Yup, thanks for the great story from out in the field. Sadly, while I'll have a trusty single shot 22lr or two along, I finally decided to cobble up a truck gun semi auto for spring gophers. I used to eat them by the bushel until I found out they were high in cholesterol. Ah, the good ole days from last spring. Maybe, I'll drag a single shot out for winter coyotes and see if I can get a poke at one fairly close up, but I'll probably have a bolt rifle near by.

If youra gonna eat em, ya havta shoot them skinny ones -- more sporting and better test of your rifle and ammo. Kinda like little grass-fed beefs. 

calledflyer wrote on Jan 8^th, 2020 at 4:27pm:


Anyone can go out and kill ten thousand with a new fangled repeating rifle. A true sportsman takes just one with a obsolete single shot, with obsolete scope  chambered in an under powered obsolete caliber. Uses black powder and does it with one shot. I'll never forget it. It was a chance of a lifetime for me. As I've already said, the memories, I get a little misty. Brings back memories of my old shootin pard, Chuck.  Dang!

Travel to matches all over the country for thirty years with a shooting buddy, you hear the same story many many times.  Ole Chuck will forgive me. 

Thread has been edited and posts removed due to rule violations. 

1/22/20
Posts removed as being off topic.

MI-shooter

My uncle owned a 160 acre combination dairy farm and also planted corn for people as well as the cows and hay. I asked him one year if it would be ok to come up and shoot some wood chucks. Ok bring plenty of ammo was his reply. Was staying with another aunt and asked if I could stay with her when I came up. Ok on that one. Had a little Rem 788 in 222. Extremely accurate with IMR 4198,Rem brass,rem 7.5 copper primers and a Sierra 53 grain hollow point. Called everyone to let them know I was coming and brought some extra food so my aunt wouldn't have to spend extra. Stop off at the aunts place gave her the food and over to my uncles. He hated wood chucks a with a passion and a cow can break a leg stepping into a chuck hole.Then has to kill it and butcher them. get out in the field by the barn. Big hole. Decide to find a spot and dummy down. Sitting there for an hour when finally up pops MR. Wood chuck. he senses something wrong back down the hold. Does this twice more. My uncle is coming with his tractor a I follow along side to hopefully fool the chuck.  About 1/2 hour up he pops. Boob was like watching a bag of jelley slide back down the hole. This went on all day. 10 critters met their maker. And for my uncle, brand new Stevens 340 in 222. He made a saddle leather scabbard and that stevens went with him. Came back the next day and got 9 more. One of his buddies became curious about the gunshots so we told him we were shooting wood chucks. Don't get me wrong as there was plenty of misses. Funny thing one guy called my uncle to see if I'd come over his place to shoot chucks. wasn't in the cards as had to be back to work in 3 days. Total was 100 wood chucks. Those days are long gone now. My uncle never lost a cow due to a broken leg that whole summer. Sorry for the long story. All of the aunts and uncles are long gone so just the cousins are left. Frank

I would never doubt the truth of Joe's story. The only question I have is where would a 12 pound prairie dog rank in the Boone and Crockett records? Must be pretty near the top!

JS

Don't know how this one would rank, but one of the golf courses over in Reno has some that are about twice the size.

rkba2nd wrote on Feb 17^th, 2020 at 11:10pm:


Obviously you've not hunted trophy Prairie Dogs in Colorado. 

Correction, 12 pounds 111 grains.

Slept in a caboose near Weed a couple times. Wonderful country there. Passed through many many times. 

16 pounds. A whopper I think? 

calledflyer - Probably someone somewhere, but I thought it was bigger than average, so drove to the town of Mt. Shasta where my grandparents lived, and where I slept in my grandfathers plumbing shop, and weighed it on a scale of a friend of his, who owned the grocery store across the street. I was told that I had to put it in a plastic bag first. In all fairness, I didn't subtract the weight of the bag. I must also add, that none of the patron witnesses were  impressed, and I am sure weighed their produce on another scale. Later that day, in the Veterans Club, I was treated to a few backslaps and beers from gramp's pals. News travels fast in a small town.

I TOO SHOT THOSE SAME p-DOGS...THEY WERE A SUB SPECIES WHITE TAILED p-DOGS......ENDANGERED AT THE TIME..WONDERED WHY THEY WERE SO STUPID BUT HAMMERED THEM REAL WELL I RAN CAT DOWN THERE AND KEPT AT THIS EASY TO GET P-DOGS WITH ZERO PRESSURE TILL I LEARNED THEY WERE PROTECTED!!!!!!!! LATER BACK HOME I RAN ADDS IN bp CARTRIDGE NEWS FOR bpcr P-DOG HUNTS AND NOT ONE SOUL EVER CALLED OR E-MAILED ME SO VERY SADLY I CLOSED THAT PART OF GUIDING DOWN...…...

Nice shootin GT!  You got a whopper! When you do something you really follow through. 

Sig, I bought a range finder off fleabay today. Been wanting one for a long long time. The price of a Sig cuts perty deep in my wallet so opted for this model. Can get by with it till I save up enough money for a fancy range finder. Those Sigs are nice.

I got the 300 foot model. Two pulls and I'm at 200 yards.  Bout 32 bucks.

Funny how they clutch their chest like that. You must have hit him square.

Great picture Greg, that ground cover doesn't look too grown over so far. Beaut of a rifle, you should have picked something that was a little tougher to swing out of the truck window, give the little critters a decent chance.

Gods country........

I'm better off with a tape measure. Big dog makes me get buck fever so bad my legs won't work and I babble and fumble. Saturday I set off my Pacific trying to decock it during the hunter match. Best I not drop a Sig.

No range close so will use the tape to measure out 200 yards in the wilds round here.

Here's a very traditional way:
Cooked Prairie dog

Prairie dog have been eaten by Navajo people for hundreds of years. Historically, Navajo people had a very lean diet of roots, herbs, nuts, lean meats and—when they could find it–fruits. The introduction of sheep, cattle and horses changed the way Navajos lived, worked, traveled, and ate. Prairie dogs are eaten still, but, Navajo families usually those who are very traditional, purposely plan a day set aside to hunt and cook prairie dogs. The hunting process long-ago involved a method of flooding prairie dogs colonies during a heavy rain and grabbing them and quickly breaking their neck. Or while the flooding of the prairie dogs holes was in the process, Navajo would stand at the opening with clubs and hit them over the head. One had to be quick and careful as prairie dogs have very sharp teeth. Today however, Navajo use a BB gun or 22 rifle. Once they prairie dog’s innards were removed, wild onion and herbs were placed inside the body. Next, a needle and thread was used to sew back the skin and the prairie dog was either placed and completely covered in white coals or directly grilled over an open fire. Once the fur was singed and the cooked prairie dog cooled, it was cut open and consumed. The taste is gamey, tender and some even say the liver and heart is their favorite part to eat.

Oneatatime I have book dedicated to various Indian recipes. Might be you also have the same.

Hey Greg,
     Is that a special patented “Forearm Attaching Device” on that Ballard?  The black goes well with the stripes in the Turkish walnut.
Bruce