Woodchucking with a smoothbore

[hwaugh]

Well I always knew old Steve Doyle was a little strange, now i am sure. It seems Steve has put away all his high power scoped rifles and gone back to the basics. Steve called last night to let me know that a .69 cal round ball with 60 gr. of FF powder seems to be the right load for talking down his summer nemesis "Mr. Woodchuck." Steve said he got within 50 yds. of his elusive back yard critter and squeezed off his 42' smoothbore. Steve said he took the head clean off the critter and as a true redneck he said he saved the meat for the stew pot.

Any other Woodchuck smoothbore hunters out there?

Harry Waugh 3731- Terry's Txas Raangers

[BADSHOT]

All I can say, is from now on when I sight down that old 42 smoothie, at the 50 yard targets, I'll be looking for fur around-em!

[pittguy12]

I haven't but I do have a guy at work with several woodchucks at his farm. I was considering heading up for some target practice with a musket or smith (the only two in my collection currently). It is good to know that 60 grains can definately get the job done!

[Southron Sr.]

We don't have woodchucks in my section of Middle-Georgia. I have used my repro Smith Carbine to pop turtles and water moccasins in the farm pond. All one has to shoot at is the head, so the target is hard to hit.

A "near miss" will enrage a water moccasin and he will literally "charge" you. Of course, you wait until they close the range and then blast them.

[pittguy12]

Really? I watermoccasin will charge? Never would have guessed but I guess I am glad to know it now instead of finding out the hard way!

[Southron Sr.]

Water Moccasins are extremely bad tempered and very aggressive, especially if "Riled Up." In addition, this time of year (Spring) is their "mating season" which makes them even more aggressive and bad tempered.

When they breed, they go into an underwater "Breeding Ball" which is basically a snake orgy. Back in the 1960's, when I was in college at Georgia MIlitary College in Milledgeville, GA there was an incident one Saturday afternoon in May where some people were water skiing on the Oconee River that runs besides the town.

The people in the boat pulling the individual that was skiing saw him go down, go completely underwater and then-to their horror, when he surfaced momentarily they saw him completely covered with snakes! Two days later when the body was recovered, there were something like 180 snake bites in the victim.

If you saw the old cowboy, 1980's era mini-series, "Lonesome Dove" there was a scene where the drovers were crossing a river in Texas and one of them, an Irishman, accidentally rode his horse into a Breeding Ball of moccasins. Of course, he went into the water and was bitten all over and died. The author of "Lonesome Dove" is Larry McMutry and he grew up in Texas and knows all about Water Moccasins.

Another one of my "fun" water moccasin hunting techniques is to use my repro M1842 .69 Palmetto Musket loaded with BB shot and my repro .44 Remington revolver. I use a "Weaver Stance" (two handed grip) to aim the revolver at the snakes head as he is swimming across the pond-the range is usually between 50 and 75 yards.

Splashing a bullet next to a water moccasin is almost guaranteed to make him charge you. Then when he gets about 20- yards from me in his "charge,", I let him have a load of BB's from the Palmetto Musket! That always ends the "charge" and the snake!

I guess my point is, that Skirmish arms make wonderful "varmit plinkers."

[Ken Hansgen, 11094]

How would a snake know which way to "charge" when a pistol ball splashes near him?

[Blair]

The Cotton-mouth/Water Moccasin goes after the thing closest to "it", that "it" perceives the danger to "it", is coming from.
Movement/Motion. Does that help?
Make light of this phenomenon if you wish, but if you have never had any contact with these creatures in any of your past experiences, it would be wise, indeed, to listen to the lessons being shared herein.
But then, what do I know?
Blair

[Paul Stephenson]

I have been charged twice in my lifetime by cottonmouths. Both times I did nothing that I was aware of to provoke them. Both times I was fortunate enough to have had a gun with me and dispatched them before they got to me. Cottonmouths are just plain mean I figure.

Paul

[DAVE FRANCE]

I never worried about snakes much. I stepped on a good size snake once with my bare foot and he just crawled away from under my foot. I stepped over a rattlesnake in the road once without seeing it until someone told me he was there. One time I was fishing and at first one, then another, and finally a third came near me and before I decided to move away. Probably they were not cotton mouths. You can learn a lot of interesting things on this bulletin board.

Too soon old, too late smart!

David

[pittguy12]

I guess my point is, that Skirmish arms make wonderful "varmit plinkers."

So does a shotgun!

Wow, these are crazy stories. Suppose it makes sense though. I guess I won't be chucking spare golf balls at the black snakes I see on the golf course anymore on the chance it happens to be a cottonmouth!

Down here near Richmond the copperheads get a bad rap for being overly aggressive but I haven't heard of many of them charging or anything.

[Edwin Flint, 8427]

While I have not used skirmish arms for snakes, I do have first hand experience with both Cottonmouths, rattle snakes and copper heads.

Rattle snakes will basically leave you alone if you leave them alone.

Cotton mouths are naturally agressive and will come for you if you disturb them, not always, but often enough, I don't like drawing their attention.

Copper heads like things humans like so when humans tend their flower beds, gardens etc. we are messing with their homes. As such, they have an agressive reputation when in reality, we are the agressor. Back off from them and they will leave you alone.

So far, I have not been biten by copper head. :)

BTW, don't let a grass snake chew on your fingers. They have a venom :?: /something in their saliva. From a friends experience, not my own. Painful, not deadly according to Dr.

[Southron Sr.]

Maybe we need to organize a club just for Sksirmishers who use Skirmish arms to dispatch varmits-

Call it something like: "The Honorable & Exhalted Order of Skirmisher Varmit and other No-Good Critter Shooters"

Post photos of our dead critters and give details of the hunt, gun (ONLY N-SSA Approved arms) load, etc.

What do you think?

[John Holland]

Southron, Sr. -

You are hereby officially permitted to dispatch "Varmints and other No Good Critters" with a paper patched Pritchett ball. :wink:

JDH

[Southron Sr.]

THANKS JOHN!

You have Inspired Me!

Southron