Punxsutawney Phil's Pfriend's & Pfamily

[Lawdwaz]

Had another roundup this week. 14 so far for the season out of two adjacent fields. My buddy and I each shot 3, 6 shots and 6 chucks. Used two of my guns, the Sako 22-250 and my 223AI. Furthest shot was one my bud cracked at 342yds. My longest was right at 300. Had a blown primer in the 223AI. A hot load, in a hot gun, sitting in the hot sun will do that! (first and HOPFULLY last time that happens) That put that gun out of service so it only accounted for two 'chucks. The Sako had to pick up the slack.

The grass is growning so slow that I may be able to make it out again and still see the remaining beasts.

I could only get 4 in the picture, one of the other two was not fit for photography and the other had slid back into his hole withe the top of his melon very mushed. I didn't want to stuff my hand into the carnage to recover him. (wussy I know!!)

[Skillet]

Nice shooting! Congrats.

[erussell]

Sweet, reminds me of when i was younger before all the farms went under. My personel best was 32 one summer all with the ruger 10/22. Good times, good times!!!

[Lawdwaz]

An hour ride to the hunting area kind of curbs the action for me. I'm happy I made it down three times this summer, so far. If I got three MORE woodchuck hunts in I'd be tickled.

The beauty of the Wyoming County countryside makes even a woodchuck less night just as rewarding.

[BillJohnson]

very nice hunting account and photos!

always good ot get out.

its hard to keep the meat on hot days like that, I never lived in an area with woodchucks but in the late70s started hunting for them in southern NY, Washington County, on my cousins farms.

I grew very fond of them and the hunting, though I used many larger rifles early on the damage to the hide was too much so since 1992 I used 22 magnums, head shots only.

the best year I had 400 hides to sell, and more than enough meat to fill many family members freezers.

a trick we learned back then on the HOT days was to fill a half barrel with ice cubes and chunks, and 5 gallons of water.

Then as you shoot them skin them and gut them, then wrap in cheesecloth soaked in vinegar and water 30-70, get a few bodies and then go back to the truck and sink the cleaned carcasses in the ice barrels, you can wring the cloths out and refresh with a soda bottle of vin-water mix, I used a canteen but one mix up was all it took to stop that. LOL.

these days I am lucky if I shoot 50 chucks a season, and those mainly with my flintlocks so the hides are worth much less than they oughta be, and so few and far between are not worth the bother of keeping hides. Though the meat is still great, I have a BBQ pot of shredded marmot heating right now with local fresh bulky rolls for po'boys for supper if the rain keeps up.

[Felonious_Monk]

Nice haul of chucks

Edited September 2, 2012 by Felonious_Monk