Info Any wood chuck hunters here?

[Solo1]

How much energy do you need to have left @ 100 yds to drop a woodchuck with a decent head shot? I know their skulls are pretty tough. Im thinking 20 fpe should be enough. Any ideas?

 

[Jaabaa]

Well, in Overland Mo in the late 60s and 70s it was like a power line 922, it was a hard pumping rifle at the end. But we took out Skunks and accational wood chucks at 40 yards almost every summer.
I forget all the damage the did, same with the possums.
But guns these days with a scope, My Aircuda will do 100 yards but that's a 3-4 inch spred with .22
Not sure I'd take that shot, depends.

 

[Solo1]

Ya i get ya but im hoping to get 21 gr slugs out of the drs to 40 fpe and have 20 fpe left @ 100 so hoping for the best.

 

[RobbieGio]

Never seen a woodchuck, but looked for info for you. Hope it helps.

According to Google AI:
To ethically and reliably kill a woodchuck at 100 yards, a minimum of 20–30 foot-pounds of energy (FPE) is required if using an airgun with precise shot placement.

Then, from an AGN thread. Consensus seems to be on shot placement on critical vitals- side / back of head, eye, heart - with 20fpe at the target. Dead on forehead shots may need more umph due to skull thickness in that area.

Woodchucks - only take 'em out >30 ft/lbs?

Readers digest - I had opportunity to play with, what for me, is a long shot - 169 yards with my .22 long Taipan Veteran - 23g H&N slugs @922 fps. After I figured out the wind and how much to hold off ( r-l cross wind ) I actually placed a couple of shots w/in an inch and a half or so on...

www.airgunnation.com

 

[BenjeneerJohn]

I don't know how much energy is required but I would suggest getting closer if you only have 40fpe and a 21g slug.

I have dropped a few between 80-100 yards with a 25g slug at 1000 fps.

My buddy issues a stock 25cal marauder at about 40 fpe and 34g JSBs. He likes to be with 60 yards.

 

[Solo1]

I don't know how much energy is required but I would suggest getting closer if you only have 40fpe and a 21g slug.

I have dropped a few between 80-100 yards with a 25g slug at 1000 fps.

My buddy issues a stock 25cal marauder at about 40 fpe and 34g JSBs. He likes to be with 60 yards.

Ya im starting to think the ghost 25 would be better

 

[Danman]

Ya im starting to think the ghost 25 would be better

Or.....your .22 slug barrel whipping out a 25gr or bigger slug? I know nothing about woodchucks, lol but lots about 21gr slugs. At 40-50Y on starlings out of my S510 (shoots em about 840fps) it's waaay overkill. She can't send em fast enough so the slugs dont expand as much as I'd like and I will hear then after the pass-through still zinging, now damaged, through the air.
For feathered pests I would recommend soft lead slugs only (Zan,Patriot, Hybrids @ 20-25gr). On something fury and 100Y away I'd prefer a harder + heavier slug.
Are you going to set up in one location on them or walk and stalk?

 

[Solo1]

Or.....your .22 slug barrel whipping out a 25gr or bigger slug? I know nothing about woodchucks, lol but lots about 21gr slugs. At 40-50Y on starlings out of my S510 (shoots em about 840fps) it's waaay overkill. She can't send em fast enough so the slugs dont expand as much as I'd like and I will hear then after the pass-through still zinging, now damaged, through the air.
For feathered pests I would recommend soft lead slugs only (Zan,Patriot, Hybrids @ 20-25gr). On something fury and 100Y away I'd prefer a harder + heavier slug.
Are you going to set up in one location on them or walk and stalk?

I don’t really have a plan yet thats why i asked. I plan on using the drs for squirrels if its accurate enough and then got to thinking about wood chucks and if it would be enough.

 

[Pumacarl]

Of the woodchucks that I have shot with airguns, I have come to my own conclusion that I want to have 35fpe on target. That is a very good, anchoring, drt number. At least it is with a headshot in the ear or temple, because that's where I shoot them.

