These columbia ground squirrels ran afoul of my .17 Ackley Hornet. As with most ground squirrels, they are canibals. These were all shot within a few inches of where they now lay, coming in to eat their bretheren.
: Around here, they don't surface until late April, early May. We're going to hold off shooting them this season until the hay comes off and the youngsters are about - early July. They go 'under' around mid to late August. Columbia ground squirrels are the largest of the 'gophers' but have the shortest time above ground of all the species.

: Here's my .17 HMR. It is built on a BSA Martini Cadet action, fairly plain walnut stock with a Green Mountain barrel of 18 1/8" length. Withthe 20X, it will hold 5 shots inside .375" to .4" at 100 meters off the bags regularly. We use the HMR's to a maximum range of 240 yards. Head and chest shots at 200 are fairly easy pickings for them. The centrefire .17's like the AH and AB are used for longer range shooting only to 450 yards.

This is my walk-about gun, a Ruger with plastci stock and lapped, steel Butler Creek barrel. It holds 1/2" and smaller at 50 yards off the bags with almost any High Vel. HP ammo and actually placed 2nd in a 50 yard BR contest with an agg. of .222" using some 'special' stuff.

: 9.3 - you've opened up a can of gophers here. Hope you don't mind the posts. now, doesn't your land look similar - eh?
; I hope this one isn't too distasteful. Here's looking at you, buddy.
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