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Originally Posted by Blackheart
Originally Posted by marktheshark
Originally Posted by Blackheart
Originally Posted by marktheshark
Here in SE PA i used to kill about 8-15 a year just here on my property, mostly in the several acre "backyard". Last 2 years killed 3 total. Have some yotes and a lot of red foxes around now. In fact killed a red fox that was circling the Chicken coop this morning around 10AM while I was out mowing.About a 30yd shot from the Kubota seat with the 3" SP101 357 with Barnes 140 XPB.
The farms I shoot woodchucks on now are infested with them and there is no shortage of coyotes and foxes in the area.


I have no idea what has caused the local decline, other then me shooting the mentioned 8-15 yearly. Others around are saying the same thing about populations. Kinda miss the destructive lil bastids, they are a good warmup for big game and predator hunting!
Yeah I don't know either. There are areas where I used to shoot chucks 30-40 years ago where they are practically extinct now and other areas are overrun with them. There are coyotes and foxes aplenty in both areas. I can't explain it.


We could apply for a federal grant to study this. grin


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Here's a Bushcraft thread on some interesting uses.

Uses Fer Ground Hog
What's going on today. ?!

Maybe this:

https://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/uses-for-groundhog-pelts.267728/

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Originally Posted by roundoak
Originally Posted by Blackheart
Originally Posted by marktheshark
Originally Posted by Blackheart
Originally Posted by marktheshark
Here in SE PA i used to kill about 8-15 a year just here on my property, mostly in the several acre "backyard". Last 2 years killed 3 total. Have some yotes and a lot of red foxes around now. In fact killed a red fox that was circling the Chicken coop this morning around 10AM while I was out mowing.About a 30yd shot from the Kubota seat with the 3" SP101 357 with Barnes 140 XPB.
The farms I shoot woodchucks on now are infested with them and there is no shortage of coyotes and foxes in the area.


I have no idea what has caused the local decline, other then me shooting the mentioned 8-15 yearly. Others around are saying the same thing about populations. Kinda miss the destructive lil bastids, they are a good warmup for big game and predator hunting!
Yeah I don't know either. There are areas where I used to shoot chucks 30-40 years ago where they are practically extinct now and other areas are overrun with them. There are coyotes and foxes aplenty in both areas. I can't explain it.


We could apply for a federal grant to study this. grin
That would be good. I know I'm not the only one who would like to know why the woodchucks are gone from areas where they used to be plentiful.

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Originally Posted by roundoak
Originally Posted by Blackheart
Originally Posted by marktheshark
Originally Posted by Blackheart
Originally Posted by marktheshark
Here in SE PA i used to kill about 8-15 a year just here on my property, mostly in the several acre "backyard". Last 2 years killed 3 total. Have some yotes and a lot of red foxes around now. In fact killed a red fox that was circling the Chicken coop this morning around 10AM while I was out mowing.About a 30yd shot from the Kubota seat with the 3" SP101 357 with Barnes 140 XPB.
The farms I shoot woodchucks on now are infested with them and there is no shortage of coyotes and foxes in the area.


I have no idea what has caused the local decline, other then me shooting the mentioned 8-15 yearly. Others around are saying the same thing about populations. Kinda miss the destructive lil bastids, they are a good warmup for big game and predator hunting!
Yeah I don't know either. There are areas where I used to shoot chucks 30-40 years ago where they are practically extinct now and other areas are overrun with them. There are coyotes and foxes aplenty in both areas. I can't explain it.


We could apply for a federal grant to study this. grin


Im in lol!

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Originally Posted by tikkanut


You guys need to spend a morning shooting p/dogs.......

I promise you you won't doze off between shots........good spot will be 55-60 rds per hr

this location...targets start at 450 yds

pic.....223 AI & 53 V max

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]


I hear ya nut. Four of us are headed to the Colorado Neb. border Friday morning. Good for us bad for our rancher host, but it's really dry, so the grass is still short & he's found 2 new towns that we've never shot. He has 23,000 acres for us to play on. My fifth trip & one of the gang has been probably twice that. I hate to take so much stuff, but I can only pare it down to 5 rifles. But they're are all good ones & I don't want to burn them down. This way I can rotate & save a few barrels.

A really good town is about the most fun I've had with my clothes on. I couldn't that much shooting in the rest of my life here at home.

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What's the typical agreement? $
Do you charge the rancher or does he charge you?

Do you guys collect and eat them?

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Groundhogs are hard to find here in central PA. I think coyotes.

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My uncle / mentor was a serious groundhog hunter who took the game to another level here in Ontario back in the 80s. I remember customized rifles: 22PPC, 6mmBR, 22-250s, etc. shooting itty bitty groups, with 6x20 Leupolds with target knobs before it all became the thing, seeing HP bullets fragmenting in a black puff before reaching the target because he tried to get another 100 FPS on the load.

I remembering his passion for making the 300 yarder. He only counted the kill if he could grab them by the tail in order to review his shot. If I said there were many years he took over 500 groundhogs a year, you can believe me.

