Best email ever (gophers)
- Thread starter grelmar
- Start date
I'm actually on the Island right now visiting my folks who drifted out here after retirement. Back to the home turf this weekend.
Been a really mild winter in Southern Alberta. The kind of winter that means the little furry targets will be out in force this year. Expecting a 1K + year.
Haha nice! It was about half and half up in Edmonchuk, super cold or pretty nice. We shot a couple hundred in under an hour last time I was at the ranch, maybe it will be like that again when I go back! Muahahaha!
Truth. My Aunt and Uncle lost about 20-25 acres to the little turds a few years ago, they moved in from a neighboring pasture and chewed the canola down to moonscape. That's $$ gone for them.
I've spent a lot more time out there since, and been pretty aggressive about it. Theoretically, it's rude to shoot across a fenceline, but I talked to the hippie diptwit acreagers on the next property, and pointed out the damage, and they agreed to ignore any transgressions so long as I don't actually trespass and they don't have to see it.
Some people should stay in the city where they belong.
gunsaholic
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
Maybe you can put up a little sign pointing to the next property saying " Prime Gopher Real Estate".
Haha...gophers, one of my favorite topics~and I'm an Ontarian! 
I did have the pleasure of roaming a few fields in S. Alberta with a 17HMR last summer...can't imagine how that could have been more fun. Planning a return this year..can't wait!
I shoot groundhogs here and for the most part, farmers are very receptive to having responsible hunters send them to the great beyond. However, there is a small farm right across the dirt road from a farm I hunt on where the farmer's wife actually likes the things. Their small hay fields are polluted with the things some years. Used to really bother me seeing so many that I couldn't shoot, then it occurred to me that they're probably re-stocking the farm I DO have permission on. lol This weekend, I sight-in the new scope on the .204R...won't be long now!
I did have the pleasure of roaming a few fields in S. Alberta with a 17HMR last summer...can't imagine how that could have been more fun. Planning a return this year..can't wait!I shoot groundhogs here and for the most part, farmers are very receptive to having responsible hunters send them to the great beyond. However, there is a small farm right across the dirt road from a farm I hunt on where the farmer's wife actually likes the things. Their small hay fields are polluted with the things some years. Used to really bother me seeing so many that I couldn't shoot, then it occurred to me that they're probably re-stocking the farm I DO have permission on. lol This weekend, I sight-in the new scope on the .204R...won't be long now!
Nah, the hippies will get frozen out or learn to play ball soon enough. They've annoyed a lot of the people in the area with their diptwittery. Seems every year they have to go further afield to get hay for their hobby horses, everyone local seems to be out whenever they ask
The area is real farm country. Acreagers are tolerated so long as they fit in and play ball. The hippies get frozen out and move on eventually.
- Location
- West Quebec
Gophers have a protective zone on the side of highways...maybe we could get a Government subsidy to take them out
Shooting gophers is one of the best things ever!!!!
I have found after a couple of years of shooting the same area, you have to give them a couple of years to come back in numbers. Shooting them is fun and an effective means of control. If I had land I would encourage them to move over to it lol.
A friend of mine and myself had the best gopher hunt ever about 10 years ago. Went through 400+ rounds of HMR each that day in 5 hours. As we were shooting in prone, gophers were sniffing our shoes! It was quite gross and creepy as to the actual amount. I could not understand how the farmer would have let it get so bad, he had cattle on that pasture, most of the rainwater would have gone straight down all the holes, and not to the roots of the grass.
I have found after a couple of years of shooting the same area, you have to give them a couple of years to come back in numbers. Shooting them is fun and an effective means of control. If I had land I would encourage them to move over to it lol.
A friend of mine and myself had the best gopher hunt ever about 10 years ago. Went through 400+ rounds of HMR each that day in 5 hours. As we were shooting in prone, gophers were sniffing our shoes! It was quite gross and creepy as to the actual amount. I could not understand how the farmer would have let it get so bad, he had cattle on that pasture, most of the rainwater would have gone straight down all the holes, and not to the roots of the grass.
Popped off 15 gophers today in the Standard area. 8 with the scoped Papoose and 7 with the Marlin 60. Little ones aren't out yet, just the smart old ones from last year. Good time but a lot of driving. Remington Golden Bullet HPs really do the job. 1280fps and accurate.
Hey! I haven't even managed to get back to the province yet, and your squelching the #'s on my home turf
If they're out before Easter, should be a bumper crop of the little fellas out there this year. It was a mild winter, so the winter die off will have been minimal.
Was out plinking on the Island with my dad today and my Papoose. What a great little gun, and the scope is easily holding close enough to zero between barrel attachments to not worry about it.
Catching the 6:30am Ferry tomorrow, and then the cannonball run back home. Really, I should rest on Sunday before going back to work. Realistically, I'll drive out to the aunt and uncle's. Just to visit and be social mind you. Never mind the Papoose, 795, and CZ 452 that will be in the trunk... They'll just naturally go there as soon as the car points towards the countryside.
Read this thread the other day and started getting a little trigger horny so I went out for a ride today. Gophers aren't out around here yet, only saw one and I drove for 40km. Good news though, I stopped to talk to a farmer and got permission to come back in a couple weeks when he moves his cows and shoot as many as I can find. So all in all not a bad day
