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I've never seen a gopher do this before

I’ve shot groundhogs off of stumps, fence posts, trees, and brush piles. I’m about at the point in my life that I really enjoy hunting varmints more than I do deer. Don’t get me wrong, I love deer hunting but you get more opportunities with the varmints. Not only in shooting them but also getting to hunt land for varmints where they will not let you hunt deer on.
 
Here in Orygun we have a sub-species of ground squirrel that has learned to fly....albeit with a bit of 'ballistic assistence', hence his moniker "Skippy the Flying Squirrel". ;)









Nothng like a real crowd pleaser in the rat patch to liven up the day!
When we launch them like that there's always the expression, "To the moon Alice,to the moon"
From the Honeymooners sitcom.
 
Well that's a ground squirrel not a gopher, and yes that's very common behavior. At Least in Oregon and Idaho where I've been around them. Both are pests and IMO fair game when in the crosshairs.
 
No fence posts or firearms involved, but many years ago a buddy of mine came back to campus after an evening of bow hunting here in Indiana. He had a ground squirrel (13 strip) run up a limb and stop and look him in the face at a distance of less than 2 feet. He couldn't resist the urge so he shouted BOO at it. He swears to this day that it fell over dead. Of course our response was something along the lines of "Man, I knew you were ugly, but THAT is pretty impressive!"
 
Appears to be some confusion on the nomenclature of "gophers". What is commonly referred as a gopher in the Midwest and West is either a Richardson, Franklin or 13 lined ground squirrel. Prairie dogs are also a ground squirrel albeit a different family.

Technically the only gophers are "pocket gophers" which rarely come above ground, and are ugly as hell. Our 2 yo male cat has somehow figured out how to kill them so I have seen many on my deck this summer...
 
My son was on a photography expedition to Grasslands National Park last week, and sent me this photo.
Has anyone else seen a gopher do this?
AcccelR8, you sort of inspired me. View attachment 1677504
We have what are called chiselers here in Utah and this pic you have looks just like one, They are also known as Uinta ground squirrels in Utah, They will stand up like a prairie dog. I don't think that's a gopher.

Edit: Pic from Google of Uinta ground squirrel

1758860181444.png
1758860238289.png
 
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We have what are called chiselers here in Utah and this pic you have looks just like one, They are also known as Uinta ground squirrels in Utah, They will stand up like a prairie dog. I don't think that's a gopher.

Edit: Pic from Google of Uinta ground squirrel

View attachment 1698065
View attachment 1698066
We have about 5 different species of ground squirrel that are common here, but Richardson's outnumber all the other species by a huge margin.
My son is one of the better amateur naturalists I've ever known. If he says it was a Richardson's, I'll go with it.
We're way too far north for the Uinta ground squirrels.
 
We have about 5 different species of ground squirrel that are common here, but Richardson's outnumber all the other species by a huge margin.
My son is one of the better amateur naturalists I've ever known. If he says it was a Richardson's, I'll go with it.
We're way too far north for the Uinta ground squirrels.
I'm guessing it's the same critter with a Canadian name! Hahaha
 
While out having my way with Skippy recently, I spied this "ideal" pose just outside my trailer window. THIS is the pose we all hope for that usually gives an epic launch factor.



But as luck usually has it, this is the pose we usually get, and it's always farther than 250 yards.....



Any wonder why we all strive for a quarter inch rifle?
 
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^^^ yeah what Rick posted and I can't remember how many different varieties of ground squirrel we have in Oregon but I believe at least four. All the ones on the dry side look the same to me, not sure how the supposed experts figure out one from the other, they all part company the same way. Splat

The ones in the Lemhi (ID) look the same to me too. Cute little buggers unless you're the farmer or rancher homing them.
 

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