Best woodchuck states?

[bigbore442001]

I was lamenting the great loss of farmland in southern New England to the creep of suburbia. I used to have a lot of fun shooting woodchucks as a teenager and kind of miss this activity. So. I was wondering who would hazard an opinion as to the best woodchuck hunting states in the US.

[Jerry Lester]

I don't know if this is the "best" state or not, but here in Virginia we have a good bit of them. Because of my work, I don't get to hunt'em as much as I used too, but I've killed 20 or more in one afternoon at times. I used to feel cheated if I didn't get at least 10 on a hunt.

[Feez]

Certain parts of PA have a bunch.  My personal record is 13 in one hour.  But a decent day, (5 or 6 hours) is between 10 & 20.  'Bout the same as Jerry.  Most farmers are happy to give permission, but definitely stop in and ask.

[PAShooter]

I'll second the Pennsylvania vote. I live down in Greene County and we have a lot of whistle pigs in the area. We like to sit up on the hilltops and shot them across the valleys.

[bigbore442001]

Just curious.How difficult is it to obtain permission in Pennsylvania? I know some states it can be next to obtaining the Hope Diamond.

[223Shooter]

Consider all you non Wisconsin residents lucky......woodchucks are protected in our fine state !!   I do have a few on my property and all I can do is watch ....... Badgers are protected too.    :cry:

[bigbore442001]

Why are woodchucks protected in Wisconsin? I would like to know the logic behind that rule if you don't mind me asking.

[223Shooter]

I do not know what logic (if any) was used to write this into law. The same stupidity in our laws that state that we can use a light at night to hunt fox BUT not coyotes !! We tried to get this changed this session but failed. We will try again next year. I use to hunt woodchucks when I lived in Illinois with my .221 FireBall XP-100. I do miss doing that.

[Glanceblamm]

Alot Less than there used to be here in IL. Is easy to check on this as they love new soybeans. Has hardly been worth the effort the last few years.

[THE#1hunter]

Alot Less than there used to be here in IL.

I know what you mean, I live in Pa, and you use to be able to get(on a good farm) atleast 12 in an hour, now you are lucky if you get 4, atleast where I live.

[myronman3]

Consider all you non Wisconsin residents lucky......woodchucks are protected in our fine state !!   I do have a few on my property and all I can do is watch ....... Badgers are protected too.    :cry:

it may interest you to know that landowners may kill woodchucks.   i can not for the life of me figure why they are protected, though.

[savageT]

it may interest you to know that landowners may kill woodchucks.   i can not for the life of me figure why they are protected, though.[/quote]

Myron,
Maybe the landowners don't feel safe allowing varminteers on their land to hunt? The posted signs sure don't welcome deer hunters any longer!

Jim

[myronman3]

mainly property owners are concerned only with deer hunting.  it isnt too hard to get permission for other hunting activities here.   folks are just funny about deer hunting; i guess because it is so popular here.  there isnt an over abundance of chucks here anyhow.  i couldnt imagine killing more than one a day; and you would have to look pretty hard for them at that.

[ironglow]

Yes Jerry;
   I have driven the I-81 down through the Shenandoah many times, then on down to Blacksburg/Christiansburg...all the time thinking how I would like to hunt 'chucks in that area. They sem to thrive on that rather thin soil that flows down in an around the rock layers.
   I don't think that plentiful woodchuck hunting is quite so much a matter of state boundaries as it is conditions.
  Small farms are dropping off since it is hard for them to compete.
 Ideally, you have to find an area where no urban/suburban sprawl has developed and there is still farming activity. "Chuck hunters NEED to have the fields mowed to be successful...you can't shoot 'em if you can't see
'em in the tall weeds.