Too Many Gophers

Gopher Time Already!

Is it that time of year again? Woohoo...

I have the luxury of being the son of a farmer who has two quarters swarming with them. So I tend to make lots of trips home (2hrs away) in the summer to shoot. Although it would be cool if I had a place closer to Calgary.

Now I am two minds on this No hunting sign issue. My dad's farm has people living on both of them and you don't want nut cases shooting in every direction and putting bullets through windows. That is the main reason I wouldn't want people shooting on our land. One year the neighbors asked my parents if we had been shooting on the land because there were bullets wizzing over their house one day (we hadn't shot there in months), so someone was screwing around. I also don't want other people shooting my targets DAMN IT!!! So I guess I'm really of one mind on it, I greedly don't want anyone else shooting on my dads land. :p

My parents are not near any major cities, but there are still lots of new acreages going up and the country side is getting more crowded. It's getting much tougher to get safe shooting angles where there is not a house down range in one direction or another. That is also going to make gopher hunting much tougher too. At one quarter that I didn't get to last summer, I almost would need to go get a shottie to use over there as there's a house in every direction. I can see why people would be hesitant to let people shoot on their land for safety reasons and then there's the whole question of liability too... If you can get sued for letting a drunk leave your party, what about a hunter you let shoot on your land that strays a bullet into a passing car??? Even if that's not really a worry, it might play on the mind of your average land owner...

Now here's a question, what about using "No Tresspassing" signs so that you keep other hunters off your land, but you the landowner (or his son ;) ) can still go and shoot. That should work, should it not?
 
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Yes, no trespassing would be the best kind of sign to put up. Closer to the point than appearing hypocritical and saying no hunting when you intend to do just that.
 
Not all yuppies love gophers and hate guns. Most of my neighbors are yuppies. I am an old yuppie. Most moved out here with a live and let live attitude but it only takes a couple years of watching those cute little critters multiply and some are inviting shooters to help them out with their pastures. I have a standing invitation to shoot anytime on all four side of my place. Too busy keeping my own under control. Best yet, I have helped a few yuppies get their PAL and helped them buy their own gopher killers.
 
So after all is said and done, are we any closer to finding someone that wants us to make the trip out to their land to kill the little pukes? Working up loads and new sight for my 223 and also have a new CZ452 22lr to play with for some shorter action. 3 or 4 guys to split the gas and find a cheap hotel would be good but I have a Teepee that goes up in around 20mi and sleeps about 8 or 4 cots comfy with lots of room for gear. Check out www.tipitent.com and look at the outfitter. Got a stove too.
 
Tipi's are cool. Our family used to camp when I was a kid, using a Tyson Tipee. It was full sized full height tipi, just like the real thing.
 
toomanyhobbies said:
For the more crowded areas, use a 17 HMR - no ricochets & pretty quiet. Get the neighbors used to the idea, then move up to a centrefire.
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Neighbors get used to things really quick. When I first started to kill my out of control gopher population, I spoke to neighbors on all four sides and a few others and told them that they might hear a lot of noise comming from my place, but that for safety reasons I was going to use a shot gun. Once I got them managable, I use a .22. Now most say they never notice when I am out shooting. No matter what I shoot now they tell me that I am welcome to shoot over our fence line and help with their problem.
 
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