Nor Cal Squirrel Hunting

[Zippiot]

[center_x]

Tree squirrels are different than ground squirrels. Refer to my previous post.

[advocatusdiaboli]

Hey Skummers, ground squirrels are pests......shoot as many as you want....

All creatures have a purpose in the ecosystem--some men might think of them as pests--but then similar minded men once thought that of trees, wetlands, rivers, and other wilderness areas as inconvenient nuisances too back in the day. Now we (most of us anyway) are a bit more enlightened about our ecosystem and how to take care of it. Shoot some--nature needs predators to thin them out and we (man) have removed most of them so now we need to fulfill their role. They sometimes get in our way and we have to reduce their numbers. But let's respect them as part of nature. But do we really need to denigrate them to be able to shoot a few? Does the cougar denigrate the deer? The lion the zebra? The Ioquois the deer? What happened to respect for nature? Lost in narrow single-minded hate? I sure hope you were joking and you respect nature and life a lot more than that.

[BamBam-31]

I hunt ground squirrels at a private ranch. The ranch owner has hundreds of cows, horses, etc., all of which are threatened by the countless number of rather LARGE holes in the ground left by ground squirrels. Know what happens to a horse that breaks its ankle in a ground squirrel burrow? And these pests don't refill said holes when they move out, either. As far as the ranch owner is concerned, they are pests and we provide a service by culling the population some. I say "some" because there are SO may squirrels out there you could literally kill a hundred in a day and not even make a dent in the ecosystem of that particular ranch.

So, yeah, shoot as many as you want.

[center_x]

I hunt ground squirrels at a private ranch. The ranch owner has hundreds of cows, horses, etc., all of which are threatened by the countless number of rather LARGE holes in the ground left by ground squirrels. Know what happens to a horse that breaks its ankle in a ground squirrel burrow? And these pests don't refill said holes when they move out, either. As far as the ranch owner is concerned, they are pests and we provide a service by culling the population some. I say "some" because there are SO may squirrels out there you could literally kill a hundred in a day and not even make a dent in the ecosystem of that particular ranch.

So, yeah, shoot as many as you want.

Glad Im not the only one who understands the damage the ground squirrels create and the current population of ground squirrels..... Advocatusdiaboli, Im sure Skummers wont kill every last one. Common sense?? or just lack of knowledge of the post??

[jr916]

Wait, so technically, you aren't required by the code to have a license to take ground squirrels? Anyone have a citation for that? I thought you needed a hunting license to kill ANY animal including crows and other pests even on your own property...

[Bearclaw]

This thread should probably be moved to the Hunting/Fishing forum since it now has absolutely nothing to do with Rimfire Rifles.

[DaveInOroValley]

LOL

But, "It's good to be the King"

[X-NewYawker]

What about lead ammo restrictions?

[ScorpioVI]

And all of us as well, being property of the state that is

The idea of just going out of state sounds more appealing to me these days. It's like a 4 hour drive to Reno for me, could make an over nighter, even use the AR the way it's meant to be used while I'm at it...

Anyone know what shooting varmints/coyotes is like in the State of Nevada around the Reno/Sparks area?

Was north of Sparks recently. Didn't see anything bigger than lizards out there. But then again we were only a couple of miles from the main road and was only there for 3 hours or so.

[benbangui]

Does anyone know where i could hunt ground squirrels within 50 miles or so of sacramento

more then 50 miles but my uncles walnut farm in chico

[BamBam-31]

Wait, so technically, you aren't required by the code to have a license to take ground squirrels? Anyone have a citation for that? I thought you needed a hunting license to kill ANY animal including crows and other pests even on your own property...

AFAIK, you need a license to take any bird or mammal. (You can shoot snakes w/o a license. ) Best to play it safe.

From the DFG's FAQ:

Q: Who needs a hunting license?
A: A California hunting license is required for any person taking birds or mammals. Hunters must carry licenses and be prepared to show them on request. Fish and Game Code, Section 86 defines “taking” as hunt, pursue, catch, capture, or kill, or attempt to hunt, pursue, catch, capture, or kill.