Gopher shooting, Do you guys have rules to follow?

darcy32171

darcy32171

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I couldn`t think of the word I was looking for (must be old age lol). Lets say: you and a buddy go hunting gophers, do you two abide by the "hunters safety" rule about shooting certain degrees from one another? What I`m really getting at and it peeves me to no end is: When you go hunting with someone (usually hunt alone) and it seems they have the notion that "who ever gets the shot quicker...wins" type of attitude. I took a guy out gopher shooting one time. He was at one end of the truck and I was at the other. We were both shooting in the same direction and it was like a blood bath from his end. Everytime I scoped a gopher I seen, it dropped dead before I could get a shot.
I wasn`t brought up this way when family would go out shooting. This bothered me to no end and I found it absolutely ruined my gopher hunt for that day. Have you guys ever experienced this before with your "once" fellow shooters????
I for one now, go out alone and have a blast plinking at gophers. Alot more relaxing too!!
 
I have shot many times with someone else. You have to set up the ground rules before handing them a gun. etiquette is important as well as safty. And if they want to be "super shooter"...stop and take them home. But also remember , they do not know the rules unless you tell them and you can shoot alone when they are gone. A simple rule is " you shoot 10 and i will shoot 10"...
 
I've always hunted with buddies and we take turns, doesn't matter who see's it first.

I would only hunt once with a selfish prick like that and never again.

JJ
 
I always clarify in advance what the "rules" are before the hunt. For example when taking a young hunter out for his first time pheasant hunt it was agreed he'd get the opportunity to shoot on the first 3 points. I almost always hunt with the same people so such issues as you describe don't come up.
 
I go alone always even fishing it's a singular thing because all my other guy friends must also have a ###### . I can maybe shoot with one friend I know and it's always safety first, we do call out what we are aiming at and there is no competition. To me it's a kind of sick notion to have two people shooting at the same animal it's not about just killing it for fun to me. That being said I tend to not shoot gophers I live in southern Alberta and there is not many even left! I drove 100s of km this year down south and there were not many even around. So I tend to go for yotes and rabbits, and baggers my friend sells the hides and we skin the rabbits doesn't feel as pointless that way. That being said if there was a problem with too many gophers around I wouldn't think twice, just seems like there was a crap load more in past years around the badlands
 
I quit duck hunting with a guy because he would always jump up and shoot before i was ready. We would have them about to land and he would start shooting as soon as they were close to him, even when they were going to land right in front of us. So i just quit hunting with him.
 
We are both adults and have been around guns along time. He is an exceptional marksman...but I will never go with someone again. Same as yote hunting...I go alone. Same way, they think "who ever gets out of the vehicle quicker". I`ve always grown up with the hunting RESPECT: If its on yourside, its your shot....doesn`t matter who spotted it.
 
As long as its safe shoot away. Always good fun to have someone snipe your target before you get it. Pay them back by sniping theirs. Some of you guys should take up flower arranging.
 
hillbillyreefer said:
As long as its safe shoot away. Always good fun to have someone snipe your target before you get it. Pay them back by sniping theirs. Some of you guys should take up flower arranging.
Click to expand...

I agree and see it as friendly competition. Usually plenty of targets to go around. Relax, and enjoy it!!
 
I was invited out last year.
We parked and he went that way and I went
this way.
I sure wished I'd brought my binos as with my
slight color blindness, I heard more kerpow's from his
barrel than mine.
When we hooked up and wandered in the direction of the
truck, he would always spot them sooner than me.
I'd let him shoot a few and the ones he missed, well I felt
no need to feel guilty popping them off.
Then again, he learned pretty quick to what I was doing
and gave it right back.
We had a pretty good laugh at it all.
I guess common courtesy would be that if the other shooter
is aiming, the shot should be his/hers.
Dad taugh me a long time ago, when hunting with a partner
and the two of you are both in the same proximity, and there
happens to be a couple animals that are takeable, the guy on
the left shoots the one on the left and vise versa.
Just a bit of common sense.
If I took someone out gopher shooting and they continued with
those antics all day, it would for sure be a short day and the
only day they would come along.
Just my thoughts on this.
 
