First Oregon Sagerats 2022 Season

[Rick in Oregon]

I live on the south oregon coast and looking forward to my annual rat shooting excursion. I knew we were all screwed when they start calling it rat 'hunting'. This year I will head over to Fields to look for some new ground.

Right.
It's rat "hunting" alright, HUNTING for a place to do it!
Good luck with your quest out Fields way.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

As the ground squirrel time of year is fast approaching, here's something to add to the excitement....before and after.

The "before" shot:



And "after" shot:



There's just something special about teaching rodents to fly.

 

[S&G Custom]

Just love to watch them fly too !

 

[drover]

They finally started popping up here in central Idaho. Saturday it was our first warm non-windy day and 70 degrees. I ended up with a total of 204 in about 4 hours, the 223 accounted for 12 and all of the rest were with my 22 rifle. It will still be another couple of weeks before they really start moving but my blood is up now.

 

[B23]

There's just something special about teaching rodents to fly.

And those pics where you see multiple pieces of sploded rat parts flying through the air are the BEST!

You got some pretty good hang time out of that big piece but the internals got better height.

Judges scoring: Height and Distance 9.5 Technical Difficulty 9.5 Artistic Impression 9.8 Viewing Pleasure 10.0+++

 

[Frankm]

Rick in Oregon, hate to say it but you re exactly right… the days of good Sage rat and rock Chuck hunting are quickly disappearing. Southwest Idaho is a whole different place just in the past 4-5 years. Grew up in NV and that’s also a shell of what it was.

Money taking over the life style us rural boys grew up enjoying…. Nothing you can do to change it. In addition the past year or two I believe the plague has hit the rats really hard. We ve went from thousands of shots in a long day with 4-5 guys to a couple hundred.

Times are a changing and not for the better if this is what you like.

 

[TheCZKid]

Still the most fun you can have with a rifle from my perspective! I'm looking forward to enjoying what opportunities I get.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Still the most fun you can have with a rifle from my perspective! I'm looking forward to enjoying what opportunities I get.

Truer words never spoken.

It's nothing like it used to be, never will, but we're still able to get out and shoot the little buggers every chance we get. It may be all gone someday, but for now, I'll take whatever I can until I'm pushin' up daisies. Besides, I've got way too much loaded brass to just sit in GI ammo cans.

 

[Deerezilla]

Truer words never spoken.

It's nothing like it used to be, never will, but we're still able to get out and shoot the little buggers every chance we get. It may be all gone someday, but for now, I'll take whatever I can until I'm pushin' up daisies. Besides, I've got way too much loaded brass to just sit in GI ammo cans.

I would like to add it’s hard from a rancher’s perspective to let people on to your property. One instance I let a few people out on my place told them Do Not shoot my rock chucks I only have 2 matting couple. What did they do? Shot them. I’ve had my pivots shot wheel lines with holes every year.
So yeah it’s hard for shooters to find new ground.
And that cabbage poison cost now 75 bucks acre I’m sure rats will be coming back.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Deerzilla, I completely understand your position. You were nice enough to allow me and my partner to shoot your property a few years ago. We've lived and shot rats here since the early 70's, and have never disobeyed any landowner wishes, shot any pipes, cattle, sheep or off-limit rock chucks; to do so shuts that door right away, and only city fools would commit such transgressions with no intention of ever coming back.

Thank you for your previous hospitality. I may call you again for permission, but will understand if you've "had enough" and deny us trespass privileges due to encounters such as you list above.

On a sidenote, the WX has been so wacky this season, the rats may get another pass....once for Covid, and now winter weather in spring.

 

[TheCZKid]

Deerzilla, I also understand your perspective. I'm able to shoot on some ranches in Ft Rock and Christmas Valley, and I take that permission with a great deal of responsibility, and have never damaged their gear, and have paid close attention to any parameters passed on to me by the owners. It's hard to see that others have not done so on your property... I count it a privilege to be there, as rat shooting is such a great lot of fun.

 

[Deerezilla]

Deerzilla, I completely understand your position. You were nice enough to allow me and my partner to shoot your property a few years ago. We've lived and shot rats here since the early 70's, and have never disobeyed any landowner wishes, shot any pipes, cattle, sheep or off-limit rock chucks; to do so shuts that door right away, and only city fools would commit such transgressions with no intention of ever coming back.