Alas, he's in his mid 70s now punching more paper than varmints. Playing with a .243 Kimber and loading up highly concentric cartridges.

Here's one I took at 300 yds with a 1962 Remington 700 .243 and a little 2X7 Leupold scope. My uncle was the spotter on this one...

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]


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Only once in thirty years have I gotten six chucks in one outing. One or two, maybe, and many times, none. "Help yourself; we're loaded with them!" is a common theme, but the little bastids don't show. Haven't been out in a couple years, but I'll have to make it a point this summer. My LGS owner and his wife go out about every other week, and get as few as six or as many as thirteen in an evening. Of course, they tell me they go north, but north covers a lot of country.



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Another with a Savage American Classic in a Sav. 250. We were experimenting with Barnes TTSX bullets from which we milled off the plastic inserts to see how they work in older 250-3000 rifles:

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]


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Started back in 6th grade w a Rem 660 in .222
8th grade had traded the little gun off for a Ruger #1 in .243 smile

In college my evening chuck spot..........on a lark, I hit in the morning.
Saw 14 and killed 10.

Think as senior in HS I killed 10 one other time (in a day).

Sometimes none, but usually 2 or 3. Pops and I hitting same spots. Half a dozen was a good day off one field.

I shot 3 one day w my bow (creekbank by beans). Fun pistol hunting the creek too, when nothing out in the big field (rifle on poncho in shade)

Done a couple times, shoot one on field edge and move out a ways. Others would come out to whisper something in their deceased bud's ear and I'd whop em.
Stacked three like that. But normally you sucker only one.

Got by a rocky den w big trees, ridge by bean field. Was walking down the lane to the ramp entrance to field.
Spooked a momma w pups. Old Superblackhawk wiped out the whole family as they ran up to the den (me just above), and it wiped out my ears.








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They are still around here, but hole up really tight to structures. I can't prove it but I think hawks are one reason.

They can absolutely ruin a pole barn.

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olgrouser,

The "plastic inserts" in TTSX bullet make almost no difference in whether they'll stabilize in slower twists, because the plastic has very little weight. You can calculate the potential here: www.jbmballistics.com



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I've had big redtail hawks and buzzards carry smaller dead ones off, or half of a bigger one that was mostly cut in half by Speer 70gr HP

Not as many hawks or buzzards back then, and never saw a coyote. And we had chucks.

Hawks, buzzards and yotes all over now, and no chucks (except in town).

Last edited by hookeye; 06/21/20.
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Originally Posted by shootinurse
Only once in thirty years have I gotten six chucks in one outing. One or two, maybe, and many times, none. "Help yourself; we're loaded with them!" is a common theme, but the little bastids don't show. Haven't been out in a couple years, but I'll have to make it a point this summer. My LGS owner and his wife go out about every other week, and get as few as six or as many as thirteen in an evening. Of course, they tell me they go north, but north covers a lot of country.
I pretty commonly shoot 6-8 in a couple hours on the farms I hunt in central NY. One day two summers ago I took my brother and nephew along and we shot 14 between us on the one farm in about 3 hours. We saw about as many that we couldn't shoot because of farm buildings/livestock in the line of fire. That farm and the one next to it are just crawling with woodchucks.

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I'm wondering if anyone takes the meat while they're killing dogs?

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Originally Posted by AcesNeights
Back in the 20’s and early 30’s my grandpa and his trusty horse set off every spring and summer morning to collect as many groundhogs as they could. The 1 penny per tail bounty that the farmers paid him was good money for a 8 year old boy. He said that a box of .22 shells were a nickel and a pack of smokes were a nickel (he was 8yrs old 😬) so he stood to make .40 cents per each box of 50 rounds, assuming he didn’t miss. 😁

The good old days......

I remember the good old days also, but not that old . 22 LR shells were 25 cents a box , longs were 20. and shorts were 15 cents a box... I killed a lot of squirrels with shorts. yes money was hard to come by.. I worked in the hayfields for 25 cents a day. and dident want to spend a whole days wages on a box of shells, when shorts would do. HA HA

I had to walk 7 1/2 miles to town to buy ammo back then.. no auto or trucks on our farm.

Last edited by Hubert; 06/21/20.

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Fx Crown .25 shooting a 26 gr Hades pellet. If you told me a couple of years ago you could kill woodchucks with these I would not have believed you. I've made shots out past 100 yds using a ballistic app on my phone...crazy accurate combo.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]


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Originally Posted by Happy_Camper
I'm wondering if anyone takes the meat while they're killing dogs?


Centerfire rifle for long distance sport. Frangible bullets for safety. Often never exiting the chuck.
Bloodshot or laced w bullet fragments........and 90 degrees out

Hell no.

I have shot some w rimfire, in the head ( close to farmers house/ barn ). Sometimes theyd want one of the young ones.

Have trapped a few for folks to eat.

Aint got the time to mess with em myself. Some look pretty rough...... missing fur, parasites. That not counting bullet damage.

Shoot chucks, make the farmer happy. Chuck dens great for rabbits......and have permission for those come winter.
Good trade

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I have gotten 8 so far this month.


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