Yesterday I went out to shoot my new CZ455 in 17HMR. I have been shooting it it about 50 rounds per week trying to get better with it so I am on top of it when the Rock Chucks come out. Well yesterday I decided to stop by the farm and see if anything was out. Sure enough at 50 degrees out I found a chuck. The first one of the year.

Nice shooting!

Just saw my first groundhog in WV. Cleaning his den out. I interrupted him

XP-100R, .22-250, 50 gr. Horn. ZMax, 130 yds.
My 1,514 th. groundhog with my .22-250 handguns. (I don't own a rifle)

Well done

I'll be darned... Never thought a chuck would be out this early. Good going. Maybe spring is coming?

We recently received several inches of snow. There are chucks out on the snow banks in some places.

Wow! Nice shooting!

Wow already?

I haven't been out in several years.
Not many chucks in this area.
P'dogs are the most common varmints.

Sometimes they'll get out on the snow
too. Sure can make a red spray on the
pretty white stuff.

Go for it guys if n when they're out.

George

I shot one that came out from under my barn yesterday or the day before, 22 L.R. at 50 yards more or less..He was already half grown. They have a net work under my horse barn..

Rock chucks come out intermittently year around, usually when the sun is bright and shining, they bask in front of the den..I see them in my pasture from time to time, not the half grown pups are everywhere around my house..I wait until the get big then shoot out my kitchen window and always be sure to leave some seed for next year..

Having a slow year. Only bagged 4 so far. Building a 20 Vartarg for next season and can’t wait

quote:

Originally posted by Ken D:
Having a slow year. Only bagged 4 so far. Building a 20 Vartarg for next season and can’t wait

I am at 601 this year most of them were with my air rifle. The farms were crawling with them.

What caliber is that Air rifle?

My air rifle is a Air Arms TX200 22 cal. The scope is a Vortex Diamondback tactical 6-24x50 FFP.

In the spring I can figure on at least 50 on a day long hunt with lunch in town..I can remember when it was in the hundreds..

The best yet was the rabbit year when you could sit in your truck and shoot up a carton of 22 L.R.s (500) on morning and another that afternoon or until you could't shoot anymore..The drugstore was selling bunny boppers (little base ball bats)and farmers were killing them with crew using those bunny boppers, and the TV liberals were agast...Supposed to happen every 15 years, but hasn't happened in about 30 years, Im still waiting.. I liked to walk the far edges of the hay stacks fields and shoot them on the run with my 22, and Id get about 15 or 20 in a mornings hunt...I didn't like the shooting of 500 tp a 1000 a day, Im the same with rock chucks, 10 to 20 suits me and only now and then..

Im no casper milk toast but killing just to be killing bothers me, but it doesn't bother me for others to do it if that's what blows their skirt up, so much of the time I would be the counter, as many kept accurate count of kills.....

It definatly needed to be done, they were ultra destructive to hay stacks and caused lots of other problems..fI remember one place on the highway that was solid dead rabbits being run over. maybe 200 yards, between Twin Falls and Ogen..
Was anyone else around then, in the 1980s best I recall..

For many years I only shot a hand full of chucks a year. But when they started to invade my house and then I found out my neighbors that were farming near me were losing 10's of thousands of dollars a year to them I figured I could step in and help. By killing so many I don't have any at my house any more. That is a good thing.
I remember back in the late 70's and 80's the number of rabbits. I used a 1928 model A ford for a hunting rig. The skinny tires would go through the snow super well. And they had a ton of clearance.