Kudzu Rats

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Last Post 20 June 2023

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Bryan Austin posted this 13 June 2023

Been taking out some kudzu rats lately with the 43-214A lead 44-40 cast bullets. I do want to be clear that shots are only between 35 yards and 75 yards in the area I am shooting. Both the 73' and Marlin are zeroed in for 60 yards now. Picked off 5 so far but this is the biggest one.

The Marlin is just as fun but has the bigger scope, better for these old eyes!

I had the iphone attached to the scope on the Marlin but you really can't see anything when the trigger is pulled so I took it off.

After nailing 5 rats between 35 yards and 70 yards, I "missed" a coyote that surprisingly walked out where I am pointing at only 59 yards. If I did get him, we will never know because I refused to climb up there and walk through that mess. He took off to the left after the shot and may have crashed (if I did get him) in some thick stuff on far left of photo. I started leaving what I shoot there and now will set up for coyotes as well. I was a bit surprised he showed up with all the shooting and I rushed the shot...rookie mistake...lol!

This is about the furthest I have shot at this location. Its about 75 yards, and as a reference, would be far far left in the photo above...back behind the truck.

44-40 Website - https://sites.google.com/view/44winchester/chasing-the-44-40

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Larry Gibson posted this 13 June 2023

Totally awesome Bryan!

LMG

Concealment is not cover.........

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Bryan Austin posted this 13 June 2023

Here is two more videos. I am going back out again this evening but will put the iphone on the tripod to see if it is a bit better for videos.

44-40 Website - https://sites.google.com/view/44winchester/chasing-the-44-40

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Bryan Austin posted this 15 June 2023

After nailing 5 rats between 35 yards and 70 yards, I "missed" a coyote that surprisingly walked out where I am pointing at only 59 yards. If I did get him, we will never know because I refused to climb up there and walk through that mess. He took off to the left after the shot and may have crashed (if I did get him) in some thick stuff on far left of photo. I started leaving what I shoot there and now will set up for coyotes as well. I was a bit surprised he showed up with all the shooting and I rushed the shot...rookie mistake...lol!

Well, look what I found today....he only ran 50 to 75 yards. When I went to look, I scouted horizontal and down rather than up!

44-40 Website - https://sites.google.com/view/44winchester/chasing-the-44-40

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Shuz posted this 15 June 2023

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a Kadzu rat?

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Bryan Austin posted this 15 June 2023

In North Carolina they are called groundhogs

44-40 Website - https://sites.google.com/view/44winchester/chasing-the-44-40

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Aaron posted this 15 June 2023

In Virginia we called them Sod Poodles.

With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.

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Waleone posted this 16 June 2023

Ground Hog, Woodchuck, Whistle Pig, where I live the Pennsylvania Dutch call them Grundsow/Grundsau. They are fun to shoot no matter what you call them!

Wayne

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Shuz posted this 16 June 2023

Thanks for all the info! I'm originally from western Pa. and we called them ground hogs or whistle pigs! I thought that perhaps a kudzu rat was a rodent that had morphed outta NYC!

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Bryan Austin posted this 16 June 2023

Wildlife Management here claims they are of the squirrel family and that they can climb trees. I have always called squirrels "Tree Rats".....so I just kinda went with it!!!

44-40 Website - https://sites.google.com/view/44winchester/chasing-the-44-40

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Boschloper posted this 18 June 2023

Here in New Hampshire we call them woodchucks. Don’t have a whole bunch of them, I have shot 3 in the past 24 years, 44 mag., 22 lr, and .30-06. Most folks use their cars.

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beemer posted this 19 June 2023

Years ago guys would ride around and shoot groundhogs from the vehicle. Probably illegal but no one cared and the farmers and orchard owners were glad to get rid of them. There was a lot less traffic and houses around here 50 years ago. Very few people hunt them around here now and the population has exploded. I see them almost every time we go out. They do like a nice kudzu patch and if they find your garden they will ruin it in short order if not disposed of. The last one I shot had ruined every pumpkin in my Dad's patch and he had some nice ones. I gave it both barrels of #2 in the backside as it went over the bank.

We have to deal with kudzu around here, once established I'm not sure it can be done away with.

That '73 with the scope looks nice.

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Aaron posted this 19 June 2023

They can and DO climb trees, mostly smaller trees in a fence line. I have shot about a dozen of them out of trees and even won a $20 bet against a friend who swore they didn't climb trees because they were so fat. In Virginia, I was paid good money to shoot them off horse ranches in and around Middleburg, Lovettesville, Leesburg, Hamilton, Purceville, and other areas.

My favorite Sod Poodle gun is my T/C Contender with a 10" 32-20 barrel. For longer ranges out to 600 yards, my 25-06 would nail the pesky buggers. When I moved to the central region of NC, I discovered that no self respecting ground hog was living in this nasty sand. They are of course, more prevalent in the northern areas, and especially west of the Durham area.

Here is a video of the little T/C spitting out Sod Poodle pills.

With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.

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David Reiss posted this 20 June 2023

The closest thing we have to ground rodents is Nutria, They are found all over the salt marshes and as a kid we would hunt them with .22s until our teenage years where some of us switched to CF handguns. Yes and No, yes we did try and eat one and no we didn't try it again.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutria

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
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