 

[Solo1]

Of the woodchucks that I have shot with airguns, I have come to my own conclusion that I want to have 35fpe on target. That is a very good, anchoring, drt number. At least it is with a headshot in the ear or temple, because that's where I shoot them.

This seems to be the consensus. I guess if i go for chucks ill take the ghost in 25 or 30.

 

[BenjeneerJohn]

40fpe is good if you can get a good head shot and are closer.

All my dtr shots on woodchucks have been head shots. They can take a lot of abuse from body shots.

They are my favorite thing to hunt with an airgun. I only hunt them on a farm where they are very destructive to farm crops.

 

[mrage]

How much energy do you need to have left @ 100 yds to drop a woodchuck with a decent head shot? I know their skulls are pretty tough. Im thinking 20 fpe should be enough. Any ideas?

Just an observation , but I'm on my 5th 'Chuck so far. My first two were taken w/ my Stoeger Bullshark .22 slinging
JTS 21+ gr Semi RN (FN) pellets at 40 & 35yrds. This is cranked up to 32+ ftlb.s. Head shot between eye & ear both
DRT ,just tail flag & stiff stretch! I could get a few more lb.s of juice out of it if I wanted. But, I've taken 'hogs out past 50yrds with 18-19gr ammo set up this way, and I have guns that give more ,specific for 'Ghogs. Put a heavy pellet in the golf ball area & done deal.

 

[Grunt64]

How much energy do you need to have left @ 100 yds to drop a woodchuck with a decent head shot? I know their skulls are pretty tough. Im thinking 20 fpe should be enough. Any ideas?

Just an observation , but I'm on my 5th 'Chuck so far. My first two were taken w/ my Stoeger Bullshark .22 slinging
JTS 21+ gr Semi RN (FN) pellets at 40 & 35yrds. This is cranked up to 32+ ftlb.s. Head shot between eye & ear both
DRT ,just tail flag & stiff stretch! I could get a few more lb.s of juice out of it if I wanted. But, I've taken 'hogs out past 50yrds with 18-19gr ammo set up this way, and I have guns that give more ,specific for 'Ghogs. Put a heavy pellet in the golf ball area & done deal.

How much energy do you need to have left @ 100 yds to drop a woodchuck with a decent head shot? I know their skulls are pretty tough. Im thinking 20 fpe should be enough. Any ideas?

From what I’ve seen on my end, woodchucks soak up a surprising amount of punishment unless the shot is placed perfectly.For me, the real deciding factor hasn’t been the caliber as much as having enough retained energy and a slug that holds its shape and penetrates.

If I were planning on 100‑yard shots, I’d want something that still carries around 30–35 fpe at impact. That seems to be the point where head shots in the ear/temple area become consistently anchoring. Below that, it turns into a coin toss unless you’re closer.

That’s also why I tend to run more power than I technically need — it gives me reach, and the shot doesn’t have to be pinpoint to be immediately effective.

The DRS is great for squirrels, but for chucks at that distance I’d lean toward the .25 or .30 platforms too — not for the caliber itself, but for the heavier, harder slugs and better retained energy. Just my two cents from what’s worked for me.

 

[Pumacarl]

