Drive along any back road through open country and you see them feeding on the grassy shoulders of the highway. Seemingly oblivious to the passing traffic. Stop to admire one, however, and it's gone immediately. Like so much wildlife that survives with the rapid advance of civilization, the woodchuck has learned that those automobiles buzzing by are no threat. It's only when they stop and a human emerges that they are in danger.
Woodchucks are a pest, but only because of the dens that they burrow in pastures and other fields.
The animal itself is not dangerous. I for one like to watch them. Those burrows, however, may riddle a field, and present risks to farm livestock. A horse or cow stepping into one can break a leg. Because they are pests, getting permission to hunt them is usually not difficult.