Never believe the weatherman - could be the title of this posting also!
All week the weatherman has been predicting thunderstorms, rain and wind for today! Well it dawned calm, clear and warm! That combo in June makes for the best type of day for a Varmint Safari! I had originally planned to visit an old Trapper friend 65 miles from my home today. When I saw how great the weather really was I simply added my on deck Varmint Guns into the VarmintMobile and headed across two mountain passes here in the Rocky Mountains to my friends place. Our visit at his home was short lived as I desperately wanted to get in some Varmint Hunting before any changes came to the 6,250' altitude valley I was now in!
My friend got my drift and gathered his Varminting gear and two five gallon buckets that he collects Varmint carcasses in (to feed to his captive Coyotes, Fox, Bobcat and Raccoons). We headed out.
My friend uses a 22 LR automatic exclusively for his Gopher getting but I had brought along two 17 HMR's (one was my S&W Model 647 pistol and the other was my ultra accurate Ruger Model 77/17V), my customized Lilja barrelled Ruger 10/22 and of course my brand new Remington XR-100 in 204 Ruger! I was eager to try my new handloaded 204 ammo made up with the Sierra 32 gr. bullets out on anything Varmint like that came along.
My friend lives in a small town that is literally surrounded by vast open lands all chuck full of Ground Squirrels and other Varmints!
This valley is probably the heaviest density Badger country in Montana and I was hoping to put the whack on some Badgers in our travels!
My friend lectured me continuously to be sure and pick up all the Ground Squirrels I shot for his clan of caged animals back home. I just grinned!
I chose to shoot from the top of my VarmintMobiles canopy while I stood on the open tailgate. I use sandbags from this perch and have virtually benchrest solid holding of my Varminters!
I started off with my 17 HMR revolver on the "close ones" and in fact I did pick up quite a number of these close ones as we changed set-up sites fairly often! I averaged about 60% hits with this revolver and its 4x scope. I plan on increasing the power of the scope for this pistol as the fine 17 HMR cartridge can use more power than jsut 4x!
I switch to the Ruger 10/22 next normally and I really put the whack on the over-abundant Gophers with this rig! The pups are long since up above ground and the shooting was next to non-stop! Except to reload of course! My friend does the spot and stalk off hand shooting method as he Hunts and he walks along with his bucket til he gets in the midst of several Gophers. He then he picks them of and picks them up as he moves along!
Normally next I switch to my wonderfully accurate 17 HMR heavy barreled Varminter! This rig is just a joy to shoot. I have a 15x Weaver KT-15 scope on it and the adjustable objective is set at 140 yards or so. I long ago installed a Volqhuartsen trigger sear and spring and the triiger is now at a wonderfully crisp 32 ounces. This 17 HMR is simply death on Gropund Squirrels especially when I am firing from the elevated position atop my canopy! This angle for firing at and looking down at sure helps in spotting and then hitting Gophers! I am sure it helps a lot in running up the Gophers brought to bag score! I did not need to use my wind gauge at all during the whole long midday shoot! I had my Leica Laser Rangefinder along though for doping the longer shots!
I made an exception today with my Ruger 77/17V in that I normally shoot just two boxes of shells (100 rounds) through it then put it away for the day or until I clean it. Today I ran 4 boxes of ammo (200 rounds) through the Ruger and noticed no detrimental effects on its accuracy! I just could not help myself!
I used to keep track of my 22 LR shots with my 10/22 by counting the boxes gone through - but I recently found a great Tupperware box that holds two 525 round Federal bulk boxes of ammo on one side of the box and on the other side (seperated by a divider) 8 Ruger 10/22 clips fit perfectly! So I will have to guess that I sent at least 400 rounds of 22 LR downrange at Varmints today! I am estimating 80% hits from this rig!
The temperature got to 62 degrees today and the lack of wind and bright sun made for just wonderful shooting conditions! The lack of Hawks, Eagles and Falcons in our chosen fields also helped keep the action non-stop! The Ground Squirrels head for cover a lot when birds of prey are in the skies!
