I was out looking at a piece of property to perhaps list last week. And wouldn't you know it that I had my 223 under the seat.

And wouldn't you know it that I happened to be at a borderline bunny huggers place.

And wouldn't you know it I saw my first gopher of the year. That was a week ago today, the 19th.

Now being as I am in real Estate I knew it may not of been a good business move to just dust the rodent. But, man would I of liked to given him the old TNT nap!

The good news is that I was at a place I may list on Monday last and this fella says that his place and the neighbors has about 12 world supplies of gophers. He is in his late 80's or more and just loves to shoot gophs.

I told him not to worry that if he sells his place that I will be more than happy to take him back. And being as the neighbor is a big time rancher and is his bro in law I doubt there will be any issues with permiss.

Mark D

Good gracious, what is this world coming to?

A fella sees the first gopher of the year in January, 27 people read about and no one comments?

Must be more readers, than shooters out there than I thought there is. Either that or a lot of green with envy people....grins

Mark D

Or the 'bored' ( LoL) has just been a little quiet lately!

I myself have been loading different load combos and seeing what works best in some rifles...

And thinking up ideas for a shooting stand, to easily go in and out of a trailer I picked up in December... I was looking to come up with something that would raise the base of a platform about 6 feet or so in the air.... that can be easily set up in the field.... and won't come apart as I slowly move my 4 Runner from hot shooting site to another....

Cheers
seafire

Hows the Real estate Bin-ness in Bozeman.

I have a RE licience in another state and need to take the Idaho test , maybe montana might be a good idea.

I was trying to do loans and kinda liked learning . But I didnt realize alot of loanofficers are nothing more than sleezey salesmen scum. Realy turned me off about the RE business.

GSP- after about 15 years of my father telling me to do this I finally took the plunge this last July.

I've not been in it long, but I gotta tell you I do feel it is the best move I've ever made career wise.

Parts of the Montana market are very strong and a good share of Montana is very good.

Plus I don't have 300 employees working for me like I did in my last job.

I'm working for myself and my clients and not for some company. (like I did for the previous 25 years)

The toughest thing for me has been this. I've got the type of personality that if I had never played hockey b4. And then you gave me stick/gloves/skates and ice. After one time on the ice I'd expect myself to be Gretsky.

It aint quite like that, so it is a bit tough for Mark to be patient with himself.

Other than that it is great.

As Plato once said we have identified the enemy and it is ourselves...grins

Mark D

(let me know if I can be of help, what state do you hold a lic in?)

January seems a bit early, but I have seen sage rats out on top of snow. Around here you avoid both the yellow and red snow. Easy to confirm
kills in the snow.

I have always said that shooting snow gophers should be a part of the winter olympics...

Mark D

Well , we won't have much chance of seeing a gopher in these parts for around 60 days yet .

Course , we here are not in the banana belt like the folks in Montana.....(grin)

Hey Mark I used ta live over in Ennis till '97. I can remember seeing "sagerats" out this early too. It is great fun to leave patches of pink on the snow!!! Down here in Co the gophers don't come out 'til a little ground is showing. We only have Richardsons, no Columbians.

recoil-is there much for rodents shooting in Colo? East and or west side? How about out east of Denver?

Thx

Mark D

Mark, It's always fun to spie the first varmint of the new year!! I about wrecked the truck on January 17th, 2006 when I saw a groundhog on the bank beside the Interstate(I-81 in VA)!! Figured that the powers that be wuldn't take to kindly to offing him from the side of an Interstate, so let it go!! Too early anyway!! If you shoot an old sow hog before the end of May you have probably destroyed 5 or 6 potential targets!!! GHD

Mark there's plenty of rodent to shoot here in NW CO. Lot's of gophers close and prairre dogs farther west. I'm hoping to work up a new load for my .222 with 40 grain V max's. Don't know about over east. Try to stay away from there as it's to flat and to close to the big city.

Do you know Don Vanamen?

quote:

If you shoot an old sow hog before the end of May you have probably destroyed 5 or 6 potential targets!!! GHD

Gee, trying to exterminating them from
a friend's 1200acre orchard is a full time job
and there has never been a "target" shortage...

