at war with gophers

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Hello fellow casters.Since I am new to these parts I Thought I would tell you a few things about myself. I live in Cherry valley ,Ca.I shoot at Inland Fish & Game with such fine folks as Buckshot and Jon K.I am 73 yrs. young and have been casting bullets since I was in my mid 20s.First with round ball then cartrige.I am currently loading black powder. Jon K sold me a hi-wall in 38-55 and thru in a hundred rounds of his loaded ammo.I started shooting in the buffalo match and did very well as long as the ammo lasted.I have been out of the money since I have started loading myself.Black powder is a pain to load. I don't like reloading at the best of times.I do it because I can't get Jon to load for me.I am constantly telling everyone in ear shot that all I want to do is pull the trigger.If I ever hit the lotto I am going to get me a sla---ah make that a hired man and have him do all such mundane tasks.If he doesn't do a good job I will cut back on his bread and water.I chose the name Gopher Slayer because I am at war with the little vermin.I live on 2& 1/2 acres and there must be hundreds living here with me.They are one of the lowest forms of life.I firmly believe they were liberal anti gun politicions in a former life and now they are condemed to live underground and away from all the joys of this world. I have come to the conclusion that the best way to rid the world of thes pests is with a garden hose hooked to the exaust of my old pick-up.

[Jon K]

Welcome aboard Glen.

Lots of good floks and good info here. You'll ge a lot of good tips, and maybe have a new outlook on casting & loading. I enjoy the casting and load development as much as the shooting, you get a real sense of accomplishment from the whole process.

Hope to get out to the range next week. I've been busy with the doctor, x-rays, and will see the Orthopedic surgeon Friday.

Jon

[Meatco1]

You make for a good read!!

Welcome,

Richard

[montana_charlie]

I've been at war with gophers long enough to start an arms race...

[handyrandyrc]

. I have come to the conclusion that the best way to rid the world of thes pests is with a garden hose hooked to the exaust of my old pick-up.

I feel for you, my friend. They completely destroyed my lawn, garden, beds, literally ANYTHING on my property. I was so tired of waking up to 2 foot fresh mounds of soil piled in the middle of my lawn. I fought the ******** for nearly two years before finally coming off conqueror.

I found someone that could come out with a "Rodenator" and blow the smithereens out of 'em. The nice thing about the Rodenator is that it collapses their dens and tunnels in the process, so the next ones to come along don't move in and take residence. It really destroyed my yard to get rid of them, as it's quite explosive, but it WORKED.

www.rodenator.com

I'm not affiliated with these guys, but I know their system WORKS. Propane and air get injected underground into their tunnel, and once things are filled up and the mixture is correct, they hit the BBQ igniter. BOOM! Sends dirt all over the yard flying 10-20 feet in the air, wherever the tunnel leads.

You ought to check out that website, and see if you can get someone in your area that has one to come out and eradicate them for ya.

[xyrth]

welcome!

I'm in temecula, didn't actually realize there were other people on here so close. We'll have to meet up @ inland some day :)

a few years back my mom's dog was the best answer to gophers, she loved chasing and eating them. combined with the traditional traps, my mom had hardly any issues.

also, i'm with jon -- loading, reloading, the non shooting stuff makes the hobby complete for me.

[handyrandyrc]

welcome!

I'm in temecula, didn't actually realize there were other people on here so close.

Xyrth, I used to live up the road in Murrietta, but that was long ago. Temecula is a beautiful place.

[madcaster]

Keep on hanging in there!You need plenty of .22 shells to get the job done!

[xyrth]

Xyrth, I used to live up the road in Murrietta, but that was long ago. Temecula is a beautiful place.

i like it. far enough away from the major cities to breath, close enough for any reason you need to go there.

where'd you move to?

[475/480]

Correct me if I am wrong but if you kill all the golfers they will put you in jail.

Sean

[Trailblazer]

I killed 8 gophers by body count this spring. We had a bumper crop this year. I shot them with an air rifle out my back door. I don't know how many more I hit that managed to crawl back down their holes to die. I really got into it. I would get buck fever and the whole deal! Fun!

[xyrth]

man, i want somewhere i can put my .22-250 w/36 grain varmint grenades to use ... sounds like i need to find me a gopher field :)

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Damm,Montana Charlie I didn't know what I was up against .From the picture you posted it looks like your gophers once belonged to the dreaded Waffen SS.I hope they don't migrate to southern CAL.Our son is in the Marines.I will have him procure me a helmont and body armour.I checked into the rodenator.It was 2 grand to buy and if he came out it would cost about 800 bucks.OUCH.If any of you live any where close come on over to Inland Fish and Game.A group of us shoot each tuesday.We would love to have your company .Cast boolits only of course.

