Sask. gopher shoot..! (warning: graphic)

'Having wanted to go for the last couple of years... 'Finally got the chance and did it.
Two days of non stop shooting... 'Will be going again soon..!

'Brought three rifles this trip. A Savage .17HMR, a CZ 457 in .22LR and my old Mossberg 151MB semi auto .22LR.
From what I was told center fire (.223) isn't really necessary and from my experience now... I think it would be over kill.
The .17 got most of the work, but the CZ did a fair share too... I didn't bother using the semi. 'Next time.

Driving in:
https://i.imgur.com/zgXXvRp.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/e9ioyGu.jpg

Some of the pasture shot...
https://i.imgur.com/5LF6tv2.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YflJXM5.jpg

Triple header with the CZ 457 from about 75 yards



The .17HMR does a good job...

Looks like it'd be a ton of fun. Nice shootin'.

Great pics. Great hunt. Yes I have a 17 HMR, it’s a great round for small critters.

Did you book with an outfitter? looks like a lot of fun.
How many rounds per day did you go through

Quote:

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Originally Posted by huntnmachine

Did you book with an outfitter? looks like a lot of fun.
How many rounds per day did you go through

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An outfitter for gophers...?
No...
'Have a friend in the area that took us out to a friends place.
Apparently there isn't a farmer/rancher out there that doesn't want the gophers shot.

We shot for two days... I went through 400 rounds of .17hmr and about 200 .22lr.

Lots of outfittters in the states for pasture pigs.....yep there is!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by huntnmachine

Lots of outfittters in the states for pasture pigs.....yep there is!

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Yes... I have done paid shoots in Colorado for Prairie dogs.
The only problem with them is that the cost has become outrageous... Oh they're fun, but man... 'Hold your nose and empty your wallet Lol

I went a few years ago to southern alberta with my brother and his friends. Absolute riot. Ton's of shooting. So much that we brought out the muzzleloaders just to change it up. 45cal ball does a good job on those guys as well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FishHog

I went a few years ago to southern alberta with my brother and his friends. Absolute riot. Ton's of shooting. So much that we brought out the muzzleloaders just to change it up. 45cal ball does a good job on those guys as well.

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Oh that sounds like a blast. Would love to try that with the smoke pole.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FishHog

So much that we brought out the muzzleloaders just to change it up. 45cal ball does a good job on those guys as well.

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Heck Yea !!

https://i.imgur.com/etPbZTzm.jpg

Just got home from another trip... 'Same area(s).

Shot just as many if not more gophers than 3 weeks ago... 'Good times :-)

Sounds like a lot of fun......did you drive out there or fly?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by huntervinni

Sounds like a lot of fun......did you drive out there or fly?

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These two trips we drove... Next one I think we'll fly to Regina, rent a truck and drive to the killing fields...
Only thing with flying is you have to cut way down on the gear you take...

Very cool. I have a Savage A17 and willing to travel! :)

Did it again... 'Packed up the truck and headed out to Sask. for some more gopher shootin'...
Went through almost 600 rounds of .17HMR and 300 rounds of .22lr.
Now... Someone please come out with an affordable flying F150 so I can make these trips more often..!

https://i.imgur.com/1y5SQNc.jpg

Very cool pictures, I'm going to see my daughter and grand kids in Sasketchwan maybe in Oct probably hoping to hunt Jacks but might get to target these critters. My daughter friend husband might be able to take me out. Going to contact him soon.

crazy damage haha.

alot of farmers out there need the gophers out. around my area there are next to none now, i guess we shot them all hahhaha

dig holes in the middle of their fields, especially if they have livestock, farmers well find their l;ivestock with broken legs every now and again from the holes in the ground.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bowjob

crazy damage haha.

alot of farmers out there need the gophers out. around my area there are next to none now, i guess we shot them all hahhaha

dig holes in the middle of their fields, especially if they have livestock, farmers well find their l;ivestock with broken legs every now and again from the holes in the ground.

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I don't believe gophers are or ever were a thing on Ontario... Do you mean "groundhogs"..?
From talking to one of the farmers who's land we were shooting on there were four critters he asked to be shot on sight.

1. Gophers
2. Badgers
3. Coyotes
4. Ravens

The foxes and weasels do more good than harm so... No need to cull them out.