Here is my long-winded take on taking woodchucks with airguns. It is not cut and dry between calibers or projectile types, and you have to also figure in where you are going to be placing the shot. Any caliber can work depending on distance, ammo, and placement and power. A .177 at 10y, 15fpe with a 10.5gr to the temple is a dead woodchuck. If you can't shoot dimes at that distance, then you won't kill that woodchuck either. The smaller calibers do have a penetration advantage, at the cost (usually) of power and blunt trauma. There are people shooting 20gr .177 slugs now at 40fpe, and you've got to realize those kind of numbers don't fall into a conventional space. Things are however moving at a really fast pace. Convention has kind of left the building at this point. It's easy to say, use .25 or .30 and forget .22, BUT, my .22 at 300y has 58fpe on target using Zan ELR slugs. My .30 Paradigm shooting FX hybrids at the same range has 24fpe left. In this instance actually the .22 42.3gr Zan ELR slug has more power than the .30 Hybrid 44.5gr, the whole trip. You can move these numbers all over the place depending on what you are shooting, and you should, because it all matters.
Just talking projectile types, a domed slug, especially a heavy one, has great penetration. Depending on where you are shooting the woodchuck, head or body shot, you might want that, over using a hp slug.
Over the years I have determined that there is a lot of situations that I don't want to put myself in. For instance, I won't go out to shoot a woodchuck 'hoping' for a close, still, shot anymore. So, I personally don't go out with less than, and here is where the numbers now are all over the place depending on a lot of different variables, a .22 that doesn't have 25fpe on target (these are all on target energy numbers), a .25 that doesn't have 35fpe, and a .30 that doesn't have 50fpe. The penetration potential, or lack thereof, is why my power requirements go up with the caliber. In the last 10 years the only disappointment that I really had with a caliber was with the .30. Yes, I know that I am supposed to love it and think that it is the best, but I never have. The .25 had always done better with less power. Once I adjusted my thinking on what the .30 can actually do, I get along with it a lot better now, but I still love the .25. The .30 is certainly the most fun to shoot, because it is so easy to see. It used to be for the power too, but now, in my case, a .22 is doing better than it or any of my other .25s. Who knows, that may change too. The point is, you need to consider the power needed, for the penetration you want and that your chosen caliber (and bullet type) will give you, not, that you need to use a certain caliber or weight or projectile type. If have gobs of power and a small fast accurate round, use it. Ditto for huge, slow and accurate too. Just start your personal scale at what you've seen work for you, not everyone else's hero shots. I won't get into the details but I really really don't like JSB Kings for woodchucks, and I have never been let down by the 34gr MKII's in the same conditions. I've got really strong opinions on that. There are levels where things really change and for the .25 it's between a King and a MKII. For .22's it happens when you go over 22gr and 40fpe. At least that's how it seems to me.

 

[Grunt64]

Here is my long-winded take on taking woodchucks with airguns. It is not cut and dry between calibers or projectile types, and you have to also figure in where you are going to be placing the shot. Any caliber can work depending on distance, ammo, and placement and power. A .177 at 10y, 15fpe with a 10.5gr to the temple is a dead woodchuck. If you can't shoot dimes at that distance, then you won't kill that woodchuck either. The smaller calibers do have a penetration advantage, at the cost (usually) of power and blunt trauma. There are people shooting 20gr .177 slugs now at 40fpe, and you've got to realize those kind of numbers don't fall into a conventional space. Things are however moving at a really fast pace. Convention has kind of left the building at this point. It's easy to say, use .25 or .30 and forget .22, BUT, my .22 at 300y has 58fpe on target using Zan ELR slugs. My .30 Paradigm shooting FX hybrids at the same range has 24fpe left. In this instance actually the .22 42.3gr Zan ELR slug has more power than the .30 Hybrid 44.5gr, the whole trip. You can move these numbers all over the place depending on what you are shooting, and you should, because it all matters.
Just talking projectile types, a domed slug, especially a heavy one, has great penetration. Depending on where you are shooting the woodchuck, head or body shot, you might want that, over using a hp slug.
Over the years I have determined that there is a lot of situations that I don't want to put myself in. For instance, I won't go out to shoot a woodchuck 'hoping' for a close, still, shot anymore. So, I personally don't go out with less than, and here is where the numbers now are all over the place depending on a lot of different variables, a .22 that doesn't have 25fpe on target (these are all on target energy numbers), a .25 that doesn't have 35fpe, and a .30 that doesn't have 50fpe. The penetration potential, or lack thereof, is why my power requirements go up with the caliber. In the last 10 years the only disappointment that I really had with a caliber was with the .30. Yes, I know that I am supposed to love it and think that it is the best, but I never have. The .25 had always done better with less power. Once I adjusted my thinking on what the .30 can actually do, I get along with it a lot better now, but I still love the .25. The .30 is certainly the most fun to shoot, because it is so easy to see. It used to be for the power too, but now, in my case, a .22 is doing better than it or any of my other .25s. Who knows, that may change too. The point is, you need to consider the power needed, for the penetration you want and that your chosen caliber (and bullet type) will give you, not, that you need to use a certain caliber or weight or projectile type. If have gobs of power and a small fast accurate round, use it. Ditto for huge, slow and accurate too. Just start your personal scale at what you've seen work for you, not everyone else's hero shots. I won't get into the details but I really really don't like JSB Kings for woodchucks, and I have never been let down by the 34gr MKII's in the same conditions. I've got really strong opinions on that. There are levels where things really change and for the .25 it's between a King and a MKII. For .22's it happens when you go over 22gr and 40fpe. At least that's how it seems to me.