During one of our field changes we ventured past some rocky outcroppings and sure enough the Rock Chucks were out! I set up across the hood of the VarmintMobile and I wedged the XR-100 into my large "X" type sandbag and made myself be patient and carefully squeezed the wonderful Remington 40X style trigger! The 32 grain Sierra just swooped that first Chuck up off the angled rock it was sunning on and sent him several feet backwards! The Leica in my shirt pocket had ranged it at 247 yards! I used a dead on hold! I was giddy with delight at this first showing on Chucks with my XR-100! There are not to many Chucks in this particular high valley but I decided to get after a few more before we got back to Gopher Hunting! I had a head and neck shot on what I thought was a large Boar Chuck and really took my time sighting in on him! I even added a Darrel Holland designed toe sand bag to the buttstock of my Rifle for a more rigid sight picture. I made it a point to not blink at the shot and sure enough the speedy 32 gr. Sierra made contact and I was then two for two on Chucks! I waited for several minutes hoping another Chuck would appear on this out cropping but it was not to be. Just as I was packing up though I noticed a funny looking "gold" spot on the next outcropping beyond where I had just been shooting. Sure enough it was a large Chuck and I had to decide whether to risk moving forward for a closer shot or shooting from there! I lasered the rock and it read 414 yards! I went into worry mode as I had not as yet (oversight!) made a trajectory table label for my MTM 204 cartridge box lid! My mind was racing through imaginary (in my mind!) trajectory tables. I decided to try the shot from there. I snuggled in and held just above the spine line of the laying flat out Chuck! This Remington trigger is just wonderful in my opinion and as it broke I noticed the Chuck break open and lay dead still right there -flagging its tail for a moment! I was just ecstatic with this shot and my trapper friend mentioned how impressed he was with the accuracy of my Rifle. I thanked him and kept scanning for more Chucks. Alas this was the last of the Chuckin for the day though. I did collect the two closer Chucks "for the bucket"!
I have a thick and plush Hunter brand pistol rug for my 8 3/8" barreled 17 HMR revolver and I carried it right beside me as we drove from spot to spot. It seemed that I was always reloading that six shooter and I am sure I went through close to 80 rounds with it today also.
I use the Remington 17 HMR V-Max type bullets in both my 17 HMR's and the lethality and explosiveness of these rounds on the Ground Squirrels was very impressive!
There was a competition Gopher Shoot today about 100 miles from where we were Hunting and I actually thought about heading down that way and showing off my friends buckets of Gophers! It would have been a hoot. At these Gopher fests the organizers sell tickets to the competitors and then divvy up the entry money and some prizes to the top shooters. In the last few years they had to insitute a rule to hamper the "cheaters" who shoot and then freeze the tails of the Gophers they shot ahead of time - so to speak. The organizers now do not tell the shooting contestants til the morning of the shoot what part of the Gopher they must gather to count on their score sheets! I have never shot in one of these events as I am usually over after Prairie Dogs when the Gopher fests are on.
I will find out next Monday who won the Gopher fest this year and if possible what armaments they were using!
I know if I were to pay to enter one of these contests I wouldn't even consider shooting anything but a 17 HMR of some type!
I dropped my friend off and his buckets of Gophers and turned toward home. Alas no Badgers were to be found for this day!
I did stop in several fields on the way home that I have permission to Hunt and picked off a bunch of the little Sage Rats at my leisure! I positioned the VarmintMobile directly upwind of one infested field and got on my high perch to get after them! I eventually lasered and shot 12 or 14 Ground Squirrels just at 200 yards among many others I shot. I really wanted to set a new personal best long range Gopher kill with my Ruger 77/17V. It did not take long til I tipped a large Ground Squirrel over at 218 yards! Then I shot a double at about 120 yards!
I became sated! But it was lingering in my mind to see what my Sierra 32's would do on a long range Ground Squirrel! The wind was beginning to puff now and I hurriedly got out the XR-100. I lasered a mound with several pups milling about on it at 255 yards! I waited til three of the pups were somewhat lined up and squeezed one off! In the dust and splatter I noticed two mangled Ground Squirrels spiralling into the air! I am not sure where the third one went or if it was hit at all! I had to get a hold of myself as I was shooting the 204! I desperately do not want to get in the habit of using centerfires on the legions of these little Varmints! I want to save my centerfire barrels for Prairie Dogs and Rock Chucks and such!
When I got back home the older VarmintSon was just returning from his own mini-Safari to his girlfriends parents ranch! He raved about the Ground Squirrel shooting over his way and I filled him in on my shoot as well.
Antelope fawns were everywhere and I was surprised we did not see any Coyotes in our travels. The folks around here have been getting after the Coyotes real well of late as prices are up and Hunting them is becoming popular with snowmobilers and Big Game Hunter types as well.
Now to get up the energy to clean some Rifles and load some more ammo for my newest 204.
Aaahhh Varminting in Montana - its simply sublime!
Long live the 204 - the 10/22 and the 17 HMR!
Wonderful Varminting tools all!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I have but one word for you - Envy.

