Looking for opportunitys to hunt/pest control gophers

[DireWolf]

Noob hunter looking for some opportunities to hunt gophers, I did it once and loved it. I was hoping to find a patch around Calgary that needs to be thinned out.

[270person]

[sns2]

I totally understand why you would ask, however it’s worth reading why the previous poster put out a popcorn emoji.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=411883

[-JR-]

Hope you find many fields of gophers to shoot ,let us know how you made out

[tullfan]

Me too please. Just honey holes, no junky fields if you wouldn’t mind.
Lol.

Tullfan

[-JR-]

Years ago on A/O there was a posting of a farmer in Sask. that had hundreds of gophers and he wanted everyone to come out too see who could shoot the most gophers and there would be prizes .. I guess it was cancelled because some one could get shot.
The next following month I decide to go visit my sisters farm in Sask. to shoot her gophers . Maybe I nocked down 20 .
She made a call to her nabber that had some ,so i went there .
The old farmer started to tell me when I got out there , that he had so many gophers that he was going to have a contest to see who could shot the most, but decided to cancel just incase some one got shot..
Wow ! What was the chance of me hitting that farm that was posted on here .
This is my story of the greatest hunt ever .
I shot non stop for two days with my browning 22 lever action with a scope .
These gophers were in a dip in the ground like a bowl.about 50 yards wide and 200 yards long . I think i shot two bricks off so 1000 rounds . I just moved my truck twice from one side to the other .The second day i just came by to shot the odd one that did not come out . I got them all !
Been looking for a field like that for years now . Still looking .

[crazy_davey]

What’s a nabber?

[Dmay]

Originally Posted by crazy_davey

What’s a nabber?

Must be a greedy guy in Saskatchewan. Soon as you offer them prizes there's a chance of somebody gettin' shot.........

[-JR-]

Originally Posted by crazy_davey

What’s a nabber?

neighbour

[-JR-]

Originally Posted by Dmay

Must be a greedy guy in Saskatchewan. Soon as you offer them prizes there's a chance of somebody gettin' shot.........

I would think if over 100 people would show up in a small field and shooting in every direction anything could happen.

I believe the 1st,2nd and 3rd prizes came from the entry money .

[Dmay]

Years ago a local club, which doesn't exist anymore, would have a gopher shoot annually. Participants would go in teams of two and shoot wherever they had permission, seldom were any two teams close to each other. Gophers would all be brought back to a central location for counting.....which was a slightly gruesome task after a full day in the summer sun. Usually was some good prizes, I remember a firearm as first place several times.

[bcrams]

Don’t know why more farmers are not allowing people on their fields to shoot gophers as long as they walk on and respect in which direction they are shooting. Gophers can do horrific damage to crops, especially canola.
Some time ago, the farmers would supply us with all the ammunition we needed to get the job done

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by bcrams

Don’t know why more farmers are not allowing people on their fields to shoot gophers as long as they walk on and respect in which direction they are shooting. Gophers can do horrific damage to crops, especially canola.
Some time ago, the farmers would supply us with all the ammunition we needed to get the job done

The reason is quite simple.

The half wit, moronic, mouth breathing, self centred, call of duty types, simply gave the landowners grief in the past, therefore we all pay the piper.

Organic knowledge and experience is scarce quality in too many shooters/hunters it seems.
Many landowners only feel comfortable with shooters/hunters they have some sort more intimate type of relationship with, because of the above issues.

The risks are too far reaching for the landowners liking.

[wwbirds]

We have allowed and encouraged gopher shooting to known shooters for many years (mostly bird and dog clients). In years where there are plentiful gophers (and often they are visible from the road) we have accomodated a few people that came to the door to ask permission. In almost all cases these walk ons were never invited back due to safety or legal violations.

[tikka250]

Originally Posted by Dick284

The reason is quite simple.

The half wit, moronic, mouth breathing, self centred, call of duty types, simply gave the landowners grief in the past, therefore we all pay the piper.

Organic knowledge and experience is scarce quality in too many shooters/hunters it seems.
Many landowners only feel comfortable with shooters/hunters they have some sort more intimate type of relationship with, because of the above issues.

The risks are too far reaching for the landowners liking.

Prime example of this was a while back I visited relatives in calg and tried to find somewhere to shoot gophers with my cousins. One gentleman flat out told me "I don't let people from the city out here to shoot!" Upon explaining I worked on a ranch in the country "oh ok well in that case there's a sheep pasture over there you can go. Just be careful if the sheep and dogs"
He went on to tell me that so far any door knockers from the city he let on caused issues one way or the other so he doesn't let them on anymore.

[Big Sky]

I've had a few lingering looks from some of the farm ladies but the day I have to have an intimate type of relationship with a farmer in order to shoot gophers is the day I hang up the 22.

[Greatwest]

Originally Posted by Big Sky

I've had a few lingering looks from some of the farm ladies but the day I have to have an intimate type of relationship with a farmer in order to shoot gophers is the day I hang up the 22.

FYI. The cows and heifers don’t classify as farm ladies. Just saying.

[Big Sky]

Originally Posted by Greatwest

FYI. The cows and heifers don’t classify as farm ladies. Just saying.

Tell that to the 'cowpokes'.

[roper1]

Someone mentioned something about being careful in the sheep pasture.....

[270person]

Originally Posted by roper1

Someone mentioned something about being careful in the sheep pasture.....

In your case it was probably one of the sheep.

[big zeke]

Originally Posted by 270person

In your case it was probably one of the sheep.

A friend told me...

You just have to allow time in your schedule, some like to cuddle afterwards.

Like I say, a friend