BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

[h_talbot]

I know the rest of the country is freezing completely to death but it was 55 degrees here in South Central Idaho today and I shot my first batch of rockchucks today. Wahooo!! I really love this time of year. Anybody else getting after them?
Hank

[e4c4ever]

h_talbot wrote: I know the rest of the country is freezing completely to death but it was 55 degrees here in South Central Idaho today and I shot my first batch of rockchucks today. Wahooo!! I really love this time of year. Anybody else getting after them?
Hank

What is a rockchuck? :](*,)

[Hammer1]

Groundhogs I believe, aka: Pasture Puppies :D :D :D

[ADKBEAR]

Not too many chucks digging up through 10ft of snow around here.
More in the ice fishing mode

[h_talbot]

Rockchucks are what we call them in Idaho. People also call them woodchucks but they are properly known and the yellow bellied marmot. They're hard to get because they don't let you get very close. It's usually 200 yard plus shooting. It's a lot like hunting prarie dogs except you're in the mountains in cliffs and canyons and they're twice as big as a prarie dog. There's tons of them around here so that's what occupies my springs.
Hank

[e4c4ever]

I want to hunt a chuck!

[e4c4ever]

h_talbot wrote: Rockchucks are what we call them in Idaho. People also call them woodchucks but they are properly known and the yellow bellied marmot. They're hard to get because they don't let you get very close. It's usually 200 yard plus shooting. It's a lot like hunting prarie dogs except you're in the mountains in cliffs and canyons and they're twice as big as a prarie dog. There's tons of them around here so that's what occupies my springs.
Hank

Are they good eatin?

[hunter777]

e4c4ever wrote: h_talbot wrote: Rockchucks are what we call them in Idaho. People also call them woodchucks but they are properly known and the yellow bellied marmot. They're hard to get because they don't let you get very close. It's usually 200 yard plus shooting. It's a lot like hunting prarie dogs except you're in the mountains in cliffs and canyons and they're twice as big as a prarie dog. There's tons of them around here so that's what occupies my springs.
Hank

Are they good eatin?


I have never tried them but I have heard they are one of the best tasting wild animals. All they eat is grass. It's kind of like eating concentraited vegatables :lol:

[h_talbot]

I've eaten a couple and they're not really good. They're grissly and fatty. Also they have very dark meat, if you can find any on their fat bodies. They're more of a rodent like a prarie dog so you worry about disease too. Plus they smell really bad. Honestly, they're just fun to shoot and the ranchers and farmers around here have a lot of problems with them. The coyotes and birds of prey get fat on them though.
Hank

[hunter777]

What are they (the groundhogs) eating in Idaho?

[h_talbot]

They only eat grass here too, but these things spend over 70 percent of the year hibernating so they put on tons of fat and very little meat so they can survive the long winter with very litte intake. A rabbit will eat year round and is built for powerful spurts of speed so they have a lot of muscle and very little fat, therefore they are better eating. But rockchucks are slow and fairly lazy, especially the big ones, and don't develop a lot of muscle. Just fat and fur. Anyways if you can get past the smell to butcher one and eat it go for it.::sick: I'm sure it won't hurt you, They just aren't built to eat.
Hank