Anyone hunt groundhogs with a flintlock?

[lakota]

I had to sell my CZ .204 Ruger due to financial problems. I was getting kind of bored with centerfire anyway. I am thinking about hunting groundhogs with my .45 TVM Tennessee flinter. Anyone else shooting chucks with a flinter?

[IronBrigade]

I haven't yet Lakota, But I do plan on taking my 54 cal Jaeger flintlock out groundhog hunting within the next couple of weeks.

[coyotejoe]

Rock chucks, you bet. I never was into the "blow um up and leave um lay" sort of varmint hunting. If I don't eat it or make some use of it I don't kill it. But I do eat marmots, they make a fine stew. I also render the fat down to oil which makes good patch lube and leather dressing. I have also tanned the hides to make an attractive bag. While I see no sport in blasting them at long range with a high velocity rifle I do enjoy stalking in to range to make head shots with my flint .45 longrifle.

[Ladobe]

Not ground hogs, not with a rocklock, but I hunted spot and stock for predators, rock chucks, ground squirrels and jack rabbits all the later years with 32, 36 & 45 caliber caplocks.   36's were my favorites for all, the 32's not enough for any but the GS's and the 45's did too much pelt damage.    Always wore my mountainman persona leathers and only used mouth calls and simple decoys I made myself that too added greatly to the challenge.   I started shooting black in the the early 70's for big game hunting and reenacting, but I wish I had put the centerfire laser guided missile launchers aside many years before I did for predator and varmint hunting.   

[Hank08]

How about a smoothbore flinter with no rear sight and prb.  Got 21 last summer, from 45 to 98 yds.  Can't wait for the snow to melt so i can get back up on the mts. will be about the middle of July this yr.  we got lots of snow.

[Winter Hawk]

Can't wait for the snow to melt so i can get back up on the mts. will be about the middle of July this yr.  we got lots of snow.

Hmm... what mountains?  Don't see your location in your profile!

-WH-

[RB Rooson]

Question is: Anyone hunt groundhogs with a flintlock?

I wonder why would a groundhog carry a flintlock.....!?

[keith44]

yep, a .32 cal Ky flinter.  15 gr of 3F and a good seat will make 'em DRT out to 70 paces (about 65 yards)

[Hank08]

Winter Hawk, Central Utah but everywhere in Ut. had 3 to 400% of normal snow this yr.  The ski resorts are staying open til mid Jul;y.  I'm at 5200 ft. but need to get up to 9000 or 10000 ft.  Use to be some chucks down lower but they have been mostly wiped out.
H10

[Ladobe]

...Central Utah...

Anywhere near Fish Lake?

[sidewinder319]

I thought Rock Chucks were protected in Utah? I lived there may years ago. I maybe wrong my memory ie not that great.

[Hank08]

Ladobe, not far from Fishlake, was up there yesterday, around 9000-9500 so nice and cool, didn't want to come home.
Sidewinder, don't know where you might be thinking of.  Not protected in any state that I know of and certainly not Utah. Some golf courses won't let you shoot them although some golfers would like to.
H08

[sidewinder319]

As I recall Utah has a strange law regarding the taking [killing]Rock Chucks.  They are covered under the Utah Zoological Rules.   It leaves it up to the Warden as to who gets the ticket.  I only bring this up as a friend of mine was ticketed in the Mtns. East of Bountiful, Utah in the Spring of 1986.

[Hank08]

Sidewinder, you may be right but I have some friends that are gamewardens and they know that I hunt chucks but have never mentioned it.  I'll see one of them this weekend and I'll see if he ever heard of that rule.
H08

[quickdtoo]

The Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris) and Hoary Marmot (Marmota caligata), or Rock Chucks, are not protected in Idaho.

Tim

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/wildlife/nongame/mammals.cfm#rodent

[Ladobe]

Ladobe, not far from Fishlake, was up there yesterday, around 9000-9500 so nice and cool, didn't want to come home.
Sidewinder, don't know where you might be thinking of.  Not protected in any state that I know of and certainly not Utah. Some golf courses won't let you shoot them although some golfers would like to.
H08

Hank, that area is where I came into this world, why I asked.
 
During those years I lived in Utah between the late 40's to late 90's, RC's were often taken by my family, some of them game wardens and some sheriffs posse, and I specifically hunted them and pika fairly often from the mid 50's to late 90's.
 
Sidewinder, in UT non game animals are governed by the DWR.   A certificate of registration (under R657-19) is required to take some non game species in UT, but one is not required to take many others, including marmot's.   They can be legally taken 24/7/365 with no bag or possession limit.   So the game warden you refer to was in the wrong IF your friend wasn't breaking any other laws/regs.    Bountiful is sort of a bedroom community off SLC that has been well known for its liberals for many decades, who also don't like hunting on the hills near the city.   More than once I've told GW's to take a hike when I knew the state laws and their own regs better than they did, and in every state I've lived in.   
 

[quickdtoo]

Here are the regs for Utah that Ladobe refers to.

Tim

http://wildlife.utah.gov/rules/R657-19.php

[Rock Home Isle]

I had to sell my CZ .204 Ruger due to financial problems. I was getting kind of bored with centerfire anyway. I am thinking about hunting groundhogs with my .45 TVM Tennessee flinter. Anyone else shooting chucks with a flinter?

Here in Colorado we don't have many Groundhogs. But we do have Prairie Dogs...and I've hunted them since I was 14 with a smoke pole.
 
I've recently been sighting in my .45 calibre Southern Mississippi Poorboy by TVM. Gosh...what a slick shooting gun. Yeah...I'll be out this fall hitting a few towns with that fire arm.

[Rock Home Isle]

How about a smoothbore flinter with no rear sight and prb.  Got 21 last summer, from 45 to 98 yds.  Can't wait for the snow to melt so i can get back up on the mts. will be about the middle of July this yr.  we got lots of snow.

That is so (censored word) impressive.

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Attaboy Hank!
 
I've always considered it a better feat to do more with less.  When people see me using a flintlock and trying to hunt primitively I sometimes get asked, "Why don't you just use a tomahawk or club then?"  My answer is always, "Because I'm not that good, but I am good enough that I don't need a belted magnum laser."
 
Hank don't even need rifling in his gun. 

[Hank08]

Thanks, BJJ & RHI.  Smoothbores just don't get the credit they deserve.  Most folks don't put the time in to learn to shoot them. This little .50 cal has become my favorite.  I've taken doves, grouse, & chuckers but have shot PRB about 95% of the time. Last Friday I spotted a chuck on top of some rimrock across a canyon. I had my Lieca range finder, it said 147 yds.  I leaned against a quakie and saw the impact about 2" under the chuck.  It ran but stopped and lay down a few ft. away. My nxt shot went thru it's head and out it's rear leg.  It rolled off the rock and fell 50 or 60 ft. to the canyon floor.  A lot of luck involved but I've shot some great groups at even further distances.  It's awsome, I usually think of it same as it were a rifle but always have some shot loads in my pouch.
 
Ladobe, where did you live?  Loa, Lyman somewhere around there?
H08

[Rock Home Isle]

Anybody that can hit a rockgrizzly/whistlepig at 147 yards, in less then 3 shots, with a smooth bore flintlock has my respect. 
 
Where were you at Monmouth, Brandywine and Saratoga?