'Lesson learned this trip... I'm not so young and flexible as I used to be.. Lol.
I brought a stool to sit on, but... ended up mostly sitting on the ground using the stool as a rest or... I'd lay prone. Fine for a bit, but... All day? No thanks.
My companion, an older and much wiser fella employed an old camera tripod in conjunction with his folding field chair... 'Much better.
Day two he borrowed unto me a second tripod he had laying around along with a split pool noodle to clip to my stock so as to protect it from scratches... Awsome.

So... When I got home... 'Jump'd on Amazon for a $39 tripod, Went to PA for a "lazy Suzan" ball bearing spinny thing, a few other bits of hardware I had and adding a cradle from an old rest I never use... Voila..!

https://i.imgur.com/n5wfCmR.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/jSJvQzg.jpg


The ball bearing Lazy Susan plate allows the cradle to smoothly spin 360 degrees...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gaoler

I don't believe gophers are or ever were a thing on Ontario... Do you mean "groundhogs"..?
From talking to one of the farmers who's land we were shooting on there were four critters he asked to be shot on sight.

1. Gophers
2. Badgers
3. Coyotes
4. Ravens

The foxes and weasels do more good than harm so... No need to cull them out.

'Lesson learned this trip... I'm not so young and flexible as I used to be.. Lol.
I brought a stool to sit on, but... ended up mostly sitting on the ground using the stool as a rest or... I'd lay prone. Fine for a bit, but... All day? No thanks.
My companion, an older and much wiser fella employed an old camera tripod in conjunction with his folding field chair... 'Much better.
Day two he borrowed unto me a second tripod he had laying around along with a split pool noodle to clip to my stock so as to protect it from scratches... Awsome.

So... When I got home... 'Jump'd on Amazon for a $39 tripod, Went to PA for a "lazy Suzan" ball bearing spinny thing, a few other bits of hardware I had and adding a cradle from an old rest I never use... Voila..!

https://i.imgur.com/n5wfCmR.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/jSJvQzg.jpg


The ball bearing Lazy Susan plate allows the cradle to smoothly spin 360 degrees...

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ah yes i ment ground hogs, my mistake.

never seen a badger around here yet,

see alot of porcupines though, land owners usually want those gone as well as they make a mess of the pines and such.

as for the stool, i hear you on that! lol! when we go for turkey i end up just dragging my deer hunting chair out there. to many days my back has been broken after the day from leaning on a tree or a crappy stool with no back rest.

awesome little contraption you made there. whatever works right!?

'Just got back from another awesome gopher trip... Four full days of rodent sniping.
This was my fourth trip to Sask. to shoot gophers. It was a blast.
The camera tripod rest was a great success... I changed out the rotating pintle rest for a simpler and as it proved to be, stabler bean-bag rest.
Shots ranges from as close as 10 yards out to about 300 yards... The .17HMR is a lazer beam.
That said, my CZ MTR 22lr enjoyed it's share of the fun too... The first day it was the only rifle employed.
I'd estimate a body count of between 800-1000.
https://i.imgur.com/SxyG4R1.jpg

A friend of mine used to compete in varmint, shooting these at 500-600 m, that is another level.

Nice write up and set up. Thank You for the thread.
My buddy who has extensive hunting experience uses similar shooting stand - simple design.
He would super glue a new dishwasher sponge onto the camera stand-and voila.
He did great shooting with it, used it even for "run and gun"(he could drop/extend the legs in a second).

Nice set up. Yes the 17 HMR is great calibre. Love mine.

Reviving a necro-thread Lol...

Just got home from another Sask. gopher safari.
This makes it seven trips since I started going out there in 2020.
'Managed to get four days worth of shooting in... Half a day on Monday, then full days with a bit of driving Tues., Wed., Thur. and then half a day on Friday before flying back to YYZ from Regina

What are they waiting for..? Put that case on the plane and lets go..
https://i.imgur.com/riKFb5n.jpeg

Wake up in the GTA in the morning... 'Hitting the field by afternoon.
https://i.imgur.com/ktufToP.jpeg

Sask. big sky..
https://i.imgur.com/BJuCD3d.jpeg

*NOT* gophers...
https://i.imgur.com/Wwgz8hb.jpeg

Big sky, little truck
https://i.imgur.com/sVuxMBC.jpeg

I've went to southern alberta where my brother lives a few times. Fun stuff and hard to beat all the shooting action. Farmers love it, and its a great time for everyone except the gophers.