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It's been a slow woodchuck season. It's been the first time I've been back at the dairy farm since late May. The weather's been very wet in the Northeast this summer of 2009, one of the coolest and wettest on record, and I've been busy shooting sporting clays.

It was 65 F and breezy. 33 percent RH. Nice day to be out Charlie hunting.

Went out today and this Charlie was sitting on his hole sunning himself. He was on a hill about 30 feet high and I was on the bottom of the hill in a tree line about 47 yds away. The wind was blowing, but the hill broke most of the wind, so it was a non factor and also it was a short distance. I was using Hornady 30 gr V-Max in 22 Mag in my Sako Quad and aimed for the head area.

I used a tree trunk for a rest an took a standing shot. At the impact, he backed into his hole. I hiked up to the hole and he was dead, just below the surface. I gave him a poke with my shooting sticks just to make sure he was dead, and when he didn't move, grabbed him by one of his front paws and pulled him out and tossed him on the grass.

Looks like a big one. Good shooting.

Instant death!! I love it!!

Thanks for the story; nice to have a clean rimfire kill, esp. with a .22 Mag. (my favorite rf round.)
I got one (#71) just as you did the other day. However, I didn't poke him first, although he was dead when I grabbed him. Thanks for the important reminder to check first. At the risk of sounding squeamish: a "little" groundhog scratch or bite, as from any wild animal, can cause infections/disease from all kinds of unknown pathogens these critters may harbor. e.g., I shot out a farm last year where most of the groundhogs killed were light weight, with bigger-than-average paws and long fur for summertime. I chalked it up to a genetic difference, but later realizied they were probably sick and could just have been underweight and shrunken from some disease. Here's where I'd like to think we varmint hunters help by thinning populations of sick or inbred varmints.
Sorry to get off-topic...

I wear batting gloves that work very well as shooting gloves. They are leather palms and finger tips and mesh backs and all black. The leather is thin and gives great feel. Made by Nike. I buy them at the very beginning of Spring, late Winter before the baseball season and buy 3 pair to stock up. I think I still have 4 pair in reserve.

I don't get my hands all black from shotgun shooting, I don't scratch the bluing or put sweat on the bluing which will cause it to wear off. Keeps the mosquitoes off too.

Gives some protection from the critters too, in case they aren't fully dead yet.

Nice shooting!!