Posts Tagged ‘ground squirrels’

Henry .17 HMR Varmint Express Rifle

Monday, March 7th, 2011

Every now and then we like to highlight some special products.  Today, it’s the Henry Repeating Arms Co lever action .17 HMR Varmint Express.  This rifle means a lot to us since Henry advertises on this site and, without them, this site wouldn’t exist.

If you know anything about Henry lever action rifles, you know that they have the smoothest lever action in the business.  And what joy it is to hold and shoot.  The .17 HMR is extremely accurate and is probably the best caliber to use for ground squirrels and similar small varmints.

If you don’t have a Henry catalog yet please click on the picture below.  It will take to you to the Henry website where you can sign up to get their beautiful catalog.  I promise you, you’ll be daydreaming after looking at their catalog.  It’s one you’ll leave on your desk or coffee table and pick up frequently.

Henry .17 HMR Varmint Express Rifle

This is the rifle the range riders of the 1800′s would have loved to have had close at hand for picking off varmints or just plinking at whiskey bottles. But since the .17HMR didn’t hit the market until 2002, it will be up to you to make it a legend.

Shooting the .17 HMR Varmint ExpressOur Henry Varmint Express® packs eleven .17HMR rounds in its tubular magazine. It features a 20″ barrel, comes with a checkered American walnut Monte Carlo stock. Like all lever action Henrys, the action is incredibly smooth from the very first shot. It will enable small game and varmint hunters to take full advantage of the .17HMR with regard to velocity, trajectory, wind drift, richochet resistance, quietness and accuracy.

Hornady .17 HMR cartridgeAlready considered by many to be the most accurate rimfire cartridge ever produced, the .17HMR incorporates a .17 caliber bullet into a necked-down .22 magnum case. This high-powered combination produces a sizzlin’ muzzle velocity of up to 2,550 feet per second and the laser-flat trajectory makes it lethal for long-range shots on woodchucks, prairie dogs, foxes and other small varmints. Henry’s take on this revolutionary caliber, the Varmint Express, has a 20″ barrel that delivers dead-on accuracy.

Just like all Henry rifles, it’s handcrafted in the United States using only high-grade components such as a checkered American walnut stock, and Williams Fire sights and, of course, it’s outfitted with that legendary, smooth-operating lever action that sets a Henry rifle apart from all the imitators.

*Varmint Express is a registered trademark of Hornady Mfg. Co.

Safe for Left Handed Shooters

 

Click HERE to get your own copy
of the Henry Catalog

 

.17 HMR Rifle vs. Prairie Dog Colony

Monday, March 7th, 2011

Prairie Dog Hunting – Thinning out a prairie dog colony with .17 HMR rfile.

Some good footage here with many slow-motion replays.

It’s always interesting to see how effective the .17 HMR is for small varmints like this.

Enjoy…..

Ground Squirrel Hunting – .17 HMR Rifle Stands Out

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Ground Squirrel overpopulation meets the .17 HMR rifle.

Over 200 ground squirrels shot in a 2 day period.  Once again, the .17 HMR proves it’s ability as a fast, flat shooter for small varmints.

Check it out:

Ground Squirrel Hunting With 17HMR Ballistic Tips

Thursday, December 30th, 2010

Ground Squirrel Hunting With 17HMR Ballistic Tips

I’ve shown this before but wanted to highlight a few things:

1. The .17 HMR is a great rifle for ground squirrel hunting.  The .17HMR Ballistic Tips (17 gr) do an awesome job on these small targets.  The high speed shock kill very quickly.

2. We used a gun-mounted video camera for this video.  It works real slick, especially when shooting by yourself.  You don’t need a second person on the camera.

Stay tuned – we’re going to have a contest and a free drawing for a BSA Sweet 17 Rifle Scope in just a few days!

Ground Squirrel Hunting – Season Usually Open

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

Ground Squirrel Hunting – Seasons Are Normally Open For Many Species

Check with your game and parks or wildlife resources departments in your state and your area.  In many states, the season for ground squirrels and many other “pest” species never closes.  So, no matter what time of year it is, you can almost always go out and find something to hunt.  It’s good for the soul.  It keeps you sane.

For example, here’s a list of species in Wisconsin that never closes:

Species with Year-round Hunting Seasons

The following small game species may be taken year-round with any valid hunting license* (except within state park and recreation areas from April 1 to September 14):

  • opossum
  • porcupine
  • red squirrel
  • skunk
  • thirteen-lined ground squirrel
  • woodchuck
  • weasel

The following species may be taken with a firearm year-round with any valid hunting license (except within state park and recreation areas from April 1 to September 14):

  • English (house) sparrow
  • European starling
  • feral pigeon (rock dove)

*No license is required for a resident, resident’s spouse or resident’s children to hunt small game on the enclosed farmlands where they live.
OK?  Now go out and squeeze a few off and keep those shot groups close.


Ground Squirrels Meet High Velocity Rifle

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

Ground Squirrels Meet High Velocity Rifle

Rock Rats hit at high velocity.

Some great footage of high velocity shooting at ground squirrels.

Varmint Hunting – Sage Rats – Burns, OR

Sunday, September 19th, 2010

Varmint Hunting in Burns, OR for Sage Rats / Ground Squirrels

Watch for some great shots…..

Hooked on Crack? Shooting Wyoming Ground Squirrels.

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

I read an article put out by the Colorado State University Extension Office where they were discussing the damage and control of the Wyoming Ground Squirrel populations.  Among the various control methods was, of course, shooting.

Here’s an excerpt from this article:

“Shooting

Small, isolated colonies of Wyoming ground squirrels can be effectively controlled by shooting. Shooting lowers the population by removing individuals and disrupting their life cycle. However, if there are other colonies of ground squirrels nearby, individuals from those populations will migrate into the area where squirrels are being removed. For effective control of problem ground squirrels, a population must be kept under constant shooting pressure.”

Ahh….  music to my ears!  Keep them under “constant shooting pressure”. Makes me want to get out and send a few .17 HMR Hornady V-Max bullets down range!

There’s nothing like hearing the crack of the rifle and smelling the burnt gun powder out in the field!  I guess if you’re going to be on crack, that’s the crack to be on.

Take a kid hunting – teach them gun safety – get them out in the field.  Get ‘em hooked on the crack of rifles and pistols and you won’t find them in trouble on the streets.

– flatlander