Thank you for your previous hospitality. I may call you again for permission, but will understand if you've "had enough" and deny us trespass privileges due to encounters such as you list above.

On a sidenote, the WX has been so wacky this season, the rats may get another pass....once for Covid, and now winter weather in spring.

Rick you were great If you ever want to come over here just pm me and I’ll give you my new number and you can have the hole ranch this time.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Rick you were great If you ever want to come over here just pm me and I’ll give you my new number and you can have the hole ranch this time.

Thanks there, DZ, pm sent.

 

[searcher]

Rick in Oregon, hate to say it but you re exactly right… the days of good Sage rat and rock Chuck hunting are quickly disappearing. Southwest Idaho is a whole different place just in the past 4-5 years. Grew up in NV and that’s also a shell of what it was.

Money taking over the life style us rural boys grew up enjoying…. Nothing you can do to change it. In addition the past year or two I believe the plague has hit the rats really hard. We ve went from thousands of shots in a long day with 4-5 guys to a couple hundred.

Times are a changing and not for the better if this is what you like.

Yes - every year, I say the same thing. I just got back from a trip a few days ago to an area a few hours north of Eastern Oregon/California border. First few days were really poor - but mostly because we got there a bit late on those fields. On the third day, things really turned around. I shot just over 900 rounds that day - probably 30% over what is normally considered a really good day for me. Never moved and never changed my elevation settings on my .223 and .20 Practical scopes. Seems we hardly put a dent in them when we left - which is not the usual, visual outcome. And despite intermittent 20 mph wind and hail and snow. The "good old days" can still be had - but are tougher, indeed. Pretty rare to see a field that out of control anymore - so to speak.

 

[HenryWMHR]

Looks like you had some nice weather! Way to earlier up here in Northeast Oregon to be doing that kind of shooting.

I am with you on that thought. I just don't know where to go. I like to be able to find a rancher that would welcome a good ethics shooter to hunt his land for sage rats. any advice would be appreciated

 

[TheCZKid]

I was able to get out to Fort Rock on Sunday, on just one pivot. It was good early until about noon, the wind went from about 8 mph at 11am to 16-20 by noon / 1pm, and the rats went down in the holes to watch Netflix or something. We got 52 total, which was slim pickin's but good to get out first time this year.

 

[S&G Custom]

I am with you on that thought. I just don't know where to go. I like to be able to find a rancher that would welcome a good ethics shooter to hunt his land for sage rats. any advice would be appreciated

You just need to drive around and find fields that have sagerats and start knocking on doors. That how must of us found our rat fields. Takes time and money to find place to shoot and most guys will not share their hunting ground information. If your here in Oregon drive around Christmas Valley, Fort Rock or east of Klamath Falls, the Burns area can be good also.
SG

 

[S&G Custom]

I was able to get out to Fort Rock on Sunday, on just one pivot. It was good early until about noon, the wind went from about 8 mph at 11am to 16-20 by noon / 1pm, and the rats went down in the holes to watch Netflix or something. We got 52 total, which was slim pickin's but good to get out first time this year.
View attachment 1340682

I just got back from a 14 day trip in eastern Oregon and shot right at 4000 round of 17HMR and 17HM2, the babies in our area were thick ! Most days I sat in one spot and shot 4 hours. I also killed 41 rock chuck.

 

[TheCZKid]

On Wednesday got in the last trip shooting rats out in Fort Rock. Long time shooting buddy and I had a slow start on a half-pivot field which had been cut recently. The grass was too long to see them for more than a moment, and the rats too few. They would poke their heads up long enough for us to try to get them in the scope, and they'd be down again. Between us got 34 in 4 hours... then before we headed home we decided to check our "regular" full pivot field a few miles north of us. It had also been recently cut, and had rings of drying hay laying in the field. It also had antelope running around, about 7 total, fun to watch.

Thankfully we found a little more abundance there. We were able to bring our confirmed kill count to 90 for the day, which isn't much but a lot better than not going. My buddy is moving back to California soon, so that was our last day of rat shooting for the season, and maybe last day to shoot with him for foreseeable future.

But next year...! hoping for new opportunities, and more sage rat adventures!

Got to try out my 20 Vartarg on the rats, wanted to get it out this year, was able to draw "first blood" as Rambo would say.