I have a ranch in central MT. that is over run by rock chucks (marmots) and the rancher wants some dispatched. The ranch is about 100 miles south of Fort Belknap which offers world class prairie dog shooting. Some one could make it a combo trip. I really havn't put any detail together yet but if anyone is interested and willing to pay a fee of $150 - $250 per day depending on service provided maybe it would work. It is a beautiful location.

Sounds like fun. Rockchucks are running a bit low in my neck of the woods. When would the shooting be? Late spring? Regards, Guy

Guy,

Yes, I think late spring would be the time. Something like late may early - mid June. I'm going to be talking to the landowner as to what he feels is best. There is a trailer 14 x 70 with three bedrooms one bathroom and the huntings is literally out the front door. Any shooting distance you want I imagine. This place is a working cattle/farm ranch run by an older couple. Great people. This trip would be semi- guide or unguided. Basically it's something new but if you like to shoot this is a start.

We have property over towards Reed Point and go back and forth a couple of times a year. We would diffently be interesting in "helping" the Rancher out. Let us know @ cwf@elltel.net
Would make for a fun few days. Dave

Sounds like fun...Keith when you get things sorted let me know.

Varmiters,

I wanted to re-new this post because the time to do this little hunt is rapidly approaching. These rock chucks are emerging from their dens and can be taken in the next 3 - 4 months. The landowner is looking for a total of 4 - 6 shooters that would come perhaps two at a time to the ranch. He wants a maximum of 4-6 chucks shot by each shooter as he's not looking to wipe them out but rather remove a fair number. He's hopeful that some would be taken to be made into a mount or a rug. It will cost $100 per shooter per day and I'd say 2 days is all you would need. Accomodations are right there or you could stay in Lewistown, Mt. You would be responsible for your own food but the trailer is fully equiped with kitchen utinsels 3 bedrooms one bathroom.
I'd like to arrange it so I'd be around but with my scedule I could not be there until late May or into June which would be a good time for weather. Any takers just let me know. Thanks. Keith

Keith,

I was considering it until you said a maximum of 4-6 chucks per shooter . That's $16-$25 per chuck plus travel expenses. That's kinda steep for hardly any shooting. Thanks for inviting everyone, but I'll pass.

Jethro,

Yeah I know it's not a lot of animals but rock chucks can get wiped out pretty quik and this is not our intention. You could do this hunt then go up to Fort Belknap Res. 100 miles north and shoot prairie dogs till your barrel melts. They would combine well together. I know a guide up there very well and he charges $100 per day total to take you out. License for 3 days is, I believe $150 to Reservation. You would stay in Malta, Mt. at a motel and eat at restraunts. Your expense.

I've lived in the west all my life , I've shot varmints most of that time . This new, I charge you to get you to help me out theory sure doesn't work for me. I'm fortunate to have established friendships and hunting spot's based on mutual want's and need's. I want to shoot rodents, the rancher NEED'S! the varmints thinned. What ever happened to having a couple of the local kid's come out for an afternoon with their .22's? If the rancher is a real capitalist he tell's em--" Why don't you boy's come out Sat morning help me move my sprinkler pipe, have lunch and then help me thin out my rock chuck's?" Kieth you mention these are great folk's and I'm sure they are but 6 hunter's at $100.00 a day that's $600.00 their getting to get you to help em out. This is exactly what's ruining Montana fishing and hunting. Every one's trying to make a buisness out of our birth right! If you take the time to come up here and get to know some folk's you'll find plenty of folk's who'll still do it the old fashion way. For year's I've hunted big game on 25,000 acres of the most beautiful deer elk and antelope county a guy's ever seen, every opening morning I show up with a litre of Makers Mark ---period--- I also come by to see him once in a while and keep in touch---like a friend,not a buisness arangement. Some of the finest people you'll ever meet live in the rural areas of this country spend some time with em it'll go farther than money. I certainly agree with your thin em out idea by the way. I think it'ed be pretty tough to wipe out a healthy pararie dog colony by hunting em, rock chucks are indeed different, fortunately there's usually gophers in close proximity and great numbers.Have a great varmint season.---Shoot Safe---montdoug

montdoug,

You've described pretty well how I go about it here as well. I watered cows and helped dig a culvert on my neighbor's ranch before killing at least 100 gophers this weekend. All the while he kept telling me to knock it off and go kill all those goddam gophers! Better yet, having won his trust he introduced me to his circle of local rancher friends. It's a suspicious group of old guys but I had a thumbs-up from one of their own. That's how it works where I am.

When I heard that this fellow described above doesn't want all the 'chucks removed, I started to wonder. Maybe they do things differently up there.

