Since there are so many active montana members, how about a get together gopher shoot sometime?

Make it northern Montana and you might convince some of us south-western Canajuns to come down too.

Canuck

Sounds good. I don't have a dedicated varmint rig yet but I am sure I could come up with something. I'll need to know in advance so let me know what, when, and where you have in mind. I'll be here in Bozeman until the beginning of May, then I will be in Troy.

I shoot antelope in Montana .. does that count??? Actually, us gopher snipers north of the 49th would need a permit, now, Canuck. By the time we got one the varmints would probably be growing their fall pelts!!!

Name the time and place...I'll be in AK from June 12th to Aug 19th...so hopefully it'll be before or after then. I'll show you guys what a 444 w/ a 240gr SP will do to one ...I'll stock up on my .223 JHP's and even load up some 180gr NBT's in my .338 Ultra and see what they do.

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God Bless and Shoot Straight

Hey Richard,

I know all about those new permits -- I technically have to get one because of an overnight layover in Atlanta on my way to RSA this spring! I hear they are pretty quick about them though, similar to Americans coming the other way.

Canuck

Alright, sounds like a plan. When and where? I will be stuck with a 22lr the shoots Minute-Of-Legeman groups at 50 yards, and a 300 win mag that still hasnt been properly accurized. But honestly it would be a cool thing to do.

Sounds fun
Would you all like me to see if I can line up some places around here? or are you thinking another part of Montana? I may be able to line out some Pdogs to. I have been invited out to the local Huterite coloney for some dogs this year. I could ask old Jake if I can bring friends.
Why would you need a special permit to shoot Wistle pigs, and Pdogs? Unless it's just to get your guns into the states.

I live in north central MT. 40miles north of Great Falls on US Highway 87. If this spring is like others in the past we wouldn't have to much trouble finding targets around here.

X-Ring

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Sinner, saved by God's unfailing grace!

Great Falls, sounds like a nice meeting place. Now, when? It would have to be some time this Mid-June. Schools out then, so my brother and I would be able to come, and well Just just sounds nice.

If I don't have time to get the neccesary gun permit, I could always skin the prairie dogs and open the beers for you guys!!! I don't have many friends up here in Canada so weekends are mostly free.....

Since I might not have time to get one of those alien permits for my 416 Remington Magnum prairie dog stopper ... maybe I can come along and skin the varmints for you guys ... and maybe open beers???

Thought this might sound fun to a few of us. X-Ring - so far your offer of a place sounds the best. It would be fun to come up to that country for a visit. I wondered about that area or around Dillon - we could do a little fishing during the days also. Gotta get the most out of every thing huh?

By the way - it would be fun to include any south-western Canajuns! :-)

It would only be fair to include Richard, since Alberta is commonly known as Northern Montana anyway.

Richard, I'll help you opening beers and spotting. Maybe we could bring some real beer down for them to try, or would we need a permit for that too?

All goofin' around aside, Great Falls is only about 5 hrs from here, so that wouldn't be bad for a Saturday shoot. Keep us posted.

Canuck

Count me in as well. We're about 6 hr. from Ft. Benton. Can't afford a box of beer here in Sk. to take along.Mark

I might be up for that. We're in Bozeman, but have a semi-abandoned place up by Cut Bank, also. Just got back from a trip up there <shudder>. Grim, grim.... About everybody I know up there is either leaving or trying to. There was a dust storm Saturday & Sunday that folks are calling the worst ever.
Took my son and a buddy of his along, plus an arsenal of firearms. They were hot to shoot gophers and rockchucks. The gophers weren't in too great of evidence yet, though, and the marmots didn't make an appearance at all. Somebody must of tipped 'em off... That, or they've got enough sense to stay out of the wind.
I just finished reading a book, "The Medicine Line". Kind of a scholarly tome, and pretty dry reading, but it's got some kind of interesting history of the area on both sides of the line in north central MT, & southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. Lots of residents back then & even now think that area should be part of the same country. Quite a few people had property on both sides, and had social & business dealings back & forth. The actual boundary was pretty much ignored. Getting harder to do that here lately, unfortunately. Especially if you're trying to transport those evil guns back & forth...

