Has anyone taken any ground hogs and if so have you noticed they are tough to take down and incapacitate even with an upper body shot they keep fighting.
Woodchuck/Ground Hogs
- Thread starter RugerGP
- Start date
stokes
.338 Win Mag
Shot one 7 times one day with my 22 pistol from about 10 ft,all in the back and he was still doing the Curly shuffle til I hit him in the head at almost point blank.At least 5 of the back shots went right thru,evidenced by his guts hanging out his underside in 5 diff spots.They are tough.We shoot a lot of them at my cabin by the lake near Fishkill.The .22 rifle does a quicker job at about 50-75 yds.
carpediem
.338 Win Mag
.22 sometimes seems to have little effect on them. I have shot them with .223 ball ammo and not surprisingly they survived for a couple minutes. I use my .308 with 150 grain ballistic tips on them now. They don't generally need more than one.
Catskillkid
.450/400 Nitro Ex
Woodchucks have been the bane of my existence for a long time now. Shot plenty with .22LR but I've had better luck with a higher caliber. I have an old Savage .222 that is my go-to woodchuck eliminator. .223 or similar caliber would probably work just as well.
I loaded up some lower end .38 specials out of my Rossi 92 20". I've heard people take them with a .22lr so I figured it would work. I was no more then 15ft away. Took three shots(one straight to the forehead to put it down).
Second one with a low end magnum 158 gr xtp with bullseye, shot him I'm the upper body and it just died.
Third one I hit in the upper body/side with the 158 gr low end magnum and it just would not die and kept gasping for air so I hit it with my 158 gr lead round flat nose .38+p out of the 4" GP loaded with power pistol in the head and that killed him.
There were two more from close range I hit with .38+p and they got back into thier holes(didn't realize they were sitting on top of them). Although I could have just missed but I really am unsure. It was close range with the rossie.
I was just surprised how tough they are, neat little creatures lol.
Thought about using the .223 but it is just alot louder and wanted to use the .357.
Second one with a low end magnum 158 gr xtp with bullseye, shot him I'm the upper body and it just died.
Third one I hit in the upper body/side with the 158 gr low end magnum and it just would not die and kept gasping for air so I hit it with my 158 gr lead round flat nose .38+p out of the 4" GP loaded with power pistol in the head and that killed him.
There were two more from close range I hit with .38+p and they got back into thier holes(didn't realize they were sitting on top of them). Although I could have just missed but I really am unsure. It was close range with the rossie.
I was just surprised how tough they are, neat little creatures lol.
Thought about using the .223 but it is just alot louder and wanted to use the .357.
Lol shot one with a 50cal muzzle loader. I was young and I expected to blow the damn thing up, boy was I wrong. That's when I started learning about ballistics.
I found with 22 solids anything but a brain shot they would live long enough to get back in their hole and die. Hollow points was 50/50 gamble without a brain shot. I have no doubt they would die but you weren't guaranteed a recovery.
The only other caliber over taken one with was a 22-250 and it completely blows them up. The speed of the round just devastates them. The down fall with this round because of the speed it's easily deflected if shot through grass.
I found with 22 solids anything but a brain shot they would live long enough to get back in their hole and die. Hollow points was 50/50 gamble without a brain shot. I have no doubt they would die but you weren't guaranteed a recovery.
The only other caliber over taken one with was a 22-250 and it completely blows them up. The speed of the round just devastates them. The down fall with this round because of the speed it's easily deflected if shot through grass.
4excal
.338 Win Mag
1 kill shot with 22 to the head from my deck and it keeled over, I was quite shocked lol. Threw the body in the woods, like a dumbass I didn't think about the stench and the vultures
Deplorable Me
.577 Tyrannosaur.
Hit one with a tractor, the hay baler and the hay wagon. He walked away.
218bee
.44 mag
Really miss woodchuck hunting..Anyone need any woodchucks "removed" in the Middletown/Monroe/Chester/Goshen/Warick area, Please PM me. We lost permission on two of our farms due to subdivisions/sales. Love the small calibers (my handle)..We also "remove" rats with night vision topped pellet guns on Dairy/Horse farms. Have local references.
Carlos Hathcock
.450/400 Nitro Ex
I still remember my uncle taking me out. First shot with a 22-250 knocked it over. Took two more from point blank and it still took awhile. Damn tough for sure.
