Well, the sunburn has healed...the bank account not so much...but I'm back from my 2018/Alberta "gopher shoot"! The last trip like this was in 2016, and while I never expect conditions/gopher numbers to be the same....I don't think I could have imagined they'd be so different either. It wasn't entirely unexpected, as SW Alberta had a long/harsh winter that only left the ranches we shoot on barely 4 weeks before we got there. I'd gotten a few messages/calls from AB suggesting we maybe postpone the trip...but by that point, there wasn't any desire to attempt to undo everything we'd booked, pre-paid for, shipped out there, etc. Among the ranchers/locals we spoke to..the leading theory is that the melting snow simply drowned most of them and while my impression is that gophers are pretty resilient things...I have to believe that the ranchers know what they're talking about. Anyhow, in terms of ammo..I'd prepared for the #s we got in 2016 and as a result...let's just say there is plenty still out there for a future trip or two! Before I get ahead of myself, a few details on the participants..
Shooters~myself, and my 25 year old nephew. You decide who the young one is.
Travel~Toronto-Calgary
Destination~privately-owned ranches in the SW an SE parts of the province
Accommodation~Air BnB (gun friendly, I checked
)
My gopher slayers~CZ452 Varmint (YoDave trigger kit), .22LR using CCI Blazer 22 run through a Waltz die + Mossberg 500 "Persuader" 12ga.
My nephew's gopher slayer~my Marlin 917 (Rifle Basix trigger), 17HMR shooting Hornady 17gr.
Number of gophers shot~pure guesswork...we didn't keep track
Number of gophers we dressed, dredged in seasoned flour and fried? Memory is perfectly clear there. lol
So, even though this was my third gopher-specific trip…and the longest one…I’m reminded that allot of the photos I took in 2016 were during breaks in the shooting. This year, we spent so much more time looking for targets that taking photos was an afterthought. Actually, it was barely a thought at all…but it occurred to us that we ought to take SOME. I did fear the photos would have all been lost after my cell phone was stolen at the Calgary Airport on the trip back…but thankfully, I’d set-up iCloud at some point in the past and well…all the content of my 10 month old iPhone was recovered. Fascinating, right? lol
Anyhow, I'll start with the shotgun...THEN move to rimfire. One of the highlights of my previous trips was what we called "upland gopher shooting".
Walking in taller grass, listening for the squeaks of low-riding gophers...then sending an ounce or so of love their way. The odd one you'd only spot when it hit the throttle...so "wing" shots on running gophers was (naturally) more fun than a guy should be allowed to have! I got a bunch with the shotgun, but in hindsight...there weren't really enough gophers to really warrant the added expense of sending it out. I mean...there were...but we spent most of our time looking for longer shots with the rimfires. So, here is the token gopher/shotgun photo and as you can see...a load of #7-1/2 through a CYL choke barrel at any distance doesn't rearrange them. The large cloud of dust on impact had a very satisfying, overkill-ish feel to it though. =good times.
**So, this post will soon turn to some gooey photos so if you're at all squeamish, now's the time to hit the back button**
So the downside to finding WAY fewer gophers is that you're "hunting" more/shooting less. The PLUS side (especially as a visitor to Alberta) is that we got to see allot more OF the province. In southern Alberta, that invariably means a dizzying variety of birds at the very least...but we also saw mule deer almost daily, 3 elk on 1 occasion, a badger, coyotes, a few weasels...probably more that I can't remember at the moment. Once we'd adjusted to the pace and had shot maybe 100+ a day between us during the first few days..we decided to stretch things out a little.
In the interest of saving weight, I didn't bring my range finder...but in that photo above, we're well over 200 yards from the gopher mounds on that distant hill. I have what I think is a better guess, but I'm not inclined to argue about it/make anyone believe, etc. I will say though...between the distance, the constant wind and the nervous targets...hit percentage with the 22 wasn't the best. BUT, if a gopher gave me more than 4-5 chances...it would be sent to the gopher hole in the sky before long. Thankfully, they're patient targets. I'll add at this point~my nephew is already a steadier hand, a great shot, and has better eyes...so VERY few gophers escaped him running my 17HMR. Ridiculous hit percentage, and neither wind OR distance seemed to throw him off his game. If he missed owing to wind, he'd guesstimate the hold and be right on the money in the next shot or two.
OK...so the first, not-so-bad gopher photo showing my beloved CZ. The wind took that bullet a little to the right, and even though I had compensated for the wind..it was a glancing blow. Enough to "seal the deal" though.
OK...you've had time to hit the back button...
SO....unless anyone wants to see landscape photos, pretty Alberta sunsets...fuzzy/low-light photos of mule deer...that wraps-up the 2018 gopher report. Different in almost every way from our 2016 adventure, but a ton of fun nonetheless. As before, we had a great time visiting working ranches...talking to locals...eating allot of beef jerky with post-shoot beers and THIS time...hitting small butcher shops to buy some PRIMO Alberta steaks. ("PRIMO" is my description, not the grade
) Without launching into an "Alberta vs Ontario" discussion...I will say this; If you love steak, you owe it to yourself to visit Alberta. Don't get me wrong..you can get steaks EVERY bit as good here in Ontario, but it won't be something that cost $9 in a small-town butcher shop. Even then...until this trip, I'd never had a striploin steak I could literally cut with the edge of my fork...without even getting STARTED on the flavour.
Thanks for reading...I hope to post another gopher report at some point in the future. I'd say "2019", but with the numbers as low as we had...I think I'll see how next year unfolds...and rough-in some 2020 plans. Always good to have something to look forward to! As before, I barely need any reason to be in Alberta..I'm such a fan of the place, and the vast majority of the people I've met out there. So, while gopher #s weren't what we'd hoped..I have zero complaints. Outside of the phone thing.
Gopher Trip 2018~an Ontarian travels west again!
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