[DLCTEX]

I am with you on the war on gophers. For the past 18 years here I have fought the little beasts with guns, poisons and traps. I wanted to try anhydrous amonia (fertilizer) released into their dens, but due to the meth manufacturers I can't get it in the relatively small amounts needed. They have tunneled under my house extensively, so I'm not going to blow them up with propane. This week I was talking with a lady who has eliminated them from her yard and garden using exhaust from vehicles. I am collecting the things I need to hook up and gas the little beggers. I do not shoot badgers, we need more of them. My battle will never end as I am surrounded by thousands of acres of pasture and CRP. By the way, the only way to get a shot at one is to catch him pushing dirt out as he extends his living quarters, or by digging to uncover the tunnel, and then waiting for him to come to plug out the fresh air and sunshine, as they never come to the surface for any other reason. DALE BTW, Montana Charlie, is that a gopher or a prarie dog. Looks more like a prarie dog, our gophers are butt ugly.

[Bigjohn]

Damn it! I wanted to post a video or two of possible solutions. Anyone know where I can host them; other than on youtube?

John

[Bigjohn]

I've tried posting them at photobucket; let's see what happens. [smilie=1:

http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh305/John7591/video/?action=view&current=Gatling.flv

http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh305/John7591/video/?action=view&current=minimachine.flv

NOW, let's up the ante on them pesky varmits..............:Fire:

John

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I have managed to shoot several of the vermin since I moved here.I used a German single shot pistol in 22cal. with a smooth bore.I used shot rounds.They only have number 12 shot but 3 of those little pellets thru the head was instant death.Believe it or not it is against federal law to own such a weapon so I sold it.Now if I had that weapon that John has in South Eastern Austrailia I could lay waste to an intire colony.Better yet send me that cat.Now thats a feline I could grow to love.I could lay on the couch an let him have all the fun.

[Bigjohn]

The cats had it's TRG confiscated; too many of the neighbours dogs were dying on my front lawn mid po_______op. :)
John

[montana_charlie]

If you have a gopher problem that you want to cure with .22 shells, you have to get with it in the early spring.
As soon as the weather warms enough for them to start coming out, it's the females that you will see. They are busy setting up housekeeping, and will be quite active. If you pop every one you see, there will be little for the males to hang around for when they start coming out and looking for love.

If you don't take out the females, then comes the time when you see the buggers chasing each other around. You are too late to control the crop for that year. The best you can do is thin 'em out at every opportunity, but you'll never get shots at all of them...or even most of them.

However, you CAN clean out a particular den. Note the location of an active one, and check it anytime it's warm but not too hot - and the wind is light or calm. Pick a comfortable place to wait and knock 'em off as they come out.
I killed fifty-one in ninety minutes while sitting against a single fence post one afternoon. They were chasing each other in twos and threes, and never paid any attention to me, at all.

Of course, you have to make each shot count. After a gopher has been shot at a few times, he gets pretty cagey...
CM

[Duckiller]

Bigjohn; your gopher killer devices can't be legal in California. Looks like too much fun.

[robertbank]

You guys take me back to my youth in Edmonton, Alberta.
Now then here is what you do. First get yourself a WW1 bayonet (1957 98 cents Cdn. now $200+). Get a pail. Fill pail up with water from a local slough (ok sloughs are tough to come by so tap water will do) and pour down gopher hole. When the little bugger comes up for air you spear them with said bayonet. Now then if you really want to get at it right after you pour the water down the hole put a loop of string around the hole and when the gopher comes up you snare him/her.

I think my record for one day was over 80!

Take Care

Bob
ps Yes I lost or gave away the bayonets long ago and before somebody decided they were worth more that 98 cents.

I think my record for one day was around 80.

[9.3X62AL]

Glen--

Good to see you here, sir! NO KIDDING about the gophers and ground squirrels tearing up and eating anything planted, simultaneously ignoring weeds and tumbleweeds completely. I lost count of how many I shot this year before moving out of Cherry Valley in mid-July. You can't kill them fast enough. I always wanted to live someplace where I could hunt from my porch or open garage.........all I can say is, be careful what you wish for.

The move to Ridgecrest showed a new order of vermin to be present--like all desert environments, Argentine ants are a PITA, and I whacked one scorpion in the garage a couple days ago. A manageable level of infestation, so far. I had an exterminator NUKE the ants before we even moved in, so they are staying low and keeping dark. Hot as it gets, it's a good idea to wear shoes at all times in the desert, and to make sure each shoe or boot is unoccupied before putting it on your foot.

ETA--I should note at this juncture that Glen is the same party who competes with Buckshot for my dollar each week in the Burrito Shoot. Both are EXCELLENT offhand rifle shots, and the few wins that I've accrued over the years occur only when the two of them have very bad days and I have an excellent day--or they feel indulgent and throw me a bone.

