Hone Your Bow Skills With a Chuck Hunt

By Dave Kocher

I spent 20 minutes slowly working my way toward him as he enjoyed the alfalfa. I got within 20 yards, ready to pull back my bow, when suddenly he popped up like a jack-in-the-box. Foiled again! Him, as I describe at the start of the story, is none other than the wily woodchuck, or as I like to call them, sod busters. Hunting these guys with a bow is a great challenge to me. The challenge of stalking is being patient and learning self-control. Hunting chucks with a bow means having good shot placement. You must wait until the chuck is far enough out in the field to take a shot. Even with a well placed arrow, they can make it back to the hole.

I have been woodchuck hunting with my bow since my teen years. To me, there was nothing better on a sunny summer's afternoon than to go out and hunt. Chucks have keen eyesight, and they can pick up the slightest movement. They also have a great sense of smell, so it is best to try and stalk from downwind. Some hunters like to sit and wait, but not me; I would sooner use my stalking skills.

While stalking you must wait until the chuck is feeding and go slowly and keep your eyes focused on the animal. Watch the body language, because they like to pop up with clover still in their mouths and look around. This is when you get caught flat-footed more times then you might think. It takes many stalks to kill one of these wary animals.

I prefer to keep my shots to within 20 yards. I have the end of my arrows dipped in white or bright yellow paint, which makes it easier to find them if you miss. It is very important to make every effort to recover your arrow. Farmers do not like to find them lying in their fields. There is always a possibility that if the arrow does not go into the dirt, it can get caught up in a hay baler or chopper and end up being broken in small pieces - a danger to any animals that eat that crop.

I hunt woodchucks with a recurve bow shooting instinctively, and with a sight on my compound bow. Both are fun to shoot. I like to switch back and forth just to add a little bit more of a challenge.

I don't hunt chucks until the beginning of June when the young are old enough to look out for themselves. The biggest woodchuck I ever shot weighed 20 pounds and stood 22 inches high. He is mounted, because chucks of that size are rare. I also got a chuck that had a ringed tail. I even saw a pure black chuck but never got a chance at him.

When hunting chucks, I like to wear camo shirts and an old pair of sneakers. Sneakers are light and quiet. Most important is a fluorescent hat, which is required by law in Pa.. It might take some time to get good at stalking if you are just starting out, but with a little practice, you will improve.

The most important thing to remember is that you don't have to kill a chuck to have a successful day every time you go out in the field. It's no different from any other hunting.

So the next time you have a free summer afternoon, take a water bottle, fill it with ice cold sassafras tea and head out to the green fields of summer to go one-on-one with Mr. Woodchuck. Grab a bow, and remember to always ask permission to hunt. Most farmers are more than happy to allow you to hunt woodchucks since their holes are hard on equipment and livestock.

I live in Berks County, which has a multitude of farms and woodchucks. I have been hunting since I was 12, but I didn't start bowhunting until I was 16. I have taken deer and numerous other small game like pheasants squirrels and rabbits. I am an associate member of the Pope and Young Club, and a member of the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania. I also am a wildlife artist and do several pencil drawings of deer that I donate as a door prize at hunting banquets. In my spare time I am an avid shed antler hunter, and just love to be out looking whenever I can, enjoying what the good Lord has given to all of us.

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