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Cowboy Heaven Consulting
http://www.cowboyhvn.com

Good idea, Canuck... With our stupid laws and with things getting much more difficult in moving guns across the border it might be smart just to take a rifle over to that Cutbank country where Rimrock hangs around a bit, and leave the shooting iron in a badger hole between shoots. Never rains anyways!!!

Dust storm! Man that was more than a dust storm. I'm sure I saw a Spokan city bus go by
If we are going to do this shooting thing we better get an idea of a weekend to do it and nail down an area we are going to meet and hunt. So we can make plans.
Any ideas on a good weekend to do it on, I think late May early June would aford the best results as far as Gopher numbers.
X-Ring

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Sinner, saved by God's unfailing grace!

Does it count that I think of Montana as a second home. I'll be in the Miles city area the last of May first of June shooting those p dogs. 2000 rds of 223 700 of 22250 and 1000 of 243 should last a couple of days.

I wouldn't mind meeting some of you on the board and do some varminting if that would be ok with the rest.If this is going to happen count me in, us Canucks may need some warning to get the firearm permits but it sounds like a hoot.

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Growler

X-Ring

Grin - 6 MTans and 4 "Northern" MTans sounds like fun! First of June sounds good. It would be lots of fun to get together. Can you pick a weekend without the dust storms? :-)

I think this is going to be fun Wyoman!

P dog as far I'm concerned every one is welcome! We will just have to get you guys a "Temp Montanan" permit

The only problem I have is May 20th my daughter graduates High School, but that doesn't sound like it will be a problem.

So where are we going to do this? Philipsburg, Cutbank, Great Falls, Fort Benton? We should probly go somwhere where one of us knows alot of land owners that will let us shoot. I know I can find us al the gophers we can handle if it's a good year for wistle pigs, but someone wanted to do a little fishing while here and that may be a problem in this area with a drought on. Unless your into river fishing. We do have whats left of the mighty MO right on front street.
We don't have as good of Pdogs as eastern MT, but I do know of a few towns, and as I said have been invited out to shoot one on the local Huterite coloney this year. We might be able to get the whole group out there. I can ask.
I'm all for going and exploring a differnt area to. I have shoot in the Philipsburg area years ago and thats a good gopher area to, and has some creek fishing to.
Just some ideas out loud X-Ring

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Sinner, saved by God's unfailing grace!

X-Ring

Sounds like your area might be best for a group of people. I am new to the Pburg area but am willing to search for locations. East of Billings would be fine also if someone can get us in there. Anywhere shooting for a while is better than working all the time :-) I think I had mentioned fishing, but that is not a requirement. I can do that anytime just out the front door on rock creek. I've never met any Huterites. Would enjoy that

The Cut Bank area has no shortage of gophers, but fishing is scant. The lakes on the Blackfoot Rez aren't faring too well here lately. There's some marmots, but just isolated families of 'em in the rimrocks (source of my handle, incidentally). A concentrated group effort could completely wipe 'em out, and I don't want to do that. P-Dogs are scarce indeed. I do know of one town along the Marias River. Not sure about access anymore, though. I'm planning to be back up there in later May.
Fort Benton/Great Falls sounds a bit more centrally located, for the Montanans at least. Why don't you drop me an e-mail X-Ring. Curious if we've met. I went to college with a bunch of guys from the Fort.

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Cowboy Heaven Consulting
http://www.cowboyhvn.com

Wyoman, I live in the Helena area and if you ever want to fish the little blackfoot , let me know and I will try to meet up with ya. The warm springs ponds over by Anaconda are pretty awesome fishing also. As far as pdogs go the White Sulpher springs area is usually pretty good.

Sounds like a winner. I would try to attend provided I can make it home. Have been working away alot lately.

Mark

X-Ring sounds like you have the best prospects. It would be great if you can arrange the place.

Wolf Skin, How about dropping me an email and we can talk about the fishing prospects? Would enjoy meeting up there.

