Groundhog question

[BarryC]

I was just watching a groundhog in the back yard (we get them a lot here). It made me think of something I've been curious about for a long time. Here in NJ, if one mentions a groundhog, a woodchuck, or a gopher, are these 3 different names for the same animal? Please help. I'm very curious. Thanks.

 

[RednekF350]

Groundhogs

A woodchuck and a groundhog are one in the same.
NJ Fish and Wildlife uses the term woodchuck in the small game regulations.
Believe it or not, in our over-regulated state you can still hunt woodchuck with a rimfire rifle, centerfire rifle or muzzleloader!
There is a ton of woodchucks around my house and we knock out quite a few.
A buddy of mine from Hammonton slow cooks them in a homemade barbecue sauce and they are really good. And they DON"T taste like chicken.
Gopher is a real broad term and depending on where you live, they can be groundhogs, woodchucks, prairie dogs, pocket gophers and a lot of otther similar species.

Scott

 

[BarryC]

Groundhogs

Hey thanks for clearing that up for me!

A woodchuck and a groundhog are one in the same.
NJ Fish and Wildlife uses the term woodchuck in the small game regulations.
Believe it or not, in our over-regulated state you can still hunt woodchuck with a rimfire rifle, centerfire rifle or muzzleloader!
There is a ton of woodchucks around my house and we knock out quite a few.
A buddy of mine from Hammonton slow cooks them in a homemade barbecue sauce and they are really good. And they DON"T taste like chicken.
Gopher is a real broad term and depending on where you live, they can be groundhogs, woodchucks, prairie dogs, pocket gophers and a lot of otther similar species.

Scott

 

[BEHR655]

But the real question here is "how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood".

 

[bobpbx]

But the real question here is "how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood".

Given a chucking distance of 1 meter (seems reasonable) - a wood-chuck of mass of 3.3kg (roughly avg. mass), the maximum energy that this wood chuck could have for throwing wood is:

e=mc2
e=3.3*(3*10)=2.97*1017

minimum velocity required to chuck a piece of wood 1m :

s=ut+0.5at2

max efficiency at 45 degrees

(1,0)=(2-0.5)(V,V)+0.5(0,-9.7)(t2);

(2-0.5)=V=0.707

so E=1/2mv2 ...looking for m

2.97*1017=0.5XmX(0.7072)

So........roughly 1X1018 kg of wood could potentially be chucked by a woodchuck operating at maximum efficiency (this is only an approximate maximum limit).

 

[Westcritter]

I'm gonna have my grandson check the math on this one. :wink:
Jack

 

[Teegate]

I'm gonna have my grandson check the math on this one. :wink:
Jack

You don't need to have him check it, because there is NO WAY Bob could have that one correct! There must be a error in there somewhere. :wink:

Guy

 

[aserdaten]

I've forgotten about 90 pct of all the math I ever learned, but that woodchucking equation sure looks fishy!