Getting Ready For Medium Long Range Chuck Hunting

[JamieZ]

I personally think I have one of the best places to hunt woodchucks in NY State. Ive hunted this property since I was 5,,,,so that roughly comes to 44 years of woodchuck hunting in Woodchuck Paradise. This year I decided to up my game and try for longer range shots. Previous longest kill was 341yds. Which I think could of been luck. Happened about 10 years ago, my kid was with me. This year I hooked up with a buddy who's sister is dating this guy that works for a hunting equipment manufacture. He told us he could get us a huge break on some Nikon scopes.

So we decided to purchase the first focal plane Black FX1000 in 6-24 MOA. Ummmm he got us killer deals. So good I wont mention how much or who he is or who he works for. While waiting for the scopes I got a bug in my ass and started researching long range shooting. My buddy picked a platform/tree stand out in woodchuck paradise that I have deer hunted in. So I got to thinking about how I was going to range out of this stand being that the rangefinder I owned wouldnt range correctly at angles. Sooooo I bought a Nikon Black Range X4k to take care of that problem,,,,at full price. Next problem........

I dont own a long range gun. Could of bought one but decided to alter and use what I have. I took my Seekins 223 with a Lilja barrel on it apart. I took the Lilja 204 barrel off another gun and stuck it on the Seekins parts just because I think they are nicer looking and would rather use 204 over 223. Well the 204 barrel was slightly longer and I didnt want to see the gas block so I bought another new Seekins rail.

Then I bought reticle levels, then I bought a torque driver, then I bought a level to mount to the scope, then I bought a power adjustment ring, then I bought a MLok bipod that would mount to my rail, then I bought a sand bag to prop the gun up in the rear. So after all this spending,,,,this is what it looks like and my hopes of shooting chucks at 400-600yds has hopefully come to life.

Still working on ammo,,,,reloading 39gr Sierra Blitzkings with IMR 8208 powder.

Once scope is sighted in, rounds are chosen, I will setup balloons staked at different ranges to learn how to use my MOA reticle. Oh one more thing I purchased.......Strelok Pro ballistic program that I could download on to my phone.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Are you using anything for wind indicators? Have you ever practiced shooting from the elevated position? Is the platform relatively steady?

 

[JamieZ]

Well that is one other thing I forgot to mention,,,I bought a Kestrel for up close checking and I am going to learn how to use blurry vision through my scope to read the mirage at distance.

Havent practiced at shooting distance from an elevated platform

Platform is solid, very solid. 200yds is the furthest Ive shot from a platform and that was at a deer. Which I killed.

 

[JamieZ]

Are you using anything for wind indicators? Have you ever practiced shooting from the elevated position? Is the platform relatively steady?

Do you shoot long range? If you do maybe you could come down and give my buddy and I some pointers when you come out to chuck hunt this summer.

 

[Jaywmustang]

I’m jealous

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

I'm learning....but I'll tell you things that sound really good.

 

[thegatman]

Is 300 win mag too much for chucks?

 

[JamieZ]

Is 300 win mag too much for chucks?

I watch the kids on YouTube video Kill em Outdoors use a 300 win mag,,,,,to much for me,,,,I was thinking about building a AR10 in 6.5 creedmoor

 

[Acer-m14]

vid on youtube .. 6.5 creed at under 200 yrds ,.. it was gutted and ready to skin and cook ..

i have ate raccoon .. man that was yummy .. never a woodcuck .. but this yr i might .. i should do a gofundme for yes do it .. LOL ..

 

[JamieZ]

Thought about trying woodchucks forever but never could get myself to do it. Plus I would be taking away the free meals that the fox love. There is plenty of foxes out there. Have never seen a coyote even while hunting them but the land owners nephew saw one chasing a deer this year during deer season. I crow hunt out there every now and then, which is fun. Ive seen and taken pictures of a White Snowy Owl. Which I thought was super cool. I see huge 10 point deer in a group of 3 out there every summer but they are never there during deer season.

 

[Jaywmustang]

vid on youtube .. 6.5 creed at under 200 yrds ,.. it was gutted and ready to skin and cook ..

i have ate raccoon .. man that was yummy .. never a woodcuck .. but this yr i might .. i should do a gofundme for yes do it .. LOL ..

I hear woodchuck is good but u need to remove all the fat off the meat. I guess it’s the fat that can give it that funky flavor

 

[S&W Fan]

vid on youtube .. 6.5 creed at under 200 yrds ,.. it was gutted and ready to skin and cook ..

i have ate raccoon .. man that was yummy .. never a woodcuck .. but this yr i might .. i should do a gofundme for yes do it .. LOL ..

oh just eat one ya big pussy. They’re not bad.
I’ve had woodchuck a few times. Slow cooked in a cast iron dutch oven during the dutch oven cook offs where the wife and I camp each year. Even tried muskrat too. Chucks are mostly if not all grass fed so the meat is very tender and not gamey at all. Just look at what it costs for all grass fed beef, and people pay it. Must be something there.

 

[S&W Fan]

I haven’t chuck hunted in years. Used to hunt them on most of the farms where I grew up. It used to be that Farmers welcomed chuck hunters. Now, not so much. Shooting at long distance was ok but we always found it much more challenging to stalk up to them as close as possible and head shoot them with our .22 mags. My father taught us how to mimic their shrill whistle to call them back up out of their hole after you spooked one. What a blast.

 

[JamieZ]

I haven’t chuck hunted in years. Used to hunt them on most of the farms where I grew up. It used to be that Farmers welcomed chuck hunters. Now, not so much. Shooting at long distance was ok but we always found it much more challenging to stalk up to them as close as possible and head shoot them with our .22 mags. My father taught us how to mimic their shrill whistle to call them back up out of their hole after you spooked one. What a blast.