Mark, you are welcome. anyone from my old stomping grounds is.

Rimrock. I would like to email with you regarding fishing the Clarks Fork.

dhibbert@yahoo.com

To my knowledge, ground squirrels, rock chucks, etc; all being varmints, are a lisence-free and season-free animal. So, all the canadians wishing to come down and actually do something besides skinning what's left of the varmints or opening beers, couldnt one of us just bring an extra rifle? They need permits to bring their own firearms across the border, so we could just let them shoot our rifles. At least they would get some shooting in. And has anyone thought of a date? Im in Troy, which is about 6, maybe 7, hours from Bozeman; so Id imagine Great Falls wouldnt be too much farther than that. This sure would be cool if we could get this going.

this sounds like fun..i'm new here but i'd show up if i could..i guess i'll have a permit for my 338 and 375 for my bear hunt..i suppose they would kill a gopher if i pointed them right..or..who cares..i can open beers and skin and make a great gopher stew..cept the ones hit with the 375..they have too much dirt in em...kinda hard to sort out what's gopher and what's landscape..

OK I will start lining up some places, and see what we can do. I don't think it will be a problem.
Man I hope this (&^%^^%wind stops before then. If not we may need slide rules to figure windage
Rimrock I will email you soon. A bit pressed for time right now.
X-Ring

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Sinner, saved by God's unfailing grace!

<kinda hard to sort out what's gopher and what's landscape.. >

From what I hear yesterday it was pretty hard to sort out what was air and what was landscape.... another horrendous dust storm.

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Cowboy Heaven Consulting
http://www.cowboyhvn.com

Wet blizzard this morning with lots of snow just north of the 49th. Now we'll get rust on our sandblasted rifle barrels!!! Someday I'll have to learn to clean a rifle!

Your little shoot kind of sound like fun. If there is room for one more let me know and I will see if I can make it. By the way I was down by Dillon this weekend a saw a few gophers out and about so they are starting to come out.
Russ

Wow today we had blowing dirt, and snaow at the same time! Weird weather this spring. I think this is going to be fun.

I have a call into the Coloney. I'm waiting for a return call from old Jake. gophers are starting to show up again between wind storms.
Man I can almost smell the gun powder.
David your right I think we can let the Canadain fellas shoot our guns, and have some fun to. I will look into it but I don't think they have to have any lic. to shoot varmites either. We don't need one, why would they. Heck I have never been checked out shooting gophers anyway.
X-Ring

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Sinner, saved by God's unfailing grace!

Kinda curious about firepower here. I am hoping to have a new hunting rifle by the end of the summer but until then all that I'd have is a Mini-14 (abeit loaded with NBTs) and a Rem 870... any suggestions?

I have been looking into the legal aspects of "importing" firearms from Canada. Legally Canadians can not leave a gun with family or an FFL, but can "rent". As well, as I read it you don't need a hunting license from the state you plan to hunt or compete in in order to get the form 6 approved. I have recieved an non game license from the state of North Dakota and sent in my form 6. Now we will see if the beurocracy in the USA is as slow as Canada. I am hopefull I will be able to come along with my own firearms

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Growler

Hell, Rob... you can use my Marlin 22lr. I mean, it aint this monster 22-250 or anything like that but it will do the job out to damn near 100 yards, maybe a little past if you get good at judging drop.

If I may cut in, I'd sure like to help! I have several .22s I could bring and I may even be able to find a centerfire with the handle on the starboard side for the right handed oddballs.

The Great Falls-ish area sounds good to me providing somebody among us knows the landowners nearby.

Redial

I can see me at American customs .... 'What you got in the back of your 4x4, boy?'

'Binder twine, Officer! I'm going to snare me some of them Montana prairie dogs and gophers!!!'

Hey guys

The Ringling Annual Gopher Shoot is June 1&2. I have a flyer downloaded but can't figure out how to post it. Email me and I'll send it to you.

For the geographically challenged, Ringling is east of Helena near the intersections of 89 and 12, south of White Sulphur Springs.

Redial
markriedl@yahoo.com