Northeast California Ground Squirrel Hunt Report and Video

[Eric Mayer]

This is a video report, that accompanies the article on my Northeast California Ground Squirrel Hunt Report located here: www.varminter.com/ne-california-ground-squirrel-hunt-report-17wsm/

I almost exclusively used my Contender Carbine rifle chambered in the .17 Winchester Super Magnum cartridge. I shot hundreds of rounds and removed hundreds of pest ground squirrels from the alfalfa fields we were hunting.

The 17 Winchester Super Magnum has been on the market for about one year. When it was first released, the only rifle available at the time was the Savage B.MAG. Although I and others have had great results from our B.MAGs, there were others that ran into some issues with their rifles. Soon, people on talk forums all around the internet were bashing the rifle and cartridge, insisting both were inherently inaccurate. After shooting 100?s of rounds during this trip, with kills ranging from 20 yards out to 303 yards, I believe I can say with some authority that the ammunition is accurate.

Let me explain again about shooting varmints such as ground squirrels, before I get an Inbox filled with ridiculous statements about being cruel to these poor animals. The Belding's Ground Squirrel weighs about 3/4?s of a pound and is approximately 9 to 11 inches in length. We spoke with an engineer for the county who told us that 40 of these ground squirrels eat approximately the same amount as one cow, PER DAY! Even if that number is slightly high, if you factor in the 1000?s of ground squirrels per acre, then the amount of damage they do is staggering. Because most of these crops end up as food for livestock, the farmers cannot poison and risk a poisoned squirrel getting processed with the feed. Not to mention the damage they do to the fields, with their holes dotting the landscape as far as you can see, they are very destructive varmints. Besides, none of the ground squirrels we shot went to waste. In fact, the first ones to jump on our dead squirrels, were other squirrels, looking to eat the protein offered by their dead comrades! Whatever they don't eat, gets gobbled up by the local raptors and Ravens. While I was shooting, I had Bald Eagles, Redtail Hawks and other raptors land and start eating the remains of my shots. Everything else is surely cleaned up by the predators that roam the area, such as coyotes, bobcat and badgers. The reason I am pleased when my shots cause explosive results, is because it typically means an immediate death with no pain felt by the animal. Varminters spend 1000?s of dollars to make sure their rifles, optics and ammunition are extremely accurate for this purpose. I don't know any Varminter that takes pride in wounding an animal and causing a prolonged death. When it comes to eating them, no one does. They carry fleas that carry disease and many of the ones I shot had mange. Would you eat a rat? Unless you say "yes, I do every time I catch one", then I don't want to hear about how I am somehow wasting this fine piece of meat. These are not tree squirrels and are considered vermin.

An alfalfa stuffed ground squirrel:


Eric