I thought I was the only one obsessed with getting the ground pigs haha. That is what I call them. They are tough as nails and destructive too.
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Went out for the first time the other night to Woodchuck Paradise, same place Ive been hunting since I was 4 or 5. I shoot between 20 and 30 chucks on this property every year.
I saw 4 chucks from a distance. Either they smelled me or seen me, they booked before getting any shots.
I use a 204 which is my favorite, 223 sometimes and sometimes the 17hmr. Dont get many walkers just some that are on top of their holes and slide into it. Use to use the 22lr but cant get much distance with it. 100yds was max shot.
Gonna wait till the end of May,,,not enough opportunities yet being momma and her babies are still in the holes. Plus Turkey season starts soon.
I saw 4 chucks from a distance. Either they smelled me or seen me, they booked before getting any shots.
I use a 204 which is my favorite, 223 sometimes and sometimes the 17hmr. Dont get many walkers just some that are on top of their holes and slide into it. Use to use the 22lr but cant get much distance with it. 100yds was max shot.
Gonna wait till the end of May,,,not enough opportunities yet being momma and her babies are still in the holes. Plus Turkey season starts soon.
Catskillkid
.450/400 Nitro Ex
I should add, and this is very embarrassing, that several years ago there was a group (family perhaps) of woodchucks ravaging the garden and generally being a nuisance. Clocked most of them with the .222. There was one that for whatever reason I kept missing. Tried everything. 22LR all the way up to my .03-06 Model 700. Nothing. Kept missing the bastard. Sighted all of the rifles in just fine. Nothing wrong with the guns that's for sure. He must've had a woodchuck guardian angel because I never was able to bag him. Probably sired scores of the rodents.
A side note but this year and last year I haven't seen too many woodchucks on the property which is unusual. LOTS of rabbits though which we've never had before.
A side note but this year and last year I haven't seen too many woodchucks on the property which is unusual. LOTS of rabbits though which we've never had before.
4excal
.338 Win Mag
I wouldn't say it was obsessed with it lol. When their tunnels fucked me up riding my quad then they became dead.
Haha well obsessed is probably the wrong word. But I do enjoy seeing them haha. Wish I could get a spot that I could do some longer range on them with the AR. I've always wanted a 17hmr also.
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gun_slinger_boy
.338 Win Mag
If you guys are getting that close to them you should use a 12 gauge.
I was going to but is just alot louder and hurt my shoulder recently so didn't want the extra recoil.
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I spied one out in the yard while I was literally standing over his burrow. I was shooting at him from 20 yards with a Marlin 60 22lr and he ran towards me as I fired into his charge. Like an African Rhino or Elephant, it was him or me and so I summoned my courage and laid down a string of fire that destroyed his face and shoulders. Still, he made up the distance and threw himself down into his burrow... whence I kicked the sides of dirt into itself and conveniently buried him on the spot.
Acer-m14
.950 JDJ
i head shoot them ruff tuff rats with the 22lr .. keep my skilzz up
stokes
.338 Win Mag
About a half gallon of gas down their hole....then a match.Gopher flambeau
kev74
20×102mm Vulcan
Brave, sir. Brave!
I tried to chase one out from under my shed with a smokebomb. I neglected to consider the big bunch of leaves that were down there. It got exciting for a bit until I got the hose in there.
thegatman
.308 Win
308 110 grain spitzer. All it takes is 1.
Magnus
6.5 Creedmoor
I used to bulls-eye woodchucks in my T-16 back home.
capitalcrew
.44 mag
6.8 deflates them like a balloon.
Harry Hood
.223 Rem
Last one I shot was with a Ruger American in .308, tried to shoot him twice with the 22lr and either missed or he had on whistle pig body armor. Saw him a day later and one shot from the .308 and it was lights out. Wife said good shot he didn't even move. I said that's what I was hoping for because if he moved that would have ment I missed.
YA .308 would do the job. lol
capitalcrew
.44 mag
When I hit him with the 6.8 I was finding blood / guts 15+ feet away. It was probably the most brutal thing I've ever seen lol. I might have a picture..
Speaking of pictures.
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Tagged one with a .270 JSP once. There wasn't much left of it.
camper4lyfe
.308 Win
Never had an issue with my .22-250. Gutted a few with it as well.