Anybody Hunting Woodchucks?

[Whitetail Addict]

With all the rain we've had, my buddy is about a month behind in mowing his hay fields this year.

He was finally able to get a couple fields cut and bailed a few days ago, so I took advantage of the situation and did some woodchuck hunting yesterday afternoon.

I managed to bring one home with me, missed another, and wasn't able to get close enough to a couple others to get a shot.

It's the first real hunting I've done since turkey season, and I had a blast.

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Bob

[Whitetail Addict]

Shoot! I thought I had the picture thing figured out. We've gotta leave, but I'll try it again later.

Bob

[Possum Head]

I remember as a teen wanting to hunt chucks with my grandpaw in north Alabama. They were so sharp I would have never dreamed of bowhuntung them. What's the trick to getting close enough for a shot and are they subject to take your arrows in their den?

[OregonTom]

Out here in the west we call them rock chucks.  I think they are a cool looking critter but I know they can be a problem for farmers.  If anyone knows of good rock chuck hunting in the Wenatchee Wa area let me know.

[Whitetail Addict]

I tried a different picture, and it worked fine. I don't know what I did wrong with the other one.  

Bob

[Recurve7]

A good friend and I use to hunt them ( ground hogs, here )
all the time. They were plentiful along the banks of the Big Sandy.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Congrats Bob.  I have yet to get after them... I had been waiting for July so the babies were big enough to make it but I have a hard time getting into the hunting season "feeling" when its so hot out.

I have a pretty good spot close to here... I will have to get after them soon.

[fnshtr]

Three so far this summer. We have a problem with at our church property. They burrow into our drain lines and have plugged some of them up. I usually have to stalk them, keeping the corner of a building or a high mound between us until I get close enough. Great fun and good practice for deer season. They can be very tough to stalk.

[Red Beastmaster]

Hunting sod poodles is my passion. I've been seriously hunting them since I took up traditional bowhunting almost 30 years ago, always shooting several per year.

Up until a year ago the hunting was great within walking distance of my house. I do believe the coyotes, foxes, whatever have all but wiped them out. I hunted yesterday and checked my best area only to find dozens of old unopened holes. Some are decades old and large enough to drop a volley ball into. They're just gone. A sad day for sure.

I only got one so far this year. It made my 250th with a stickbow. I hate to think it was my last.

[Big Lefty]

Fairly rare around these parts, although I do see a survivor around town a couple times a year.  I'm afraid the "rip out all the terraces, wood lots, fence lines" movement has made them scarce in these parts.  What the woodchuck population here needs is a good windstorm, because though some people will spend tens of thousands of dollars to clear woodlots, they gladly farm around blown down trees for decades before they deteriorate enough to be farmed over???

[Big Lefty]

I apologize to real land managers that may have taken offense to that post.  They too, seem to be a rare breed.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Boy I miss groundhog hunting.  When I grew up in NC Ohio I was a chuck hunting machine.  I got pretty serious in high school... my last year in 1992 I killed an even 50 groundhogs with my recurve. That was in an area that a good hand with a 22-250 would work hard to get 100 in a year.  The Old Man always said that if he was king of the world you'd have to bring him15 groundhog tails before you'd be allowed to buy a deer license.  I learned more about how to bowhunt from chasing woodchucks than from anything else.  For whatever reason (coyotes?) they are uncommon here in my area of WC IN, so I haven't shot one for 20 years.

R

[Whitetail Addict]

Possum Head, I hunt them a couple different ways, depending on how ambitious I'm feeling.

I killed the one in the picture by sneaking along one side of a hedgerow separating two fields, and checking out the other field whenever I had an opening in the brush that would let me do it without making a lot of noise.

I snuck through at one point, and up to a big hollow tree stub on the edge of the other field. The chuck was out in the field feeding, but too far for a shot. I watched it for probably fifteen minutes before it made It's way close enough to the hedgerow to take a shot.

