NEW MILFORD, Conn. (AP) An unusual hunt took place in a western Connecticut town after woodchucks damaged a cemetery's ancestral headstones.

Bow hunters gathered Tuesday at the Center Cemetery in New Milford, which has stones dating back to 1719.

Cemetery Superintendent Mike Sennello says woodchucks have dug under the foundations of some headstones. He says older stones are being toppled since they don't have a cement base under them one dating back 100 years.

The cemetery closed Tuesday to allow hunters to try to eliminate about 15 woodchucks from the cemetery. Rifles cannot be used within 500 feet of the road or homes, so hunters must use bows and arrows.

Sennello says he's tried baiting and trapping the woodchucks, but that they're ``trap-shy.''