Anybody Hunting Woodchucks Yet?

[Roadkill]

On the farm we shot them as we could.  As I get older and see fewer of them back home in KY and fewer marmots here, I would wait until they breed.  the younger ones are better eating, and there will be more hunting opportunities

Conservation or table fare argument be darned

[GreyGoose]

With the warming trend we've had, I hope to get out some on Saturday.  Mostly to look for shed antlers, but I'll carry a bow for groundhogs of opportunity.....

[Whitetail Addict]

Originally posted by Roadkill:
On the farm we shot them as we could.  As I get older and see fewer of them back home in KY and fewer marmots here, I would wait until they breed.  the younger ones are better eating, and there will be more hunting opportunities

Conservation or table fare argument be darned

Over the last ten years or so I've come to look at it the same way, and don't usually shoot them til a little later. I do have a couple farms close by, one of them borders my property, that let me hunt with the condition that I kill every woodchuck I can, whenever I can. So, I do what I can for them.

Bob

[hawkeye n pa]

My Dad and I have bow hunted them for years.  We use to average in the low 20's apiece each year.  It became a contest.  He's retired so if I got ahead he would just spend more time at it.  One of the farms we hunted had racing horses and they wanted them shot off.  And yes, we did eat some, even barbequed them and took them to a big bow shoot once.  Come taste some "alfalfa chicken", that was a great day!

[Whitetail Addict]

That's great that you're able to share it with your Dad, enjoy every minute of it. I wish mine was still here, we had some great times hunting together.

Your alfalfa chicken reminds me of a friend that once told me I was disgusting because I ate the beaver I trapped. One day Dean came in just as I was finishing slicing some up fresh out of the pan. He wasn't shy, so he reached over, grabbed a piece and ate it. He said it was the best, and most tender beef he'd ever eaten. I gave him a plate and he dug in. When he was done, I told him what he'd just eaten. He wasn't too happy with me. Thanks Jeff.

Bob

[hawkeye n pa]

Bob, we brought a couple of "new" kids with us and they didn't know anything about this free lunch.  Actually had quite a few people come into camp site to have some.  Even the women was liking it with everyone guessing what it was.  The one new kid was making a pig out of himself. After a hour or so someone finally asked if it was groundhog, Dad said yes.  That kid was heaving and sick for two days.  LOL


Jeff

[kbetts]

They are out.  Saw three yesterday.  Time to put the bow in the truck.

[Whitetail Addict]

Originally posted by hawkeye n pa:
Bob, we brought a couple of "new" kids with us and they didn't know anything about this free lunch.  Actually had quite a few people come into camp site to have some.  Even the women was liking it with everyone guessing what it was.  The one new kid was making a pig out of himself. After a hour or so someone finally asked if it was groundhog, Dad said yes.  That kid was heaving and sick for two days.  LOL


Jeff

:D  Just goes to show how prejudice some folks can be when it comes to food. 'Ya gotta keep an open mind.    Thanks

Bob

[Whitetail Addict]

Originally posted by kbetts:
They are out.  Saw three yesterday.  Time to put the bow in the truck.

Don't forget the pictures. I'm headed out right now to get some arrows re fletched. Can't hunt, can't shoot, I gotta do something lol. thanks.

Bob

[Cyclic-Rivers]

With this recent warm up, I would be shocked not to see a few early birds around here.

[Rudy Cariello]

Dixie, our American Water Spaniel seems to have a handle on woodchuck hunting.

 

 

[Wudstix]

We used them for stew.

[Tom]

Starting to see some pushups with this warming trend, won't be long and the groundhogs will be playing in the green.

[frank bullitt]

Saw another hit on the road, edge of town, last evening.

[Tony Sanders]

I went to one of my spots this afternoon to check on some groundhog den holes. There are six holes on top of this hill.  


 Some of the holes I saw on the hill today have not been used yet, but a couple have already been cleaned out. I have taken some hogs out of these holes over the years.

 

 

 


 


  Tony

[Whitetail Addict]

If I didn't already have the itch, looking at those fresh holes would have done it lol. We have a few patches of bare ground here and there, but we still have a lot of snow. I see dead woodchucks in your near future Tony.     Thanks.

Bob

[JDunlap]

Forget Montana and Wyoming, I'm moving to Maryland!

[Producer]

When I lived back in New England we hunted Groundhogs but we waited till after July 4th so that the spring babies were old enough to fend for themselves. There will be a lot more targets also if you hold off. It is a conservation issue we all should care about.

[Charlie Lamb]

Nice looking bow Tony. What is it?

[Tony Sanders]

Thanks Charlie. The bow is a 64" Fox Royalcrown Longbow, 58Lbs @ my 31 1/2" draw. I ordered it from Ron King at the 2008 PBS Banquet in Pittsburg,PA. It is a smooth sweet shooting bow. I have my Groundhog broadheads in the quiver, so The Groundhogs had better watch out(LOL).

 Tony