Simple gopher rig

[kjohn]

This is the simple setup I use when shooting gophers. Cheap camera tripod that adjusts every which way and a little collapsing stool/chair. I can pick both up in one hand and walk away. Solid rest and easy to lift and move, tilts easy, crank up and down for different angle.

I wear a hoodie that I keep ammo and magazines in. I also carry extra ammo in my jeans pockets.

The pool noodle is taped on the forestock to avoid any marks. I use a piece of pool noodle on each of my gopher guns.

The rifle is a CZ American 17hmr with a small Leupold scope. The little set screw on the magnification nut is missing, so it's been a single selection. The outfit is laser accurate, so I just leave it alone.

 

[Raton57]

Model 39 with a 3x-9x scope is the simplest.

 

[jlovie]

I have the same set up, minus the noodle and I have a tripod seat, which I like because it velcros together and has a shoulder strap. Simple set ups get the job done! I've tried shooting sticks but user error makes me useless with them. Cheap camera tripods really do a great job.

 

[blakeyboy]

always liked the longest Harris swivel bipod so it was just one thing to grab while moving to the next sniping position, a waist strap butt seat pad, and hip sack full of ammo which I usually just carried in the other hand as it was more comfortable than actually around my waist but nice to strap around waist for a long hike back to truck end of day or maybe you need a free hand to drag a badger with ya or something, a 3-9x40 mil-dot is a very effective rig, Bushnell had some 5-15 legends back in the day we would run for decent glass with a mil-dot, parallax adjust set permanent to gopher rimfire range, and affordable

 

[FLHTCUI]

Looks comfortable and of course loads of fun.
Rob

 

[kjohn]

The area we were in when I took this pic was not the walk around all day type of terrain. We mostly drove my old Sub to a spot that looked promising, got out, set up, shot until the attack was fended off, picked up our little chairs and tripod, drove to another spot. We did this for four days, all in one pasture, about three hundred acres. Seriously hilly, so we always kept in sight of each other. We had the owners' blessing prior to going there to shoot, met the Dad in person one day just as we were leaving the field.

Further, I can't walk any great distance. I have a nerve rubbing somewhere between my hip and spine. I can only stand for a short time, but relief comes with sitting down, so it all works out.

 

[DFarmer]

Nice setup kjohn.

 

[Grain]

Excellent rig kjohn! How's your success been so far this year? Bad year for them (as in abundant) on the west side of the province.

 

[kjohn]

Excellent rig kjohn! How's your success been so far this year? Bad year for them (as in abundant) on the west side of the province.

We roughly counted 80-85% kill rate and roughly figured about 1300 rounds of .22 and 17hmr, so somewhere around 1000 + or - gophers “relocated”. The reason I say “relocated” is a blast from the past. Circa 2006, there was a huge gopher problem in SW SK. The Gormley talk show had a woman caller wonder why the gophers couldn’t just be relocated, instead of shooting them. The government had a ban on decent gopher poison right about then. So all serious gopher shooters took this suggestion to heart and we now “relocate” them.

My home area, 80 miles east of Regina, got a late snow, and that put an end to any real gopher patches.

 

[667]

'Well... Since we're showing off our tripods...
I employ a bean-bag as a rest.
My extra mags/ammo I carry in my purse

 

[Grain]

We roughly counted 80-85% kill rate and roughly figured about 1300 rounds of .22 and 17hmr, so somewhere around 1000 + or - gophers “relocated”. The reason I say “relocated” is a blast from the past. Circa 2006, there was a huge gopher problem in SW SK. The Gormley talk show had a woman caller wonder why the gophers couldn’t just be relocated, instead of shooting them. The government had a ban on decent gopher poison right about then. So all serious gopher shooters took this suggestion to heart and we now “relocate” them.

My home area, 80 miles east of Regina, got a late snow, and that put an end to any real gopher patches.

Excellent! I made a good dent in a quarter where we had a lot of canola damage last year, but now need to move a few quarters down to hit the next batch. Tomorrow if I've time.