Gopher hunting in AB, any pointers?

luciferco said:
I wanted to go to AB for Gopher hunting.

I don't know anyone there. Can someone recommend or spare some leads on who to ask and where to ask?

I am from BC.
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Pretty much go up to any farmer.

1] Ask for permission to shoot on their land. Get a note if you like.
2] Get a map drawn of their property lines (Neighbors locations, ect.)
3] Be Safe, Be Smart
4] Blast away
5] Clean up any garbage you bring in.
 
wear camouflage and cover scent, use a big semi automatic with lots of ammo in case of a counter attack. those little buggers are crafty! i still hear the screams at night! or get permission from a farmer, it may take some shmoosing but you will get there.
 
You'll need a guide.

Hahaha

Drive till you see some gophers, ask permission, make sure of you backround before you pull the trigger...Very simple, but most important.
 
While you are in Alberta, pick up the hunting regs and have a read .
There are some interesting tips on implied permission.
I no longer have my regs and am going from memory.
Just be friendly and do not wear you ghillie suit when approaching the farmer/land owner, you might not a friendly welcome ;)
Week before and the week after May 24th weekend has been great for me in the past.
Tight Groups,
Rob
 
I was in your same position last year. The best advice I had was to just drive and start asking. I was in Edmonton, and told to drive an hour east of the city. I did, turned off the highway when I found some dirt roads, and started knocking on farmers' doors.

The very first farmer told me that he didn't have a gopher problem, but to drive a mile west and start asking there. The second door I knocked on, had the farmer give me permission not only for his property, but leads on two more farmers to ask.

At first, I was like "REALLY?? Just go and ask?!", all the while thinking that these guys were crazy. Turns out, then were right, and all it took was some self-confidence and the nerve to just go and fly by the seat of your pants.

Secondly, bring a .22 and lots of ammo. I was surprised at how many of those little buggers there are. I would have had to sell a kidney to finance the ammo if I was shooting only centerfire.
 
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koop said:
How ever much ammo you think you'll use multiply it by 10
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This is pretty much it. A brick of ammo goes pretty quick, especially when using semi autos and just blasting around.

Bring extra mags - reload them during lulls in the action.

Bring bug screen and suntan lotion.
 
Spazmo said:
At first, I was like "REALLY?? Just go and ask?!", all the while thinking that these guys were crazy. Turns out, then were right, and all it took was some self-confidence and the nerve to just go and fly by the seat of your pants.

Secondly, bring a .22 and lots of ammo. I was surprised at how many of those little buggers there are. I would have had to sell a kidney to finance the ammo if I was shooting only centerfire.
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Treat the landowners with respect by asking permission and it is amazing what happens. These are some of the nicest most down to earth folks you will meet.

Good shooting
 
If you make it out Wainwright, AB. way, PM me in advance. Been here for years and have the lock on tons of gopher ridden property.
 
Some good tips here! Take some time to talk with people. They don't know you and aren't all thrilled to see beer cans all over in the vehicle. One fellow I got permission from was quite clear about being careful about starting fires, i.e. smoking, vehicle exhaust, etc. He also mentioned not wanting to see people boozing while shooting. As mentioned above, pick up your garbage and maybe a bit of others' as well. By far, most farmers are very reasonable, and are happy to have somebody shoot the cute little animals that are eating his crops and pasture. Plus, it is a way cheaper than "relocating' them.....:p Serious!! Some tree hugger thought that gophers should be relocated rather than shooting the cute little things.... go figure.
 
kjohn said:
Some tree hugger thought that gophers should be relocated rather than shooting the cute little things.... go figure.
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LOL! I know. My buddy ran into some people who wanted to relocate some gophers. So he said "you can let 'em go at my place" and they did. That weekend we shot said gophers.:D
 
Go any where there are farmer's fields and start knocking on doors. Be polite, friendly and be prepared to chat a bit. I bet you money you will have permission by the third farmer you talk to. And bring a ####load of ammo. I mean a lot. When I'm in a really good field, I can go through 2 25 round butler creek 10/22 mags in a minute or two. If you have a 10/22, buy the speedloader.
 
I run 2 speedloaders and 50, 25rnd mags. On a good day shoot 2500 rounds and estimate a 1/3 to 1/4 kill/shot ratio with double taps. Not much compares to that! (maybe argentina doves)
 
Go read the CGN Gopher Shoot pages (and pages....). It'll give you some ideas of what you can expect.

Keep in mind that you may know some of the people you will be dealing with, for the rest of your life or theirs. If you want to come back and deal with them, that is. You'll meet some good folks!

Accept that some folks are not that keen on another fella asking to shoot on their land, mostly due to poor experiences prior to you. Don't be the prior experience for the next guy to have to suffer for!

Be aware of livestock, fences and gates.

Bring a screwdriver that fits the screws that hold the heater fan in. Hard to get the windows to defog, when their is a half dozen cases jamming the blower! :) (true story, that)
Bring clothes to handle some weather, both really hot, and really cold. And rain gear. Sunscreen and Mosquito repellent!

Maps. Maps are good. See if you can find a Land Owner map for the County you are going to go to or are in. Aside from the names of the owners (maybe ex owners, depending on how current it is) you see where the local roads go, and get a pretty good idea what the land is like (Crown, Private, Range Leases, etc)

Check out the area on Google Earth. It'll give you an idea of the land use again. Range usually is good for gophers, wheat fields, not so much (visibility sucks!).

Call on friends! Make some new ones! Hooking up with like minded folks that know the ground around the area, is gold!

Ammo! Bring lots! I don't need the speedloader, but I tend to keep three loaded mags in my pocket, and swap out a mag and top off while scanning for the next targets. Gotta relax a bit too. Never had a bad day out. :D

Cheers
Trev
 
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