New digs

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Well, after fourteen years we have moved to smaller digs. The lawn mowing and gophers finally wore us down. I will have to admit, having two and a half acres to store and cast lead without nosey neighbors was nice. It got to the point however where we were working at least two days a week either mowing grass or fixing sprinklers. I ran up the white flag in my war against gophers. They are probably throwing a party right now. I don't know how casting lead it will go in a senior comunnity but I am going to try. I am attaching pictures of the old and new places. Take note, at the new place there is not one blade of grass,only pink rocks. For the first time in over forty years, I don't own a lawn mower . We are living in the same town, only street name changed.

[secondshooter]

With those 2 spare days a week you can get out and enjoy a bit more shooting!

[mold maker]

It's not the other seniors, that will cause you casting grief. It's their kids, and grand kids.
Most of us older folks, know how to "mind our own".
Glad ya found a less demanding life style.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

I live smack dab in the middle of town.... Center St. I smelt my lead at night when it is too cold or hot, to have the neighbors windows open. It works great. That smoke from smelting smells very bad and I don't think I would like it if my neighbor smoked me out. You'll figure something out that will work.

[Bloodman14]

Kids and grandkids? That may be an opportunity to introduce a new generation! Proceed cautiously, however.

[Down South]

Congrats on the new diggs. I can relate on the grass mowing. I'm mowing 3 acres now. It was five acres but I hired out grass cutting on two acres that I own that are 30 miles from the house.

[Trey45]

Less work around the yard is always a good thing. What's behind the house? Can you shoot back there?

[troyboy]

Puts a new light on your user name. I can not imagine what a chore it must have been to pack and move after all those years. Less is better. Nice house.

[canyon-ghost]

Two and a half acres? You're a tough man!

[Cherokee]

I'm still mowing 3 acres around the house. We are surrounded by woods and the neighbors are of no concern to me. Brought in some cleaning help for my wife but the mowing dosen't bother me, at least yet. We are 70 yo now and plan to stay here as long as we can. Enjoy your new diggs and I'm sure you'll figger out a way to keep the casting going.

[HollowPoint]

When I first moved into my home I would tend my yard methodically. Now after nearly 20 years of doing so I just let the grass die out so I don't have to mow it.

When the grass dies out it turns a shade of yellow that matches the paint of my house so it kind of looks color coordinated; or so I lead myself to believe.

I still own a lawn mower. It's a lonely dust covered little lawn mower though.

OK, I still water the tree in my front yard; sometimes. (the one that hasn't died)

Peaceful looking "Digs" you have there GOPHER SLAYER. Looks like you made a wise move.

HollowPoint

[10x]

I really do not care what my lawn looks like. Nor do I mow it that often. Nor do I care what the neighbors think. In a few years we will have new neighbors,
You never get back the time spent mowing your lawn.

[JeffinNZ]

You should have said about the gophers and I would have sent some 1080 poison. Our Dept of "Conservation" spreads it around with gay abandoned.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

While the hill behind our new home would make a great back stop for shooting , it is verboten. I think I spelled that right. No matter. For one thing , it is deemed a high fire hazard area. I found out from neighbors that black bear frequently come down the hill and raid the trash barrels. This happens most often in winter when their food supply runs low. I am not even sure thet the local bear population hibernate. I hope I never encounter one when I am putting out the trash. To answer the question about gophers at the old place. We tried the poison sold by a govt. agency, I don't remember which one. It seemed to have little effect on the critters. I found thru experience that the most effective way to kill them was with carbon monoxide from the tail pipe of my old pickup truck. I had an adapter that enabled me to attach a garden hose to the pipe and shove it down the gopher hole. It only took minutes to snuff the pests. They have small lungs so one good whiff is enough. I went to the range today with Buckshot and two other friends. The first day of shooting in a very long time, because of the move. It was a nice day for shooting and of course that braought out lots of shooters. The best range was full so we had to use the open one, that is no cover. I soaked a cloth in water and put it under my hat. It helped keep my brains from cooking. When we gat back to Buckshot's house I put all my gear in my car and started home. My dash thermometer said it was 103 degrees.

[9.3X62AL]

Glen--

I manage to keep casting and reloading in a condo. Just gotta change gears a bit, downsize a little.

[Buckshot]

I found thru experience that the most effective way to kill them was with carbon monoxide from the tail pipe of my old pickup truck. I had an adapter that enabled me to attach a garden hose to the pipe and shove it down the gopher hole.

.............. My grandparents had orange groves and for gophers in the groves grandpa used the Mc Gaffee (I think they're called) mechanical traps, attached with light chain to a stake. Since it required digging to put the trap in a 'run', he did what you did for those that got into the yard. They had a beautiful front and side yard of St Augustine grass. To water it he had a 5hp B&S gas engine and an old swimming pool pump on a wheelbarrow frame. He'd drop the suction hose into the weir box and the discharge hose to one of those tractor sprinklers that follow the hose. Via electrical flex conduit the engine's exhaust would be stuck into a gopher hole, and then stoppered with dirt. After running a couple hours (they had a BIG lawn) there'd be a gray haze hanging a foot off the lawn [smilie=l: Killed'em dead, dead, & dead!

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

[Freightman]

I run a lawn mowing part time business, because the economy is so good (right) so I can buy my wife's medicine, but at 72 and counting this will be the last year. Looking forward to a couple of days extra, sure wish November would hurry up no more grass and deer season starts.
This is the first year that the heat has bothered me (we have set all the heat records) and my wife said we can get by, so by by lawn mowing for others, and my lawn takes 30 min a week. I have never seen a gopher so do not have that problem.