Gophers
- Thread starter SUPER TENERE
- Start date
- Location
- Saskatchestan
American Eagle 40 gr is pretty cheap and does a good job. It's not hard to find for 7 cents a round or sometimes even less
Finally got a chance to post about my trip to Calgary for a gopher shoot. Spent 4 days on the prairies, on the road at 9:30am and usually not returning before 10pm. Weather was pretty good, some wind the first day but had a fantastic time, barely wanting to take the time to stop for lunch. The pic is of my first ever gopher kill. Used mostly 22 with a little 223 mixed in. It was hard to keep count but it was somewhere in the 1000-1200 range for the week. Love the ones that pop into the air doing sommersaults. Thanks again to my uncle who is also a Gunnutter for taking me out in search of the elusive critters.
Got Juice?
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Peoples Republik of Kanukkistan
Finally got a chance to post about my trip to Calgary for a gopher shoot. Spent 4 days on the prairies, on the road at 9:30am and usually not returning before 10pm. Weather was pretty good, some wind the first day but had a fantastic time, barely wanting to take the time to stop for lunch. The pic is of my first ever gopher kill. Used mostly 22 with a little 223 mixed in. It was hard to keep count but it was somewhere in the 1000-1200 range for the week. Love the ones that pop into the air doing sommersaults. Thanks again to my uncle who is also a Gunnutter for taking me out in search of the elusive critters.
You think 223 is good, borrow a .204.... hilarity ensues!!! I live to gopher hunt!!
I was doing some target practice with a Mosin in the field a couple years ago, and the gophers kept distracting me from shooting groups...
A Mosin with iron sights isn't accurate enough to really shoot gophers with, but I figured out pretty quick that actually hitting them wasn't necessary. Just shoot the ground about a foot or less in front of them, and the concussion wave will dang near put them in orbit.
I went and checked the results, and without fail, not a mark on the gopher, just a dribble of blood out of the nose and ears, and dead as a doornail.
Got Juice?
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Peoples Republik of Kanukkistan
NICE!
When you hit with a .204, this fur covered meat pelt flips 4-6' in the air..... then the guts are flying about 30 degrees left or right of the meat mop. Its a little macabre, but then the worst happens.... the relatives of the eviscerated gopher come up to gnaw on the remains..... and the cycle begins again....
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Tons out now. Can't wait to go out!
The entire southern half of the province is socked in for the weekend. They could use this rain a bit further north.
Oh well, next weekend.
They actually had a bit on the Calgary 6 o'clock news the other night (Global) about the Gophers being out early and in large numbers this year. When gophers are on the 6 o'clock, it's definitely a year to make sure you've got some ammo set aside.
I own a 204 and love it for varmints but didn't go through the hassle of taking my own rifles on the plane out west when he has ones I could use. Besides the 204 would need cool down periods and his 223 with cast bullet reloads never needs a break.
The 17 Hornet is an excellent compromise, it doesn't heat up fast, and it shoots flat, and kills them quick.
The only downside I can see with the .17H is you only have a couple bullets to choose from. However, at least in my 527, they all shoot fantastically. Buy a couple pounds of powder and you're set for the summer. Brass can be a bit pricey when you consider the size of the case compared to other cases, but you can still find brass for ~85c/piece. If I was buying components right now I'd just buy a case of loaded ammo, use it, then reload, as loaded ammo runs ~$1.25/round here, so for the extra 40c a round you're getting a 30c bullet, a 5c primer and about 7c worth of powder, and you have loaded ammo that is almost as accurate as the handloads, and saves a bunch of time! After you've run through the case you've got 250 brass to play with.
They are fairly easy to find. And Prophet River just took a very nice CZ527 Varmint in on consignment, that isn't even listed yet. It has a Nikon Monarch on it and it is accurate.
Was a bit windy today, with the odd bit of rain in the later afternoon so not a great day but managed to tag perhaps 50 gophers in the morning with my 10/22 and brother-in-law and his 17HMR. Just to get a few shots down the tube at more than just paper I nailed three with my .223, not any great feats as the range was about 65-75 yards but glad to get my first kills with that rifle.
Later in the afternoon I put together my Shultz & Larsen model 61 (I think?????) with the benchrest/tacticool hybrid stock I have been working on. Its not finished but I would rather get some use out of it now in its "primered" look rather than wait until this winter when I get the time to complete it. While its strictly for punching paper I managed to find a couple of gophers in the 36x scope (not easy) but once I got them in focus I could pick what eyelash hair to aim for.
Much fun.
Later in the afternoon I put together my Shultz & Larsen model 61 (I think?????) with the benchrest/tacticool hybrid stock I have been working on. Its not finished but I would rather get some use out of it now in its "primered" look rather than wait until this winter when I get the time to complete it. While its strictly for punching paper I managed to find a couple of gophers in the 36x scope (not easy) but once I got them in focus I could pick what eyelash hair to aim for.
Much fun.
Saw a groundhog a few days ago in a public park. In the same park I have seen foxes, coyotes and deer...right in the heart of downtown Toronto?!? Surrounded by dense residential, commercial and major arteries I wonder where the hell these critters are hiding the rest of the day?
You'd be surprised! Can be around building foundations, tree roots, under large rocks, sheds...but along fence lines/tree lines are probably most common. If you're that curious, walk over to where you saw it...and look for a trail. They're creatures of habit, and tend to follow the same path. Chances are, you'd be able to track it back to their hole. I hunt groundhogs often, but there seem be fewer out in the country where I used to see lots...and lots in urban/suburban areas where they used to be rare. Saw one run out from under the deck at the cottage this past weekend~that's a first! A year-old groundhog by the looks of it, but not a spot I can discharge a firearm.
3 groundhogs were spotted on yesterday's hunt, 2 of them were sent to the great hay field in the sky thanks to my .223 and some lovingly hand-rolled 53gr. V-Max.
