When it comes to varmints and looking through many of the hunting magazines, most favor the western part of the country for the best in small-game hunting. Granted the plains are loaded with prairie dogs, the lowlands of the peaks harbor great numbers of rockchucks and anyone out looking for that just right pronghorn antelope will certainly run into a badger or two.
Using his favorite Ruger No. 1 rifle in 22-250 Remington some years back, illustrates how shooters can use various farm props like this hay bale to steady-up any long-range shot.
Another prop is something that always seems to be around a New England farm, that of an abandoned hay wagon. Note that Stan is shooting away from the farmhouse in the background with his Weatherby Vanguard rifle.
However, what about the sportsmen that live in the east? I count myself as one of those fortunate individuals and during my lifetime from adolescence to now moving into the autumn of my life, have made a passion out of perusing the wily woodchuck on the farmlands of New England and surrounding areas from guns to gear to time well spent in the field.
Everyone starts somewhere so when it came to that period in my life when school closed for the summer, the Chevy was packed up and we headed up to my Uncle’s farm in New York state. Here the days of casual hunting were about to begin with the advantage of having more than enough places to snipe, shoot and enjoy the balmy days of summer.
Snipe we did! The old barn was a good spot with my uncle’s single-shot 22 rimfire Winchester Model 67A (that he gave me and I still have) as the big door used to haul up hay was a prime location for those unsuspecting chucks out by the equipment shed. With more than 300 acres to move around, me and “Little Jimmy” would find a cool corner at the upper reaches of a field, talk about the day and wait for something to pop up downrange. Other spots would be alongside the large rear wheels of the tractor, on top of the hay wagon or from the inside bank of the brook that ran down and across my uncle’s property.
From the line of trees in the background, Stan anchored this prime chuck at 325 yards with his pet Weatherby Mark V VarmintMaster chambered in the 224 Weatherby Magnum.
For a youngster just starting out hunting, these were good times to enjoy and learn about the sport. While we only had a rimfire rifle to shoot, the both of us learned about stalking while ensuring a clean kill – not an easy feat with a gun with open sights – at moderate distances. We never ran out of ammunition as once the farmers in the neighborhood heard about the “fearsome twosome” they would drop off those little boxes of ammunition for us to put some time in on their farms. After all, a cow stepping into a chuckhole and breaking a leg is not much use except for meat on the table later.
You would be surprised how many woodchucks find a comfortable home under an old barn. With a little patience and his Savage rifle in hand, something will eventually appear on this summer’s afternoon.
It was about that time when I learned about the power and distance possible with a centerfire rifle. My uncle would host some of the sports from Cooperstown with their special varmint guns complete with those long Unertl scopes that could take a chuck further down the line then both of us could even imagine! Later in life, I would fill a promise to myself to have a gun chambered for the 219 Donaldson Wasp and I did in the form of a Ruger No. 1.
Today in the northeast, hunting those chucks has changed a little. For one thing, coyotes have come into play forcing the chucks to seek refuge near the stonewalls famous in New England as they have, for the most part, abandoned their underground dens in the open fields. Watching them shows how they have modified their living habits by keeping their backs to the wall as protection against a predator attack. The farmers will not cut close to the wall because the loose rocks would damage their machines, and with the moisture contained in the long grass, they have all they need to survive – both in camouflage and in water.
This is the typical piece of farmland in the east. Each field is roughly 100-150 yards in length and with a natural barrier between each makes for good cover while glassing.
When it comes to guns, in my lifetime I think I have used them all as both varmint and sporting rifles. Favorites – but of course, but that would take a book, so I will try to narrow down what was the best for the sport and me. While brand names do have a bit of an influence, it’s the action and accuracy that counts. Over the years, I’ve found that bolt and single-shot rifles are the best, but like any part of hunting, personal choice always comes out on top.
Any varmint hunter worth his salt will eventually drift down to reloading his own ammunition for the best in the accuracy needed downrange for varmint hunting. Today, everything you need is as close as your nearest gun shop.
