Early OR Rat Shoot (Pic Heavy)

[Rick in Oregon]

Normally we have our best rat shooting here in late March to late May. But our primary ranch we've shot for ten years got sold to a non-shooter friendly new owner . Our friend who sold the place told us if we wanted to shoot the place, we better get out now as the new owner will poison the entire property the day after we left. That's all we had to hear, we loaded up and took advantage of the place while we could.

On the way out from home base, I spied this guy at my "chuck barometer". Seemed like a good omen.



We parked our trailers and got ready for the next day of shooting. As our 'rat camp' borders a good field that had been just harrowed, I set up my Death Grip tripod with my Anschutz 1715D HB in 17HMR for some casual rat shooting right in camp. Seemed like a good idea, and it didn't take long to need another box of ammo.



Just outside my trailer dinette window, this chubby female squirrel appeared just like last year in the same burrow. She got a pass this time too. She has no idea of just how lucky she really is.



The following day we set up and had our way with Skippy and his pals at the edge of a large escarpment that has a population of rockchucks.



My buddy Dan spied a chuck on the far edge of the escarpment at 600.6 yards. He broke out his new 7mm PRC and nailed the chuck on a cold-bore shot.





The next day we shot a different ranch that had an amazing amount of both squirrels and their mounds. Once targets worthy of the 17HMR were scarce, I broke out my Cooper M38 in 221 FB shooting Nosler 40gr Varmageddon's over A2200 at 3,100 fps. Results were 'pleasing'



Cooper M38 221FB doing rat duty.



Rifle O-The-Day was my Cooper M38 in 20 Vartarg shooting Nosler 32gr Ballistic Silvertips over RL-7 at 3,700 fps. This rifle runs that load right at .2".





The terminal effects of the load are graphic as one would assume on small thin-skinned critters. This guy 'flew' to about 6' prior to landing from 211 yards.



Once the targets worthy of the 17HMR were scarce, I broke out my Cooper M38 in 221FB shooting Nosler 40gr Varmageddon's over A2200 at 3,100 fps. It was a good choice.



We cleaned rifles in the field to keep shooting, rotating rifles to keep them cool if needed.



It was a great shoot considering it was so early in the season. The day we left the area had rain and 40 mph winds. We lucked out in the WX department with a good shooting window. That doesn't happen often as most know. Home now, hoping the coming season is a good one, as it's just getting started here.

I hope everyone has a great spring varmint season wherever you are!

Edit Note: For some reason, my pics got out of order to the narration. I apologize for the mess-up.

 

[TA17rem]

Once targets worthy of the 17HMR were scarce

what do you mean? according to some that's an all-day gun unlimited inches''

I like the 221 f.b. much better choice. keep after them.

 

[MTPaul]

Hey Rick,

Thanks for sharing your early season varmint acrobatics as the year kicks off in the high desert of OR. I would imagine this event will be but a harbinger of things to come during the rest of 2026. Too bad about your primary rat patch going the way of far too many other honey holes in many parts of the western US. However, it looks like you were able to make the best of a bad situation, and I'll bet you are already working on finding other suitable locations for future rat-o-batic rendezvous.

Judging by the green-up noted in some of the pictures it appears your season is off to a good start and the various critters look to have adequate browse opportunities as they move into the rest of the spring. Between the rimfires and the various CFs, I'll bet you are more than able to keep the populations in check.

 

[Rick300]

Rick, thanks for the post.With the warm weather in March the rats have been out in force in Kali and Nevada. I've been out 3 tomes now and soon to be a 4th trip. I need to shoot Orygun rats one of these days. I semi know a rancher in the Burns area.

 

[centerlineseal]

Judging by that jacket you're wearing, you weren't worried about buzzworms!

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Judging by that jacket you're wearing, you weren't worried about buzzworms!

That's my buddy Dan with the rockchuck wearing the jacket. I had photo duty and security (Kimber 22LR Conversion), so not in any of the pics as usual. Besides, Dan is much younger and better lookin'.

That escarpment is indeed home to those buzztails though. Caution is the order of the day. The last thing you'd want is to be snake-bit in the outback, far from medical help.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

what do you mean? according to some that's an all-day gun unlimited inches''

I like the 221 f.b. much better choice. keep after them.

