Prairie dogs...

[Gaoler]

Looks like fun .

Oh it is....This was my 2nd time shooting 'dogs in this area... 'Might try a different state next time.

[seabast]

No limit no season... They're pretty much vermin.... pests.
I'm sure they get eaten by predators, but that doesn't seem to affect population.
In 4.5 hours of shooting I probably killed 200.
Shots today ranged from 75 to 500 yards.
Hell... yesterday I got two doubles.

Doubles!!!! Another thing to add to my bucket list....

[GrouseWhisperer]

I just got back from 7 straight days of gopher shooting in SW Alberta. (Richardson's Ground Squirrels) A 7 day shoot is a commitment, and took allot of planning...but we pulled it off. lol It was my second time out there doing it, only the last shoot was 2-1/2 days. Not nearly enough.

I'm an avid groundhog shooter here in Ontario, but the number of gophers I shot the afternoon I flew in (started around 3pm, went to dark) would probably equal about the number of groundhogs I could shoot in a decade here in Ontario. And I hunt those at least 2-3 times a month between April-August. I could tell you the number we estimated we sent to the great beyond...but you wouldn't likely believe me. lol I will post some photos in the coming days if any of you are interested.

EDIT~doubles? Got multiples of those. Lots of doubles with a shotgun (which we seldom used)....about 6 with the HMR, and 1 with a 22.

[Hunter John]

Interested for sure.

[seabast]

I just got back from 7 straight days of gopher shooting in SW Alberta. (Richardson's Ground Squirrels) A 7 day shoot is a commitment, and took allot of planning...but we pulled it off. lol It was my second time out there doing it, only the last shoot was 2-1/2 days. Not nearly enough.

I'm an avid groundhog shooter here in Ontario, but the number of gophers I shot the afternoon I flew in (started around 3pm, went to dark) would probably equal about the number of groundhogs I could shoot in a decade here in Ontario. And I hunt those at least 2-3 times a month between April-August. I could tell you the number we estimated we sent to the great beyond...but you wouldn't likely believe me. lol I will post some photos in the coming days if any of you are interested.

EDIT~doubles? Got multiples of those. Lots of doubles with a shotgun (which we seldom used)....about 6 with the HMR, and 1 with a 22.

Please, share some pics!

[GrouseWhisperer]

***Warning~gooey gopher photos within~if you're squeamish, don't scroll down***

Picking a few photos was more and exercise of what NOT to post...because with my luck, someone (non-hunter) would stumble upon a "pile of gophers" photo and think it was a chipmunk apocalypse or something! lol Anyhow, here are a few photos at least.

FOR the record, these are Richardson's Ground Squirrels. We did see some neat ones (only 2) that had stripes, I learned later that they're called "13 striped ground squirrels". No shot opportunity on the first one. The second one I did get a shot off on, but unlike the Richardsons...they seemed to grasp when a threat was nearby. It ran, and kept running. It stopped for a breather about 75 yards out, I took a poke at it with the 22...missed. I think it probably ended-up in Montana at the rate it was going.

To the photos...

First one is of me on a pasture that was picturesque, but didn't have too many gophers on it. I think we shot about 30-40 in 2 visits. Mostly long shots (why we liked it) but I spotted one that popped-up for a look at us while we were putting the rifles back in the rental truck. That's me, rifle is a CZ452 Varmint shooting CCI Blazers I modified in a Waltz die. (puts huge, gaping hollow points in them)


The other rifle I sent out for the trip~a Marlin 917 (heavy barrel) in 17HMR. We shot about 900 rounds of 17HMR, and I can tell you honestly...the hit rate was over 90% with it. Would have probably been closer to 95% were it not for the wind...which was brutal at times. The 22s did the heavy lifting, augmented by 14 boxes of 12ga, #7-1/2 target loads.

17HMR is the king of the rimfires when it comes to gophers. By week's end, we had the opportunity to shoot several centerfire calibers at them too (thanks to a good friend dropping in from Calgary) and even though we launched that heavy stuff at them...we had the most fun with the rimfires. Well...maybe the .223 I ran about 20 rounds through might be the exception. Talk about air time.



For variety's-sake, I did try some high-velocity 22 solids to see just how dramatically different they were from my modified CCI Blazers...and BOY what a difference. Great investment, though it took ALLOT of hours to run that many thousands of rounds through it. Gave me something to do while the snow was flying.



While it's hard for me to not think "fishing" when I think "Alberta"...we've been invited back to shoot again next spring. Going to be awfully tough not to take our hosts up on THAT offer!

[Snowwalker]

***Warning~gooey gopher photos within~if you're squeamish, don't scroll down***
That's me, rifle is a CZ452 Varmint shooting CCI Blazers I modified in a Waltz die. (puts huge, gaping hollow points in them)

If you need things to do, go a head, but I always got that same effect with just factory ( the 500 round bricks not the 535 bulk pack) 36Grain Federal Copper jacketed Hollow points. Hoping to get back out there with my .17 WSM. The TRUE King of the rim fires...

[GrouseWhisperer]

If you need things to do, go a head, but I always got that same effect with just factory ( the 500 round bricks not the 535 bulk pack) 36Grain Federal Copper jacketed Hollow points. Hoping to get back out there with my .17 WSM. The TRUE King of the rim fires...

I guess "king" is subjective. That's an incredible round, but has (from all reports) nothing on 17HMR accuracy-wise. If/when it does...I could see the next trip being even more expensive! I'm already contemplating a year long, marathon .223 loading session and running my Savage 10 next time...but there was something about the simplicity (and value) in shooting so much 22 at them. If every gopher we shot on this trip was smacked by a .223, I can tell you (even as a hand loader) that would have been pretty expensive!

As for that Federal~I ran every kind of 22 I could get my hands on through my CZ, including a Federal load. (not that one) Several CCI offerings, Remington, Aguila, Winchester, SK Standard...probably a few others. While it was allot of work putting those hollow-points in, I think I only paid about $3 per box of 50 for the Blazers...so lots of value there. Still have maybe 2K still out there for the next visit, but that's around 1/2 of what I'd need. lol

[Snowwalker]

I guess "king" is subjective. That's an incredible round, but has (from all reports) nothing on 17HMR accuracy-wise. If/when it does...I could see the next trip being even more expensive!

Not sure what reports you have seen but the 17 WSM is used to destroy gophers out to 320 yards or more.

What you may have been reading/seeing is the reports of the rifles with the forestock warping and touching the barrel. The barrel is a free floating design, and as soon as the forestock touches it the rifle is more useful as a club then a firearm. I have fixed a few of them, and they now shoot great.
Too much release agent in the plastic when the stock was molded has been said to be the reason for the forestock twisting. Some heat and acytone remove the extra release agent, and then the forestock is reshaped around the barrel using a spacer jig.
Because of the acytone I can't work on a stock in the winter. Smells up the whole house, and not enough ventilation to be safe.

[woody1948]

I have burnt through just over 4,000 22s so far this year. If it stays like this, I will shoot close to 10,000. I thought I had a big year last year shooting 6,000 rounds. There is an explosion in the Gopher population this year and I am loving it.