Varmint Guy
Great post! Great weather this side of the Pacific and globe also. Just entering Winter here but our temps still warmer than yours at approx 75 degrees F. Spent the day trying to despatch clay targets as I am too far away from any decent hunting being amongst a large metro area.
I know this will seem like a stupid irritating question but could you clarify the difference between gophers and prairie dogs and ground squirrels for people on this side of the planet? I have seen rockchucks on my one tourist trip to the USA long ago. I drove to the top of Pike's Peak and remember seeing a number of large rock chucks. Are they edible?
APB

quote:

Originally posted by APB:
I know this will seem like a stupid irritating question but could you clarify the difference between gophers and prairie dogs and ground squirrels for people on this side of the planet?

Gophers and ground squirrels are one and the same. Their proper name is Richardson's ground squirrel, but everyone just calls them gophers. Praire Dogs are a ground dwelling rodent also, but are a different animal from the Richardson's ground squirrel. Perhaps someone else can chime in a describe a Prairie Dog.

I'd have to be awfully hungry to eat either one of them.

VG, I have got to get out there for a visit!!! What a fun day you must have had!! I put about 150 miles on the F-150 and ended up with 2 groundhogs and a crow for the day!!! HOWEVER I did have a young "varminteer"(Ruck, from here on the forums) and he got to show me his prowess with the 25-06 custom that was obtained from a member here by me for him!! He already has a 517 yard lasered kill with that 25-06!!!! He is impressed!!! I knew he would be!!! Just ask anybody who shoots a 25-06!!! The .204's didn't come out yesterday(nothing we shot was too far for them but we were dinking with other stuff!!) The 300SAUM pushing the 110 VMAXS at 3650 will absolutely annihlate a BIG varmint!!! I have one pictured (don't know how to post a pic here!!) that is the epitamy of "devastation" and "DRT" at the same time!!! He has a big leaf of planton still clutched in his teeth(DRT effect) and he is pretty much opened up from earbone to a..hole(devastation)!!! Too many folks over here and farms falling by the "let's grow houses instead of crops" wayside and I think the darn coyotes are doing their share of population reduction too!!! I need a place out west!!!! GHD

