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Hunting & Fishing WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

FALex

FALex

Headmaster of Romper Room
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 5, 2011
2,021
598
USA
#1
hey guys and gals, out here in Idaho, it's whistlepig time! Whistlepigs are a species of ground squirrel here in Southern ID. I don't know where the "pig" comes from, but they do certainly whistle! I took these photos this morning after a successful hunt with my Marlin 917VT...HMR is smokin'!


DSC02030 by 911bagman, on Flickr


DSC02036 by 911bagman, on Flickr


DSC02032 by 911bagman, on Flickr


DSC02028 by 911bagman, on Flickr


DSC02025 by 911bagman, on Flickr


DSC02031 by 911bagman, on Flickr


DSC02037 by 911bagman, on Flickr


DSC02035 by 911bagman, on Flickr


DSC02026 by 911bagman, on Flickr


DSC02024 by 911bagman, on Flickr

I just obtained my hunting license (I have no clue why I waited so damn long). Anyhow, not really Elk-type hunting, but still real fun, nonetheless. Shots at 100+ are rather challenging as these guys are pretty damn small.
 
#2
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

We call them sage rats in my neck of the woods but they are one and the same. I've already gone thru a brick of 500rnds in my Savage 17hmr this year alone. There seems to be a really good crop of them this year too.

I've shot literally thousands of those things over the last 25yrs. Good times, good times!!!
 
#3
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

Ha-Ha When I saw the word whistlepigs i knew you had to be from southwestern Idaho! we drive the 4 hours at least once every spring to our whistlepig spot outside of Mt Home. Great fun!
 
#5
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

ishoot- that kind of sucks that you can't get that many groundhogs in a day. To be honest, there were five times as many as this but I forgot to put the memory stick in my camera before running out! Anyhow, if you're ever in this area give me a shout (or a whistle) if you wanna' hit them pigs!!!
 
#6
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

stonefly - you also need to give me a shout. we can meet over there south of Mt. Home (a little ways past bruneau) for some piggin'!
 
#7
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: stonefly53</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ha-Ha When I saw the word whistlepigs i knew you had to be from southwestern Idaho! </div></div>

Me too, I dont know why Idahoans always call them such. Everywhere else I've heard whistle pig referring to Marmots, Rockchucks,Woodchucks,ect. I'm not sure of the true name of the ground squirrels in the pics, I've also heard them called potguts, but I dont really know.
They sure are fun to shoot, I do know that. We occasionally drive up to my uncles place in Emmet, and shoot hundreds of em.
 
#8
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

Where are some good places to hunt rock chucks? I want to get out and do a little shooting this weekend, and nothing sounds better than shooting rock chucks
 
#9
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Alderleet</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Where are some good places to hunt rock chucks? I want to get out and do a little shooting this weekend, and nothing sounds better than shooting rock chucks </div></div> Call me alderleet, I got a nice little place but I dont know if the snow is too deep still. But I'll take you along if you wanna go
wink.gif


camping8-8-09014.jpg
 
#11
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

the photo with the larger animal is a Marmot, also called a Ground HOg, and Rock Chuck. The others, the smaller ones, are Belding's Ground Squirrel. Sage Rats, are an actual animal, a Rat, larger, darker. Long rat-like tail. An actual rat, rather than a squirrel.
 
#12
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

yes, the whistlepigs are just simple ground squirrels. Whistlepig sounds much funnier! I blew the front left leg off one and when I went up to put him out, he was whistling, it was actually pretty damn loud. Sometimes, it's eery stanidng in the middle of a colony, because you'll hear them right under your feet chattering and whistling. Damn pigs!
 
#15
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

Where I grew up, a whistlepig is a groundhog.
They get quite large, very fat.
A buddy of mine shot one through the head with my 30-40 Krag and a 180 grain bullet.
It poked it's head out of the hole, the bullet went in right under the chin and came out the back of it's head. Blew all the brains right out of it, the cranial cavity was completely empty.
It was only about a 30 yard shot.
 
#16
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

We have always called groundhogs whistlepigs because they do make a whistle sound as an alert. They also make a smacking sound when you center punch them with a high powered rifle.
 
#17
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

They are out here too, I've probably killed 50 in the last week. They are EVERYWHERE right now, which makes for good shooting. I've been using my noveske SPR to handle it, and it's been a hoot.

There is one particular place out here that always has rock chucks, they sit on this rocky outcrop and look out whenever they hear a truck driving by. Since it is WAY out in a pasture, I don't feel bad picking them off from the truck window, lol.

I ran over a HUGE badger too, LOL. I've never seen one so big... plenty of p-dogs to eat I guess. I'd have let him be but he's digging big holes in a grazing lease and that's not good for cows, so he got a tire to the face.
 
#19
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

Once my daughter is grown I'm moving out that way. I hate living in Raleigh NC. Man I wish there was some shooting like that here.......
 
#20
Re: WHISTLEPIGS (PIC HEAVY)

FALex, we should start an annual pig party every spring! that would be sweet. can you still see them in summer or is the grass too tall?
coldboremiracle thats funny, I went through on the way to boise that same weekend. That stretch from twin to the west side of jerome is packed with chucks. But like you said they are within city limits most of the time or too close to the interstate. You'll notice too on that alfalfa field on the north side of the road that is just past the jerome exit, the Highway Patrol office sits right next to it. Can't even get away with subsonics and a can!
 
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