We are totally over blessed to live here. It is a sportsman’s paradise.
Especially in the Spring/early summer. In the midst of all of the cool outdoor activities, hunting whistle pigs (A.K.A.-Townsend Ground Squirrel) is one of the best.
It’s a low-key hunt. They don’t come out until after daylight and go to bed before dusk, so it is not a 2-hour before daylight to 2-hour after dark ordeal.
You can even go to your little yuppie coffee shop and drink a latte’ before you head out.
If there is a more low-key, fun hunt than whistle pig hunting, it hasn’t been invented yet. There’s an overabundance of them and it does the environment good to thin them out. Most farmers and ranchers will welcome you with open arms.
I think the LUTH-AR Chassis stock sets off the Ruger 10/22 nicely.
There are endless ways to hunt them but the most popular way is to find a whistle pig stronghold and do a set-up. Earlier this week I found such a stronghold. I bet I emptied 13-15 magazines in one spot.
A lot of times I’ll take a big backpack to carry my gear. You’ll want to take a bi-pod to provide a stable rest. It also allows you to be above the brush for clear shots. I’d recommend taking a pad to set on.
I’m not good at identifying plants but there is some weed out there that has some small spines that stick in your bum. Probably better yet is to take a fold-up chair so you’ll be elevated above the brush.
It’s a great hunt to take kids on since it’s not intense like elk hunts in which we’re out camping in 0-degree weather and getting up 2-hours before daylight to hike up a mountain. Nope, on WP hunting it is shirt sleeve weather and you don’t have to be super quiet or concealed.
The guns of choice are .22’s or airguns so there’s no recoil and don’t necessarily need ear protection. And, there’s a lot of shooting so the kids will have a blast.
Take a pair of binoculars
Even though you’re not taking long shots, WP’s are small so you’ll want a pair of binocs to spot them when they’re just poking their head out of their mound. And make sure that you periodically check close. Every hunt you’ll be scanning the distant horizon and nonchalantly look around and see one not 10-feet away.
You can use a 5.56 but many days you’ll get 400-500 shots which can get expensive so a .22 is a better choice. But I find myself more and more using an airgun.
They’re even cheaper to shoot plus due to the quieter report they pop back up faster.
Sometimes you’ll see unique deals. One time I shot one and a badger ran out and grabbed him and ran back to his hole.
And them sometimes you’ll see a birds of prey swoop down and steal them. I remember one time I was glassing while my 87-year-old buddy Roy Snethen was shooting. He shot one and I said you got him.
A hawk swept down out of nowhere and grabbed it and flew off. I then followed up saying, you had him.
I used to hunt prairie dogs up around Greeley. I’ve had 2-3 eagle or hawks land out in front waiting for me to shoot one.
If I was having a bad day, they’d call me names and tell me that I was a horrible shot and that baby eaglets were starving because of me!
One last weird little tip. One time I was going crappie fishing. A buddy had a turkey tag and for some reason thought we might see a turkey.
On the way fishing we stopped to shoot a few WP’s. For the heck of it I whipped out a turkey call and hit it. WP’s started popping up all over. Who knows, maybe I should become a WP hunting guide!
Tom Claycomb is a hunting enthusiast and writes a bi-monthly column for Great Basin Sun.