What do you do with your varmints?

[Coyotefurharvester]

Shoot any badgers on the ranches I hunt you won’t be coming back!!

I have NOT had a cattle or horse rancher ever tell me NOT TO shoot a badger. All have said while shooting pd shoot ANY coyote,badger,skunk. Horse guys want opossum shot also.

 

[alf]

I have NOT had a cattle or horse rancher ever tell me NOT TO shoot a badger. All have said while shooting pd shoot ANY coyote,badger,skunk. Horse guys want opossum shot also.

And porcupines......

 

[Kalitrazescapee]

I used to leave ground squirrel...coyote pelts han no value but if shot on a ranch you had permission...hang em on a fence for rancher to see he had one less

 

[D Coots]

I have NOT had a cattle or horse rancher ever tell me NOT TO shoot a badger. All have said while shooting pd shoot ANY coyote,badger,skunk. Horse guys want opossum shot also.

Thanks, same here.

Also, the first time we went to the Rosebud in the 80's we went to talk with some Indian guru Cheif guy. He told us to shoot any hawks or eagles we saw and bring him the feathers.

We followed his orders and took him the feathers of every one we killed....

 

[durand mortenson]

The badgers will dig underground to find nests of tasty little rodent snacks. In the process they create underground caverns just below surface that can collapse when a cow walks on top resulting in a broken leg, or create potholes for irrigation equipment etc.

 

[durand mortenson]

I have stepped into a few of those over the years but still don't shoot them. I have never had a rancher request that. I don't even shoot them on public lands. Cattle ranchers are down on coyotes and more so in calving season so I'm more than willing to oblige. I didn't always kill rattlesnakes when hiking in or out of the woods. If I knew I was going spend time in a particular spot and they were present I would use a tree limb or anything handy to kill them or drive them off.
I spent 35 years working in the woods and never carried a firearm. Given the clowns you find in the woods today that wouldn't be the case.

Mort

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

Horse guys want opossum shot also.

Damn those little beasts are wicked mean. I have had a few in my area in West San Jose, and I see Racoons more often, but once an opossum came up to my office door and scared the $#!T out of me, had his mouth open...I wasn't gonna open the door with him there...LOL

When either of them walk on the fences, the dogs in the area go ballistic.

My gardener says they live in the sewers and come out at night. I saw a family of Racoons a few months ago, a mother and 3 babies. There's a lot more of them since the drought.

 

[D Coots]

I think possums transmit some disease to horses.

 

[Kalitrazescapee]

It's referred as possum wobblers,,,young and older horses are most affected..they defficate in feed etc...they do eat tics but a hazard to horses.

 

[MasterYoda]

We stack them up!!

 

[n.c.outlaw2024]

depends on what they are. some become stew or chilli. others left for other predators.

 

[chuckshooter]

Even though this is an old thread, I bite and ask a simple question, if it were grasshoppers that were attacking the ranchers fields, would anyone care what happened to the dead grasshoppers? Just asking for a friend.

 

[Turkeytider]

I also eat what I shoot, with the exception of varmints. Why? Because they're varmints!

Ground squirrels are usually puree'd, and are left for the raptors as they're usually in chunks. At the request of the ranchers I shoot their rock chucks for, most times the chucks are left at the far corner of the property for the ravens, hawks, eagles and coyotes to feast on. Next day not a sign of a carcass. Raptors here are well fed.

But I'll let our informal club t-shirt do the talking for you......

Just curious. First question that came to mind, " What`s that handgun for in varmint hunting? " Empty rifle and last resort with a wounded, charging prairie dog" ? LOL!

 

[outasite`08]

The two-legged varmints I bury and the four leggers are left for the buzzards.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Just curious. First question that came to mind, " What`s that handgun for in varmint hunting? " Empty rifle and last resort with a wounded, charging prairie dog" ? LOL!

Well TT, as you live in GA, it's most likely you don't have much experience shooting colony PD's or specifically ground squirrels out here in the west. Our GS's are about 1/3 the size of an adult PD, are found in much higher concentrations, especially in irrigated alfalfa fields where we do all of our shooting. Landowners report crop losses up to $300K in a single year from these little pests, so they want them gone.

