I recently inherited a small interest (very small) in our family farm located near Inverness, which is located between Havre and Shelby. Does anyone know if there are any prairie dogs or ground squirrels running around that area? I am planning to go visit it in a few weeks, just to see how it looks since I haven't been there in over 40 years. Was hoping to take my oldest son and see if we can't fire off a couple of hundred rounds out of my new Remington 700 SPS varmint in .223. I have written the farmer who leases our land, but haven't heard back from him yet. Hoping that there might be some critters around there somewhere that need thinning. Anybody?

yup - there be dogs all around there

butchloc must know something I don't about the p-dogs in that immediate area. My daughter used to live there in Rudyard just a few miles from Inverness and I didn't hear much talk of p-dogs close by. There are for sure boo-coo Richardsons ground squirrels which we call gophers. The Ruger 10-22 is the State gopher rifle and those with a bit more money to burn on ammo have discovered the .17 HMR is a screaming dandy gopher gun.
With the numbers of gophers ya shoot in a good day ya might find the .223 a bit large for gophers what with barrel heat, cost etc. My personal favorite gopher gun is a .17 Ackley Hornet built on a CZ American pushing a 20 grain V-Max at near 3,800fps, serious rat smackage and ya see all the hits.Cheap to load for as well, about a push with buying HMR ammo.
Ya might stop in to Havre as you won't be too far from it in Montana terms and talk to James Calhoon, he makes some dandy gopher smuckers! Good luck.

Thanks for the replies, guys. I am thrilled to hear that the gophers are in abundance in the area. I have no problem shooting them with the .223, as watching them fly is pretty spectacular with the nosler 50 gr ballistic tips at over 3300 fps. I am hoping to hear back from the farmer in a few days, and if all looks good, I plan to head over early in June. I will probably spend a night in Havre, maybe one in Great Falls with my Aunt and Uncle. Much planning (and loading massive amounts of ammo) to be done.

2ndtimer I don't want to be a profit of doom but a problem out here hunting gophers is how fast the grass grows. In a lot of areas by early June I fear the grass might well be well over a gophers head. If you have an accurate .22 handgun I'd bring one as well as they make for some fun gopher popping at close range on the edge of the field roads. Shooting at distance might be a tough find but it's all weather contingent so ya might see a million of em. I'm hoping for the latter.
Good luck.

I second the motion to bring an accurate .22 rimfire along. Your gonna shoot the snot out of the .223 and will need to let it cool anyway.

I've gone from all sorts of centerfire gopher guns down to a Volquartsen .22 rimfire and a .222 Rem Cooper M21. A .17 HMR would make a dandy gopher gun as well but I can't rationalize 24 cents a pop when I can load .222 for that much.

A .22 pistol is in order as well. Especially if You come later in the summer, the grass will be too high for much else.

FN in MT

Thanks for the tips, guys. My most precious handgun is a mint Colt Diamondback .22 with a 6" barrel that I bought new (for $279.95 at the White Elephant store in Spokane) around 1980 or so. I also have a 10/22 with a Simmons 4X scope on it. Might even bring my wife's Walther P22. That should at least "scare 'em"! I guess I will bring them all. Better to have them all and not need them, than to wish you had them...

If the grass is up that Diamondback might serve you well. Seems like as ya go through the fields ya see em quick up close and handguns are the order of the day. The 10-22 will serve you well also. In the words of the one armed guy in the Eastwood Western Unforgiven "I just don't wanna get killed for lack of shooting back". Take em all.

I live in SE Alberta just north of where you are headed. Just Friday my son and I burned up 800 rounds in 4 hours shooting "gophers". Take a 22 rimfire as well as you will soon be out of 223 ammo. Good shooting!

While your close to Havre stop and see James Calhoon. He produces the 19 caliber rifles. Just picked up mine last week.

As soon as I get back to North Dakota I'll be doing some further development with it. I did a lot of reading and conversing with other owners of these fine firearms before I purchased mine.

I bought the 19 Caliber Badger. It's based on the 30 Carbine case. After following Jims barrel break-in proceedure I shot some development loads I had built up. The worst development loads shot .9 and the best ones shot in the .7's. They would have been better but your humble servant had trigger jerkitis that day.

Give the 19's a look, you won't be diappointed.

Best wishes, Bill

Late update, heard from the farmer that is leasing the family farm. Said he couldn't help me with prairie dogs, but says there are tons of gophers throughout north central Montana. Said he had just ordered 500 gas cannisters from the USDA to try to help keep them under control. Said if I did make the trip to PLEASE bring my .22's, as they can use all the help they can get. Guess I need to get out to see if the Stevens semi-auto I picked up at a Police confiscated weapons auction will shoot. Also guess I should borrow my buddy's 10-22 to go along with my own. Might even be time to break out the 25 round Butler Creek "Hot Lips" mag for the 10-22. Still fresh in factory wrapper, purchased right before the old assault weapons ban went into effect. Maybe I should order a couple more of them, just in case.....