gophers

[farmboy]

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]

All signs of Al Gore's global warming.

[JaDub]

Sako   X 2 !  8-)

[farmboy]

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

[gitano]

Wow!

Paul

[farmboy]

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]

Sounds like an infestation!

[gitano]

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]

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]

Take your camera when you get up early...

Paul

[farmboy]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[gitano]

Ouch!

And, don't believe all those stories about .17 HMRs being able to cut a Ram 1500 in half at 300 yards!

Paul

[farmboy]

I got a used mirror for 85 dollars and ten minutes too replace it . I think I might hang the old one by some deer heads on the wall. Lol!

[gitano]

I think I might hang the old one by some deer heads on the wall. Lol!

Paul

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Bit too photo free...

[davidlt89]

I have to agree with Joe, lets see some pictures my friend!!!
Shooting over 100 in a morning sure sounds fun!!! There was a member on here a long time ago that sent me a video tape of him and some buddies shooting prairie dogs. I could not believe my eyes, constant shooting!!!! sure looked like fun! God Bless.

[farmboy]

The real name for these critters is Richardson ground squirrel s in the right colony shooting a thousand in a day is not out of it. During the depression my father told me that his dad took him and his bother shooting every morning they each got a box of 22 shells they passed one single shot savage between them and had to hit 45 of fifty to get a box of shells the next day. He said they never shot more than fifty feet and they were shooting about as fast as they could pass the gun around. After a few years the population crashed from a disease and until recently there have been very few around here a sixty to seventy year wipe out.

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

You only posted the 'end' img code...

Take a look here...

[sakorick]

farmboy.......you are not posting pictures....suggest you look at j0e_bl0ggs tutorial....you are not pasting in the full img code. Regards, Rick.

[farmboy]

Steps one two and three I have got that simple I  just pasted each of the four different link options from photo bucket. It never works until I spend three hours writing it on paper and taking bits and pieces out of the paste I just hate trying to paste pictures on here as I can never make it work.

[farmboy]

[/URL][/IMG]

[farmboy]

Does that one work? It works for me but I had to remove a bunch of extra from the paste.

[farmboy]

On photo bucket I pick a image and hit the chain link icon I press the forth option am IMG for sharing on boards I tap and hold it only high lights one word I hit the select all icon then the copy icon. I paste that in the box from the forum follows joes first three steps and it always seams to double most of the link. ?

[gitano]

That picture works.

There is a simpler process. It takes one click of the mouse in Photobucket. I'll make a "movie" of it and post it in the Tutorial area.

Paul

PS - Let's make sure some things are crystal clear:
1) This is not a "burden" to the those of us offering assistance,
2) We WILL get you squared away on image posting until you are comfortable doing it,
3) Once you get the "hang of it" it will become second nature.
4) It's our "job" to help, first as human beings, and secondly as members of THL. This is a community forum. We are here to help one another, not to "help ourselves".

I'll give you a call tomorrow if your going to be around.

Paul

[davidlt89]

Thats what I'm talking about!!! God bless.

[farmboy]

I just find this so frustrating it is so simple yet there is some little thing I am doing wrong.

[farmboy]

[farmboy]

[farmboy]

I think I know what I have done wrong but it is now worse than it was. On photo bucket I picked the picture I touched the chain link button I picked the IMG share I touched the square button with the scissors button now it copies the link info over four times with some extra junk. PS thanks for the help sorry if I sound bad just frustrated!

[farmboy]

[/IMG]

[farmboy]

I had a young guy look at my photo bucket the settings there was an account setting about link back to profile that he unchecked seems to work now! Thank you Joe and Paul!

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Keep pics coming!

[gitano]

Glad to see you have the hang of it now. Don't think I actually "did" anything to facilitate that though. I'll still make 'movie' about the "one-click" copy from Photobucket.

Paul