Being as these squirrels are absolutely stupid, they'll pop out of their holes all around the shooter, many times inside 25 yards, pop up and stand there looking at you. So the rimfire handgun you see in my SOB rig (Galco) is handy for these little buggers when shooting a CF rifle at such close range is just silly.

Shooting them with pistols and revolvers is not only great fun, but hones pistol skills at the same time, adding to the overall field enjoyment (for us, not so much for them).





And as our landowners want the 'big hole diggers' gone, that pistol comes in handy for those nasty badgers too:



In 'Rat Camp' one afternoon, a silly jackwabbit came tearing right through our trailer camp. My Kimber Compact Conversion nailed the bunny at 51 paces when he stopped for that fatal "look back".



So no charging PD's with empty rifles (oh the horror!), just more worthy targets for our rimfire pistols and revolvers. Next time you're out west, be sure to take a rimfire handgun along. You might be glad you did.

 

[Turkeytider]

Well TT, as you live in GA, it's most likely you don't have much experience shooting colony PD's or specifically ground squirrels out here in the west. Our GS's are about 1/3 the size of an adult PD, are found in much higher concentrations, especially in irrigated alfalfa fields where we do all of our shooting. Landowners report crop losses up to $300K in a single year from these little pests, so they want them gone.

Being as these squirrels are absolutely stupid, they'll pop out of their holes all around the shooter, many times inside 25 yards, pop up and stand there looking at you. So the rimfire handgun you see in my SOB rig (Galco) is handy for these little buggers when shooting a CF rifle at such close range is just silly.

Shooting them with pistols and revolvers is not only great fun, but hones pistol skills at the same time, adding to the overall field enjoyment (for us, not so much for them).





And as our landowners want the 'big hole diggers' gone, that pistol comes in handy for those nasty badgers too:



In 'Rat Camp' one afternoon, a silly jackwabbit came tearing right through our trailer camp. My Kimber Compact Conversion nailed the bunny at 51 paces when he stopped for that fatal "look back".



So no charging PD's with empty rifles (oh the horror!), just more worthy targets for our rimfire pistols and revolvers. Next time you're out west, be sure to take a rimfire handgun along. You might be glad you did.

LOL!! Thank you sir! I stand as a better informed and educated person! Oh, and you`re right! I`ve never even seen a prairie dog in the wild!

 

[Bill Clifton]

I'm just curious as I see so many people shooting Rock Chucks, Prarie Dogs, Ground Hogs, even Coyotes...

What do you do with all of them? Do you throw them away?

I've long felt it was more ethical to shoot paper than varmints as I wouldn't eat the meat. I want something tangible if I am hunting, like a turkey, pig, deer, bear, elk, or even big horn sheep...all of those I would eat.

I see guys on here with piles of varmints, so what do you do with them?

Curious mostly. Aside from being able to hit a moving target, when they do move, I guess I don't get it. Most of them are not running when you shoot them, they seem to be a standing target. So, what's the point? Not trying to be rude, just curious.

If I could shoot on my property, which I can't, I'd love to shoot some rattle snakes...alas my property is in city limits.

This old thread is up again but if you look up Varmint definition it is defined as a troublesome wild animal.

I guess if you grew up in the city and never saw the trouble they cause you might not get it. It seems this question is to imply people are just killing to be mean. If one thinks this I guess you never broke a wheel off of a hay baler in a ground hog hole, or had your barn settle because they are digging in around the post foundations. Had a horse break a leg in a hole. Never had a coyote get a baby calf or your chickens, etc, etc.

That's why we shoot varmints. If they weren't a nuisance they would be welcome to coexist.

 

[Lee in Texas]

Ok weird question from a city boy: Is it possible to make a blanket from multiple Coyotes?

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Ok weird question from a city boy: Is it possible to make a blanket from multiple Coyotes?

Sure it is.
Most of those fancy winter coats you see city ladies wearing with the fur collar is from a coyote. Once tanned properly, it's a nice fur that could easily be made into a blanket....if done properly.

 

[Lee in Texas]

Sure it is.
Most of those fancy winter coats you see city ladies wearing with the fur collar is from a coyote. Once tanned properly, it's a nice fur that could easily be made into a blanket....if done properly.

Well that sounds like a pretty cool goal.