Woodchucks: what would you consider overkill?

ADB · July 15, 2009, 05:35 PM

I've been using my 12 gauge loaded with #2 steel shot to remove any woodchucks that have ventured too close to the house this year. They've been undermining the garage, and I do NOT want to be dealing with house damage because the marmots are breeding out of control. I was wondering though, what do people consider to be an appropriate round for dealing with a woodchuck, and what would be overkill? My local gun shop owner made reference to using my .308 for woodchucks, which struck me as kind of like bear hunting with an Abrams tank cannon: ridiculously overpowered for the job. My 12 gauge seems to be doing a good job taking them out, one shot, without doing excessive amounts of damage. (No bits left on the lawn, for instance.) But I was wondering, what would more experienced varminters usually recommend?

beezaur · July 15, 2009, 06:11 PM

Well, if you're not going to eat it or save the pelt, I think "overkill" is defined by things like ricochet and spraying the side of your house with . . . parts.

Better than a slow death.

Scott

Brian Pfleuger · July 15, 2009, 06:18 PM

I would say that a single projectile larger than, roughly, a 243 is pretty excessive.

A 12ga with some form of birdshot may not be "overkill" but I'd personally use a 22 or something, unless I had a good reason not to.

I hunt them in rural areas all the time using a 204 ruger. I love the sight of pink mist in my crosshairs in the morning.

.284 · July 15, 2009, 06:35 PM

Ditto Beezaur. If you are taking 400 yd shots in the middle of some field, than by all means let's debate caliber, loads, spotting scopes, and such. I think the fact that you are in close proximity to your house would have me leaning towards safety. I recommend that you stay with your 12 guage and keep in mind what's around your target. You don't want shot bouncing back at you. Also, lead shot will do just fine and is a lot cheaper than steel.

knight0334 · July 15, 2009, 06:52 PM

Some say that my using a 45-120 stoked to pushing 250-325gr slugs to 2700-3000fps a bit of overkill. lol

Daryl · July 15, 2009, 07:00 PM

Anything bigger than a .22 LR is probably "overkill" at close range.

But, overkill is effective, too. Mostly you want to consider the environment around your house. If you have close neighbors, then you'll need to consider that.

Daryl

cornbush · July 15, 2009, 07:23 PM

Sounds like your doing pretty good already. That said, I don't think you can have too much gun on varmints you're not saving the pelt from. It helps them decompose faster if they get broken into smaller peices.

SwampYankee · July 15, 2009, 07:47 PM

Hollowpoint 22LR should do the trick at under 50 yards. Although, some of those chucks can be as big as a dog. A .223 might be more appropriate in that case.

Brian Pfleuger · July 15, 2009, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Hollowpoint 22LR should do the trick at under 50 yards.

Not to be nit-picky, but I hunted woodchucks with nothing BUT a 22 for better than 20 years, the venerable 22 is good to 90+, if you do your part.

Buzzcook · July 15, 2009, 09:04 PM

A .308 loaded with light bullets are used for varmints all the time. iirc there is a very light sabot.

Doodlebugger45 · July 15, 2009, 09:58 PM

LOL

No such thing as overkill on chucks. Not likely you're gonna eat them. The 12 gauge sounds right for your situation. I see them quite a bit bouncing through the mountains. For me, it's whatever gun happens to be sitting on the seat at the time. My 22 lr pistol does wonders on them out to 70 yards or so, then bullet drop makes it kind of hard to guess the hold. But my 480 Ruger gets it done too. If my .243 happens to be sitting on the seat, then it's a dead chuck out to 350 yards most every time. But if I happen to have my 45-70 laying there, then I won't pass up a shot either at whatever distance I can see.

hogdogs · July 15, 2009, 10:01 PM

Double naught spies use double naught buck if over penetration is an issue... Otherwise the .30-06 or similar would likely do okay...

Brent

ADB · July 15, 2009, 10:12 PM

The main reason I've been using the 12 gauge is twofold: ricochets, as mentioned (since these are REALLY close to my house) and I wanted to insure a clean, fast kill. I could use the .22, but given the size (these are big freakin' woodchucks) I didn't want to risk a wounded animal getting away from me down the nearby hole.

My .308 is right out ever since I've seen one of it's bullets smash through three inches of concrete without slowing down. No way I'm firing that thing at any target within 100 feet of my house.

