First "chuck" of my season died today

[Guest]

Killed my first chuck of the season tonight at 535 yards.

Its been so wet this spring that we are still planting beans. Once the bean plants get to about 2 or 3" high, chucks will be moving into the fields. Then its time to die,

Don

 

[Dave King]

It' a great time of the years to get skills polished once again...I guess that's why we have varmints!

Same in this area, soy beans just starting to come up and the corn is about 5 or 6 inches tall. I killed two groundhogs feeding near the corn day before yesterday, also killed a small "dry" doe (crop damage). Once those beans get a little taller they'll be all over it and then as you say "it's time".

 

[Guest]

Dave,

Right you are sir.

We are still planting beans. For awhile I thought we were going to have to plant rice - what a wet spring. There are a few fields where the corn is about 3" high but chucks don't normally dig holes in corn fields. I guess corn plants are to much like eating sandpaper. Of the 900 acres about 500 acres of it will be in beans. Once they come up the chucks move in like crazy. Thats when we have Boyd over to get some footage for his videos.

The one I shot last Monday was on the edge of a corn field eating the grass/clover along the edge. I double lung shot it and it went about 20 yards after the bullet passed through. They are tough little buggers. One good thing, she won't be having anymore babies

Don

 

[Dave King]

Don

The beans coming up now are the early beans of course, the farmers will be getting the rye (I think) off the fields and planting back beans there too. Groundhogs are, as you know, devastating in a bean field but easy to spot once entrenched, looks like a helo landing pad where they've taken up residence.

They are remarkably tough for a small critter. Buddy of mine got hooked on shooting them after he witnessed one rolling down a slope after being shot... The guy is a guide in Alaska and said it looked like a tiny grizzly had been shot, he is now hooked on groundhogs.

I haven't, as I recall, ever seen them eat a corn stalk/plant but I have seen them pull ears down and eat.

 

[Guest]

Dave,

No sooner do I say chucks don't move into corn fields and this afternoon we go out (to a corn field) and in one hour nuke 6 chucks. The spring has been so wet, so far, that there is plenty of grass between the rows. We saw 4 others in that hour but they never presented any kind of decent shot opportunity. Longest kill today was only 415 yards, closest was 149 yards.

Boyd will be over a week from today and we are saving a bean field for him and Butch to hopefully get some good video footage. Its not a very long field, for those two, only 700 yards across. Should be easy pickens for them.

So far we nuked 11 chucks.

Don

 

[Boyd Heaton]

Don,I'm counting the days....