I drew when it stood up on It's hind legs for a look around. It was facing away from me, but before I could shoot it dropped back down and turned quartering toward me again. I was already drawn, so I took the shot. The broadhead went in just in front of the left shoulder and came out behind the right shoulder.

It had a ways to go to get back to It's den, and it didn't quite make it. Others have.

I've also been known to throw together a rough brush blind where I can cover several different holes at once. Sometimes they come close enough for a shot, and sometimes they don't. Stalking is more fun though.

I've had a few take arrows down a hole on me when I didn't get a pass through, and I've had some chewed up pretty bad. I don't use my good hunting arrows for woodchucks. I use a bunch of old carbon and aluminum arrows that I keep just for chucks.

A couple of you guys have killed an impressive number of woodchucks, and I give you a lot of credit. They're wary little buggers.

Thanks for the replies.

Bob

[Ryan Rothhaar]

I killed probably 2/3 by stalking or ambushing, the other third by waiting them out - when you run one in a hole get 10-15 Ft on the opposite side that you spooked him from, get an arrow on the string and the bow ready.  Lots of times they'll take a look back out shortly.  Close shot, but you'll have to hit a spot about the size of a quarter behind the eyes, in front of the ears.  If he didn't come back out in 40 min then he wasn't likely to.  You'll learn patience!

R

[Red Beastmaster]

Ryan, same here. 2/3 from stalking, the rest waiting them out on the opposites side of the hole. I only give them 3 minutes though, then move on. The dumb ones will come right back up, the smart ones-forget about it.

[highlow]

I do and have five to my credit this summer. They are tough little buggers, that's for sure. As said, if you spook one down into its hole, take up ambush ten or so yards on opposite side of hole as the holes are on an angle and when "chuckie" comes back up to take a peek, it will usually be facing away from you. They can be very curious and it can be their undoing.
I had one come out to feed in a mowed lawn once this summer. This was a lawn so really close cropped grass. I was about 80 yds. away and figured since it was too far for a shot, I'd give it a "shot" and try stalking up on it. I would take a few steps as he put his head down to feed and freeze when he picked it up. Just like a deer. And when it fed directly away would just about run to close the distance. Got to within 20 yds. undetected and then proceeded to miss the shot. S#@%*t. Great stalking practice though. Movement, or lack of, is the key. Fun way to hunt during the summer.

[frank bullitt]

Nice hog, Bob!
Looks like a nice bow, too. Bamboo backed? Looks like a node showing. What kind of arrow, broadhead you shooting?

[Longbowlogan]

I've shot a few groundhogs with my recurve but they aren't the easiest to get within bow range. I should really try harder to go out and make some more stalks on these guys in the spring!

[Red Beastmaster]

It's neary impossible to get within 100yd of one in an open field around here. I've alway hunted them from inside the woods edge. I make paths or clear the deer trails so I can stay around 10yd inside. The holes are generally right along the edge.

As a rule, I don't take open field shots. I don't want to buy a tractor tire or dairy cow because of a lost broadhead.

[Whitetail Addict]

Originally posted by frank bullitt:
Nice hog, Bob!
Looks like a nice bow, too. Bamboo backed? Looks like a node showing. What kind of arrow, broadhead you shooting?

Thank you Frank.

The bow is a Huntworthy Productions "Outlaw", made by James Parker. 51@28, reflex/deflex, with a bamboo back and carbonised bamboo belly. You can't really see the finish in the picture with the glare on the limbs, but It's a pretty bow, and a shooter too. James makes a great bow, and he's a heck of a nice guy to deal with.

I use a bunch of different arrows for woodchucks, mostly older carbons and aluminums. I don't use my good hunting arrows, and I'm not fussy, as long as they fly well.

The arrow I used on the chuck in the picture was an Easton Excel. I use my old Wensel Woodsman's for chucks and other small game, unless I'm hunting with a dog.

My girlfriend's sister goes to a lot of garage sales, so I gave her a list of arrows to look for a couple years ago, and she keeps me supplied with cheap arrows.

Bob