Whistle Pigs

dmort

dmort

Active member
Hey Tim, thought I would show you a couple of pics on where I shoot. This is just above part of the Snake River Canyon and about an hour from home. One picture shows where I'm looking when the shooting starts. The short dark horizontal line way out there is a rock outcrop. My little distance meter says it's two hundred yards away. Beyond that it's hard to accurately measure because of the flat topography,

Depending on the weather I start looking for the critters in April. I always check the weather first, because along with being cold (bring shooting gloves) you have to contend with wind. Spring here can be a little breezy and if it is over 10 miles an hour I stay home.

I get my best groups with 55 grain bullets which aren't great for bucking wind but will give me groups in the low 3 to 4 range.

Mort


20200525_094933.jpg 20200525_094857.jpg
Sorry for the picture orientation. Tried to fix it, maybe later,
 
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whistle pigs

Being from Mo. Iwas out at Laramie deer hunting. The native I was hunting with got to talking about whistle pigs. They looked kinda like ground hogs to me. Are they marmots? I never knew the real name.Seen em never shot one. Doug
 
Doug
I think Whistle Pigs get their name for the alarm they sound when threatened from the air. My high frequency hearing is long gone so I don't hear a thing, but when Hawks or other birds show up they pretty much disappear. The " pig " part comes from who knows. Right across the state line in Eastern Oregon they call them Sage Rats. They are a variety of ground squirrel with little or no tail and an adult is about the size of an 8 ounce soda can.They run like hell and don't stop for long ,so it's real easy when you catch up with one to jerk the trigger....of course I never do that.

Mort
 
Thanks Mort, I was out west hunting my kids were little the name whistle pig was extremely funny. I think they are marmots. Doug
 
Mort,

That looks a lot like where I shoot whistle pigs. Are you on the Morley Nelson? Of course all of Southern Idaho looks like that.

I'm pretty sure whistle pigs are Piute Ground Squirrels. One also needs to be a little careful taking shots in some areas, because the Townsend Ground Squirrels (which look really similar) are endangered/protected.

Jeff
 
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whistle pigs

dmort said:
Hey Tim, thought I would show you a couple of pics on where I shoot. This is just above part of the Snake River Canyon and about an hour from home. One picture shows where I'm looking when the shooting starts. The short dark horizontal line way out there is a rock outcrop. My little distance meter says it's two hundred yards away. Beyond that it's hard to accurately measure because of the flat topography,

Depending on the weather I start looking for the critters in April. I always check the weather first, because along with being cold (bring shooting gloves) you have to contend with wind. Spring here can be a little breezy and if it is over 10 miles an hour I stay home.

I get my best groups with 55 grain bullets which aren't great for bucking wind but will give me groups in the low 3 to 4 range.

Mort


All -

I have read the term " whistle pig " used by shooters, who were refering to Eastern Groundhogs. In that application, they are refering to a " stocky, burrowing marmot ".
A cousin to these, is the Western Rockchuck.

Ground squirrels are a species of " rodent ".

Perhaps the " whistle pig " moniker is being used in various regions of the country, to describe 2 different types of burrowing varmints ?
We didn't call groundhogs that, in NE Indiana. Didn't call them woodchuck either.

I have often refered to groundhogs as " Soybeanus Digestus ".


With regards,
357Mag
Click to expand...
 
Big Gunner said:
Mort,

That looks a lot like where I shoot whistle pigs. Are you on the Morley Nelson? Of course all of Southern Idaho looks like that.

I'm pretty sure whistle pigs are Piute Ground Squirrels. One also needs to be a little careful taking shots in some areas, because the Townsend Ground Squirrels (which look really similar) are endangered/protected.

Jeff
Click to expand...

Jeff
You are right about the area I'm right above Swan Falls. I also shoot on a ranch around New Plymouth. Its south of the Payette River so I don't have to worry about shooting something I shouldn't.
What do you shoot with?

Mort
 
WIKI "groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck"

They stand up and look around when they hear a whistle.
I use a police whistle when I have the gun on one that is munching.
Blow, then fire on the standing target.

And they love soybeans and will eat the beans and the rest of the plant.
 
Mort,

I'm in Melba, so just around the corner. Technically, I can shoot them from my back door, but my Belgian Malinois likes to chase them and dig them out of their burrows.

We usually take the kids/grandkids out 2 or 3 times each Spring and use everything from .17hmr to 6.5 CM.