No matter what rifle you have, a good variable scope with an adjustable objective is a must for any type of small game including chucks. All mounted on this Ruger Target rifle, this rig is ready to go.
When it comes to the bolt action, brand names like Remington, Browning, Kimber, Cooper, Winchester, Savage or Weatherby really shine for availability and accuracy with most being available in both a production and custom-class firearm. For the most part, handloading is part of the game, as each rifle can be tuned to a good load but don’t sell commercial ammunition short these days. I am a traditionalist, so I like wood stocks, but again, if you are a foul-weather shooter, modern synthetics can do the trick. Today, modern bolt actions offer a multitude of choices for the varmint shooter and if you like to walk, sporter-weight barrels get the nod (6½ to 7½ pounds), if you like to sit, glass and snipe, heavier or bull-type barrels (8½ to 9 pounds) are a good choice. Rifles with adjustable triggers rate high and depending upon the make or model, will determine how low I tune the rig and those with a wide forearm – sometimes classified as “varmint” rifles – are great to stabilize the rifle on most any support at the edge of the field be it a downed tree, bipod or backpack.
With his Remington Model 700 Varmint chambered in the 6mm Remington, from a braced rest in the foreground, the chuck was taken at the grass line just over the top of the fencepost in the left of the photo.
Be it rockchuck or woodchuck, they all offer a formable target to the dedicated varmint hunter in the warmer months of the year.
With so many choices out there, let me condense the list and tell you about a half dozen of my personal favorites over the years to help illustrate what I use in production or custom rifles and even those using wildcat cartridges.
When you have a period of time when you know the chucks are not around in the heat of the day, checking out their dens and favorite trails back to the tree line will produce good results later.
To set the tone, I don’t use lever, pump or semiautos, although I have a friend who swears by his Browning BAR in 243 Winchester with lighter bullets and slightly reduced loads with just enough power to work the action. My choice goes to bolt actions and single shots.
In bolt actions, the Remington Model 700 gets top billing with two of them converted to 220 Swift and the 22 Remington Benchrest (BR) by Shaw’s. I have one in the rare 6mm Remington as the varmint model with a laminated stock but my hands-down pet is the Model 700 Custom chambered for the 222 Remington. With fancy wood and a longer than normal forearm with handloads, I can count on this gun to put out sub-minute of angle groups at the century mark every time. A Model 7 in 17 Remington Fireball completes the list and again, gets the nod simply because it does qualify as a true walking varminteer.
From Weatherby, I purchased the downsized Mark V VarmintMaster some 42 years ago in its ill-fated 224 Weatherby Magnum and still carry it in the field because of its superb accuracy and lightweight profile. I have another one in the Mark V with the six-lug action, fluted barrel and laminated stock, again, purchased years back in the 22-250. Savage is also a good choice in varmint rigs with its Models 25 or 40. Finishing up, I converted a bolt-action Ruger Target rifle into the 220 Rocket from the 220 Swift and tinkered with the 22/6mm as a long-range piece of equipment in a Shaw custom rig.
I enjoy using the rifles by Cooper as they chamber many cartridges in their wares, some that were popular years back like the 17 Mach IV in a very light Model 21 version that is a pleasure to take afield. Additionally, I have a semi-custom Cooper in the 221 Fireball all decked out in fancy wood and fleur-de-lis checkering. Finishing up, their Model 38 single shot in the 218 Mashburn Bee is a real tack driver with it heavy barrel and great trigger.
For his efforts in reloading, this is the result of fine-tuning his Weatherby VarmintMaster in the 224 Weatherby Magnum to a group closing in on a half inch at 100 yards.
One of the more interesting vintage cartridges to play around with is the 225 Winchester. Stan had one of his Ruger No. 1s chambered for it and remains much in his favor for chucking.
When it comes to single-shot rifles, my rack filled up fast. Most common in the lineup is the
If you get into not so popular cartridges like the 225 Winchester, most diemakers like Redding make dies and related accessories to keep you shooting for years to come.
