Idaho chucks

[broper]

Met one of my friends for some rock chuck shooting again yesterday. I still didn't get many pictures of the chucks, my camera just isn't good enough to pick them out at distance in the rocks. I did get some pictures of the kind of country we shoot them in though.

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If you look close to right of center and just down from the ridge line you can make out one laying on the rocks. That was a pretty big one, at 103 yds. .204 Ruger, 40 gr. v-max. We had a good day of shooting, I shot 6 and missed 3 or 4. My longest shot was 219 yds. Brent got a few, not sure how many. I saw him shoot three. One I was watching through my scope when he hit it in the top of the head at about 100 yds. He was also shooting a .204 with 40 gr, v-max's. Man what a view that was! It was a beautiful day, lots of sun and no wind until late afternoon. The wind out there on the high desert blows this way and that and the speed is never constant making it hard to guesstimate where to hold for windage. I did luck into the one at 219 yds. Right then the wind was blowing from right to left and I held what I thought was one chuck into the wind and splatterated him. That one was with a 39 gr. Speer TNT HP. Boy do those mess up a rock chucks day. The next one I missed 4 times before he decided to get outta Dodge. I just couldn't guesstimate the wind and couldn't tell where the bullets were hitting for correction. It was a fun and enjoyable day.-

[jpx2rk]

Beautiful country, glad you had a good day. thanks for posting.

[Bill K]

Great you have some critters out there. Some of the rock outcroppings look simular to some of my area. Fun shoots, for sure. Thank for the photos and story, we all like photos.

[broper]

Those rock outcroppings are higher than they look. I'm getting older and have some nerve damage, if I tried to climb up there and retrieve my kills I'd wind up falling and breaking my neck. So, we just leave them for the raptors and coyotes. Also you have to be alert for buzz worms.

[Bill K]

I know what you mean, as I am in the same position, as for age and balance. So I don't scramble up those rocky outcroppings, as I did when younger. I leave the varmints for the various critters that will feast on them. And I sure don't reach down into the crevices for the same reasons, those rattlers love these areas.
When I can get to one easy, then I will take it slow and pick one ( rock chuck) up for a photo, which I truly love too do and post, as we all like photos, for sure.

[Rick in Oregon]

Good post....thanks for the pics too. Looks like fun in an excellent area.

Sure looks a lot like my area here. And it appears many here are also into "Geezerhood" in terms of ability and willingness to climb up into lava rock outcroppings to take a pic of a moribund rock chuck. It just ain't worth a possible serious injury from a fall in that stuff, not to mention the other critters who may be living there too. Trips to the ER these days are getting mighty expensive too!

So to satisfy those who like the "happy ending" pics, here's one I smacked recently with my Cooper M38 Phoenix 221FB with a 40gr Nosler VG from 146 yards in the lava rock. She was courteous enough to land where I could retrieve her. Close inspection showed she was done weaning her pups for this year....her last.



Another chuck-rich area that involves climbing to retrieve a chuck. Only the young need apply.



Not too far from me is a high school with an elevated athletic field with a long slope to the road that's pock-marked with chuck holes. Yesterday while driving past, there were six adult chucks near their holes standing up in a 100 yard space. They know humans are not a threat and torture me and my friends with their total abandon and unawareness of what their life would be like out of their 'safety zone' at the school. Their rural cousins pay dearly though!

[Bill K]

Rick, same with the high school grandstand/football/track area at my location. A small river runs behind the area and the chucks are thick, feeding out on the grass, etc.
Also the Junior College football/track field has rocks lining one side and chucks are also there feeding on the grass, etc.
Both areas, of course, are off limits for shooting, so they thrive and you see them all the time, til they return to the dens for winter sleeping, etc.

Drives me and some others nuts also. Would be a very nice area to thin some out, each year, But alas.

And thank you for your photos.. Nice, as always.

[broper]

Yeah, there's one here that lives just in the city limits. It lives under some peoples shed. Ever once in a while I drive by and it's out in the middle of the lawn gorging itself. Sure is tempting. I see them once in a while in the freeway median.