I exclusively use steel shot these days for environmental reasons--don't want to be pumping lead into my lawn. And even if I didn't care, I take these things out and dump them where the coyotes and foxes will eat them. (Seems to keep them away from the chickens.)

Yellowfin · July 15, 2009, 10:59 PM

.223 or 5.45x39, really good if you can put a can on it as to not disturb the neighbors.

tmd11111 · July 15, 2009, 11:19 PM

Wait a minute. You think a .308 is over kill but a 12 gage with #2 steel shot isn't. Man you must have some BIG woodchucks.

If their that close to the house and your worried about ricochets then I would consider .22 shorts or better yet an air rifle.

freakshow10mm · July 15, 2009, 11:43 PM

Overkill is when you miss high and hit the woodchuck standing on his shoulders.

Daryl · July 16, 2009, 08:32 AM

Quote:

My .308 is right out ever since I've seen one of it's bullets smash through three inches of concrete without slowing down.

It slowed down. You can trust me on that.

Daryl

flyguyskt · July 16, 2009, 09:58 AM

a 410 with 6 shot would be just right and pretty safe. or buy a good pellet gun!

cheff · July 16, 2009, 10:07 AM

Quote:

I love the sight of pink mist in my crosshairs in the morning.

Now that brought a smile to my face. It is one of my favorite sights

pilothunter · July 16, 2009, 10:34 AM

Use your .308 with these:

http://www.wisconsincartridge.com/pr...4&idproduct=92

Turns it into a .22-.250

Rampant_Colt · July 16, 2009, 10:50 AM

Agreed, no such thing as overkill on 'chucks!

We've hunted the destructive little critters with everything ranging from .22, .380 ACP, AK, AR, SKS, 10 gauge, .340 Weatherby Mag [LoL], 12 gauge loaded with slugs, 000, 00, #4 buckshot, etc..

Anytime we enter the property, we stealthfully approach the end of the creek where their 'roost' is, and hunt 'em out.

My AK stoked with thirty 124gr JHP Wolf Military Classic make a real mess out 'em!

Never nailed one with the .340...LoL

wyobohunter · July 16, 2009, 11:05 AM

Go find the woodchuck home base and turn the war around. If they're migrating in from some large field then the real fun begins. No such thing as overkill if you aren't going to use the critter for food or hide. I'd use my .338 RUM

just for kicks. Hell, I shoot paper with it so why not make it more interesting. In other words, after safety concerns are dealt with of course, the only thing that makes it overkill is the limits of your wallet.

ADB · July 16, 2009, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Wait a minute. You think a .308 is over kill but a 12 gage with #2 steel shot isn't. Man you must have some BIG woodchucks.

20 pounders. I've owned smaller dogs.

The 308 is mostly overkill as far as penetration--total energy works, but I like it spread around a little more. I'd use the .308 if I had to kill a woodchuck at, say, 800 meters or so.

It pays not to underestimate that gun.

Quote:

Go find the woodchuck home base and turn the war around. If they're migrating in from some large field then the real fun begins. No such thing as overkill if you aren't going to use the critter for food or hide. I'd use my .338 RUM just for kicks. Hell, I shoot paper with it so why not make it more interesting. In other words, after safety concerns are dealt with of course, the only thing that makes it overkill is the limits of your wallet.

Heh. The little rodents are endemic around here: they've got me surrounded. I don't mind when they live off in the brush and so forth--they're actually kind of cute munching around at the edges of the lawn. Getting up close to the house, though, is a WHOLE different story. I've been thinking about taking out some smoke bombs (leftover fireworks from a couple Independence Days ago) and trying to reduce the population a bit faster than waiting for them to present themselves, but I haven't found the time yet.

I had a reminder today why I've been using the 12 ga. Yesterday I had another woodchuck move into the hole near the house. Since somebody was napping on the other side of the house, I grabbed the .22 to shoot it.