[DLCTEX]

You guys have a different gopher than we have in Texas. The variety we have spends it's entire life underground, eating, breeding and pooping there. If you ever get a shot at one it's a quick snapshot as it pushes dirt to the surface, maybe a one second window for a shot. More like a mole, which we also have. DALE

[Boerrancher]

Here is one for you all. I not only have Moles, Gophers, Armadillos, and ground hogs(woodchucks) to defend my garden from, I now have the local coyote population coming up and stealing my squash and other veggies as well. I never thought coyotes would bother a garden, until the other morning around 8am I looked out the patio door to find the goats all in the upper end of the pen, and the chickens all up near the house. I saw something move down in the garden, which is a bit over 120 yds from the house. Upon closer inspection it was a coyote and it had one of my squash in its mouth. It trotted out into the open and starting eating the yellow squash it had stolen. I grabbed my 25-20, and the only ammo I had handy was a couple of factory rounds sitting on the mantle of the fire place next to the door. I wasn't worried about the rifle not being zeroed with the ammo because I knew the critter would run when I opened the door. Wrong, it looked up and me and continued eating. I put the cross hairs at the top of it's back, and pulled the trigger. At 130 yds the factory ammo was about 18 to 20 in low and it hit between its feet. Then it took off. My Great Pyer, had been working all night had already crashed for the day. What am I gong to have to do, hire a private army to keep the critters out of my garden? :confused:

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[montana_charlie]

You guys have a different gopher than we have in Texas.
The fuzzy-buggers we call gophers are Richardson's Ground Squirrels.

I now have the local coyote population coming up and stealing my squash and other veggies as well.
Vegetarian coyotes!
There must a strong left-wing liberal influence in Missouri...

CM

[Slowpoke]

"What am I gong to have to do, hire a private army to keep the critters out of my garden?

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe"

One hot wire about 12 inches of the ground will work.

I know in the SW it is rare to find a coyote dropping that doesn't contain at least 50% vegetable matter, mesquite beans, Juniper berries, Manzenita berries, prickly pear fruit, Saghuro fruit.

In Ag area's I have seen coyotes that looked pregnant from gorging on pecans, melons, squash, couldn't hardly run.

good luck

[DLCTEX]

Coyotes love watermelon and cantelope, as well as wild plums, blackberries, apples, etc. +1 on the hot wire, that's the only way we could keep them away. I run one at 12" for coyotes and coons, and one at 4" for rabbits and skunks. DALE

[LAcaster]

Hire Carl the greens keeper

[Buckshot]

.............My grandfather used to gas them, similar to Gopher Slayer. They had orange groves and to the west of their front yard (which was of considerable size) was an irrigation weir box. He'd mounted a 5 hp Briggs on an old wheelbarrow frame and a swiming pool pump. He'd toss a suction hose in the weir and the dischage side to the sprinkler hose. The sprinkler was one of those tractor deals that followed the hose.

On the engine's exhaust he'd hooked up some steel flex hose. It might have even been electrical flex. It's been a lot of years since them :-). The end of the flex was put in a gopher hole and covered. After not too many hours there'd be a gray haze hanging a foot or so off the lawn.

When we lived out in San Timoteo Canyon our main problem was ground squirrels. We were pretty much surrounded on 3 sides by oat fields, and some gophers did make a foray into our front yard, for the few years we actually HAD a front yard. Our water came from a well and I just couldn't see fooling with a lawn in front anyway, so gave it up. Since the ground squirrels would come up onto the deck and steal the wife's plant bulbs, she had no qualms in my slaying them in wholesale lots. Since we had horses and the attendant grain and water we also had plenty of the heathens.

...................Buckshot

[blackthorn]

MAN, this thread brings back memories of growing up on a farm in south-central Manitoba. Gophers and stripped ground squirrels were abundant and we got two cents a tail bounty. .22 shorts were fifty cents a box and I had dad's old Winchester rabbit gun. It was so old the extractor was worn off and the empties had to be removed with a pocket knife. The rifle had been broken and the stock was wired together using that old soft stove-pipe wire so the gun had a hair trigger and I was sternly warned never to use anything other than shorts in it. I spent hours and hours shooting gophers in the hot sun every summer. Later I was given a Savage single shot .22 (that I still have) and I found that you don't lose as many down the holes if you shoot them with hollow points! Great memories!

[Cactus Farmer]

Vegetarian coyotes!
There must a strong left-wing liberal influence in Missouri...

CM

Bwaaaaaaaaaaa, now I can clean up my screen. Hard to see thru coffee and sweet roll~:coffee:

[Old Ironsights]

Why mess around? Blow the buggers up. Get a Rodenator.

http://www.rodenator.com/videos.htm :twisted:

[The Double D]

Gophers cost me a bunch of money every year. I shoot 3500 rounds of 17 HM2 and the wife shot 2500 rounds .22 LR this year.

Gonna cast up a pile bullets for the .218 Mashburn Bee for next year. Living in town now gophers are no longer a pest, just recreation.

[Dave Berryhill]

Hire Carl the greens keeper

LOL! I was waiting for someone to suggest that!
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Yh29IKPtL._SS500_.jpg