Over 8,000 Gophers Meet Their Demise In Loring Fundraiser

On Saturday, April 29, excitement was rampant in the tiny town of Loring! The day had arrived to eradicate as many pesky gophers as possible in one day!

Kenny Clark heads up the fundraiser for the Loring Volunteer Fire Hall! He has help from many other volunteers!

This year was perfect weather wise, Just a little breeze, sunny and springtime warm about 60 degrees. Thirty-seven two-person teams signed up to hunt at $10 per team. At noon the crew fired up the grills for the burgers and onions and deep fat fryer for the French fries!

Then all the teams dispersed again to finish the afternoon. At 5 the teams reported back to the fire hall with the totals for their day. A total of 8257 gophers were reported as meeting their demise. The top hunters were

Trace Simonson and Layne Engel with 622.

Every single person who signed up got a prize which the businesses in Malta, Whitewater, Turner, Loring, Glasgow and other places in north central Montana generously donated to the cause! Before everyone went home a pulled pork, baked bean dinner was available! Many people donated cash for the fire hall. And I'd say everyone except the gophers had a great day!