woodchuck hunting!!!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I know you guys in the south probably have us beat by a month or better but I noticed a  wood chuck out for the last 2 days straight.  he was  a big one with a  white face.

It had me pretty excited about chasing them since nothing else is open at the moment and I want to try killing a little one for eating. It has been said they can be quite tasty and I want to find out for myself.

I always enjoyed posts from Mr. Tony Sanders who seems to be great a killing Chucks. His pictures usually inspire me to take my bow for a walk in the hot mosquito stricken summer.

Post up your pictures if you have been able to kill any this year yet.

Regards,

[reddogge]

I haven't seen any but my wife saw one last week. Should be soon though.

[elkhunter-27]

I'm in western NY.  I saw 2 road kills last week during a warm spell.  I haven't seen any since.

[Onions]

I killed my first one of the year, here in Michigan, last week!

Unfortunately the arrow sailed through him, and he fell back into his hole, so no pix!

chris <><

[highlow]

Hi Charlie. I would highly recommend you take bow in hand and take off after those furry critters. They are a worthy trad archery quarry. Extremely wary and even harder to hit. You will experience "chuck fever" the first time you get one in your sight window. Guaranteed. I've been out a couple of times but no opportunities to date. I'm sure it's as cold in Scotia as it is here in NJ. As far as consuming one, I haven't had the "gastronomical pleasure" yet. They are a rodent of the family Sciuridae. The only part of that last sentence that concerns me is the word rodent. Just turns me off. I know there are those who have partaken of this delicacy but I don't care to be counted among them. They are fun to hunt. Give it a try. Dave

There ain't no such critter as a woodchuck down here, so we just have to hunt pigs instead!              

Tony seems to be the ground hog killing king of TG, that's for sure!

Good luck Charlie, and be sure to start a thread to tell us how they eat!

Bisch

[bear bowman]

I'm not sure but I believe a squirrel may be a rodent as well. As far as eating groundhog, they are very tasty and truth be told, they eat what whitetails do.

[reddogge]

Originally posted by bear bowman:
I'm not sure but I believe a squirrel may be a rodent as well. As far as eating groundhog, they are very tasty and truth be told, they eat what whitetails do.

And cows.

[ChuckC]

Cows are rodents ?        

ChuckC

[bamboo]

you should start with some nice fresh beaver dave!!!work your way into woodchuck!!

[the rifleman]

Cooked low and slow in cast iron or crock pot and they are good eating.  Tried to grill one when I was a kid and never had a tougher piece of meat before or since.  We used their livers for catfish bait and they worked better than chicken livers.

[Bowwild]

I loved to hunt them as a teenager. Get the sun low behind you and time your movements and you can get in bow range in 8" high grass.

Now days I won't shoot at one because they are too rare in my area. One lives about 100 yards at the bottom of my yard on the edge of the woods.

Lots of tricks to hunting them. You can put balloons at holes you don't want them to come out of. (They have 2-3 burrow entrances usually.). You can catch one at his hole, let him see you, go down his hole, then quickly move behind the hole. He will come out, sit up and look where he last saw you.

[Possum Head]

Neat tricks but like Bisch we dont have them here either. They will destroy a garden according to my Grandfather, he had a ton of them in northern Alabama. Good thread and hope to see some pics.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I hunted them once last summer. I blew 4 stalks due to mosquitoes then stalked up on 2 young ones. I got soft and let em walk.

[Stumpkiller]

I used to do a lot of woodchuck bowhunting with a friend who, sadly, moved away.  That was back in the early 80's!

I did try eating one, once, and never tried again.  Likely with proper preperation and equal volume of Frank's Hot Sauce it could be palatable.  That one must have been into old acorns or something as it tasted like dirt.

[rainman]

When skinning them to eat, there are glands under the front legs that must be removed, squirrels have them also.  Young groundhog was my fathers favorite wild game.  Adults need to be tenderized.

[reddogge]

My buddy used to parboil them and then cook them up in a stew or pot roast.

[Onions]

Good tips Bowwild! I have killed 100's of woodchucks with the rifle, however last season I hunted them strictly with the bow. Stalked and killed 9 of them!
They are a TON of fun to hunt. I know the "chuck fever" feeling!

chris <><

[fmscan]

Charlie, I hunted them one spring, first one I got was a long stalk of a few hundred yds with very short grass, was patient for a change and got him. Next one I hit in head, he could not get down hole, due to arrow in head, missed with second and last arrow, them the fight started! It wasn't pretty, if PETA had the film they would outlaw hunting! The fight was so ugly I never went out again. Your post however renewed my interest.

[highlow]

On more than one occasion I've attempted a stalk on one only to spook it, but having cut it off from its own burrow, the only choice for Mr. Chuck was to use a neighbor's. Suffice to say they aren't their neighbor's keepers.