So the chiselers have been out in mass for about 2 weeks now. The new batch has hatched, and momma has already turned the right color(no longer nursing). As I was enjoying the finally not-frigid weather, doing my best "Idiot fish" impersonation with a glass of Mash. I realized all I could hear was chirping.

So today I went out to thin the herd a tad. At this point the new crop is too stupid to be afraid of me. So Daddy rained down some shots across the bow to put the fear of God into them. The older ones were weighing in the 5-6# range. Fairly good for this eairly in the year. I'll post some pics and weight a little later, when the butter-ball up a bit.

Hope everyone else has a good year.

I have been very interested in hunting pigs this year. I've heard of sightings out in greys harbor but I'd be interested in afriendly pointer. Thanx. Take care.

Wow, that's early! I've seen rockchucks in the snake river canyon around Twin Falls this time of year, but only with a good warm spell. Up here, we usually start seeing them in April, and no little ones until mid-May.

What rifle/cartridge are you fearing them with?!! I always like the early ones as you can make some red snow! But I usually like to let them go to seed before starting the dispatching. Good hunting!

So far I tried my AR. But the wind thus far has been un-cooperative. So I moved on to my .308. Varmint bullet or not I like my 165 Gr. bullets. I'll send pics soon.

Where are you guys hunting pigs? They seem like the right mix of size, good meat quality, challenging speed, challenging hunt. Any good stories?
good night

So far I tried my AR. But the wind thus far has been un-cooperative. So I moved on to my .308. Varmint bullet or not I like my 165 Gr. bullets. I'll send pics soon.

Darkker,
You might want to give the Hornady 168 gr BTHP match a try. Friends of mine use it out of the 30-06 with good luck and it should work great from the 308. I have a box of them but haven't loaded any up and tried them. I usually use a 17 Rem, but if I'm looking for a little more "air time" I use my 25-06 with 75 gr Hornady HP's at 3500 fps and it doesn't disappoint. I'm sure the 308 is just as dramatic!

bru,
I think you might be asking about the porcine "pigs" instead of the marmot "pigs". I don't know enough about WA and if there really are pigs there though, but if there are, good luck and I hope you bust a few.

Yeah, Bru, Whistle pigs, or Belly Draggers are Rock Chucks. While I'm sure you can, no one I know eats them.

Shawn I actually started busting them here with my 25-06!!! But I sold that a fwe years back, and now just stick with the 308 for the 300-500 yard dings.
I worked this weekend, but by next I'll have some "guts" pictures.


---Darkker

Where are you guys hunting pigs? They seem like the right mix of size, good meat quality, challenging speed, challenging hunt. Any good stories?
good night

The rock chucks, whistle pigs, belly draggers that are being talked about are small ground digging marmots. The can stand as high as 15 inches or so.

When shot at long ranges with center fire rifles there's not usually much left edible. These animals are part of the varmit hunters trade and folks hunt them for the ability to hit small targets at long ranges.

These things probably can be eaten, but you would be better off shooting them with a 22 lr. to lessen meat damage. I've never seen anyone ever eat one or even try to eat one. But, there's always a first.

These are not game animals so they must be doing something to the environment to justify shooting them? Or are you just killing an animal to prove your good with a rifle? Uh..................this really stinks in my way of thinking. It looks like backwoods macho crap. I've killed a few animals in my time but quit shoot'n birds and squirrels for the "fun" of it when I was still a lad. If an animal is being harvested for food or fur that's cool, but to just kill an animal to be killing something strikes me as being a bit sick. Go ahead, flame away but that's my take and I'm stick'n to it unless somebody can come up with a legitimate reason for this killing.

These are not game animals so they must be doing something to the environment to justify shooting them? Or are you just killing an animal to prove your good with a rifle? Uh..................this really stinks in my way of thinking. It looks like backwoods macho crap. I've killed a few animals in my time but quit shoot'n birds and squirrels for the "fun" of it when I was still a lad. If an animal is being harvested for food or fur that's cool, but to just kill an animal to be killing something strikes me as being a bit sick. Go ahead, flame away but that's my take and I'm stick'n to it unless somebody can come up with a legitimate reason for this killing.

Actually, they are quite destructive to agriculture, particularly alfalfa fields and wheat & barley fields. I've seen areas of wheat and barley fields eaten to the ground 25 yards into the field for hundreds of yards in length where they live adjacent to a field. I've seen alfalfa fields eaten to the ground in a 50 yard radius from a rock patch (in multiple locations) in the middle of the field where they live. The farmers welcome responsible varmint control in these examples. I don't know whether you consider the "environment" including a farmers field. If not, consider that most of these rockchucks would not be present in these environments without the the field itself.

