NE Oregon Sage Rats

[Ernie]

Yes! It has been a "long" while since I've posted. Well, just wanted to let you all know the result of my recent trip to NE Oregon to shoot Sage Rats. (Richardson Ground Squirrels I think.) We arrived on Monday, April 28th, in Joseph, Oregon. On Tuesday we experienced a snow blizzard. It snowed all day. After that the weather improved. I even got sunburned on Thursday. I shot portions of four days and wound up with a grand total of "97" kills. My wife did not shoot this year. Some of you may remember my post five years ago when I related that my wife and I, after five days of shooting, tallied 980 killed. Needless to say, something happened to the varmints this year. The consensus is that possibly the long hard winter has killed many. We had a good time in a great part of the state; as always. One of the most beautiful areas that God created. IMHO of course. - Ernie

[lone ranger]

thought it was too hot & went back down again. This year was a 'fickle spring' if there ever was one, looking at mid and late March weather, it seemed right to go, temps in 40's and above with a sunny forecast....next, it is snow, rain, more cold, back and forth......so this year passed on my trip to Central Or. and invested in a 6PPC BR rifle.....L.R.

[LEN]

Although we had reasonable shooting, 300 rounds a day or better, not nearly as good as years past. Weather was a problem for us too and should have stayed a few more days for better weather and better shooting.
We did head out to Lepine on the way home and took a day trip to Crater Lake(man what a pile of snow) plus made the annual stop in bend at the outlet mall for the Columbia out door cloths(other than camel), great buys there.
Didn't need anything at the Nosler store so no stop there.
One farmer is going to call after 1st cutting and there might be shooting then.

LEN

[Gabriel]

Everyone that I have talked to says the shooting has been slow this spring.
It has been a cool spring in OR. The average temp for the Willamette Valley this time of year is 60. However Fri it hit 99 (record high was 88) here in Salem and similair temps in central OR. I would like to hear results from this weekend. If the Sagerats are not out this weekend it may well be an off year.
FYI It was hotter in Newport on the coast than Bend Fri.. That has to be one of the most screw weather days ever.

[doc]

In Montana I have encountered the same problem with numbers of ground squirrels being very low. I don't know how the dog population is doing but will find out 1 Jun. It has been a very cool spring (must be global warming).

[goosenoregon]

Went over Sunday the 19th my buddie and i did ok, but the rats just arent out like normal. Cool spring, snow on the ground less than a month ago ect. made the farmers plant late no food = no rats!

[yotebuster]

Only got to go once down here in Lakeview other than a few trips for 1/2 hour here or there.. Had lots of shooting But some fields are really slow this yr, But others are loaded. Was a cold wet spring, then just got hot overnight it seems

[mwatson]

Good hunting and good friendship....now that's hard to beat.
Mike

[yotebuster]

I Take my post up one about the weather back, SNOW!! on the ground in town here and cold!!!! Never fails, right before Mermorial Day weekend,

[lone ranger]

I can wait.......L.R.

[Rick in Oregon]

Good grief, you guys make me feel guilty....well, almost. We've been out a total of 12 days so far this year, and agreed, the early season was down a bit from usual, but for 4 days last week, we had some of the best shooting I can remember with the little ones about half grown offering more targets than we could possibly shoot.

This shot taken from my bench (200mm telephoto @ 150 yds) shows at least five rats sitting up waiting for one of my 39 SBK's from a new Remmy/Pac-Nor tight neck 204R I just finished:

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g66/packrat1/DSC_0075.jpg

While at my bench glassing for squirrels, I spotted something that "didn't belong"....and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a badger munching on one of my recently dispatched sage rats. I already had the elevation dialed into the scope for that particular area, so just pivoted the bench a bit, closed the bolt on a fresh round, and caressed the Jewell trigger. Range was only 226 yards, the "thwop" of the bullet hitting home told me it was a solid hit right through the shoulder, and Ms. Badger never moved, just rolled over dead with no exit wound.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g66/packrat1/P5162551.jpg

We had so much sun that we put up our sun shades and put on sunscreen to avoid getting fried out there. Four of us shooting 204's, 223's, 17HMR's and our 22LR pistols racked up right around 1,400 rats in four days.

Having "my way with Skippy":

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g66/packrat1/DSC_0048.jpg

My M700 w/Pac-Nor 11 twist tight neck 204 Ruger cooling down for the next session:

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g66/packrat1/DSC_0057-1.jpg

We stay at a mobile home on the ranch we shoot, and it's about a five minute drive from the field to the house. The rats were so plentiful, it took us about a full HOUR each time to get to the house, due to the excellent "drive-by" shooting conditions with our rimfire pistols out the windows...all on private property of course. My Ruger MK-I 5.5" bull barrel with Leupold/Gilmore LG-1 Red Dot was ideally suited to the task:

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g66/packrat1/DSC_0028.jpg

All in all, it was our best shoot of the year. Now of course the alfalfa is too high to see the little buggers, but First Cut is just around the corner..... ;)

[LJC]

Rick:

I don't understand? If I remember right, you are retired. So why have you
only hunted 12 days so far?

Larry

[Rick in Oregon]

Well Larry, the problem is that the guys I shoot with all are still working, and with the price of fuel now, we all have to pool together in order to afford the trips. Bummer, but that's the story.

No worries though, the time spent in between shoots is spent keeping wifey happy doing honey-do chores, and reloading up all the spent cases from the last outing.

Its all good!