My hunting now consists of walking around the fields and shooting 15 to 20 of them in 45 mins. Rare occasions I only get 5 or 6 of them. This happens at least once a week. Now I want to learn how to use the new scope and equipment I bought,,,,so I can justify buying them. I think it will be fun sitting there eating some munchies, flying the Drone around and fiming our hunting activities. Hunting activities? Basically target shooting......

 

[Criticalt]

I dont get to hunt the Whistle Pigs anymore.
Our dogs have decimated them.

 

[Jaywmustang]

I don’t see many in my area. Actually I haven’t seen one in a couple years.

 

[JamieZ]

Reason why there is a shit load in the fields I hunt?? They spray these fields 3-5 times a week. Its water they use for cleaning vegetables before canning them. Woodchucks dont drink water, they get their water from wet vegetation. Thats one reason why you see them out more in certain fields after it rains.

 

[Jaywmustang]

I hunt a farm but it’s a beef farm. Always wondered why I never see them there. Thanks for the info

 

[Robin]

Coyote's have had a feast of them, they do seem to have wisened up though and are making a come back. Not like the old days when you could go just about anywhere and shoot them, some farmers even wanted you to hang them on the fence. Parboiled then cook them anyway you want, roast, bar-b-qued, smoked, gourmet fare.
Robin

 

[1075tech]

I have a farmer that is willing to let me take the chucks out of his alfalfa field. It's not so much the holes they dig but the rocks they bring up that get hit by the mower. Going to finish my 18" Grendel build. I plan on using Federal's American Eagle 90gr TNT load.
Probably longest shot there will be 250 - 300 yds. I think the 90's will still have enough punch at that distant for them. If not, I'll o back to the 123's in Hornady, either the ELD-M or the SST's. Both are excellent out of my 16".

 

[dubleuhb]

Wish we still had enough around here to hunt, everything seems to be corn or cabbage. Neither seems appealing to woodchucks. I see them once and a while behind my house in my clover food plots but the fox seem to take care of them quick.

 

[Jaywmustang]

I’m open for invites..... just saying.

 

[Saltwater60]

Sounds like you need a 50 cal bmg for those chucks and I need a friend like yours since I’m in the market for a scope.

 

[Jaywmustang]

Vortex razor gen 2 HD are on sale

 

[Silverado1]

How do you like the rangefinder? I've been looking at the "new" nikons and the Leica's, can't decide.

 

[JamieZ]

How do you like the rangefinder? I've been looking at the "new" nikons and the Leica's, can't decide.

I like it for the farting around Ive done with it but cant give a real review till Ive actually used it,,,,,which will be Spring. Which is earlier than I normally kill the critters but this year I dont think I can wait till Momma has her babies out of the hole.

 

[Bustedknees]

I have two bald eagles in my backyard as I type.. between the birds of prey and coyotes I see very few chucks in fields anymore.. I few years back we had a bunch of baby chucks in a ditch by the house, found their bloody remains for weeks.. almost stepped on one while getting in my truck, looked like it crawled out of the grave with one eye and bloody holes all over its body.. then a few days later I watched a large bird take off with one in its claws, dropping it from a 100' in the air.. not sure if it was too heavy to fly with or that was the preferred way of killing it..

 

[Saltwater60]

I have two bald eagles in my backyard as I type.. between the birds of prey and coyotes I see very few chucks in fields anymore.. I few years back we had a bunch of baby chucks in a ditch by the house, found their bloody remains for weeks.. almost stepped on one while getting in my truck, looked like it crawled out of the grave with one eye and bloody holes all over its body.. then a few days later I watched a large bird take off with one in its claws, dropping it from a 100' in the air.. not sure if it was too heavy to fly with or that was the preferred way of killing it..

That’s cool to see. I saw two bald eagles on my drive home from Syracuse the other day. They were sitting on the same beach snuggling. It was cold and windy.

 

[Shoots100]

Sounds like your going to have a good time shooting chuck's this year.
If your going to try the 204 out to 600 yards, you'd better set some flags up and do some target practice.
While it can be done with heavier projos, 600 yards is really pushing the 204, unless the conditions are perfect.
The 204 is a laser and sighted 1" high at 100 yards, it's still in chuck MOA out to 400 yards with little or no holdover needed.
Wind is going to be your only concern.
I've been shooting a 20 practical I built for a couple of years now and it's my go to medium range varmint killer.
If I can see it, it's usually a guaranteed dirt nap.

SJC

 

[JamieZ]

Sounds like your going to have a good time shooting chuck's this year.
If your going to try the 204 out to 600 yards, you'd better set some flags up and do some target practice.
While it can be done with heavier projos, 600 yards is really pushing the 204, unless the conditions are perfect.
The 204 is a laser and sighted 1" high at 100 yards, it's still in chuck MOA out to 400 yards with little or no holdover needed.
Wind is going to be your only concern.
I've been shooting a 20 practical I built for a couple of years now and it's my go to medium range varmint killer.
If I can see it, it's usually a guaranteed dirt nap.

SJC

Plan to use landscape paper staples and secure balloons at different ranges for practice.

What twist is your barrel and have you shot the 39gr sierras which are pretty much the highest BC bullet for 20 cal. Im hoping my gun will shoot them, I have test loads loaded up to try,,my 12 twist barrel wont shoot 40gr bullets,,,,shoots 32gr bullets like a laser

And as far as 600yds goes,,,,not even sure if there is a direct line of sight that goes 600yds out in woodchuck paradise. There is 4 or 5 fields out there but they have hedgerows in most areas. There is for sure areas that are 400 to 450yds that I know of. As far as setting flags up to read the wind,,,thats a good idea that I didnt think of because I was going to try and be the Sniper and learn to read the mirage, which I will still probably try to learn how to do.