Here in Idaho we have the Belding's ground squirrel as well as many other species. When I was introduced to the desert, I discovered ground squirrels. With 22 in hand I slaughtered thousands of them. I would pile the carcasses and draw the squirrels in for a feast. Always worked. I could sit in one place and watch the ground move with hungry squirrels. I measured a movement of one squirrel who traveled over 180 yards to get at my pile. I was impressed. Eric Mayer gave me this great book every squirrel hunter should get. Weatherproof pages makes it a must. Shows squirrels and the regions the inhabit on the pacific northwest.Yup, seen the same thing in the rat patch over the years.
There's another reason we always don't see the carnage. Sometimes the rat being mortally wounded still gets to their hole, but not really intact:
Then other times we've seen this.....he made it to his hole, but left some critical body parts outside in his rush to bail inside:
I hate to see any animal suffer, even the lowly sage rat. Quick exploding hits with a nice high launch factor is where it's at.
It seems they enjoy eating their moribund buddies, and it not, the raptors make short work of whatever's left. Cleanup on aisle six!
While comprehensive this booklet leaves off an important ground dwelling squirrel found throughout many parts of Montana, the Richardson's Ground Squirrel. For those interested, this field guide provides a very good overview of the species; it's distribution and characteristics.
Males tend to emerge first, and this becomes an intense time for the RGS with many skirmishes and long chases during territorial disputes. It is during this time when being in the right place at the right time can result in a target rich environment.
That 17 Hornet V-max really make nice abstract art!Yesterday I made a trip to a nearby local ranch where the Richardson's Ground Squirrels (RGS) typically wake up from their long winter's nap. They often show up in large numbers and to my pleasant surprise, they were out in force! These small rodents are native to the Great Plains and while they hibernate a great deal of the year, it is during the springtime when they emerge in large numbers and respond to natures call to procreate the species.
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I was set up in a slightly elevated area bordering a nearby cultivated field and adjacent to gently sloping sagebrush covered rangeland interspersed with open grassy meadows. A small spring-fed stream also meandered thru the area. I brought along two rifles: Anschutz 1517 D HB chambered in 17 HMR and my Savage Model 25 Thumbhole Walking Varminter chambered in 17 Hornet wearing a Lilja barrel. The weather cooperated for most of the day with only slightly cloudy skies, little wind and with the majority of shots inside 200 yards, this made for an ideal and a perfect opportunity for the 17 HMR.
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I've found the factory load preferred by my Anschutz is the Hornady V-max 17 grain and as the picture illustrates, as long as I do my job, the rifle is more than capable of dispatching these furry critters. The hawks and eagles began circling overhead shortly after I began shooting. As soon as I moved further south about a quarter of a mile, they landed and began enjoying the abundant feeding opportunity. Yes, also pictured just above the barrel is one of the many bulls that were grazing nearby and this one decided to photobomb the image.
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As I mentioned, I brought along two rifles and when I sighted them in, I also used my Garmin Xero C1 to check the muzzle velocity of the ammunition I was planning to use. Ten rounds of the Hornady V-max 17 HMR 17gr. clocked at an average of 2,685fps and ten rounds of the Hornady Superformance 20gr. clocked at an average of 3,749fps. Both of these rounds proved more than capable of dispatching the RGS but the added 1,064fps advantage of the 20gr. ammunition coupled with the 3gr. weight advantage, made a substantial difference in the terminal effects to the soft tissue of the RGS. The four RGS pictured in the center of the image fell victim to the 17 Hornet while the two pictured on the outside edge were shot with the 17 HMR.
All in all, it was a picture-perfect day, and the performance of both rifles more than lived up to my expectations.
Ha!
I've never heard the resulting bloodied carnage described as "abstract art" before but as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.After a great deal of searching, waiting and watching, recently I was finally able to put my hands on an almost pristine condition Caldwell BR Pivot shooting table. To say this provided a vast improvement in assuring a rock-solid shooting platform would be an understatement. Up to that point in time, I had been using a self-modified MTM Case-Gard High-Low shooting table. I added a thin piece of outdoor carpeting to cover the hard plastic top, and I cut out a small section in the center of the carpet for a multi-directional bubble level. In those instances where I expect to find undulating or very uneven ground, where the Caldwell BR doesn't provide enough leveling adjustment, I still use the MTM table. But for those long-distance shots on relatively level ground at small varmints over 300 yards away, the Caldwell has more than proven its worth.
