By Ira Miller
At 75 yards the ground squirrel would make an easy shot. Holding dead on I started to squeeze the trigger and he collapsed at the shot. After retrieving my kill I examined the bullet hole. The 22-caliber bullet had passes through his head causing immediate death.
That was my sixth ground squirrel that day. It was of the California Sub species and goes by the name of greydigger, sage rat, and gopher to name a few. While there are more productive ways to hunt them the one I will cover in this article is in my opinion the most satisfying and the one that improves your stalking and shooting skills the greatest.
Location
While most people hunt greydiggers by hunting them in fields, the way I hunt them however, is in small canyons and oak bottoms. The first step is to look on a topographic map and try to locate a small canyon that has both oak bottoms and open areas with rock outcroppings. This would be ideal but not required. It is impossible to tell this information from a map alone, the easiest solution to that is to look on aerial photography. Terra Server is one such sight and is very helpful for scouting. The other solution is to drive to your selected locations and determine if it is in fact the type of land you are looking for. I would also suggest a public lands map so you can determine if you�re hunting area is on public land. If it is not don�t be afraid to ask the landowner permission to hunt. Most will grant you permission to hunt once told what your intended quarry is.
Tactics
There are many ways to hunt greydiggers but here are the tactics I use in the area described above.
I hunt with a partner and suggest you do to. Not only does it give you two pair of eyes looking it also is important for reasons we will get to later. We start by hunting in the lower areas first. Were we hunt this is the area were the rock outcropping are. We work down the bottom of the canyon glassing the side hills for any movement or a sitting greydigger. Once one is spied we stalk it or depending to the range take the shot form our current position. Mostly we still-hunt along, each person taking one hillside to watch. Occasionally we will find an area that has an over abundance of the little ground squirrels, if we locate such an area we will stop and wait, oftentimes the greydiggers will pop up one at a time giving you the opportunity to make multiple kills from the same location.
Once the oak bottoms are reached we spread out each person walking about 10 yards from the bottom of the hillside. Using whistles and hand signals we are able to communicate with each other without talking. This is especially useful when a digger is spotted and is needed to be stalked. Often times a human voice will send it diving into the cover of its underground burrow while a whistle is not nearly as alarming.
Oftentimes you will surprise them and send them running for cover. However if you freeze they will often pause at their burrow entrance giving you the opportunity for a shot. However be sure that you can kill them immediately otherwise they may escape down their burrow. I would say that about 95% of the time they will stop and give you the opportunity to shoot.
Guns and Ammo
My favorite greydigger gun is my Winchester Model 72A with a Bushnell 3-9 Sportview scope. Its light, shoots great, and has a tube magazine, which holds plenty of extra shells. I also have a removable sling on it but plan to put swivels and a shooting sling in the near future.
The gun you choose should shoot fairly well, be fairly light, well balanced, and have a scope mounted on top. A variable scope such as the popular 3x9 would be in my opinion the best choice. Although a standard 4 power works well to if the range is kept closer. It should be able to shoot either .22LR or a .22 rimfire magnum.
Bolt or semiautomatic actions are good choices. As long as they shoot well and function reliably. A single shot should not be used if possible unless there is no other gun available. Your ammo choice should be whatever your gun shoots best. I like to use Remington cyclones and use them almost exclusively.
Gear
Camo is a good idea but any clothing that matches the color of you surroundings will work. Make sure that the clothing matches the climate as well. Most of the greydigger hunting is done in warm temperatures and you should be dressed appropriately. Military camo works perfectly with desert camo being especially effective for most situations. I would also recommend a brimmed hat to keep the sun out of you eyes.
A good pair of sturdy hiking boots with good soles are a good idea. Uninstalled boots are usually more comfortable in warmer weather. My boots are waterproof/breathable because there are many creek crossings and it�s nice to keep your feet dry.
A daypack or some other way to carry gear is a good idea. I just use the same backpack that I use for school. In it I have: 64 oz. of water, food, matches, aluminum foil, compass, map, first aid kit, knife, a small pot for boiling water if I run out, and of course extra shells. The aluminum foil is to make a mind breaker for the fire when I boil water. I also have some extra clothing incase the weather changes. A backpack is especially useful as a shooting rest.
Those are the tactics I use. Good luck and have fun.
