We're having a very slow year so far where we shoot, a little west of Gleichen. Just wondering if we've anihilated the little buggers or are they a bit late this year. How's everyone else doing on the varmints across the country?
Where's the gophers?
- Thread starter savagefan
- Start date
Heard some jacka.. on the radio yapping about a decline in their numbers and how they should be protected... . My pasture still looks like swiss cheese though. I got an early start on them this year so my local pop. is thinner, but they'll be out in droves soon enough I suspect. Have also seen many more badgers this spring- could be a factor.
gophers
In the past 3 yrs my gopher hunting partner and I have shot 10,000 rnds each per year in my area near Calgary. We have found if you hunt the same ground over and over again you will make them truck shy or gun shy. We just came back from a 3 1/2 day trip down in the extreme SE part of Alberta. Man was it good. We shot 1000 rnds each in that time. Lots of babies out. The first day we shot over 500 rnds each in 4 hrs. As the days progressed it was getting harder and harder to find them. They would run like a white tail buck when they heard a shot. So far this year we have likely shot 3000 gophers each. ----Cowboy
In the past 3 yrs my gopher hunting partner and I have shot 10,000 rnds each per year in my area near Calgary. We have found if you hunt the same ground over and over again you will make them truck shy or gun shy. We just came back from a 3 1/2 day trip down in the extreme SE part of Alberta. Man was it good. We shot 1000 rnds each in that time. Lots of babies out. The first day we shot over 500 rnds each in 4 hrs. As the days progressed it was getting harder and harder to find them. They would run like a white tail buck when they heard a shot. So far this year we have likely shot 3000 gophers each. ----Cowboy
powder burner
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
I practise gopher conservation.
I conserve my ammo and try make every shot count. When I get tired of that, out come the marlin7000 and 10/22.
I have been know to use the .20ga as well.
It has been fair to good in our region. (lakeland, AB) some places are crawling and others are scarce with tumbleweeds rolling by. Some farmers have offered free 22 shells for you to shoot their gophers in the newspapers. (Im serious now)
The .22-250 is a very humane approach to terminating them. I prefer the hornady 55grains pushed by 34 grains of IMR4895. I have never injured one and had it crawl off after a hit. (When I do hit them of course. I admit there have been a few misses)
Cowboy, 10 thousand rounds a year! have you had to replace your shooting iron or are you using the same one? Thats gotta be some kind of record!
I conserve my ammo and try make every shot count. When I get tired of that, out come the marlin7000 and 10/22.
I have been know to use the .20ga as well. It has been fair to good in our region. (lakeland, AB) some places are crawling and others are scarce with tumbleweeds rolling by. Some farmers have offered free 22 shells for you to shoot their gophers in the newspapers.
(Im serious now)The .22-250 is a very humane approach to terminating them. I prefer the hornady 55grains pushed by 34 grains of IMR4895. I have never injured one and had it crawl off after a hit. (When I do hit them of course. I admit there have been a few misses)
Cowboy, 10 thousand rounds a year! have you had to replace your shooting iron or are you using the same one? Thats gotta be some kind of record!
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Savagefan me and Buzz may give it another try tomorrow morning if the weather is good if we don't see much and it is nice out we may start searching for another pasture west of the city I will let you know tomorrow night what happened.
It's raining it"s pouring the old man is snoring hahaha it looks bad for gophers this morning I guess I will have to try again next weekend I may go for a drive on the trunk road see what kind of critters I can shoot with my camera .
There hasn't been many gophers out this way. Last year in one quarter i shot 2 bricks of shells in an afternoon. This year a guy burns 50$ in gas just to get a half a dozen. I think they drowned last fall. We had 4 inches of rain in one day here last august.
powder burner
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
The little ones are out in the lakeland. I shot one with a federal hollowpoint from 20 paces. WOW carnage.... May as well have been shot with a 12 gauge slug.
May as well have been shot with a 12 gauge slug.
powder burner
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
It just goes to show the the greenpeacers think they are doing the right thing again. live trap them and bring em to your gopher grounds. This will keep more stock for next year.
At college they will get into peoples garbage bags if they leave them out LOL
live trap them and bring em to your gopher grounds. This will keep more stock for next year.At college they will get into peoples garbage bags if they leave them out LOL
