gophers

farmboy · June 11, 2015, 03:28:04 AM

The last three years the population has been exploding. Shooting hundreds of the little buggers this spring. The rabbit population is on the rise as well have hardly had any for years. Also I have a den with red foxes this year twenty years since I have seen any of them.

sakorick · June 11, 2015, 04:17:05 AM

All signs of Al Gore's global warming.

JaDub · June 11, 2015, 02:19:45 PM

Sako X 2 ! 8-)

farmboy · June 13, 2015, 07:05:37 AM

Bought a Henry frontier in 17 hmr got some cci a17 shells and have shot 75 gophers this morning.

gitano · June 13, 2015, 07:49:50 AM

Wow!

Paul

farmboy · June 13, 2015, 11:15:11 AM

The young neighbor came over with the .22. And he put on a clinic and we shot 75 more! Not trying to toot my own horn, but I got a double! *toot toot* I also got two weasels.

sakorick · June 13, 2015, 12:34:24 PM

Sounds like an infestation!

gitano · June 13, 2015, 01:26:05 PM

I'd probably leave the weasels alone as they kill the gophers. Unless of course one wanted the gophers 'protected' for 'personal use'.

Paul

farmboy · June 13, 2015, 07:53:07 PM

Yes I thought the weasels were gophers I was using the 22 with iron sights when I got them realised afterwards what they were. Left the red foxes they should get a bunch of them. The whole country is crawling with them. Seems to be a lot more wildlife around here than there has been for years. I got a dozen more tonight. Get up early and see if I can get a bunch more.

gitano · June 13, 2015, 09:14:23 PM

Take your camera when you get up early...

Paul

farmboy · June 14, 2015, 10:52:43 AM

Well they were not out very much this morning I still got a dozen of them funny animals one day they are out eating and sunning themselves other days just hang out underground. It has been interesting using the 17 hmr. The bullets come apart quickly as the big wound is on the surface. With less than a solid hit they seem to be able to get back to there hole something really common with a 22 lr. During this ammo shortage I found two 22 lr loads that I think are more lethal than any I have tried in the past. The first one is the Remington yellow jackets I have used them in the past but I have a 22 that will actually shoot a group with them. My marlin 39a shoots well with them. I am wondering if the microgrove rifling works better with yellow jackets. The nest was Winchester 333 and 235 bulk packs. The seem to open up better than most. I am not to sure how well the hmr will do on larger game but I am sure I will get the chance to find out. I have always thought that a 22 lr was limited on gophers and almost cruel on Jack rabbit s. The 22 mag seems to anchor the gophers better with non solid shots but the hmr does more damage with solid body shots. Neither one can hold a candle to a small center fire even the 22 k hornet I have totally outclassed both of these. There is no comparison to the 17 Remington. A those having fun with it. I have a hard time seeing gophers past 125 yards. With the 17 Remington you irrigate 160 acres with a good hit.

gitano · June 14, 2015, 11:08:46 AM

Your comments seem quite consistent with most reliable reports on the .17 HMR cartridge. I0've been told the following to my face: "I consistently kill foxes at 400-plus yards with my .17 HMR", and have read a few on-line "reports" of shooting coyotes "IN HALF" at 300 yd. Those kinds of stupidity PLUS (and more importantly) my personal, first-hand experience with it on feral cats at close range, make it a cartridge no longer in my "arsenal". The Marlin HMR I had is one of the few rifles I have EVER actually SOLD.

Light-weight, 'small around', bullets MUST have 'speed' to kill consistently, effectively, and humanely. The HMR has some speed, but it is also a TINY 'around' projectile with a small mass.

It sounds like good 'gopher medicine' out to 125-ish.

Paul

farmboy · June 14, 2015, 01:12:42 PM

What I think is funny about the hmr is how people tell you these incredible distances they are shooting big varmints at yet the writer's used to say a 17 Remington was only good for 150 yards kills. Now a smaller bullet going 1500 fps slower is good for 300 yards lol! And yes I thinking it is a good gopher gun but wonder how much more ground it can cover. I tend to pick large guns for the animals I am shooting. I find the 22 250 a great general purpose varmint round but I like the 6 mm Remington better in fact that is my favorite coyote rifle. I have never shot a coyote with a 243 but it should work about the same. The 6 mm are a bit big for gophers I have done that but I don't need that much noise. I don't save hides nor do I eat any varmints so meat and hide destruction does not bother me in fact I think it promotes humane kills. I shot a coyote in the head with a 22 lr at around twenty yards this spring and it was not an instant kill. The only reason I did that was it was too close to the sheep and goats. As I said before I think the 22 lr is limited on gophers. But the shells are cheap and the country is full of them this year. It does bother me when they crawl back to there hole. That is what I find interesting about the hmr is some of them crawl back to there hole that seems rare with the 22 mag. I have never seen that with a hornet 17 Remington a 223 a 22 250 nor a 6 mm. So I am thinking that the hmr will be limited to small animals only with me. Unless the sheep and goats need help and that is what I have in hand.

farmboy · June 14, 2015, 06:27:19 PM

I got about 115 more tonight. Took pictures of lots of them having trouble getting them on photobucket. It was interesting to see the gophers blowup more later after there stomachs were full. Made me think about the chapter in po ackleys book about the US army testing of wounding. Seemed to be just as they said more damage on a full stomach.

farmboy · June 17, 2015, 07:13:34 AM

Got a bunch more plus I got a ram 1500 no a kill on the ram but it needs a new mirror. Lol.