Shoulder shot

The shoulder shot is used here on large and/or dangerous game to prevent the animal from turning on the hunter, it is meant to immobilize the animal. In this case, an animal was intentionally shot in the shoulder with a marginally effective/bullet/gun, the animal was wounded and may have suffered after. It would have been better to use a brain shot as is usually necessary to kill the animal quicker, and the shooter was certainly steady enough to have done that. I have shot thousands of gophers, groundhogs, prairie dogs, and know that any of these, when hit in the body, even with a much more powerful .22rf., will find their way into the hole and suffer a slow death, they are conditioned to finding their hole/s at the first sign of trouble.
 
The shoulder shot is used here on large and/or dangerous game to prevent the animal from turning on the hunter, it is meant to immobilize the animal. In this case, an animal was intentionally shot in the shoulder with a marginally effective/bullet/gun, the animal was wounded and may have suffered after. It would have been better to use a brain shot as is usually necessary to kill the animal quicker, and the shooter was certainly steady enough to have done that. I have shot thousands of gophers, groundhogs, prairie dogs, and know that any of these, when hit in the body, even with a much more powerful .22rf., will find their way into the hole and suffer a slow death, they are conditioned to finding their hole/s at the first sign of trouble.

Somebody forgot to tell him it wouldn’t work. Nothing ran off and nothing suffered. 
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The shoulder shot is used here on large and/or dangerous game to prevent the animal from turning on the hunter, it is meant to immobilize the animal. In this case, an animal was intentionally shot in the shoulder with a marginally effective/bullet/gun, the animal was wounded and may have suffered after. It would have been better to use a brain shot as is usually necessary to kill the animal quicker, and the shooter was certainly steady enough to have done that. I have shot thousands of gophers, groundhogs, prairie dogs, and know that any of these, when hit in the body, even with a much more powerful .22rf., will find their way into the hole and suffer a slow death, they are conditioned to finding their hole/s at the first sign of trouble.

Ive taken many many squirrels with .177s and well placed heart/lung shots. In my experience, they usually drop like rocks with less flopping and blood splattering than a head shot. 

On the other hand, I've had them with a head shot that must have slightly missed the brain, run off requiring a follow up shot. Even with a 25fpe .22. 

A bad shot is a bad shot. But a well placed shot in the vitals is not a bad shot. 
 
Nice video sir. Effective shot that removed a pest animal. Win/win. My preference is for the shoulder/neck junction. Massive disrupt to the CNS is far better than a glancing blow to the face or sinus. That part of the body does not move as easily as the brain box and it offers a wider margin for any error. In the end, the ground squirrel is removed from the gene pool. Good work.
 
Another piece of advice, if I may, looks like you're zeroing in @ around 30-35 yds. Zero at 50. It'll make you a better shooter I believe.

I initially zeroed in at 30 yards and then moved to 35 yards because the plan is to mostly shoot ground squirrels located in a log pile on my property. Where I set up to the most common place they appear is 30-35 yards so just went with that as it seemed the most practical and was an easy distance to obtain in the back yard while keeping my portable shooting bench out of the rain.

Thanks for the tips. As time goes by I’m sure there will be some adjustments to what will work best



 
The shoulder shot is used here on large and/or dangerous game to prevent the animal from turning on the hunter, it is meant to immobilize the animal. In this case, an animal was intentionally shot in the shoulder with a marginally effective/bullet/gun, the animal was wounded and may have suffered after. It would have been better to use a brain shot as is usually necessary to kill the animal quicker, and the shooter was certainly steady enough to have done that. I have shot thousands of gophers, groundhogs, prairie dogs, and know that any of these, when hit in the body, even with a much more powerful .22rf., will find their way into the hole and suffer a slow death, they are conditioned to finding their hole/s at the first sign of trouble.

While appreciative of the time taken to give input on my video, a question on your post as you apparently have much experience in having failed results. 
How big are these gophers which can absorb a well placed broadside shot from a .22 at any reasonable range and yet escape to have slow and painful death? 
If they escape down the hole, how do you verify how well and where they were actually struck and how long it takes them to perish? 

I would also want to know why somebody would continue long enough at these failed attempts to gain this much experience and comment self righteously on the actions of somebody else? The outcome of which you were as wrong as possible.