Either little varmints that nibble on bark
or of bigger ones that snitch apples out of the trees.....

AllanD

Hey Mark,

Poped one myself last week over by Miles City while coyote hunting. I've seen quite a few our with the warm weather this winter.

Came through WY todat and saw that they were running all over there also.

Mark Dobrenski: I have been out on the coast doing some guard work - guarding the execs from the ELF's, ALF's, bunny huggers and assorted goofs! Free money is about all I can say about that situation!
I just got in last night at 0330 hours and saw only Coyotes during the EARLY morning commute (647 miles all in dark all in rain or snow!).
Its sunny and warmish here now in far SW Montana - now that I have arisen! I will keep an eye out for the first Gopher around here (at 5,400').
I am surprised that they are above ground so early! Whats your elevation?
Live and learn!
Lots of goodies were bought out on the coast including a Weaver V-16 and a Nikon Monarch 6.5x20 variable!
Now I can scope up some of my "naked" Rifles that I have "robbed" scopes off of!
I just looked up the Gunshow schedule and I see the Livingston, Montana show is this weekend! I may just have to head over there tomorrow (Saturday).
Sunday is SUPER BOWL!
Go SEAHAWKS!
My friend out in Seattle put $25.00 on the Seahawks to make the Super Bowl before the season even started! He won $300.00 on that and is now "letting it ride" on the Sea-chickens against the Pennsylvania Punies or Ponies or steelies or who ever they are playing!
I hope he wins this round so he can buy a new Varminter he is interested in!
A $25.00 Varminter - wouldn't that be nice!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG-it is about 4000 around here. I was at another ranch on Thursday (for work), and they had the lil snow rodents running all over the place.

The owner said he has major issues with them!

Mark D

Mark Dobrenski: I made several trips to and from town today and yesterday for that matter.
And not a single Gopher spotted!
Must be the difference in elevation?
I was just to tired this morning to get up and drive to Livingston for the Gunshow today!
Maybe I will get up real early tomorrow and head over to Livingston? Naaaww. Probably not.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I saw one in Livingston last week,right in town near the river not sure of the elevation.Usually the first place I see them is across the road from Bozeman Ford.VG I went to the gun show saturday but didnt buy anything.It was a good show and big crowd.w/regards

Gophershooter: Thank you for the update on the show!
I must be getting old?
I had a full day out in Seattle on Thursday and when I was done there I jumped in the ride at 4:00 PM and headed for home in Montana!
Its only 657 miles and I was home and in bed at 0400 hours (11 hours driving and a one hour time change) on Friday morning! I slept for about 6 hours and the sun woke me. I was simply still suffering from jet lag or travel tremors or something Saturday morning early?
Anyway I wish I could have put up the effort to drive the 132 miles each way to Livingston and enjoy that show!
I am a sissy anymore I guess.
I am off to Hunt Coyotes and Wolverine tomorrow though!
Thanks again for the update!
I even have some mad money I could have "played" with while at the show!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

RE: Gophers in Bozeman!

I do miss the Bo-zone for gophers. I lived there for 7 years, and used to hunt just across the drive from my house near the Gallatin R. Mizzou is much too light on the little critters, and I have to travel to get some serious gopher killin in. Now is when they start to show up on the Interstate between manhattan and belgrade in little furry red splotches!

Good shooting!

