Silver /grey young wood Chuck

[nagantguy]

So I’ve shot old ones that have gone grey, I even shot a mostly black one a few years back but I’ve never seen a silver one .

This one came out of the same hole yesterday. Has some silver in it .
In the hundred's I’ve shot I haven’t seen much color variation with the exception of this silver one and the mostly black one from years back- mostly they are reddish brown with some light grey side hairs .
These are all taken in MI . Any of you guys encounter color variations on the common wood chuck/ground hog?

 

[Haney]

I have shot a few black woodchucks . I have seen lighter colored reddish brown but never one with silver like yours .

 

[hlee]

Do woodchucks change colors with the season? WT deer are red in the summer, but grey in the winter. I shot a buck a few years ago that hadn’t changed out of his summer coat, and was still very red- even in early December. Maybe this guy didn’t get the memo about the season change?

 

[Ronws]

I have not had the chance but I have enjoyed watching others. I have seen the "Chuckin" channel and Who Tee Who get them. Talk about some air time. I think there should be a scoring system for how high, how long in the air, and how many flips.

Around where I live, not a lot of ground chucks but we do have feral hogs and they are a nuisance. So, no season, no weapon restrictions, no bag limit. In fact, there are a few companies who have helicopters and AR-15s you can rent. Sound track of "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival optional.

 

[stemikel]

Never seen one that color

 

[Pbgt]

Kinda along the same lines, here in mn we had a crap ton of grey squirrels in oak tree areas as a kid, never ever saw a black one with all the time I spent out in the woods, now greys are less common that the coal black ones....dominant gene trait? food supply issue? got me...

 

[nagantguy]

The area of MI I spent my teens in- zero black squirrels. Now they were north of here and in the upper peninsula. But now the black color phase is as common as the grey maybe more so .
At around 11-12 I went on a camping /squirrel hunting trip. The first for me and my best friend now elk hunting partner. Very exciting 4 days in the woods with our 20gauges and no adult supervision.
And we had the time of our lives ! And I was thrilled to shoot a few black squirrels, and greys and fox and red .

Junk food and fresh fire cooked squirrels.

Side note we both also had some cheap “Rambo” type survival knives - with compass and shit in the handle . And we beat the shit out of them , dug fire pits batoned kindling. My glued in compass fell out and we used all our matches and we both broke the shitty little wire saws . But damn we had a time ! I hadn’t thought of that in a while . I’m going to cal him and see if he still has his “Rambo” knife

 

[coldboremiracle]

I've seen em with white faces before, I thought it was an old chuck thing, but seen a whole clutch of babies all had white faces.

 

[1911hombre]

My mom is 90 and still lives alone on the farm where I grew up. Outbuidings are not used anymore and the most traffic around there is me mowing the lawn once a week (3 acres with about a zillion things to mow around and lots of surprise low branches.) So the fucking woodchucks have invaded underneath several buildings. Mind you these are old, old buildings that were built on foundations consisting of a large field stone every 8-10 feet. So, easy access for critters but not for humans. A few years back they would show themselves after maybe a half hour of silence/ inactivity in the yard. The younger generations have become spookier, probably from watching 50 gr. V-maxes blowing up grandpa chuck. They raise hell on siding and doors, etc. I'm not over there every day so it's hard to tend to traps. Bitches.... They are mostly reddish brown with black around the muzzles.

 

[nagantguy]

Yes they will over run a property in short order . Might be time to spend the day with mom and pop off a few .

 

[Jigstick]

 

[nagantguy]

View attachment 8184657

You really should use enough gun for your intended target. That barely looks dead.

 

[Will J]

That one isn't going to be a problem for you anymore...after a little rain and some scavengers at least...

 

[Hiopunm6]

View attachment 8172147
So I’ve shot old ones that have gone grey, I even shot a mostly black one a few years back but I’ve never seen a silver one .
View attachment 8172148View attachment 8172148
This one came out of the same hole yesterday. Has some silver in it .
In the hundred's I’ve shot I haven’t seen much color variation with the exception of this silver one and the mostly black one from years back- mostly they are reddish brown with some light grey side hairs .
These are all taken in MI . Any of you guys encounter color variations on the common wood chuck/ground hog?

It's fascinating how nature occasionally surprises us with unique variations. Your experiences with color diversity among woodchucks in MI, like the silver and black ones, add an exciting element to your hunts. Nature's diversity is truly remarkable!