I have seen more woodchucks this spring that I have ever seen before. 
I feel fairly confident in my statement since I was trained from a very young age to keep close watch out the window ready to yell if I spotted any turkey or deer. In fact just tonight I won the who-can-find-the-most-turkeys-while-we-drive-to-our-friends-house contest. So, I speak with the confidence of one who spends more time watching fields and ditches than perhaps one should while driving when I say, I have seen more woodchucks this spring than I have ever seen before.
Where did they all come from?
Do they have population booms and cycles?
Am I being followed around by a small group of rouge woodchucks messing with my mind?
What is the plural of woodchuck? Woodchucks? Groundhogs? Marmots?
When in doubt ask Google.
Tonight Google has taught me that…
…there is no use trying to eliminate woodchuck from an area, they will reproduce and migrate back in at a rate so high that there will be close to zero population change in your elimination area. No use unless of course you want to eat them, then you’ll have a steady supply of woodchuck meat but you should remove the scent glands first.
… they are fairly aggressive, they look cute but they aren’t cuddly.
… they are very useful for studying medical things like hepatitis.
… they only live three to six years in the wild.
… and, get this, that they can climb trees. Trees! Woodchuck! 
So I have three questions tonight.
1) Have you ever seen a woodchuck in a tree?
2) Have you seen more woodchuck than usual this spring?
3) Do you know if woodchuck have population cycles?
Now excuse me I have to go try and chase a woodchuck up a tree, I’m a see it to believe it kinda girl on this one!
Behind the Willows 
Wow, you got great photos of this critter! I haven’t seen one yet this spring. I hope this one isn’t living near any of your buildings/foundations. I hear they can do some serious damage!
I think the ones we are seeing near the house have burrows along fence lines. Unfortunately I think it’s Trip who is digging holes under our foundation. He keeps squeezing under the porch and coming up with a nose full of dirt. I’m afraid one day I’m going to go down in the cellar and find that he’s burrowed in. He’ll be camped out with a pile of sticks, bones and stinky dead things wondering what I’m doing intruding in his cave.
We have one under the trailer and one under the building where the chickens live. We haven’t had any in previous years. George is on alert and is ready to blast them.
Is that more than normal? Although I suppose two under buildings is two too many in those places!
George says if you can get a photo that good, then you certainly can shoot it.
Yes, two too many.
George is right! Didn’t you learn that as a child too? Especially in a house where the mom is an awesome shot!
I need to working on my shooting skills since Henry thinks that “only papa shoots things.”
I only remember Grandpa’s dog really having it out for woodchucks. Tyler also reminded me of one he killed with a shovel but I don’t recall a lot of woodchuck shooting, possibly I wasn’t paying attention.
Clara has confidence in my shooting though, a thunderstorm was coming in and she told me I should go shoot it with my gun and get rid of it.
Misguided confidence, but a lot of confidence!
I was thinking about any kind of animal shooting that may have taken place out a cracked window.
You are a good shot like your mom!
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