APB: Thanks for the kind words! I love to share my Hunts with others. I will give it a try on the description of our western U.S.A. Varmints! Prairie Dogs are larger than Ground Squirrels. Some Prairie Dogs weigh 4 pounds. The largest Ground Squirrels weigh about 1 pound. Ground Squirrels go by many many names here in the western United States (and Canada). Some people call them Sage Rats, Picket Pins, Furbies, Gophers (they are not a real Gopher at all - people just call them that) and some other names also. There are about 12 different species of Ground Squirrels and they originally lived in the short grass prairies and in the grassy areas between Sage Brush clumps and in many forests and mountain meadows where grass is prevalent enough to harvest and store underground! One interesting thing about our Ground Squirrels is they actually do a summer hibernation! Its called estavation and around August 1st (the hottest part of the year here) they begin this summer hibernation and stay underground through the fall and winter then they emerge again in the spring. Around April 10th in my area they re-emerge and begin gathering grass. In modern times now the Ground Squirrels infest cultivated fields and populate to amazingly high densities much much higher (per acre) than in the wild sage and prairies they originated in.
Prairie Dogs are like I say much larger and I have actually shot them in every month of the year here on the high plains. If the sun comes out (even on coldish days) the Prairie Dogs will come up above ground (above snow!) and scamper around!
In some places the Ground Squirrels and the Prairie Dogs overlap but these are rare places. Some Prairie Dog colonies are huge and cover hundreds and thousands of acres! I think there are 4 or 5 species of Prairie Dogs and they vary only in minor ways among species.
I wish I had the expertise to post a picture of each type creature for you and I will look into trying to find a way to post a picture for you of both of them.
The nearest Prairie Dogs to my home are 120 miles away but then they extend for many many hundreds of miles past there mostly east of me in Dillon, Montana (SW Montana - look me up on an atlas if you have one!) and to the south. But the Ground Squirrels extend way west of my home to the states of Orgeon, California, Washington and southern British Columbia. The Ground Squirrels also extend way south of me through Idaho, Utah and Nevada.
Both creatures feed on grass and store grass underground. They are prolific breeders and reproduce quickly if populations are harmed by plague or flooding or poisoning etc.
Both species make wonderful sport for Hunting. A man walking will scare down into its den an average type wary Prairie Dog at 150 yards or so. But an average type wary Ground Squirrel can be approached by a walking man to within 40 or 50 yards!
I try to use rimfires Rifles and pistols for the Ground Squirrels and mostly use centerfire Varmint Rifles and pistols on Prairie Dogs.
Many people use both types of ammo and arms for both types of Varmints.
Both Ground Squirrels and Prairie Dogs live in "colonies" and take safety from numbers of them being on watch. The colonies for unknown to me reasons are somewhat randomly placed over suitable terrain and I often wonder why some suitable terrain is devoid of both types of Varmints?
Both species are preyed upon by many birds of prey (Eagles, Hawks and Falcons) and predators like Coyotes, Fox, Bobcat and Badgers.
Humans get after both Varmint types in amazing numbers and yet they both type Varmints are doing pretty well here in the western United States.
I hope someone can post a picture of each for you or direct you to a spot where you can see them for yourself.
I got in some Ground Squirrel Hunting this morning and took about 100 in some great conditions then the rains hit and the Ground Squirrels went down for the day - they don't like to be above ground on rainy days. I have fired as many as 800 rimfire rounds in one day at Ground Squirrels and could have fired that many again if I had not become sated!
I have in day long sunrise to sunset Hunts for Prairie Dogs fired 800 rounds (during one day) on a couple of occassions. But these are rare anymore. First off I become sated at about 300 to 400 rounds of centerfire Prairie Doggin in a day anymore. And the Hunting of Prairie Dogs is becoming more and more popular and they are learning to be more and more wary of humans (stay in their dens longer when shooters are around!).
Hope this helps some. I will look for pictures ASAP.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Thanks very much VG.
I am much clearer now after your detailed explanation.
You don't seem to have any large populations of rabbits in your area?
From what I guess the jackrabbit is more similar to a hare which dwells on top of the ground?
Maybe GHD can chime in and explain a bit about groundhogs and their size and habits.
APB

http://www.varminter.com/

APB: I have enclosed a link to a Varmint Hunting site that shows pictures of Varmints from here in the U.S.A.!
I hope it will come through and I am going to sign off and check its performance before I write more.
I am back APB and the link seems to be working just fine. The photos in the top line of images include the Ground Squirrel (third from the left) and of the Priaire Dog (last on the top right). Click on the images for explanations and further descriptions. Hope this gives you a clearer image of some of our favorite Varmints here in North America.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