Redial

Redial---Most rancher's would like to see every rock chuck on their place dead. It's me that feel's different, leave some for seed, I want to shoot some next season-- and the one after that.---Shoot Safe--- montdoug

Keith:

With all due respect, your advertisement seems a little incongruous. On the one hand, this rancher is "over run" with rockchucks [i.e., he has a rodent infestation problem] but we are supposed to pay for the privilege of helping this rancher out and then we are limited to 4-6 chucks per day?

Look, if the rancher wants to charge an access fee [or any other darn fee], I have no problem. Lord knows there ain't no money in ranching the conventional way. But if I am going to drive 800-900 miles and pay for lodging and food on top of that, I damn sure am going to shoot more than 4 rockchucks per day! Moreover, lets be honest about what this is: it ain't us helping some poor rancher with pest control, it is us paying him for the privilege to hunt his land with controls on the number of 'chucks to be bagged so his resource ['chucks] are not over-hunted. This is not a situation where some poor rancher has a rodent infestation problem [as initially implied] and help from some good hearted members of the shooting fraternity who are more than happy to oblige for the chance to spill beauceau 'chuck blood for the cost of gas and grubs.

I have access to plenty of property where I don't have to pay fee---where the rancher is just happy to have me thinning the chucks. Thanks just the same, but I think I'll pass on this one.

Jordan

With due respect, in your and the ranchers dreams

Give me a break! (Let's HELP the rancher cull this massive over run of marmot,4 to 6 only please!!) I smell a rat!!

It's actually insulting that he thinks we're dumb enough or desperate enough to buy into this crap!

Anybody willing to pay $200 a day can drive to greater Gibsonville and I will promise them at least a six pack and more than 5 or 6 shots at groundhogs.

Geez Guys,

Aaahhhhh, Nobody is getting rich here. This is simply a salt of the earth, hands on, no gov. subsidies, old man and woman that have literally made a living off their land fifty years raising sheep, cattle, hay and allowing some hunting access. You critics havn't a clue as to how beautiful this game rich place is and the recreation this area has to offer.

They are a typical first or second generation family ranch that looks to their land to support them. Not to many of those around anymore.
He just came up with an idea for someone who may want to take a shooting/fishing touring vacation to the Big Sky country and make a trip out of it, meet some people from around the country because they don't get much company, and make some new freinds. All you guys seem to see is "how many I can kill and for how much."

We do not completely view them as "vermin". There used to be many places in the west that harbored large populations of rock chucks. Now there are dam few.

Admittedly, this is a new one on me as I usually indulge myself in other hunting pursuits but I'm gaining an education in what some varmiters want. Lots of shooting and killing. This isn't it. That is why I mentioned Fort Belknap Indian Res. as you can shoot more prairie dogs up there than you can imagine. It is close by. Your cost per critter would look far better up there It was never my intention to insult anyone's intelligence. How Ironic. I insulted my own. That's ok though. I guess Dettorre and I will have to have all the fun and try his new rock chuck stew recipe from the Bay areas finest Chefs. All that while we watch 40 bull elk growing there antlers for this fall.

Keith

I don't think most of us meant any harm or offense. How it was initially described didn't add up, that's all.

Most of us have relationships with landowners who see these as pests, not tourism. Most of us shoot as many pests as we can, both for our amusement and to benefit our hosts. What you described was a horse of a different color and when viewed under our established guidelines, it didn't pass the sniff test. Something was immediately and obviously fishy.

I felt it necessary to clarify the responses (at least my own) before it festered into a pissing match.

Cheers

Redial

Redial,

Thanks for the clarification. I can see how it was confusing from my first post. I think it went from that to this because the landowner is still defining what he really wants as it's all new to him and I as well. Cheers to you as well!

This is my first visit to this board. All I can say is here in Idaho, the farmers wanna pay me to get rid of "all" their friggin' vermin. Black Angus cost more than them!

Keith:

Perhaps I was a bit harsh. I mean no disrepect to the rancher and his wife or to you. Lord knows they have a tough enough time of it as it is and I don't begrudge them making money any legal way they can. I just didn't like the way the program was presented. And with the utmost respect, it's not very well conceived either. People just are not going to pay that much to shoot only 4-6 chucks a day. We're not talking trophy mule deer bucks here.

Jordan

Hey how about this? Y'all come out here with your bows and we will go tromp around in the backwaters along the Yellowstone river looking for carp. I think I can find a registered guide to accompany us for $200.00 a day and you must limit your killing to no more than 6 carp over a two day period. You know, don't want to exploit the resource. On top of that I'll let you catch all the bullheads you want for an additional $100.00 per day. Sounds rediculous doesn't it? Get the point?