nearing end of California Ground Squirrel season

A

AirRifleGuy

New member
My neighbor and I went to a nearby filbert orchard that I've shot in for one year this September and didn't see any GS in a 1.5 hour walk. They were starting to stay down more about this time last year too- it seemed.

I've whittled them down but not out. They are hard to remove completely even on a 25acre parcel. I hate to admit how many times I have been there but still (usually) see six, shoot at two, and get one or two.

Side Note:
Here's the best sage rat I hunting spot I'll probably ever have but I did secure a 960 acre sage rat for next spring but I haven't seen it yet. Got this guy with my favorite pcp shooting a mere 21gr domed pellet at around 800fps. I like seeing the puff of dust on their bad side.
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A few months back you wrote -

"I use the internet to locate likely places, roads with access, street addresses, and phone numbers to get my hunts.

A guide to doing this is available through me for $17.95.

John "

Based on the number of shots you got I would say the $17.95 would have been a poor investment. But thats just me. I'll let you shoot all the pds you want for free and can assure you that you will get as many shots as you care to take.
 
I'd love to take you up on that PD offer but I am a bit of a cave dweller(stay at home guy) because of two great dogs, a nice house and neighborhood! The internet guide was really a joke and I would NEVER pay for anything I can do myself.

I do seriously have a couple of cool tricks for locating properties that will seem obvious after seeing them and I'd gladly share since we're not competing for the same turf.

The 960 acre place was gotten from a dairy that also grows alfalfa in Eastern Oregon and I got that by driving up and asking permission to help get rid of pigeon- the old fashioned way worked well.

John
 
I honestly stumble on to places to shoot just by being there. Last May while me and a fellow forum member were out shooting pds with abandon, a landowner we never met came by my sisters place and ask her if we would shoot his place (4000 acres) when we had time. Never got there yet...maybe Friday.

PS - I'm not nearly 'covert' enough to shoot pds with a pellet rifle. And based on my many hundreds of squirrel encounters with my pellet rifle I have an effective range of 15 yds....tops.
 
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I was LUCKY(!) to find my first sage rat hunt in the picture above. Those rats were retarded- I swear. I had a hundred sub 50 yard shots by noon.

The ones I saw in Christmas Valley, OR were MUCH more wary and I actually had to wait them out and could only, because I do love my wife and dogs, stay for an hour.

I went "goofy" with spending on my pellet rifles to get some range. I wake up, and go to sleep thinking about my next hunt or shoot.

The Calif ground squirrel, at least in the two places I shoot them, require a bit of stealth to get close enough. They are very wary. There are two of the bastards that I swear know the sound of my footstep and have eluded me for a long time. I can't shoot across the road or towards the road and they have ME pinned.

John
 
Apparently your pellet guns have a much more effective range than mine.
rodent inside 15 yds are dead meat with mine

between 15-25 yds. I just really piss them off

between 25-30 yds. light bruising, minor flinch

beyond that they frolick and play.

Besides I miss out on the violent effects of a high speed copper clad projectile slamming into their frail bodies.
 
I sure got the bug for pellet rifles and have no "buyer's remorse" but I still want guns that reach out, mist bricks, and require doubling up on hearing protection.

Here are the projectile options for a typical PCP pellet gun:
1) domed
2) domed
3) domed

Here's my favorite .22 that usually wears a lightweight aluminum stock.
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Quote:
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Quote:
nearing end of California Ground Squirrel season



That's not a California Ground Squirrel (aka Beechy Ground Squirrel). The little guy you have in that picture is a Belding Ground Squirrel.

There's no "season" on either one in CA.
 
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