APB: In review I forgot to answer your inquiry on the Rabbit situation here in the high plains region of the Rocky Mountains. There are several species of Rabbits in this region and I have Hunted and bagged most all of them!
We have Cotton-tailed Rabbits that are smaller than the other species and are very good to eat. Not many people Hunt them here in Montana at all. I have 10 or 12 that live in my yard and are somewhat tame. Wild Cotton-tails are VERY speedy and can usually outrun and outturn Coyotes and Fox and my VarmintDog Henry the Chocolate Lab!
Jack Rabbits are dwellers of sage and short grass country. There are great numbers of them but again not many people Hunt them! They emerge from their hiding spots (usually at the base and shade of bushy sage brush or under rock ledges) at or near sundown and linger in feeding areas til just after dawn breaks. They then quickly rehide for the day! I Hunt them a lot and sometimes spotlight them at night. 10 or more in a Hunt is a very good days or evenings Hunt for me.
I have also taken a few Snowshoe Hares in my travels but do not actively and specifically Hunt these. They are rarer and usually live at higher elevations than our other Rabbits. I have seen these Rabbits in my yard though during snowy times of the year!
Both the Jack Rabbits and Cotton-tailed Rabbits have boom and bust population cycles. I am not sure about the Snowshoe Hares population cycles as they are not seen by me as often as the other Rabbits. The Snowshoe Hares will stand straight up on their rear haunches for a look around and remain "standing" for long periods of time. They come out during the day more often than other Rabbits as they are camoflaged well in their white coats - and times are tough in winters around here so I assume they are feeding during the better light of daytime. They are quite beautiful in their winter white coats and with their extra large feet.
Yeah lots of Rabbits around here but not to much interest Varmint Hunter wise.
These Rabbits are Hunted here with no license as they are considered Varmints and you may Hunt them year around and at night.
Again a good days Jack Rabbit Hunting for me is 6 or 8 Jacks and at nights sometimes I will shoot a few more.
The Fox and the Coyotes keep after the Rabbits on a full time basis and on occassion take them. But they miss a lot of them and the Owls take some Rabbits at night around here also.
So the Rabbits have it tough on several fronts but they again are prolific breeders. I just read on the link site I posted that Jack Rabbits become sexually mature at 2 or 3 months of age and have up to 3 litters per year!!
I hear Australia has large numbers of Rabbits in the "outback"?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Thanks again VG.
The site gave clear details of each varmint!
Our rabbit populations have been severely dented from a half century of a killer disease - myxamotosis [spelling not correct probably] plus about 10 yrs ago another virus was released called calici. This initially wiped out populations - 98% kills etc but now they seem to be building a resistance to calici with mortality rates now as low as 60%.
The numbers of rabbits pre WWII were incredible.
I have seen old photos of guys driving rabbits into netting fence corners and simply clubing them to death. Nothing like that today - the highest populations were often semi desert country but the calici is particularly effective in dry climates.
I actually travel to New Zealand towards the end of each Summer to shoot rabbits now [your cottontails] for a fortnight as well as some birdshooting. There are isolated spots with high numbers but nothing like your ground squirrel or PD numbers I assume.
We normally operate as a team of 4 with 2 shotgunners working the bottom of gullies and a rifleman on each slope above and slightly ahead. By using handheld UHF radios we keep everything safe and ensure the highest kill count possible.
I actually leave a 12ga semi auto and 10/22 over at a friends place now as it is too difficult to travel [and own] these firearms in Australia.
My centrefire is a .222 Imp in which I use 55gr VMax at 3550fps. The wind is the usual enemy of course.Because of the handloading I do travel with this rifle and 500rds each year. As I am attempting long range shots [for me and this equipment my best effort has been 409yds] I usually only shoot about 50rds per day.
Sometimes this is from a vehicle or walking the hills and shooting over my day pack.
APB

