Rock Chuck!!

[bwaites]

At lot of people have asked what animal I am referring to when I mention rock chucks. These are technically a marmot, but I generally don't have a chance to take pictures of them.

Tonite I was on my way home when I noticed that a friends orchard had quite a few varmints in it. I returned with my pellet gun, found the home pile of rocks and wood and set up close by. I hit 3 with killing shots, but 2 managed to drag themselves into their holes, even though I backflipped one of them, hitting him solidly in the head.

This one didn't make it into a hole.

Don't worry, the barbecue is a junker that was close by, but I wanted to give some scale.

PS. Inside city limits, so couldn't use the 17 HMR or the Grendel.

[warped]

Marmots are supposed to be edible...

[bwaites]

Marmots are supposed to be edible...

They eat vegetation, so I suspect they are a lot like a rabbit....BUT....I'd have to be pretty hungry!

[warped]

Nah, I have a friend who grew up in WI.

She said they ate woodchuck all the time and it was better than rabbit, not as tough.

They ate them all kinds of ways as well and even put the meat into pasties.

BTW I am sure that Gene, Paul and I have eaten far worse, heck that would be like Christmas dinner if you were hungry.

[bwaites]

Nah, I have a friend who grew up in WI.

She said they ate woodchuck all the time and it was better than rabbit, not as tough.

They ate them all kinds of ways as well and even put the meat into pasties.

BTW I am sure that Gene, Paul and I have eaten far worse, heck that would be like Christmas dinner if you were hungry.

There are plenty of recipes, most look like you treat them a lot like fatty squirrels, which makes sense. Parboil, then bake.

I'd probably give them a try if I was out camping, everything tastes better then!

And trust me, I've eaten far worse.....try Icelandic hakarl....

[RStewart]

Looks like a squirrel on steriods.

We don't have those down here but we have nutria. A vegatation eating rodent imported into Louisiana from South America in the 1930's for their fur. They are now considered nuisance animals and can be shot any time. The state has tried several times, unsuccessfully, to promote the meat. They weigh an average of 12 pounds.
Would you eat this? I know we Louisianaians get accussed of eating anything, but there are limits.

[warped]

I would eat Nutria, I would make it into a creole lightly browned then simmered, serve over rice

[Longshot_34]

I believe they're officially called a Yellow Bellied Marmot

[RStewart]

I would eat Nutria, I would make it into a creole lightly browned then simmered, serve over rice

1 customer down, 318,000,000 to go.

I do hum the theme to "Ben" before I pull the trigger on them, though.

[bwaites]

I believe they're officially called a Yellow Bellied Marmot

I believe that is correct. Interestingly, no yellow belly on this one! I wonder if they actually are some crossbreed, maybe a hoary marmot and yellowbelly, or ? Maybe the yellowbelly only shows up on fully mature or grand daddy types?

I had a chance at two of them when I took this shot, the other one was bigger, but at a more oblique angle. I took the sure shot rather than the tougher one.

[VASCAR2]

We call ours groundhogs and they love soybeans. They can do a lot of damage to earthen levees along our rivers so County used to pay a bounty for ears and tail.

[bwaites]

Groundchucks, woodchucks, whistlepigs, rockchucks, they're all marmots of some type.

Rockchucks can tear up alfalfa fields, gardens, and they even damage some types of trees. Farmers here will often pay a bounty, too.

My friend pays the neighbor teenager $5 a piece for them, but the population this year is higher than last, so I didn't feel like I was taking any money from him! LOL

[warped]

Here we have woodchucks and as you know they like to burrow under foundations and in landscaping.

I rarely shoot them but the dogs sure love them to pieces, literally.

[z06man]

Looks like a squirrel on steriods.

We don't have those down here but we have nutria. A vegatation eating rodent imported into Louisiana from South America in the 1930's for their fur. They are now considered nuisance animals and can be shot any time. The state has tried several times, unsuccessfully, to promote the meat. They weigh an average of 12 pounds.
Would you eat this? I know we Louisianaians get accussed of eating anything, but there are limits.

Looks like a muskrat.

[Longshot_34]

.22-250 loaded with Sierra blitz kings makes a fine mist

[bwaites]

.22-250 loaded with Sierra blitz kings makes a fine mist

And also gets me thrown in jail! That was inside city limits!

I really need a big bore airgun, or at least a multishot .25 instead of .177. Kill just isn't quick enough with .177.

[StoneTower]

How about one of these:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Benjamin-...l+Products

175 Grain "pellet" @ 800 fps

You could harvest those pesky deer that are eating your garden.

[bwaites]

How about one of these:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Benjamin-...l+Products

175 Grain "pellet" @ 800 fps

You could harvest those pesky deer that are eating your garden.

LOL. I've been following those for months. Off board I had sent several members information on those yesterday. They are very interesting, but spendy for an item that has so much plastic. And for the money, I would think they could come up with something a bit more reliable than bubble switches!

That said, it would be the ideal "city limits" rifle, I've got to admit!

Essentially the same performance as the much hyped AAC Blackout, from an air gun!

[StoneTower]

Actually I am not sure they would be that good in the city limits. Those large bore air guns make a lot of noise. Gamo had (maybe has) a 9mm version that is said to be able to take a deer, but it is as loud as a center fire rifle. Some of the smaller calibers high performance air guns have velocities high enough to create a sonic crack.

Don't underestimate those bubble switches. If they are quality units, they will last many years. I have a $6000.00 insulin pump that uses them and the lifespan is around 10 years. You will never press the buttons on an air gun in your lifetime as many times as I press the buttons on my pump in a month. This is assuming that the buttons are designed properly for their application.

[bwaites]

Actually I am not sure they would be that good in the city limits. Those large bore air guns make a lot of noise. Gamo had (maybe has) a 9mm version that is said to be able to take a deer, but it is as loud as a center fire rifle. Some of the smaller calibers high performance air guns have velocities high enough to create a sonic crack.

Don't underestimate those bubble switches. If they are quality units, they will last many years. I have a $6000.00 insulin pump that uses them and the lifespan is around 10 years. You will never press the buttons on an air gun in your lifetime as many times as I press the buttons on my pump in a month. This is assuming that the buttons are designed properly for their application.

The rifle is integrally suppressed. Shooting it creates a PFFT....

And noise isn't and issue, airguns are legal while firearms aren't.

Good point on the bubble switches, I prescribe those pumps, and had one still working after 5 days immersion in the north pacific. Unfortunately it was attached to a patient that had been in a capsized boat. The body was id'd with the pump serial number.