Unfortunately, the round wasn't powerful enough--I didn't even think I'd hit it--and the critter got back down the hole. I found it today lying just outside it, dead. With the 12ga it was always instantaneous, one shot. I don't know how long this one took to die, but I definitely don't feel good about this shoot compared to the previous ones.

impalacustom · July 17, 2009, 03:12 AM

A 17 Remington with a 20gr Vmax won't exit that groundhog and it will kill them from 0-300yds no problems. Personally to me anything more than a 20 caliber is overkill for groundhogs, prarie dogs, coyotes, fox and a few other small things.

publius · July 17, 2009, 08:55 AM

17HMR or 22mag would be perfect. Try some velocitors in your .22.

July 15, 2009, 05:35 PM	#1
ADB Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2009 Posts: 399	Woodchucks: what would you consider overkill? I've been using my 12 gauge loaded with #2 steel shot to remove any woodchucks that have ventured too close to the house this year. They've been undermining the garage, and I do NOT want to be dealing with house damage because the marmots are breeding out of control. I was wondering though, what do people consider to be an appropriate round for dealing with a woodchuck, and what would be overkill? My local gun shop owner made reference to using my .308 for woodchucks, which struck me as kind of like bear hunting with an Abrams tank cannon: ridiculously overpowered for the job. My 12 gauge seems to be doing a good job taking them out, one shot, without doing excessive amounts of damage. (No bits left on the lawn, for instance.) But I was wondering, what would more experienced varminters usually recommend?

July 15, 2009, 06:18 PM	#3
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	I would say that a single projectile larger than, roughly, a 243 is pretty excessive. A 12ga with some form of birdshot may not be "overkill" but I'd personally use a 22 or something, unless I had a good reason not to. I hunt them in rural areas all the time using a 204 ruger. I love the sight of pink mist in my crosshairs in the morning. __________________ Nobody plans to screw up their lives... ...they just don't plan not to. -Andy Stanley

July 15, 2009, 10:59 PM	#14
Yellowfin Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2007 Location: Lancaster Co, PA Posts: 2,311	.223 or 5.45x39, really good if you can put a can on it as to not disturb the neighbors. __________________ Students for Concealed Carry on Campus http://www.concealedcampus.org "You can't stop insane people from doing insane things by passing insane laws--that's insane!" - Penn Jillette

July 16, 2009, 10:50 AM	#21
Rampant_Colt Senior Member Join Date: March 17, 2006 Location: Parts Unknown Posts: 1,478	Agreed, no such thing as overkill on 'chucks! We've hunted the destructive little critters with everything ranging from .22, .380 ACP, AK, AR, SKS, 10 gauge, .340 Weatherby Mag [LoL], 12 gauge loaded with slugs, 000, 00, #4 buckshot, etc.. Anytime we enter the property, we stealthfully approach the end of the creek where their 'roost' is, and hunt 'em out. My AK stoked with thirty 124gr JHP Wolf Military Classic make a real mess out 'em! Never nailed one with the .340...LoL __________________ member of an elite paramilitary organization: Eagle Scouts

July 16, 2009, 11:05 AM	#22
wyobohunter Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2008 Location: Back in Wyoming Posts: 1,125	No such thing as overkill Go find the woodchuck home base and turn the war around. If they're migrating in from some large field then the real fun begins. No such thing as overkill if you aren't going to use the critter for food or hide. I'd use my .338 RUM just for kicks. Hell, I shoot paper with it so why not make it more interesting. In other words, after safety concerns are dealt with of course, the only thing that makes it overkill is the limits of your wallet.

July 15, 2009, 06:11 PM	#2
beezaur Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2006 Posts: 231	Well, if you're not going to eat it or save the pelt, I think "overkill" is defined by things like ricochet and spraying the side of your house with . . . parts. Better than a slow death. Scott

July 15, 2009, 06:35 PM	#4
.284 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2009 Location: davison, michigan Posts: 665	Ditto Beezaur. If you are taking 400 yd shots in the middle of some field, than by all means let's debate caliber, loads, spotting scopes, and such. I think the fact that you are in close proximity to your house would have me leaning towards safety. I recommend that you stay with your 12 guage and keep in mind what's around your target. You don't want shot bouncing back at you. Also, lead shot will do just fine and is a lot cheaper than steel.