These are not game animals so they must be doing something to the environment to justify shooting them? Or are you just killing an animal to prove your good with a rifle? Uh..................this really stinks in my way of thinking. It looks like backwoods macho crap. I've killed a few animals in my time but quit shoot'n birds and squirrels for the "fun" of it when I was still a lad. If an animal is being harvested for food or fur that's cool, but to just kill an animal to be killing something strikes me as being a bit sick. Go ahead, flame away but that's my take and I'm stick'n to it unless somebody can come up with a legitimate reason for this killing.

Dusty there are several animals that are not game animals that are hunted and killed by sportsman and not eaten.

Here in the West and most of the rest of the country coyotes have been and are killed by the bunch. They are called in and dispatched and many are left to feed other animals. Most folks that do this type of hunting know that they are helping the local deer populations.

There are lots of folks shooting ground squirrels by the hundreds most of the summer. These are also left to feed other animals.

Most of the folks that do this kind of hunting don't consider it Macho or sick nor do the state fish and game commissions that consider it both legal and ethical for a bunch of reasons.

No one is going to flame you for having an opinion, but, thousands of coyote and ground squirrel/rockchuck hunters consider this a serious sport for a lot of different reasons.

I can go along with shooting animals that are destroying farmer's crops. As somebody pointed out, they are probably there in greater numbers because of the crops. People come first.

I'm surprised pigs aren't good eats. Is it the food they eat or just a property of the species? Still curious about unregulated, 80 lbish animals to eat. Maybe that doesn't exist in Wa State. I won't accept that though. People gotta find their niche. It's not about winning the race its about racing and finishing...or some cr@p right? ;)

Dusty Miller
That's why you live in Kalifornia! Can't hurt the little animals:) I suppose you don't like the fact the PA has a actual pigeon shoots either! Live Pigeons! Are you sure you shouldn't be over on the PETA board? :(
Where I grow up in Western NY Crows/Starlings and Pigoens could be shot year round . They were a great source of off season practice and a big problem to farmers and people!

I just got done with my 4th annual "belly-draggin buck-toothed rockchuck varmint launchfest" this past weekend. A 3-day weekend with family and friends, burning lots of powder. We shot it up pretty good. Friday was a bit slow with some unseasonably hot weather and chucks staying in mid-day. Saturday was much better after a tremendous thunderstorm Friday night and cooler temps the next day.

Weapons of choice were a 17 Rem, 22 Hornet, 223 Rem x 2, 220 Swift, 243 Win, 240 Weatherby, 25-06, and various 22 RF for squirrels. "Best air" was from the 240 Weatherby. We each got probably 60-80 rounds burned (8 of us) in the centerfires, and less from the rimfires. Not "dogtown" numbers, but a lot of fun. I've never seen the mosquitos so bad out in the sagebrush as this year.

Shawn by the fact you mentioned sagebrush, I assume you are somewhere down south. Congrats on the sucess. I'm heading to Kamiah next month for some chisler practice. Last time we headed out my buddy caught an astronaut shot on film, was great!

Shawn by the fact you mentioned sagebrush, I assume you are somewhere down south. Congrats on the sucess. I'm heading to Kamiah next month for some chisler practice. Last time we headed out my buddy caught an astronaut shot on film, was great!

Yup, down south in the Bellevue/Hailey area (65 miles north of Twin Falls).

You should get some shooting in around Kamiah if the weather isn't too hot when you go. Good luck.

found my post in this thread a felt a little dumb. Not only are we not talking about pigs but I wasn't really paing attention to the content of the thread when I responded. Sorry. It's been a heavy spring. This summer should mellow out and maybe I can be a better threader. Any summer hunting stories to share? Looking for some summer adventures. I'll look out for some new threads.
Take care

bru,
No worries! Some hunting terms like "pigs" get a bit confusing.

No hunting stories from me for the summer other than the one above. I'm just on the edge of my seat waiting to see if I drew a bull elk tag for this fall.....should know in a week or two.

Well, actually, I do have a "hunting" story of sorts. I was out woodcutting last weekend and my four dumb dogs keyed in on a ground squirrel in a rotten stump and eventually dug it out. The squirrel boiled out into a scramble of flailing dog legs and teeth and managed to get a bite into one of the dogs' lips. I thought that little Lab was going to bleed out! There is quite a blood supply to a dog lip!