Gopher talk

wheeler said:
The first time i ever got out gopher shooting was last spring. I was down south of Calgary. I had a buddy invite me out to shoot. It was sooo fun. This year I'll be heading back down, but this time with all three of my guns.... custom 10/22, Magnum Research .22 mag, and Marlin .22 mag. I can't wait!!!!!
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You gotta try it with a centerfire varmint caliber.... takes the fun level up a few notches!
 
Matty308 said:
I'm curious, I don't have my hunting license yet.. do you need a hunting license to kill gophers/groundhogs etc? I live in Okanagan BC if that matters.
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Disclaimer: I'm not familiar with BC hunting laws.

However, what most people call gophers are Richardson's Ground Squirrels. You don't have them in BC. Their kissing cousins that live in BC are Colombian Ground Squirrels, which I've read in a few places are illegal to shoot in BC under a lot of circumstances. Maybe only allowed to shoot on private land? Not sure... maybe someone who actually knows will chip in.
 
From a few years ago, using a 22-250. The snow on the ground emphasizes the effectiveness of hollow points.

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Oldies but goodies.

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I am so excited for this year; I've got a 22 Kilbourn-Hornet which can be traded out in 30 seconds for a .44 Magnum barrel, a Mosin that missed its calling as a Sniper, a Marlin 7000 that is so accurate it is boring to shoot paper with, and a Benjamin Titan .22 Air Rifle that shoots at 900fps and is quiet as a mouse fart.

It will be a good year.
 
Well, time to chime-in with a few photos myself. Not sure if I've shared these on CGN or not...? Anyhow, I did get my first opportunity to shoot gophers out west last summer, probably the most fun I've had in a LOOONG time. :) Mostly HMR action, but sometimes the shotgun was employed on close ones...or gophers in tall hay when I went for a stroll. The ones in the hay wouldn't move until I was about 10' from them and they'd start to run. Shooting them "on the wing" was quite an experience. :)

Within a few hours of landing in Calgary. The HMR undoes them pretty good. Reason I just bought one.

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Taking 2 off a hump with bird shot. All rifle shooting was done prone, so if the gopher mound was a little in elevation..or on a hump in the field~it made that an unsafe shot. So, out came the 12ga. You might not be surprised to hear that a 12ga is an effective gopher killer. Even with an open choke. :)

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Scored a double with the HMR at 95 yards. The one closest to the rifle was the intended target. The one in the foreground materialized just past it...moving towards #1. A moment later, it was behind #1 and I let the 17gr. V-Max go. #1 dropped, #2 didn't look so good either.

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My buddy out there told me numbers were very low compared to previous years, but they seemed awfully prolific to this eastern groundhog hunter. I pull the trigger here maybe once an hour while groundhog hunting on average. Gopher shooting? There were times I wished I had an assistant loading mags.
 
.22LRGUY said:
...and people complain about the cost of HMR ammo. Try losing an arrow. :)
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Those ones are cheap they are about $12 each. With the G5 small game head they skip along the grass. The pink fletching and orange nocks are like a beacon.

.22LRGUY said:
W There were times I wished I had an assistant loading mags.
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There are times. Not like it used to be though.
 
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