Sage rats

[seth30]

Too bad I wasnt a tad closer I would love to try my new spot light out

[high country]

Npaull, my "guide" is 84 years old and was born in the field we shoot rats in. He claims to shoot 20-200 every single day that they are awake.....and I don't doubt him. If they were gonna get wiped out, it would not be by my uncanny marksmanship.....it would be the poison that they get every year. These things are hell on crops and leave holes for the stock to step in.

[Heredoggydoggy]

Normally, the little burrows the Sage Rats dig would pose no problem.  But then the Badgers and Coyotes try to dig them out, and make big holes for livestock to step in and break a leg.  And, they can decimate an Alfalfa field in no time at all.  There's a lady that lives near where we shoot, and she started out as a "live and let live" person--until she tried to raise a vegetable garden.  Now it's "Yeah, you are welcome to shoot on my property!  Kill 'em ALL!"  You can shoot a field all day, and go back the next day and there's just as many.  A guy I know calls them SERTS.  "Self-Erecting Renewable Targets".   

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

Paul has a point. So how did the sage rats taste??

[high country]

Paul has a point. So how did the sage rats taste??

Like a cross between victory and success. They actually eat well, if you don't blow them up. The field we hunt can hardly be walked across due to all the holes.

[CastleRocker]

All you have to do is go talk to farmer who has just lost a couple pivots worth of alfalpha to rats.  One of the farmers we spoke to down in Southern Oregon had just lost two entire irrigated fields to rats.  With today's prices that's over $100,000.00 loss.  That is gross loss of crop, not including the price of water for irrigation, fertilizer, or harvest costs.  (Which the first cut won't come early now, due to the rats).  Without doing the math, I'd say that will increase her loss by 25%+.   Hard working lady, who doesn't desearve to work that hard, just to feed rats.

In fact, I'll give you three guesses, (and the first two don't count), who is going to end up paying for that much of that loss eventually.   

Rats are NOT Bison, nor Dodo birds, or anywhere close to extinction.  Gather the facts and send me a PM.  I'd be more than happy to debate this "wasteful slaughter" of rats with anyone. 

Does anyone know where to get 17HMR shells cheap?  I'm looking forward to our next trip.

[h2ofowlr]

sigh

I imagine it depends on the critters were talking about.  They are like a Norway rat where there are millions of them.  You just don't put a dent into them.  Like living next to a field and going through boxes and boxes of Deacon poisoning and never getting the upper hand on the critters.  You have to experience it sometime to see what everyone is talking about.  I guess you could always Go old school and poison the fields, but that kills everything that feasts on the carcasses. 

[dontgetcrabs]

From my back deck.

[actionshooter]

I've gone down there and shot a couple of years ago. Its a FREAKIN riot!!! In a day 1-1/2 days I shot 1500 rounds, my fingers hurt, I had blisters on my thumbs from loading mags and couldn't wait to shoot more. 

 One of the ranchers told me that 30 of those sage rats eat the same amount of alfalfa per day as one cow. Don't know if its true or not, but the locals HATE those critters.

 One of the great parts is when you smoke one wait a minute, all his buddies go all  cannibalistic, then shoot them too.     makes me smile.

[CastleRocker]

From my back deck.

HOLY JUMPIN' UP AND DOWN MARTHA!!!

If you EVER want anyone to come to your backyard, my wife and I are very ready, very willing, and very able!
 
This past weekend is going to cost me some money!

We went over to Yakima to visit my daughter this past Saturday, and took our rimfires.  My daughter had a line on some rats, so we went over and shot a bunch.  It was hilarious.  First thing my wife says when she saw her first one was, "I don't think I can shoot them, they are sort of cute".  Then we get to the place where we are to shoot them, and the wonderful lady and her husband show her the damage.  She couldn't really relate to the crop damage, but when she saw the lawn and the flower beds...it was game on.

She had only one problem with shooting them after that...she had a hard time spotting them before my son, either daughter, or myself.  Whoever spots them first....shoots.  Once she got her eyes going, she had a blast. 

Now for the expensive part.  She informed me that she wants "a 22 like the one I was shooting, and one of those 17's too, and we are going to go to Southern Oregon to do this!"

She has no clue what another 22 like the one she was shooting is going to cost.  Not to mention another 17HMR! 

This is one expense that I will love to pay.

[actionshooter]

WAAAHOOO............On for Saturday in Burns on some private land I shot a couple of years ago, bad part is, sounds like the alfalfa is getting tall.

[actionshooter]

Hey Castlerocker, I heard of worse problems to have!!

[CastleRocker]

Hey Castlerocker, I heard of worse problems to have!!

Oh I know!  I'll be looking for more Leupold items soon!  (hint, hint).

She wants to go down to Oregon this coming weekend for Mother's Day, but I don't think I can round up enough parts to build her the 10/22 she wants in time.   

[deleted BGS]

Where can I find these at, public land?

[LEN]

Warning Warning Warning Don't touch the Rats 
They DO carry the Plague. IE: Oregon man in Rat area got the plague from a cat, doesn't take a IQ over 3-4 to tell where the cat got it. And it's not just a pill or two and your OK. IT's a long process and easily could end in you being in the hole not the rat.

We go every year at least once for a week, kill from 400-1000 a day and the next day you would swear they copulated overnite. Loads of fun and sure tells one how his shooting is doing and how to read the wind. OR have wind Naaawwww.

LEN