GOPHER holes !!!!! I am starting to think a good day in SD is not breaking leg,arm,gun,pride,head,any body part !!! LOL I have never heard of anyone breaking a leg--but I have to believe that it has happened. For me it seems at least every other day walking fields watching dog AND face down in the prairie instantly !!! Of course when no one gets hurt --it is a good laugh for the rest of group !!! Surely the pheasant fields in heaven will NOT have gopher holes !!! LOL
One reason I hate hunting pheasants in SD
- Thread starter markvan
- Start date
LOL It's not just South Dakota, Thats Pheasant country in almost all states, that have pheasants. I like this post I have busted my rear more than a few times,do to those holes, be it Gopher or other critter. :thumbsup:
kansasbrittany
Banned
Yep, plenty of big holes in the CRP fields of KS too.
pheasantaddict
New member
Holes everywhere.
small munsterlander owner
Banned
ive hurt my hip flexor more then once falling in a badger/coyote/gopher hole it was non stop on my SD trip i just kept falling in deep holes & barely not get n hurt i just kept saying come on man whats up with these F-ing holes im going to break my leg & have to drag my self back to the vehicle... also wear the run cattle in & around cattails that ground becomes very hard to walk on ankle buster ground...
reddog
Well-known member
I hope I got all my falls taken care of last trip. 3 faceplants in 5 days was just about enough for a lifetime.. Only one was a hole, the other two were jumping a small creek, and my lead foot slipped off the bank on the landing. That will put you to the ground right now..
No falls or trips to report this trip.
No falls or trips to report this trip.
Six years ago while hunting in Kansas my Dad stepped into a whole and tripped fell on his gun and cracked two ribs!! He kept hunting though, tough old man.
mnmthunting
Banned
Yes it's gopher holes enlarged by critters looking for a meal. Badgers mainly, Yotes to.
I've had the misfortune of a badly sprained ankle on a late hunt in ND.
I'm on guard for it always these days.
I've had the misfortune of a badly sprained ankle on a late hunt in ND.
I'm on guard for it always these days.
On my last trip I shot a rooster and it looked like a clean kill! When I reached the spot that it went down there was no bird but my dog had his head down one of those holes. There was no way I was going to chance getting my fingers chewed off sticking my hand in that hole.
twisted my ankle pretty bad one time about ten years ago, i had a hard time getting back to my truck, ankle was pretty swolen but not broke. the only thing that got broke that day was my pride. whenever i fall in a hole and we have alot of them here in iowa someone is always with me and will laugh and tell me what a dork i looked like on the way down. im good for at least one a year.
I have never seen a graceful fall, nor has anyone given me style points on any of them.
BIRDDOG KING
New member
Ive never seen so many gopher holes this year on my trip.I will be making a trip to the orthopedic doctor my left lcl is killing me from one those damn holes.
Riverman
Member
Falling in holes during flushes
Like all of you I have had my share of stepping in holes. Usually it is when you are running after the dog that is hot on the chase and you don't want to miss the flush. Even if you only have to quicken the pace for a few yards it always seems to be in an area with lots of holes.
And we humans aren't the only ones to get in those holes. I have lost track of the number of times I had to drag the dog out of some of the larger ones. And if you get an older dog with weaker hips they seem to get stuck in even more of them. They always look so sheepish when they fall in and have to be rescued
In an earlier trip this year I was running down a fence row in some good cover chasing the dog. I just knew that the flush was coming and I didn't want to miss it. Just as the bird flushed up, I shouldered the gun, put my foot down to plant both feet, stepped into a hole, and fell down hard just as the bird broke the cover. No shot on him, but with all the commotion another one got up just to my right. I was laying on my side on the ground, one leg deep in a hole and I managed to swing around with my gun and get a shot off without shouldering the gun. I wanted that bird badly! A complete wiff, but just as the bird was getting out of range I managed to shoulder the gun part of the way and drop him in some heavy cover. The dog had to chase him a little since he wasn't well hit, but I was able to put that one in my vest.
Gophers may start the holes but most of the ones I see seem like they have been widened by something looking for the gopher, most likely a coyote or badger.
Like all of you I have had my share of stepping in holes. Usually it is when you are running after the dog that is hot on the chase and you don't want to miss the flush. Even if you only have to quicken the pace for a few yards it always seems to be in an area with lots of holes.
And we humans aren't the only ones to get in those holes. I have lost track of the number of times I had to drag the dog out of some of the larger ones. And if you get an older dog with weaker hips they seem to get stuck in even more of them. They always look so sheepish when they fall in and have to be rescued
In an earlier trip this year I was running down a fence row in some good cover chasing the dog. I just knew that the flush was coming and I didn't want to miss it. Just as the bird flushed up, I shouldered the gun, put my foot down to plant both feet, stepped into a hole, and fell down hard just as the bird broke the cover. No shot on him, but with all the commotion another one got up just to my right. I was laying on my side on the ground, one leg deep in a hole and I managed to swing around with my gun and get a shot off without shouldering the gun. I wanted that bird badly! A complete wiff, but just as the bird was getting out of range I managed to shoulder the gun part of the way and drop him in some heavy cover. The dog had to chase him a little since he wasn't well hit, but I was able to put that one in my vest.
Gophers may start the holes but most of the ones I see seem like they have been widened by something looking for the gopher, most likely a coyote or badger.
small munsterlander owner
Banned
jackrabbits are also a hole maker or user seen them my last trip & put 2 & 2 together lol