Ruger No. 1 in the Standard 1-B model that I have in the popular 22-250 Remington (my first), the 218 Bee and the 204 Ruger. Since these guns are so easy to convert to wildcats, I did one in the 225 Winchester with an octagonal barrel and my all-time favorite, the 219 Donaldson Wasp. Varmint hunting in the state of New York takes me back to the time when Harvey Donaldson created the cartridge in Fultonville, New York, and I swear he is right behind me when I shoot downrange. Finally, both the Browning Low and High Wall rifles are fun to shoot and carry nicely like the Low Wall in the 22 Hornet. The Browning B78 was absent for a few years, then brought back and I grabbed one up in the 223 Remington.
One of the benefits of varmint hunting is getting to play around some “wildcat” cartridges like the 22 Hornet (left) and the improved version called the 22 K-Hornet (right). Note the difference in the body taper of the K-Hornet to allow more powder capacity – and a bit more velocity.
Cartridges are easy, just stick to the 17s, 20s, 22s and the 6mms with lighter bullets on days when you are not going to shoot a lot, but need something to buck the wind. If you like a challenge, don’t be afraid to take your 22 rimfire rifle out for a walk around the barn keeping in mind the power and range of this vintage cartridge.
The pride of the Stan’s battery is this Remington Model 700 in the 222 Remington made for him in its custom shop. Fancy wood, fine fit, finish and a high-powered Bausch and Lomb scope are highlights of the very accurate varmint rig.
A short time back, Weatherby made a Mark V Varmint rifle with a shorter action and a six (not nine) lug bolt. Stan grabbed one in 22-250 Remington equipping it with a Leupold scope.
For a challenge in the field, try a single-shot rifle like this Ruger No. 1. Again, Stan turned to a wildcat named the 219 Donaldson Wasp and it remains an all-out favorite in his varmint battery of rifles.
On the subject of ammunition, there are a couple of thoughts here. As mentioned before, premium ammunition from Remington, Winchester or Federal are fully capable of producing dime-sized groups at 100 yards with the velocity and variety in bullet weights to match.
Stepping out from the tree line for a brief time allows the shooter to get the lay of the land while looking for any chuck dens along the edge of the field downrange.
In the end, most varmint hunters will turn to handloaded ammunition to get the most out of groups tailored to one particular rifle. There is nothing better than to start the process with a good set of dies, some sample bullets in that caliber and loading manual illustrating the powders to use in grains with the velocities to match. Sure, it takes some time especially with the wildcats, but then again, sitting down at the bench and trying different loads until that magic combination comes up showing a small group at 100 yards is certainly the precursor to a satisfying day in the field.
It is always nice to have a partner to glass the fields while you are waiting for that right time to shoot. Since binoculars offer a wider view than using a riflescope, chucks can be spotted quicker in higher grass.
Last, being an outdoor photographer whose livelihood depends on good lenses and glass, quality riflescopes will naturally come up. For varmint hunting here in the east, most of the older farms are set up in “hedgerows” roughly about 100 yards in length. For this, the trusty 3-9x scope or even the 4-12x is perfect, but whatever you choose, make sure the scope is a well-known brand or you are liable for headaches due to eyestrain with marginal optics. A good pair of binoculars is handy and recommended for glassing, but unless you are intent on staying in one spot for a long time, forget the spotting scope on smaller game.
It’s the little things that count and if you like a tang-mounted safety, the Savage Model 110 is for you.
It’s the little things that count and if you like a tang-mounted safety, the Savage Model 110 is for you.
Finally, as a sportsman, you are going to find varmint hunting a very satisfying sport and an activity you can do most of the year with your pet rifle, for not only woodchucks but also other small game like rabbits, a fox or even an annoying coyote or two. Since this type of sport has been around for years, you might want to take up some reading from the masters like Donaldson (his book,
Yours Truly is a must read), Sharpe, Laandis, Stebbins or Townsend Whelen on the history, development and subsequent acceptance of the varmint rifle and cartridges as we know them today.
See you afield!
