Pesky Critters

[stetto]

Kinda proud of myself. These pocket gophers ain't prairie dogs, they don't come out of the ground. This one I shot from 35 yds with a Benelli 20ga. He'd been pumping up mound all over the back yard and drain field, nothing seemed to chase him off or otherwise kill him. Sunday morning I saw a new mound, and lo & behold a small plume of dirt shot up on one side. I grabbed the shotgun and stood outside in 8-degree weather and waited near the back porch door...About 5 minutes later, just as my teeth started to clench (no coat on, sweats and a tshirt) another small spray of dirt shot up, and I shot into the mound.



Not as big as your garden variety prairie dog, they don't don't stand around on two feet with a bullseye on their chest either. I don't know anyone to ever actually shoot a pocket gopher before...Easier to trap 'em, like I did when I was a kid...



Anyway, thought I'd share that, and gloat a bit, and then go back to being glad I didn't go deer hunting this year....

[balsum fractus]

So you gonna roast, or bbq it???

😁

[stetto]

So you gonna roast, or bbq it???

😁

I got a new coal-fired smoker last "summer", thought I'd go with a butter-garlic rub and a chipotle finishing sauce...

...what would Carl do.....

[jetmex]

Gopher tacos.....

[wtxsflyr]

Salt and Pepper, then low and slow on the pit,  Mesquite wood smoke for about 3 hours at 225 degrees!

[Onepoint]

I wish I could shoot those little bastiges, ours must be more covert than than yours, even if I see fresh dirt I never see them on the surface long enough to get a shot off.  When I irrigate and flood the holes the dogs do pretty well on them.

They like theirs ultra rare.