Do you know gophers?

Xman

Xman

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Question to all you gopher enthusiast out there:

Is there a particular time of the day when gophers are most active?

I am not finding them in as many numbers as I should and I imagine I am going out at the wrong time of the day.
 
I find before noon - right around 9:30- is the best time. They are coming up to get food.

When it's sweltering hot in the heat of the day, they like to be underground.

I've never hunted early evening, but might be good then as well.
 
You know that time when it rains and then it's sunny right after? I noticed they'll get out from their underground homes to bath in the sun.

Best time to get them :)
 
Any time after day lite. If your not seeing them they're likely not there. Shot out or gun/truck shy. The females are in hibernation already and the most your going to see this times of year is pups and yearlings.-----Cowboy
 
Xman said:
Really? But it's only the beginning of August. How long do they hibernated for and when do the males go in hibernation?

Thanks for the info.
Click to expand...

I think that most of the mature males go into hibernation in late spring after the mature females have been bread. Mature females go into hibernation shortly after their litter is hatched and old enough to be on their own. This time of year there are fewer gophers that spend any significant time above ground and places where there are usually lots one might think that they are nearly shot out. It is because at any given time a significant part of the population is underground, that gophers are difficult to exterminate. I have noticed that places where feed is abundant they store up and go underground earlier. I hunt prairie mule deer in zone 160. It is not uncommon to see them above ground in the third week of November. I woudl expect to see more after this present heat wave passes.
 
I guess a search answered my question:

GROUND SQUIRRELS (GOPHERS)

In spring, ground squirrels come out of their dens in April and May. The young are born about a month later, coming out of the burrows (holes dug in the ground) in early June.

Near the end of June, adult males go back into hibernation. Adult females do the same in July. But the young are active all summer. In September when there is less food to be found they go into hibernation.

SHELTER - They dig a burrow with many tunnels, openings, and different rooms ( called chambers ). If a predator ( enemy ) comes in one hole, they can escape out another hole.

FOOD - The Richardson's Ground Squirrels store some food During hibernation, they wake up every 10 to 14 days and have a snack.
 
930 till about noon is best, and we find they disappear around 5 or so, but I'd bet you'll find them up again when it starts to cool down in the evening
.

Shooting is best in jun/july, but they're up from march till sept
 
cloud cover seems to drive them underground.

for columbia ground squirrels, they are all gone by the 15th of august.
 
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