That was a great write‑up, Pumacarl. You’ve clearly spent a lot of time figuring out what works and what doesn’t, and it shows. I’m with you on the idea that there’s no magic caliber — it really does come down to what kind of penetration and on‑target energy your setup can deliver at the distance you’re actually shooting.

I’ve seen the same thing you mentioned about smaller calibers punching above their weight when the slug design and velocity are right, and also how a bigger caliber doesn’t automatically mean better results unless everything lines up. Woodchucks can be funny that way — sometimes they fold instantly, and other times they act like they didn’t get the memo.

And I’ll be honest, I’m the same way with other game too. I hate seeing the wrong tool used for the job. I’ve watched guys try to take coyotes with a .25 and it just makes the whole situation harder than it needs to be. Every animal deserves the right setup behind the shot.

Your point about building your own minimums based on what you’ve personally seen is spot‑on. That’s really the only way to stay consistent and avoid those situations none of us want to be in. Appreciate you taking the time to lay it all out.

 

[Danman]

For .22's it happens when you go over 22gr and 40fpe. At least that's how it seems to me.

Could not agree more with this! I run 2 pcps in .22cal. One @30fpe and one @ 52fpe. The 52fpe gun has taken 3 coons. All one shot to the dome at various distances...DRT. Got one with the 30fpe gun too; simply was not ideal and required multiple shots (first was in the neck inside 30Y).
I made the statement before but give me my .22 with mrds over a .25 shooting kings anyday for pesting furry critters, penetration is a non issue. To make it worth going up to .25 (for me) id go straight to shooting 33gr heavies. Well written @Pumacarl.
H.P. (slugs) vs solids is a less important conversation than soft vs hard lead in my opinion....slugs or pellets. A H.P. H&N or NSA will go through quite a bit before stopping.

 

[pepi.gets.it.done]

I love to hunt with airguns! Because of this addiction, I am constantly testing theories, ideas, etc. to find out what is ethical or not (in my opinion of course).

I have had a lot of success (over 100 rock chucks) using .177 sub 20FPE air rifles out to 70-75yds, hitting them with slugs and pellets of different weights. Shot placement have been head or body (vitals) shots. I have never actually done the math per your question, but the proof is in the pudding: a sub 20FPE will take down quarry sub 8lbs from my experience, out to 75yds with proper shot placement (dime/nickel size groups for head shots and quarter/silver dollar size for vitals).

In the picture above, I used my FT competition sub20FPE Daystate Wolverine (video will soon be out on Airgun Only Adventure YT channel).

If you really want to be thorough, watch my in-depth video:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

I have of course, used other calibers to take marmots but as a personal preference... I like the .177s for the following reasons:
- higher shot count
- cheaper ammo
- deadly quiet
- less likely of ricochet

Other fun videos I've done:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Hunting Rock Chucks With Friends

FYI, my new favorite ground vermin airgun is the Daystate Delta Wolf 28" .177 shooting 13 Zan slugs at about 980ish:
- YouTube

 

[pepi.gets.it.done]

 

[Solo1]

View attachment 20520

22 or 25 wolverine?

 

[pepi.gets.it.done]

22 or 25 wolverine?

.177, sub 20FPE (so std not the HP) shooting pellets 10gr or 13gr... can't remember.