Woodchuck hunting with shotguns?

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H3NT3

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What are your experiences or thoughts on which shot size is better suited to hunting groundhogs with intent on eating.

I understand a rifle is better suited. But sometimes life presents opportunities when we ain’t got the preferred tools with us.

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#4 birdshot fine or is #4 buckshot better? #6 birdshot too small to properly penetrate at 30 yards? #7.5 birdshot seems like a culinary nightmare.
 
I would think #4 buck. I deer hunt fields with rock walls bordering the field. I see woodchuck all the time around the rocks, the week to live in them. Maybe because the ground is Rocky or just because they have cover to dig there holes.

I never thought to us a shotgun but I see a lot like that. Maybe good if the field has not been cut and bailed yet.
#6 will kill about anything at 5-10 yards I've seen woodchucks take some rifle rounds and still get to the hole.
 
I've never taken a woodchuck with a shotgun but can testify that a raccoon which is a tougher animal, was easily taken with #5 shot at about 15 yards. I once took a woodchuck (we call then groundhogs here) in a tree using a 308 Winchester with a plastic bullet (really) and that worked as well.

Of the choices you give, I'd go with #4 buckshot for a 30 yard shot. If a woodchuck isn't stopped immediately, it will go back into its hole and you'll never see it again; hence the recommendation for the larger projectiles.

Just curious. Have you ever eaten one? My wife says she once cooked one up and it was like eating rubber bands.
 
I wanted to try those German blue plastic 308win training rounds, they are fast and have seen a few guys shoot ballistics gel and they look like a perfect varmint bullet. They seam to shoot well out to 100 yards, like under 1 moa. There cheap to, but they must have a lot off throat erosion burning all that powder

I've had woodchuck it's not bad you just have to get all the glands out.
 
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Never shot a groundhog with buck. For that matter I have never shot anything else with buck. But if I were to ever shoot a groundhog with buck #4 I suppose isn't so bad provided that I am close enough.

I don't go into the woods for groundhog with buck.
 
In my youth, all I had access to was an old single shot 16 gauge and Super X #6's. I quickly learned to stalk the little buggers, and can honestly say that at 30 yards #6 shot will kill one buzzard eatin' dead. Even now, if I see a 'chuck near the house (and in range) I'll whack it with the M12 or 1897. It's been my experience that BB, #2, or #4 shot works better than sixes. I have some AAA shot (European T shot) for my 16 gauge that patterns decently at 40 yards, and at that range no varmint is safe.

But as always, there's a caveat. If you ever miss one, your screwed. You've educated him. Now, when (not if) he sees you, he's running for his hole. When this happens, you gotta back way off and use a rifle (my personal favorite is my 25-06). At least that's my observation.

I've had woodchuck it's not bad you just have to get all the glands out.

I like to eat them in spring, when they're still young and tender. I put them in the crockpot for 2 hours, then de-bone the meat and put it in the oven with potatoes, carrots, and onions and misc. spices. Cook on 300 for about 2 hours, basting occasionally. It's really good like that. Or, if you prefer, soak overnight in salt water, then dip in egg/milk and flour, then fry in hot hog lard until golden brown. Serve with fried potatoes, beans, and corn bread. Yum Yum!

Mac
 
I normally hunted them with rifles (killed heaps with 22LR, 5mm Rem, and 22 Mag) but I have killed a few with my rabbit/trap loads when the opportunity presented itself. 1-1/8oz of #7.5 kills them dead inside 30 yards. If I was going to do it intentionally though I think I would opt for buckshot just for the fun of it. #4 would work but I currently have a fair amount of Remington reduced recoil 8-pellet #00 that would probably get used. It patterns well for me and would kill a groundhog very dead with few pellets to worry about if you going to eat them. They are not hard to kill and even one buckshot pellet of nearly any size in the right spot is going to kill them.

I have never eaten groundhog. They were always just varmints we killed and left for the scavengers.
 
I've shot a few hogs with a shotgun and think its a more reliable stopper than a .22. Mostly with #6 one oz. game loads out of a full choke. I think that most people underestimate the lethality of multiple pellets hitting the target. In fact, I shot one last summer with 7 1/2's at about 25 yds.and it didn't go anywhere.

I certainly don't think that you need buckshot.
 
Really? 00 Buck? My son shot his first animal at 8 years old, a woodchuck, with a .410 2 1/2" 6 shot. I shot several of them with the same .410 (An old H&R 1900 model) and loads. I've shot them with .22's, 12 ga. trap loads, .30-30, and field point arrows. They're not a T-Rex.
 
My dad has waged a life long war against chucks. Mostly he has used a 22 but lately he has gotten sick of aiming and is using an H&R 20 ga with #5 shot. Kills them pretty easily but he is not eating them either.
 
Woodchucks are not very tough. I have killed many of them with a 22lr and a few with a shotgun and whatever shell I grabbed. Probably light loads of 6 and 7 1/2 trap loads.
I don't recall any that didn't die right where they were shot. I think they are like rabbits, very low pain tolerance.
 
I shot one with a 20ga #6 load while rabbit hunting. For some reason though when I hit them with cci standards or mini mags from the back porch they seem to make it to the hole.
 
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