Back in the USA and the Rock Chucks are out!!!

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Blackpaw

Blackpaw

Member
Apr 23, 2020
3,202
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Idaho, United States
Yes, I am back in the USA / Idaho for a short while and I plan some shooting while I am here.

Yesterday I was driving to my hometown in Idaho from Salt Lake City. While driving north on I-15 I was wondering if the rock chucks were out yet, even though it is a BIT early season for them being out in Eastern Idaho.

Well, the big furry rodents ARE out and about on the lava flows. So tomorrow / Thursday or Saturday I am going to go out with my 25 cal Taipan Vet Compact for a hunt on the furry rodents.

Wish me luck!! Today I might try for some Eurasian doves and pigeons if I get my business taken care of this morning. And I brought my drone, so I’ll as some visual to this post.
 
This early you are killing nursing mammas.
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Many critters, pests included are nursing young this time of year.
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If you want to shoot out an area kill nursing mommas. If you want to keep hunting an area wait until the new born are old enough to take care of themselves. I've shot a great place out before. Hardly anything left to shoot anymore. Stupid 
 
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Okay i went to the dairy today, and took out some Eurasian doves, pigeons and a sparrow. Though I saw starlings they wouldn’t let me get close, or were in front of a cow. Invasive species I have no problem popping and the dairyman is grateful I came. Plus I brought donuts.

For the rock chucks I completely understand and accept, but for invasive species, no, they are okay to pop away.

But the more I use the Leshiy 2 in 177 the more I wonder about it as a long term gun. I need to make a decision while I am here in Idaho whether to keep it or not. I would replace the Leshiy 2 with a Cricket II or Airmax Caiman X in .22.

Thinking time! 🤔
 
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@scouty, yes you are correct rock chucks = yellow bellied marmots.

For the Leshiy 2 I am using the 10.34 grain 177 / 350 mm Running around 920ish ft/sec so 19 ish FPE. When I got the gun it was pushing 980 fps with the 10.34 grain. Edgun West specs the 10.34 grain at 945 FPS. Brian’s numbers are for out a 250 mm barrel, so 980 FPS for a 350 mm seems about right.

Tomorrow I am going to strip the gun down and finally use the pressure tester on it to see where I am at, which took me 3 months to get. Brian shipped the tester in late November and it arrived in the Netherlands in mid Feb.

Hopefully tomorrow the wind isn’t too bad so I can try some groups, and stops the spirals (which I swore I saw today in the scope). If you listen to Gregor’s video it seems the L2 gets more accurate in HP .22 cal and up. If I keep the Leshiy 2 it will get be rechambered in .22 cal.

@l.leon I think the L2 would be excellent, if I can get the right combo. However, I did the numbers for the gun with all my additions, $2600 - $2700 and that doesn’t include the scope. For the price?, very mixed feelings on value for the money. For the same money I could have two quality PCPs, like a AirMaks Caimen X in .22 and a Daystate Huntsman for example or a HW 100 / 110 .177. But the L2 is adaptable / modular / very packable.


 
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I might be able to go out sunday to shoot. But again like rock chucks the ground squirrels are native and nursing so off limits. If it all works out I plan to be in Idaho for a couple of months starting some time in May before I move east, so plenty of time for the ground squirrels.
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Since most sage rat shooting is near agriculture, here in the Oregon alfalfa fields specifically, you'd be doing the landowners a service by killing all of them especially nursing females. The landowner's goal is to rid their fields of a pest, not perpetuate the hunt.

Someone is gonna shoot them, why not you or me instead? No reason. unless it's illegal?
 
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