Was finally able to get out today for the first time this spring. Spent 4 hours along a single fence-line a quarter mile long; went back and forth twice and got 105 confirmed kills. Was a great day, 15C with very light wind for this part of the prairies. Brought 3 rifles, a custom Ruger 10/22 and 2 CZ-457's, one 22WMR, one LR. Due to the volume of targets, the bolt actions didn't leave the case. I should have brought someone to be the dedicated magazine loader, as running dry at the wrong time was the days only concern. Started out with Winchester Wildcats, but quickly swapped over to new to me Norma Tac-22 to do some testing. I find it oily and slippery, and a bit of trick to load magazines as a result. Was very happy with its accuracy and reliability though, I'll be buying more if it comes on sale again. The Caldwell brass catcher worked excellent; heater core is brass free. Had a lot of crop damage here last year, over 40 acres of canola written off due to gopher damage, so hopefully a few days like this will help. Was too busy shooting to take many pictures, but here's the few I did.
2023 Gophers
- Thread starter Grain
- Start date
I have been out 3 times this spring with Sunday being the best shoot so far. Have shot around fifty rounds from my new Ruger M77 22 250, stretching it out to around 200 yds yesterday. Have shot around 140 rounds of 223, a mix of both reduced and full loads of 50gr Vmax. Took the 222 out for one turn and shot 30 or so rounds. Would say I am hitting about 90 percent of my shots so far.
Hoping to take a couple 204s out this week as the weather warms up. Loaded a bunch of 32gr bullets over the winter that I really want to see the results from the extra speed.
Hoping to take a couple 204s out this week as the weather warms up. Loaded a bunch of 32gr bullets over the winter that I really want to see the results from the extra speed.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
Do ground squirrels taste as good as tree squirrels?
That scope looks familiar. I was helping a neighbor family sight in their new rifles and test out the reloads we made yesterday, and I'm pretty sure both of their rifles used the same scope as your photo. I found both of them to be blurry, at 50m and 100m. I tried adjusting the diopter but I couldn't see anything changing optically. Theirs had exposed elevation turret, but he said he had a replacement turret that locked down (or capped?).
I checked with one farmer in SW SK and he said his numbers are way down this year.
So far I haven't found any land owners that have lots of gophers this spring, yours is the first post like that. My buddies and I are always looking for new land to shoot on, and we will travel if there are big numbers of the little critters (i.e. hundreds per day).
I checked with one farmer in SW SK and he said his numbers are way down this year.
So far I haven't found any land owners that have lots of gophers this spring, yours is the first post like that. My buddies and I are always looking for new land to shoot on, and we will travel if there are big numbers of the little critters (i.e. hundreds per day).
It's a Leupold Freedom 2-7x32 rimfire scope. Have a couple of them, excellent for gophers at 75 yards or less, and decent for 75-100. I paid $275 for one, and 300 for the other. Unfortunately are now 450+. If the ones you were looking through were blurry, they were not likely Leupold's, or they should go for some free warranty work. We've had a late spring here, not convinced we've seen all the female gophers out yet.
Very much the same. Only red tree rats here. Both ate with native friends. Not great but was something to eat. In Ab squirrels are trappers only and gophers are left for other scavengers.
The aboriginal elders here talk about the spring muskrat hunt. The meat is full of extra vitamins from eating roots all winter. I figured gophers would be about the same.
This guy knows how to skin and prep squirell for eating. I would totally munch some gopher!
https://youtu.be/uBcokkJh6n4
This guy knows how to skin and prep squirell for eating. I would totally munch some gopher!
https://youtu.be/uBcokkJh6n4
I have the Freedom 3-9x40 rimfire on my modded Ruger SR-22 and while it is a good scope and very clear I don’t really like it for the fact that because the parallax is set for 60 yards, it does indeed become blurry at further distances. At 80 yards and further I find this very annoying and would not buy another one. Better off with the regular 3-9x40, at closer distances you can just dial the power down. All my other rimfires have AO scopes on them. As far as ammo in the gopher field I just use the bulk Winchester HP. I prefer hollow points to solids for gophers, accuracy while not match grade is decent, minute of gopher and is still relatively inexpensive when you are burning through 500 + rounds in an afternoon.
Serious question???? Gophers would be one of the last things I would eat, and don't touch them either. Out here, we "shoot gophers", not "hunt ground squirrels". They can be a very destructive pest and have been known to damage crops to a state of total loss.
I wouldn't eat a tree squirrel either.
Yotarunner
CGN Regular
- Location
- Eastern Alberta
Nope. Ground squirrels eat their own dead and carry bubonic plague so they are a last resort type of critter. I'd almost eat a raven before eating a gopher.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
Serious question???? Gophers would be one of the last things I would eat, and don't touch them either. Out here, we "shoot gophers", not "hunt ground squirrels". They can be a very destructive pest and have been known to damage crops to a state of total loss.
I wouldn't eat a tree squirrel either.
Well, seeing as these animals do not exist in my area, yes, it was a serious question. I’m not questioning it in regards to ethics and eating what you kill. I have eaten all sorts of odd critters like raccoon, skunk, opossum, muskrat, grackles and other blackbirds, unhatched duck chicks, etc and was curious how gophers taste.
Grey and black squirrels are delicious. Very tender and juicy, much like chicken wings when fried properly.
Any of the naysayers actually tried eating gopher or are y’all just relying on what others have told you?
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
Catfish and bears eat disgusting stuff, yet they taste delicious. The animals diet doesn’t always dictate how they’ll taste….
Unless you are in an area where bears are eating fish. But otherwise you are correct. Lots of bait sites use beaver carcasses or other stinky stuff.