Well "some" are entitled to their opinion, but after the range stretches out past 250 yards, it's time to put the little 17HMR in the truck and bench a CF rifle if you actually want to see Skippy fly. But for work inside 200 yards (sometimes a bit further if the wind is down), the HMR is a joy in the rat patch for sure.

But you got me on "unlimited inches". Dunno what you refer to.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Too bad about your primary rat patch going the way of far too many other honey holes in many parts of the western US. However, it looks like you were able to make the best of a bad situation, and I'll bet you are already working on finding other suitable locations for future rat-o-batic rendezvous.

Judging by the green-up noted in some of the pictures it appears your season is off to a good start and the various critters look to have adequate browse opportunities as they move into the rest of the spring. Between the rimfires and the various CFs, I'll bet you are more than able to keep the populations in check.

Paul, we've got two great ranches lined up for later this and next year in the area, both rich with Skippy and his pals. But it's getting harder by the year to find good places with some of the landowners locking up their property for fee shooters lured to the area by "rat outfitters/guides". Then the dreaded cabbage poison too, which decimates entire squirrel populations.

Being hardcore rat shooters, we all deal with it and do the best we can considering the challenges now.
No one wants to stay home when the rats are up!

 

[jxb]

Nice to see you all got to get out and enjoy, bummer about the place being sold to another cabbage lover.

 

[Dgd6mm]

Rick, great thread as always. Excellent photos, beautiful country.

 

[Tommie]

Super!

 

[BadSquirrel]

Rick,
Where are you getting the Nosler 32gr Ballistic Silvertips? I'd like to try them out but can't seem to find them in 20 Cal.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Naughty Squirrel ( ), those .20 cal Ballistic Silvertips came to me via a trade from a fellow shooter in Cali who could not use them due to the lead ban there. They shoot exactly the same as the standard BT in all my .20 cal rifles.....which is very well.

Not sure if Nosler runs them as a standard production item, but a call to them should clear that up.

I can't find my targets shot with the BST's, but both the BT and Varmageddon in .20 cal all shoot exactly the same in all my .20 cal rifles. I'm guessing the jackets are all identical.

 

[BadSquirrel]

Thanks for the info Rick.

 

[Fern]

always look forward to you yearly rat patch adventure posts. Curious how many rounds do you take out there for your trips?

 

[dbingen]

Hey, Rick. Looks like a real good time. I’m hoping to take my first shots this Friday. The weather has been spring like here in western Idaho so I’m hoping it will hold.

…Dave

 

[WrathOfMan]

Fantastic! Good trip, good shooting, great memories!

 

[Rick in Oregon]

always look forward to you yearly rat patch adventure posts. Curious how many rounds do you take out there for your trips?

Fern, I usually take 400 rounds for each rifle when I take multiple CF rifles on one of these shoots. 400 rounds packed in 100 rnd Berry's boxes, four boxes to each .50 cal can. When I take just one CF rifle (local stuff), I take two cans for 800 rounds. I almost always bring home unfired ammo.

One of four stacks of Mil-Spec ammo cans in the gun room, both .50 & .30 cal all loaded ready for field action.



On this last shoot, I primarily used 17HMR, 20VT and 221FB, but had my 11 twist 204 Ruger Match in the truck if the ranges got stretched past 350 yards. Didn't uncase it, as all the shooting was 300 yards or less on this trip so the LR rig was not needed, but was there if wanted.

Thanks for the kind words too. I hope you are able to get out with your 11T 204RM this year.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Hey, Rick. Looks like a real good time. I’m hoping to take my first shots this Friday. The weather has been spring like here in western Idaho so I’m hoping it will hold.

…Dave

Dave, it was a good time indeed. Looking at the WX today, it appears we've got an offshore low pressure system moving in Friday and over the weekend. Hope it doesn't affect your plans. If you're able to get out, post up your trip for all to enjoy here.

Maybe the 'weather guessers' got it wrong......

 

[STS]

Great post and equally great pictures. It’s interesting to hear all the different names that have been bestowed on these squirrels. Here in Montana we call them gophers. There’s not a lot of them in Wyoming, but they call them chiselers. I’ve heard them called Pot Guts down in Idaho, and squeaks as well as the term rats that you guys use. Any other names that are used?