Shortside

More Montana Wildlife observations.
Just today I spotted beautiful Red Fox on a den mouth not 110 yards from my sun room window! I quickly got the VarmintWifes spotting scope (she is not allowed to use - abuse - any of my optics so I bought here her own spotting scope - shes knocked it over twice that I know of!) directed onto the Fox!
What a sight!
The Fox is extremely well furred and the pelt has not yet begun to fade! About the end of February the Fox pelts around here begin to loose their brilliant colors (fade to yellow and blondish) and then some time later the Fox begin to shed their winter fur and their summer pelts begin to grow in.
This Fox lay on the den lip for quite some time while I scanned its every hair! Most of the time it was curled up but once it got up and stretched and eventually did some digging in the den entrance and the dust flew a bit in the wind. It went uderground after 45 minutes of my watching it.
This will be the third year out of four that a Fox has appeared here in this den. Last year no Fox were seen here. There has been a mange plague in the last few years and our Fox populations have been next to nothing for two full years!
In the field where this Fox is denning I have seen as many as 6 Fox at one time! These huge fields are completely surrounded by "hog fence" that Coyotes can not get through or past. Anyway I have never seen a Coyote in these fields and yet as soon as I drive past them Coyotes are very often seen!
I sure hope this Fox is pregnant and she has some kits! In the other years that Fox have denned here there have been broods of 4 young each year! Now that makes for some entertaining wildlife watching once they get to the wrestle and tumble around stage.
I also spent some time today in good Ground Squirrel country and nary a hair was seen! And I think it got to about 43 degrees here today.
Must be our higher altitude that keeps them under around here a bit longer?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG;Several years ago I lived on a ranch in the Sedan area,which is between Wilsall and Bozeman.It was incredible how many foxes there were in that area and the most of the locals didnt shoot them because they think they kill a lot of gophers which they have an abundance of.I am not sure of this but loved to watch tham hunt.There was a patch of quakies which had a lot of cottontails living in it.The fox would hunt in pairs one would post up out in the adjoing meadow and the other would hunt the quakies jumping them so they could run into the meadow where the other fox picked them off.The other thing they did was get on the round bales in the stack yard and play tag it was hillarious to watch.I never shot at any of them they were so entertaing.w/regards

February 7th, not many groundhogs out yet BUT!!! Today while driving down the road near the house, one was sitting on the wall of a bunker silo in the bright sunshine!! I geuss he came out to wish me happy birthday!! I did not shoot him(or her)!! Just a bit early! GHD

Gophershooter andVG-you ever see any cross foxes down in your area?

Mark D

Mark,
I am having a .20 BR built and want to take it down to Oregon and spray some late season snow red with Sage Rats. There are 6 of us building these rifle here. We designed a reamer based on Lapua 6mm brass necked down to .204. The latest one is shooting in the 3's. They are devastating on prarie dogs and grnd squirrels.

Chic-that should be for working like a dream!

On a side one of these days when the stock on my G33/40 breaks again I may just have to chat with you about restocking it for me. I've got a darn nice piece sitting in the wings ready to go.

I've got a Brown on my old G33 now and it broke once in a incident with an old nag old a bruin hunt I guided. Mark Brown fixed it but told me not to figure on it lastling.

On another side note, I met another rancher today that said he has a few rodents out now and he said he has about 12 worlds supplys of gophs most summers. Plus, he also has a great sounding creek to fish for brookies.

I think I am gonna like this business of Real Estate.

Mark D

Tell him if it for sale, I will buy it, lol.

I am working with a developer doing engineering for him. We are working through a 130 lot subdision on a steep slope above a resort lake near Wenatchee. We have built up through lot 60 last year. Steep slopes and we are recontouring the whole hillside. We will have moved near 1 million cubic yards of dirt by the end of summer. Makes for some pretty nice but expensive lots. Weekend resort homes with the lots (1/2 acre) going for $300K and up.

Oh and Chic did I mention that he said that he ahs some really good whitetail hunting on it and a few elk.

Mark D

We have had 65 to 70 degrees here locally the last couple of days....

Saw 4 or 5 really big and fat sage rats out today...

My trigger finger is getting itchy!

Cheers
seafire

Mark Dobrenski: Pardon the slow reply - been away.
I have Hunted SW Montana for 30+ years now and SE Montana since 1969. In all that time I have seen just one "odd" colored Fox. It was a pure black Fox near Sheridan, Montana in about 1980.
I do have a Cross Fox skinned and in my guest room. I bought it many years ago from a Trapper friend of mine and he also sold me a Champagne and a Silver Fox. He in the past has raised (in enclosures) many varieties of Fox. I am sure the Champagne (tanish/light purple colored?) Fox was bought and bred by him as well as the Silver Fox (mostly black).
Spring is coming and I am sure its just around the corner - should be here right after this bit of 20 degrees BELOW ZERO weather is over!
Sheesh!
In one day I go from 60 degrees out on the coast to -20 degrees here in SW!
Using a good and versatile lubricant on my armaments is mandatory down here!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy