"Pasture Grizzly's"

[HuntnCarve]

I figured since Vvarmiter was going through withdrawl's, I'd post him up a photo to cheer him up!  I got these "pasture grizzlys" a couple weeks back at a friends dad's place.  They had decided to set up shop in his alfalfa field.  Leon gave me strict orders to "clean them out!" 
I usually don't hunt them this time of year, but it being a horse farm.  Decided I best go out and help him out early on.
The weapon of choice on this excursion was a .19 Calhoon.  It's a .22 Hornet necked down.  A nasty little round, thats served me well on chucks and fox.  The 27grain bullet pushed at 3600 fps does not exit and is fairly quiet.  These chucks were dropped at a range of 203 yards, 147 yards, and a 25yard chip shot!  Leon was quite pleased!  And gave me standing orders to get back when he mows the front field.  All in a days work!

Dave

[pitw]

That is awesome.  Them things are big enough that when you blow a chip shot it must almost physically hurt.  Glad we don't have them here fighting with our gophers.

[Hidehunter]

'Pasture Grizzlies'   :roflmao:   :roflmao:  Thats a good one

[Coulter]

I gotta say...I was a liitle dissapointed, yet amused, to find a trio of groundhogs when I opened this thread. I thought it would be another highly detailed call w/ grizzlies in a pasture or something Oh well, nice shootin' anyway

Steve

[Frogman]

Nice shooting there, Dave!!

Jim

[Tikaani]

I'm with HH on this "Pasture Grizzlies", very funny. 

[Todd Rahm]

So what exactly are they Dave? Ground squirrels? I like the choice of smoke pole your using by the way. 

Hey John, maybe ya can talk Dave out of a hide for a rug since your buddy bailed and ya didn't get to go.  I can see it now on the wall and the conversation that surrounds it.  :roflmao:

"Thats my Boone and Crockett Pasture Grizzly, number three in the book, and if I recall the skull scored 4 & 1/2 inches." 

Even better can ya visualize a full size standing mount in a glass case like at the airport.  :roflmao:

[alscalls]

Good job Dave...Glad to see ya getting out....

[HuntnCarve]

Todd,

That's none other than "Ursus arctos horribilis Marmota monax"   A Pennsylvania pasture grizzly, or more commonly known as a "woodchuck, or groundhog". LOL!  I've shot a variety of color phases;  Silver backs, Russets, Blondes, Browns.  Which leads to a story:

"The thrill of the charge"

As a 10 year old on the hunting circuit of Northern Pennsylvania in the early seventies,  I was granted the use of  a old single shot .22 that was prone to jamming.  To combat this affliction, I carried an old steak knife that could be pressed into service to extract the offending fired case.  I wasn't about to ruin the point of my trusty Barlow, so a "borrowed" steak knife of moms fit the bill.
At this time an old farmer was offering a bounty of $0.10 for every chuck tail I brought him.  So with a box of .22 shorts costing $0.98 back then, it took me two weeks of hunting to earn enough to replace my spent fodder.  Twenty-two Long rifles were $1.29/box and for rich folks. -At least that's what I told myself?  Truth of the matter was that my folks didn't trust the breach of the old .22  I borrowed, to handle the pressure of a Long, let alone a Long rifle cartridge. .

Now as legends go, there was one old Silverback groundhog that occuppied this farmers apple orchard for what seemed eternity.   The bounty on this rogue was a full $1.00!! 
So I was alway checking out the orchard when I was making my rounds picking off his $0.10 progeny.  It was one fatefull Summer evening that I spotted the Ol' grand master himself!  Sneaking through the stand of pine trees that grew along the orchard, I was able to cut the distance to about 40 yards.  Bellying through the border of tall grass, I inched closer to my target.  A little wave of panic went through me when I beheld the size of this behemoth!  I silently cursed my decision not to use a .22 long rifle cartridge [unbenounced to my parents I had acquired 5 rounds of the illicit ammo in a trade with a friend.  But they were hidden in a cigar box of baseball cards back home in my room], but figured I could make the shot with the short in the chamber?  Slowly raising up, I brought the open sights to my eye, and drew a bead on the grizz...He was alert, having caught the movement!  Quickly, I fired just as the sights crossed his massive neck.  "Plop!" the round buckled his legs out from under him.  As I came out of the recoil of the massive short,  I worked the bolt quickly, but the dang case stuck fast!  Reaching in my pocket, I frantically searched for the dull steak knife.."Oh my gosh!  The chuck was staggering back to his feet!  I rolled to the side and fumbled for another short from my other pocket. {Mistake one: "Even a dull steak knife will punch a small hole in your pocket, as pointed out by mother. That will allow your precious ammo to leak out. Not having an ammo bearer present (little sister having been fired from the job a month earlier) I had carelessly transfered my remaining rounds into my other pocket.  A move that I was now regretting!]  The chuck was now slowly chugging my way, gaining momentum as the yards shortened between us.  Yes, I was experiencing the "Thrill of the Charge!"  I frantically dug at the rim of the jammed case with the tip of the knife, finally loosening it, and plucking it from the chamber.  It was too late!  The wounded boar, his sights apparently set upon me, was mere feet away! -A mature Silver Back in his prime, set to attack mode!  In a last ditch effort to thwart off a mauling, I threw the steak knife, and barrel rolled to my left.  I expected at any second to feel 15Lbs of angry woodchuck slamming into me?  ..Seconds past before I was able to raise my head, and look around.  The chuck was gone?  Getting up I saw the rifle laying where I had left it upon executing my life saving roll maneuver.  Quickly chambering a 29 grain soft point, I prepared to go into the brush after the wounded boar.  Two yards in, and seconds earlier where I had been laying when I took the shot, I found blood.  A yard further behind that, I found a secret chuck hole that I had overlooked.  I had made the fatal mistake of placing myself between the animal and his liar when I took my shot!  If I would have had a cigarette, I probably would have smoked it like they did on television, to calm my nerves. But I hadn't found any along the roadside that evening, so that was not an option.  Besides, I was still having flashbacks of the paddling I had received earlier that month from dad when my sister tattled on me for the very same practice...
Back to the chuck... My nerves now in check, I knelt down to the burrow entrance and peered into it's depth.  In the dim light, I could see the face of my quarry laying in ambush a few feet inside the hole!  I immediately fired a round from the hip into the hole. "Thump!" the sound of my slug centering  the chucks noggun reverberated back.. Immediately I worked the bolt.  "Damn it!" another stuck case!  "Where the hell is my knife?"  I said looking sheepishly around to see if anyone heard me cussing.  Be my luck to have my tattletale sister near by.   The knife was found eventually.  Dissappointingly (I had high hopes in my knife throwing abilities), there was no blood on it. 
Reloaded and ready for business I once again approached the potential ambush site.  As good fortune would have it, my would be attacker had succumbed to my strategically placed short!  Extracting him from his cave, I did a quick post mortem.  My first round had hit him in the jugular and proved to be the fatal shot.  My coup de grace shot was probably unneccessary, but well warranted.  "It's the wounded ones that'll kill you!"  Well, that's what I heard anyway?
So my trophy in hand, I commenced the long journey (probably 400 yards, but it seemed further then with my heavy burden) back to the farm house to claim my bounty.  I will tell you that I experienced a moment of anxiety after knocking on the farmers door.  As I pointed out the chuck to him at the fence line 40 yards from the porch.  I gasped at to seeing his german shepard making off with my prize!  That german shepard had been stalking that particular hog for months.  So I think it was just jealousy?  Anyway, I went home with a dollar in my pocket (almost lost it out of the pocket with the hole in it. Whew!)  But most  importantly, I had a new found respect for the pasture grizzlies of Pennsylvania.  And I lived to tell of it!

Post note:  It was years later when I first heard the phrase, "Use enough gun!".  I've since taken that advice.

I gave up tobacco for good after dad caught me a second time!

My younger sister was reinstated as "ammo bearer" weeks later when she accidentily found my hidden cigar box, and it's stash of forbidden Long rifles.  A hasty deal was made!  Though she's long since grown up, married, and moved away.  She still holds the position honorably to this day.

Dave

[Todd Rahm]

 :roflmao:

Dave thats the funniest story I have read in long time and far better then the ones they place in the rear sections of the Fur Fish and Game and Trapper and Predator Caller. 

Man I got tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard. 

[Hawks Feather]

Dave,

That is a good story and well written.  I was sitting here cheering for you.  After the non-lethal hit, I was expecting for you to stick the steak knife in him as he ran past.  Heck, for a buck I am surprised that you didn't jump on him.  Good thing you didn't, but I thought that might be happening as well.

Jerry

[HuntnCarve]

Jerry,

I was on probabation at the time with my mother for always managing to rip holes in my pants pockets?  To jeopardize losing her "borrowed" steak knife in a hand to hand combat situation with a chuck, would have undoubtedly ended my Bounty hunting career.  She managed to over look an errant chuck tail that I somehow left in my pants pocket.  She found it in her washing machine the next day!  Knowing thin ice when I was walking on it.  It would not have benefitted my cause.  Situations being what they were.  You will be happy to know that the machine washed chuck tail was none the worse for wear!   It had a stunning luster to it when I dried it out, and submitted it for bounty collection! 

[Yotehntr]

 :roflmao:  Great story Dave!!! Really enjoyed reading it!

[FinsnFur]

Silverback groundhog

It's not hard to imagine how you come up with some of the carvings you do Dave, with an imagination like you've displayed here

[KySongDog]

That is a GREAT story, Dave!!!         :roflmao:  I'm still laughing! 

[Tikaani]

Great story Dave, childhood memories have a way of becoming more colorful and epic as we grow older and wiser.


John

[nastygunz]

THAT WAS AWESOME!! :roflmao:

[Frogman]

Great story Dave!

Thanks for sharing it with us!

Jim

[pitw]

Now that was a story that required no pics as you painted them as you went.  Good stuff and I enjoyed it a bunch. Thanks.

[vvarmitr]

I can't believe you told 'em that old story. 

Ah, just kidding.    It's just as funny as the other 7 times I heard it.  :roflmao:

Thanks so much for the fresh pix ..... you sure know how to make this ol' hoary coot smile!