APB: Thanks for your posting and insights on the Rabbit situation down in your corner of the world! Those are very interesting comments on the disease situation with your Rabbits.
I feel bad about the arms ownership and the travel difficulties you all are experiencing down under! I hope the situation improves for you law abiding citizens!
That is a commendable shot there of 409 yards on the Cottontail! Good for you!
Many of us use the 50 and 55 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips here in the Rocky Mountains for much of our Varminting. They are an excellent bullet and perform consistently well over the years. I had occassion to get to the Nosler Factory in Bend Oregon last September. Unfortunately it was on a Saturday and the Factory was closed. But the fine sport shop that is part of the Nosler Company and at the same locale was open and I bought lots of reloading items (including blemished Ballistic Tips at greatly reduced prices!) and I bid on a couple of Rifles on their shelves. I hope to actually get to tour the factory next time I am down that away! Lots of Varmints in the region around the factory by the way. Coyotes, Bobcats, Badger, Ground Squirrels and Rock Chucks to name some of them.
Thanks again for the info
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

APB, Groundhogs found here in the eastern US are ground dwelling rodents(they dig dens and can create hazards in hay fields and pastures) and are not nearly as plentiful as the western varmint species that VG speaks of. Adult groundhogs usually are in the 7-10 pound range but they can be quite a bit heavier(21 pounds, 4 ounces is the largest one I've ever seen.....a friend shot that one with a 17 Remington back in 1976). They hibernate during the cold months(November-February) get active in March and April and the young are born late April-May. Finding large numbers of them in one location is a bit tough anymore! Farmers like to have them killed because of their excavating habits in hay fields and danger to the livestock from stepping in the holes they dig. A good day here in the east would be getting 12-15 groundhogs. A great day would be 20!! cottontail rabbits are the only rabbit species we have here in Virginia and they provide great sport when using "rabbit dogs".....Beagles! They can be fun to hunt using a good dog! We are limited to 6/day and the season is run from November 1-February 15 or so. GHD

GHD - thanks for your info. I have a reasonable handle on what you guys are talking about now.
Rabbits with dogs is productive. I guess you use shotguns with this method?
6 per day should not hold the population back???!!!
Not that the rabbits in New Zealand have populations like VG talks of PD colonies however we did have a day 3 years ago when 4 of us shot approx 1000 for the day.
Note this is all daylight shooting as well.
We went through 3 cases of 12ga on one gully which we ended up working over 3 times.
It was about a mile long and choked with thorn bush.
APB

APB, The predators here and the conflagration of developement have depleted the rabbits AND THE QUAIL(farming practices had a lot to do with the decimation of quail!!) I remember going hunting....quail hunting....with my daddy and a neighbor WITHOUT DOGS!!! We'd get up a covey or three in a day!! And rabbits were pretty plentiful also!! Not anymore!!! I remember the first whitetail deer I ever saw!! November 1963!!!! A Saturday AM! Walking aross Mr. Sinks land up near the cemetary!!! And the first turkey.....November 1972!!!! A big old long beard!!! BIG NEWS back then!!! Now deer need to be classified as VARMINTS!!!! Yes I hunt a good one on a few days a year......and after that it's LONG RANGE, RESEARCH ON EXPANSON CAPABILITIES OF BULLETS!!!! They are a nuisance!!! And turkeys.....the NWTF has done the deal in making turkeys plentiful!!! They are almost as bad as the deer when reaching up and pecking fruit on fruit trees(apples) or digging up seed(corn)!!!! And damn one of them when he walks across a "varmint field" and scares a groundhog back to the den when I was ready to make a 700 yard shot!!!
I had an old friend from England that told me about that "myxamatosis" dealin your country!!! His very words were, "That S.O.B. that introduced that disease ought to be killed himself!!!" And he said that with tears in his eyes and a quaking voice!!! The deer here in the eastern United States are headed for somewhat the same end!!! Not from man-made introduction of disease but nature's way of controlling the population!! "EHD" disease will raise it's ugly head before too much longer!!! I would love to come over to your country and visit!! Don't need to shoot anything while there, just visit and take pics and see how it is "down under"!!! Later!! GHD

GHD
Any info you need or if I can be of assistance please feel free to contact me via PM if you like.
What is "EHD" disease?
APB

Thanks for the posts guys! I want to try the tailgate over the canopy shooting position.
I hunt in E. Oregon a few times a year. It is a 6-7 hour drive and the weather is always a concern.

quote:

Originally posted by APB:
What is "EHD" disease?
APB

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).

Bad stuff, bad stuff.