July 15, 2009, 06:52 PM	#5
knight0334 Senior Member Join Date: January 1, 2006 Location: Brookville, PA Posts: 442	Some say that my using a 45-120 stoked to pushing 250-325gr slugs to 2700-3000fps a bit of overkill. lol

July 15, 2009, 07:00 PM	#6
Daryl Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2008 Posts: 2,350	Anything bigger than a .22 LR is probably "overkill" at close range. But, overkill is effective, too. Mostly you want to consider the environment around your house. If you have close neighbors, then you'll need to consider that. Daryl

July 15, 2009, 07:23 PM	#7
cornbush Senior Member Join Date: September 29, 2008 Location: The retarded place below Idaho Posts: 1,408	Sounds like your doing pretty good already. That said, I don't think you can have too much gun on varmints you're not saving the pelt from. It helps them decompose faster if they get broken into smaller peices.

July 15, 2009, 07:47 PM	#8
SwampYankee Registration in progress Join Date: November 1, 2008 Location: I can be found on a number of other forums. Posts: 1,333	Hollowpoint 22LR should do the trick at under 50 yards. Although, some of those chucks can be as big as a dog. A .223 might be more appropriate in that case.

July 15, 2009, 09:04 PM	#10
Buzzcook Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2007 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 6,126	A .308 loaded with light bullets are used for varmints all the time. iirc there is a very light sabot.

July 15, 2009, 09:58 PM	#11
Doodlebugger45 Senior Member Join Date: April 15, 2009 Location: Wyoming Posts: 1,717	LOL No such thing as overkill on chucks. Not likely you're gonna eat them. The 12 gauge sounds right for your situation. I see them quite a bit bouncing through the mountains. For me, it's whatever gun happens to be sitting on the seat at the time. My 22 lr pistol does wonders on them out to 70 yards or so, then bullet drop makes it kind of hard to guess the hold. But my 480 Ruger gets it done too. If my .243 happens to be sitting on the seat, then it's a dead chuck out to 350 yards most every time. But if I happen to have my 45-70 laying there, then I won't pass up a shot either at whatever distance I can see.

July 15, 2009, 10:01 PM	#12
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	Double naught spies use double naught buck if over penetration is an issue... Otherwise the .30-06 or similar would likely do okay... Brent

July 15, 2009, 10:12 PM	#13
ADB Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2009 Posts: 399	The main reason I've been using the 12 gauge is twofold: ricochets, as mentioned (since these are REALLY close to my house) and I wanted to insure a clean, fast kill. I could use the .22, but given the size (these are big freakin' woodchucks) I didn't want to risk a wounded animal getting away from me down the nearby hole. My .308 is right out ever since I've seen one of it's bullets smash through three inches of concrete without slowing down. No way I'm firing that thing at any target within 100 feet of my house. I exclusively use steel shot these days for environmental reasons--don't want to be pumping lead into my lawn. And even if I didn't care, I take these things out and dump them where the coyotes and foxes will eat them. (Seems to keep them away from the chickens.)

July 15, 2009, 11:19 PM	#15
tmd11111 Junior member Join Date: January 26, 2009 Location: San Angelo, Tx Posts: 275	Wait a minute. You think a .308 is over kill but a 12 gage with #2 steel shot isn't. Man you must have some BIG woodchucks. If their that close to the house and your worried about ricochets then I would consider .22 shorts or better yet an air rifle.

July 15, 2009, 11:43 PM	#16
freakshow10mm Junior member Join Date: January 23, 2008 Location: MI Posts: 1,398	Overkill is when you miss high and hit the woodchuck standing on his shoulders.

July 16, 2009, 09:58 AM	#18
flyguyskt Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2009 Posts: 118	a 410 with 6 shot would be just right and pretty safe. or buy a good pellet gun!

July 16, 2009, 10:34 AM	#20
pilothunter Junior member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Location: Tn Posts: 400	Use your .308 with these: http://www.wisconsincartridge.com/pr...4&idproduct=92 Turns it into a .22-.250

July 17, 2009, 03:12 AM	#24
impalacustom Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2009 Posts: 492	A 17 Remington with a 20gr Vmax won't exit that groundhog and it will kill them from 0-300yds no problems. Personally to me anything more than a 20 caliber is overkill for groundhogs, prarie dogs, coyotes, fox and a few other small things.

July 17, 2009, 08:55 AM	#25
publius Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2005 Location: Mississippi/Texas Posts: 2,505	17HMR or 22mag would be perfect. Try some velocitors in your .22. __________________ "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself." Mark Twain