Gophers
or more accurately Richardson's Ground squirrels. Cute little chaps but dumb as dogshit and prone to being run over. Here they are used as target practice for kids learning to shoot and are amusingly hard of thinking when it comes their own personal safety.
They have habit of standing up like a sort of redneck Meerkat and not moving when a car passes them by. This means that a game of "how close can I get without spilling the jam" can be played.

Sometimes I misjudge and it's a little bump and lights out for Mr G.

This local town had the best idea though, shoot 'em, stuff 'em and make a display of anthropomorphised silliness. And the whole concept pissed off PETA and various other animal rights groups. Wonderful.

www.roadtripamerica.com/places/gopher.htm

.
( Infidel , shit and wrong, Thu 22 Dec 2011, 18:57, 3 replies)

But the question is...
Are they tasty?
( blaireau69 , the Cumbrian Travis Bickle., Thu 22 Dec 2011, 19:11, closed)

Well, there's this
1 Gopher, skinned and cleaned
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup green pepper
1/2 tbsp minced parsley
1 tbsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 1/2 tbsp. flour
3 cups broth

Cut Gopher into 2 or 3 pieces. Boil for 1 hour. Remove meat from bones in large pieces. Add onion, green pepper, parsley, salt, pepper, and flour to the broth and stir until it thickens. If the broth does not measure 3 cups, add water. Add the meat to the broth mixture and stir thoroughly. Pour into baking dish. Roll only enough to make it fit the dish. Place dough on top of meat, put in a hot oven (400 degrees F.) and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until dough is browned. Serves 6-8.

This of course doesn't answer your question. It's a vegetarian rodent so they probably taste like rabbit. Or chicken.
( Infidel , shit and wrong, Thu 22 Dec 2011, 19:18, closed)

Too much trouble,
skin it, gut it, poke it on a stick and hold over the fire until done. Allow 2 per person but most people won't eat any.
(the other guy not the one that gave you coochie warts, Thu 22 Dec 2011, 20:37, closed)

Sure, it's gophers, today,
but it'll be prostitutes, next week. Next year? Small children, I expect.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Thu 22 Dec 2011, 19:25, closed)

Small prostitute children surely?

( Infidel , shit and wrong, Thu 22 Dec 2011, 19:58, closed)

If you must.

( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Thu 22 Dec 2011, 20:30, closed)

Going down a gravel road,
my friend was driving the car, carefully dodging the many gophers. Eventually there is that unmistakable bump. "Meet your maker," I said,"Goodyear!"
My friend looked at me funny after that and kind of drifted away.
(the other guy not the one that gave you coochie warts, Thu 22 Dec 2011, 20:36, closed)