We generally hunt in 1 of two or three spots out in the Morley Nelson Birds of Prey Area that are only about 30 minutes from the house. I have placed year-round range stakes from 100 yards to 700 yards out from our shooting perches. Anything inside 100 yards is shot with.rim fire rifles (custom 10/22's or heavy barreled bolt guns), 100 out to around 400 yards -- depending on wind is for the varmint guns (custom .223 bolts, a Rem 788 in 6mm that still shoots like s laser, my wife generally uses one of her 6ppc bench guns with her fire forming barrel to form brass while she is vaporizing pigs, and I like to use a custom Savage 6ppc RBLP bench gun that Steve Kostenich barreled for me - I use all the shot-out brass and left over bullets from odd lots left over from Lisa's match shooting), 400 out to around 700 the long-range 6.5 CM's come out.

I work out of state June thru October, so that's about all the hunting I can get into when the grass is still green.

Here's a quick link to the Idaho Dept Fish & Game Q&A page about whistle pigs in Idaho. We know that they're not groundhogs/ marmots/rockchucks, but its what we call them. We call those other ones groundhogs, marmots, and rockchucks.

https://idfg.idaho.gov/question/whi...in Idaho Administrative Code (IDAPA 13.01.06)

Mort, we should touch base and see if we could go have some fun this coming spring.

Enjoy,

Jeff
 
Big Gunner said:
Mort,

I'm in Melba, so just around the corner. Technically, I can shoot them from my back door, but my Belgian Malinois likes to chase them and dig them out of their burrows.

We usually take the kids/grandkids out 2 or 3 times each Spring and use everything from .17hmr to 6.5 CM.

We generally hunt in 1 of two or three spots out in the Morley Nelson Birds of Prey Area that are only about 30 minutes from the house. I have placed year-round range stakes from 100 yards to 700 yards out from our shooting perches. Anything inside 100 yards is shot with.rim fire rifles (custom 10/22's or heavy barreled bolt guns), 100 out to around 400 yards -- depending on wind is for the varmint guns (custom .223 bolts, a Rem 788 in 6mm that still shoots like s laser, my wife generally uses one of her 6ppc bench guns with her fire forming barrel to form brass while she is vaporizing pigs, and I like to use a custom Savage 6ppc RBLP bench gun that Steve Kostenich barreled for me - I use all the shot-out brass and left over bullets from odd lots left over from Lisa's match shooting), 400 out to around 700 the long-range 6.5 CM's come out.

I work out of state June thru October, so that's about all the hunting I can get into when the grass is still green.

Here's a quick link to the Idaho Dept Fish & Game Q&A page about whistle pigs in Idaho. We know that they're not groundhogs/ marmots/rockchucks, but its what we call them. We call those other ones groundhogs, marmots, and rockchucks.

https://idfg.idaho.gov/question/whi...in Idaho Administrative Code (IDAPA 13.01.06)

Mort, we should touch base and see if we could go have some fun this coming spring.

Enjoy,

Jeff
Click to expand...

Sounds like fun. I'm sure we have a lot to talk about. Will PM you.

Mort
 
thanks

Big Gunner said:
Mort,

I'm in Melba, so just around the corner. Technically, I can shoot them from my back door, but my Belgian Malinois likes to chase them and dig them out of their burrows.

We usually take the kids/grandkids out 2 or 3 times each Spring and use everything from .17hmr to 6.5 CM.

We generally hunt in 1 of two or three spots out in the Morley Nelson Birds of Prey Area that are only about 30 minutes from the house. I have placed year-round range stakes from 100 yards to 700 yards out from our shooting perches. Anything inside 100 yards is shot with.rim fire rifles (custom 10/22's or heavy barreled bolt guns), 100 out to around 400 yards -- depending on wind is for the varmint guns (custom .223 bolts, a Rem 788 in 6mm that still shoots like s laser, my wife generally uses one of her 6ppc bench guns with her fire forming barrel to form brass while she is vaporizing pigs, and I like to use a custom Savage 6ppc RBLP bench gun that Steve Kostenich barreled for me - I use all the shot-out brass and left over bullets from odd lots left over from Lisa's match shooting), 400 out to around 700 the long-range 6.5 CM's come out.

I work out of state June thru October, so that's about all the hunting I can get into when the grass is still green.

Here's a quick link to the Idaho Dept Fish & Game Q&A page about whistle pigs in Idaho. We know that they're not groundhogs/ marmots/rockchucks, but its what we call them. We call those other ones groundhogs, marmots, and rockchucks.

https://idfg.idaho.gov/question/whi...in Idaho Administrative Code (IDAPA 13.01.06) rankdle

Mort, we should touch base and see if we could go have some fun this coming spring.

Enjoy,

Jeff
Click to expand...
That shows up to be superb however i am still not also certain that I like it.
 
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