Normal gophers, usually take turns or pick a side of the truck/direction.

BUT, when it's a Boone&Crocket gopher that'll go 17" plus, rules & etiquette go out the window pretty fast and it's a scramble!
 
hillbillyreefer said:
As long as its safe shoot away. Always good fun to have someone snipe your target before you get it. Pay them back by sniping theirs. Some of you guys should take up flower arranging.
Click to expand...

This is the way it was the few times I have hunted gophers. No Problems. It was normally the kids who shot first. There were lots of gophers anyway, and the whole point was to get the kids shooting.
 
I don't hunt gophers, but for hunting in general i find if i have invited someone to come out with me, i usually try to let them get the first few shots. If we are walking anywhere i always go by "the person in front shoots forward" and "if you are in back, don't shoot at/past your buddy" philosophy and switch up who is in front for every other shot, or just from time to time.
If i am sitting somewhere in a blind, stand, whatever, i always work out ahead of time who shoots what first. An example from here in NB where the bucks are scarce, anyone who has a doe tag gets last shot at a buck.
 
hillbillyreefer said:
As long as its safe shoot away. Always good fun to have someone snipe your target before you get it. Pay them back by sniping theirs. Some of you guys should take up flower arranging.
Click to expand...

No doubt. What a bunch of butt-hurt little girls we have here.

Shooting against someone who is gonna steal your shot is the best way to improve your shooting. Only the quick and accurate survive. Some of my best gopher shooting memories were with a couple of other guys, all three of us competing to get the gopher while trying to throw the other guy off his shot. It was hilarious and fun and we killed so many gophers. The whole gun of shooting gophers is to spend time in the field with friends. I can't imagine anything worse than doing it alone. What a lonely day that would be.

Gophers don't stand up and wait to be shot. They are up and down and move all the time. Get on it and make the shot or you aren't gonna hit anything but grass. Shooting against a friend will make you a better gopher shooter.
 
I usually do a little of both types of gopher shooting. If I'm with someone less experienced I will usually give them first crack at it. Other times my buddy and I shoot gophers from under each other. Other times we alternate and spot for each other, usually on longer pokes. So long as its safe and everyone is having fun i can't think of anything better.
 
Simply layout the expected ground rules first.

My friends and I go out to a gopher field and start slowly working our way accross the fields, picking our shots and telling our buddies what shot/which gopher they are shooting at. we normally start the day with bow and arrows.
After one or two passes we change the objective, fast and "furrious" so to speak. We usually change up to rimfires at
This Point.

Both of us slowly make our passes and shot as many as fast as we can.
Pass three we descide if we want to use the rimfires again, or rig up with the centerfires.

I usally go out with 3 or more different calibers of rifles, Recurve,compound, and even black powder. This always keeps it fresh and interesting.

Now with long range rifles, and our experience in shooting greatly improved, we switch between spotter and shooter. No competition, but just awsome fun pulling off shos that seem impossible!
Like spotting the shy-reclusive type gopher that only shows the top half of his eye and skull cap. Thats a friggin hard target when they bob up & down! Awsome fun!!!
I dont think there is a better live training tool in the world!

The kids have so much fun, and its wonderful to see them gain confidence in thier skills!

There are times I hunt by myself, but that is becoming less and less of an occurance. I find more enjoyment "with" friends/family than by myself.

"Some" People who choose to hunt by themselves are too concerned for thier "own enjoyment". I know, I've been that person before! Just enjoy the experience however you choose. Just have fun!
 
WHen I go out with buddies its never a problem who gets what.

Kind of on topic, I seen a little gopher call not too long ago. Anyone try one of these and if so how did it for out?
 
titch-- said:
WHen I go out with buddies its never a problem who gets what.

Kind of on topic, I seen a little gopher call not too long ago. Anyone try one of these and if so how did it for out?
Click to expand...

I have 3 gopher calls....yes they do work!!! :D


I'll let my slow shooting hunting buddies have a chance...but if they dawdle too long I red mist it.
 
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