellow Hunter can set-up and shoot at Chucks from nearby to 1,000 yards if one so chooses!
I choose NOT to shoot them at anything under 200 yards nor past 550 yards - and then only if the Chuck is of the mature/large body type.
These high mountain Chuck Colonies are often VERY susceptible to "over-Hunting" so I limit myself to 20 - 25 a day, total, from various stands.
Indeed I once traveled 950 miles to get to this particular spot only to find out the rocky road/trail leading to it, was still snowed in.
And this was in late June!
One of my all time favorite "high country" calibers by the way is the 220 Swift.
Slow shooting up here so no barrel heating worries and the flat trajectory always helps.
And another tip/observation - when I first found out about high country Rock Chuckin (1970'ish) my home Rifle range was at 25' elevation.
I sighted my Swift in there on the tide flats of Seattle and then traveled to the timberline (9,500' plus) and you would be amazed at the difference in the point of impact change (due to the change in air density)!
Have a good season and don't over-harvest.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I like to shoot a few chucks, but never killed very many.. In the mountains, they hurt almost nothing.. They are kind of a trophy varmint.. If they are destroying something, buildings, dikes, crops, then I whack 'em.. A great animal to hunt..

I know that it is tempting to start shooting as soon as the snow is gone. However, if you wait until Mothers Day (or so) the little ones are weaned and able to live on their own. If you get to shooting too soon you may be killing another 4 to 6 in the burrow... Just say'n

That sounds a lot like what I do, except you must have a lot more chucks than us. I'm happy to shoot 2 or 3 a day, but like you I never over harvest. I never shoot more than one or two from a group. We are very selective with our shots, they are not hard to wait out, and get a better/cleaner shot. But we do on occasion shoot them at 4,5,600yds. I totally agree they are a trophy varmint, which Is why I dont like to kill off the little buggers. They are actually quite a beautiful little animal, and fun to watch (through a scope).
I usually use my .223 barrel, but sometimes a 308 or 260, just depends on the day.

Dang looks like fun, I'd like to get into them locally someday.

Coldboremiracle: Wow!
Those pictures just stir my soul.
In one of my gigantic high country Rock Chuck Hunting areas I am atop a huge plateau as opposed to your steep up and down country.
Once atop this vast plateau I literally glide across the levelness with a day pack full of ammo, sand bags, optics and water and a heavy Rifle slung on my shoulder.
I can't wait to answer the call your photos have instilled in me, later this summer.
That snow bank also brings back memories of my high country haunts.
Be careful up there.
Thanks for the great photos!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

CraigD: Mothers Day is the first week in May and I am not even able to get into my high country Rock Chuck haunts until many weeks after that.
And I seldom ever shoot "pups" no matter what the calendar says.
Indeed, Rock Chuck Colonies CAN be wiped out, and I am quite mindful of that.
Just re-say'n.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

WyoCoyoHunter: You touch upon a very valid point/subject!
Your quote: "In the mountains, they hurt almost nothing.." - that being said I get to Hunt them maybe once a year anymore.
Here in Montana Rock Chucks are considered "Varmints" and can be Hunted leagally year round and 24/7.
There is NO limit and NO license required and manner of harvest is unregulated.
It has been this way for half a century that I know of and the Rock Chucks are still doin pretty well.
I agree with your point that high country Rock Chucks are not destructive to man and crops like their low-land cousins are (Prairie Dogs, Ground Squirrels and low country Chucks).
Not try'in to wipe em out just try'in to Hunt them from time to time.
And I do also agree they are a trophy Varmint.
My crew and I have have a couple of "low-land" (6,000' to 6,500' elevation) Rock Chuck Colonies we Hunt - we limit ourselves to ONE Chuck a trip and that Chuck must be retrieved and photographed by the Hunter.
Then off we go Coyote, Fox, Badger and Ground Squirrel Hunting.
Have a good season.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Looks fun up there. Only thing close around here is a groundhog and they are scattered around, most of them I see are here in town.

Would like to find a few hogs and get a little trigger time in.

Thanks, they bring back a lot of great memories. Aside from big game hunting, "chucking" is my favorite hunt. My kids and I spend every free moment up there, around 8500ASL.


Heres some more pictures for you:







Here is CBM Jr. with his first chuck:

We got into them again this weekend:

Had to test out a new SigSauer Tango6, and what better way to do it than on unsuspecting mountain chucks?

Got into em again this weekend;

What kinda rifle is that?




Clark

It is a Desert Tech SRS A1 Covert, a bullpup switch barrel precision rifle.

In this thread, you can see the same rifle configured in 223, 260, 6.5CM, 308, 7SAUM.