Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Coyote, Small Game, Varmints => Topic started by: 204chucknorris on March 25, 2012, 09:18:49 PM

Title: Sage Rats
Post by: 204chucknorris on March 25, 2012, 09:18:49 PM: Well, went out sage rat hunting (shooting) today with my son and a buddy of mine! We drove around a area only to find a few, then finally they started popping out and the good time began. A little while later we moved to another area and dug out the AR15 with 60grain V-max! Let the good times begin! Average ranges were 150 to250 with a few vacant holes at 400yards. Time to reload and get ready again with hope of some 400 yard shots.
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: dontgetcrabs on March 25, 2012, 09:31:21 PM: Nice... Got the quad out this afternoon and rode the canal bank. Man they were thick. Saw some guys prone shooting across a gulley. Fun times. :tup:
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on March 26, 2012, 07:40:56 AM: Got back last night from a weekend of Ground Squirrel shooting in Oregon. My buddy, his son, and I probably killed 350-400 rats total. Weather was beautiful!
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: BIGINNER on March 26, 2012, 07:44:08 AM: I MISSED OUT THIS WEEKEND, WOULD HAVE BEEN PERFECT WEATHER FOR SAGE RAT SHOOTING. MIGHT GO OUT THIS WEEK IF WE HAVE SUNNY WEATHER. :tup:
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: doyourtime89 on March 26, 2012, 09:15:42 AM: I see that Heredoggydoggy was saying he went to Oregon to do this. I have seen where there are a bunch of ranches in Oregon to go do this for a fee. Is there anywhere in WA to do something like this. My son would LOVE getting out and doing this. He is always hitting me up to go out and do something like this, I just don't know where to go or even get started.
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Loki_762 on March 26, 2012, 09:27:06 AM: It seems like much of my sage rat shooting is just driving around in the desert and getting out and shooting when I see a few. I would also love a chance to find a spot that is crawling with them so I could feed them some lead from the .17 HMR, .204, or .223. What kind of areas should I be looking for to have big number of them?
Thanks,
Chris
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Raul Duke on March 26, 2012, 05:19:45 PM: Weather was great yesterday. We also got out 2x to do a little shooting. Had a blast watching my kids smoke'em with our .17hmr. Good Times :tup:
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Special T on March 26, 2012, 05:49:12 PM: I'm headed out next weekend to OR to do do me shooting. What are you guys paying for 17hmr? Where? I gotta pick some up for a buddies rifle we are going to borrow.
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on March 26, 2012, 06:46:32 PM: Quote from: Special T on March 26, 2012, 05:49:12 PM
I'm headed out next weekend to OR to do do me shooting. What are you guys paying for 17hmr? Where? I gotta pick some up for a buddies rifle we are going to borrow.

I was just looking at HMR ammo--seems like it went up, along with everything else. I usually get a box of 500 every season, and Midway has the 500 box (10 boxes of 50) for $109.00. Wish I lived closer to Cabela's. A while back they had 17 HMR ammo advertised in their sale flyer for 9.99 a box. (50 rounds). Best price I've ever seen.
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: boneaddict on March 26, 2012, 06:50:21 PM: Busting them out of my garden. 410 and 10/22 Let the extermination begin. They are thinner this year then they have been. Does that mean I am making progress?
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on March 26, 2012, 06:52:33 PM: Quote from: doyourtime89 on March 26, 2012, 09:15:42 AM
I see that Heredoggydoggy was saying he went to Oregon to do this. I have seen where there are a bunch of ranches in Oregon to go do this for a fee. Is there anywhere in WA to do something like this. My son would LOVE getting out and doing this. He is always hitting me up to go out and do something like this, I just don't know where to go or even get started.

You don't have to pay to shoot Oregon squirrels. find a ranch that has lots of them, and ask. Ranchers hate them and are happy to have someone kill them. All they are concerned with is you taking care not to hit their livestock. One rancher even moved the cattle out of a field so we could shoot it the next day.
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on March 26, 2012, 06:59:42 PM: Quote from: boneaddict on March 26, 2012, 06:50:21 PM
Busting them out of my garden. 410 and 10/22 Let the extermination begin. They are thinner this year then they have been. Does that mean I am making progress?

The people we talked to in Oregon said they were late getting out of the burrows this year, but were bigger. We noticed that the squirrels seemed bigger and fatter than usual. They said it was well into March before they started to see them. Good luck exterminating them--a pair can have 3 or 4 litters a summer!
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Special T on March 26, 2012, 07:16:13 PM: What is becoming more prominent is the purchase of rights so that an outfitter can charge to shoot them.
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Raul Duke on March 27, 2012, 06:03:12 AM: Quote from: Heredoggydoggy on March 26, 2012, 06:46:32 PM
Quote from: Special T on March 26, 2012, 05:49:12 PM
I'm headed out next weekend to OR to do do me shooting. What are you guys paying for 17hmr? Where? I gotta pick some up for a buddies rifle we are going to borrow.

I was just looking at HMR ammo--seems like it went up, along with everything else. I usually get a box of 500 every season, and Midway has the 500 box (10 boxes of 50) for $109.00. Wish I lived closer to Cabela's. A while back they had 17 HMR ammo advertised in their sale flyer for 9.99 a box. (50 rounds). Best price I've ever seen.

Check your local Bi-Mart. I pick up Hornady V-Max ammo for $9.99 a box . They go on sale twice a month. Just gotta keep your eyes open. Usally a flyer in thursdays paper.
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Snopczynski on March 29, 2012, 07:41:49 AM: Quote from: Heredoggydoggy on March 26, 2012, 07:40:56 AM
Got back last night from a weekend of Ground Squirrel shooting in Oregon. My buddy, his son, and I probably killed 350-400 rats total. Weather was beautiful!
What Caliber were you guys using?
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on March 29, 2012, 08:07:11 AM: Quote from: Snopczynski on March 29, 2012, 07:41:49 AM
Quote from: Heredoggydoggy on March 26, 2012, 07:40:56 AM
Got back last night from a weekend of Ground Squirrel shooting in Oregon. My buddy, his son, and I probably killed 350-400 rats total. Weather was beautiful!
What Caliber were you guys using?

My buddy was using a .223 AR, I used .17 HMR mostly, but shot 100 rounds each of .17 Fireball and 22 K-Hornet. The kid used his 22 LR. Got a few close ones with my 22 pistol.
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Special T on April 03, 2012, 11:52:24 AM: I just got back as well. Shot mostly the 22lr and the 17hmr. My cuz picked up some FMJ 17 for 10.99 at bi-mart in or an his way up. Everywhere around me it was expensive. Sat morning shooting was great as was most of Friday, but it rained on us and the temp dropped and blew hard on sat so we left Sun... Had a great time and manged to loose all my poker money to our hosts high school kid! Good times!
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on April 03, 2012, 12:13:16 PM: The weather can change there in a heartbeat--especially at 4,000+ ft. where we were. The Friday afternoon we were there a blizzard came up, and the rats were still running around! On the drive back to the motel, we could barely see 50 feet ahead of the truck. 10 minutes after we got to the motel the snow stopped and it was calm. Next 2 days was perfect weather.
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Special T on April 03, 2012, 12:14:58 PM: Where abouts did you go? we went near Burns.
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: Heredoggydoggy on April 03, 2012, 01:02:31 PM: Quote from: Special T on April 03, 2012, 12:14:58 PM
Where abouts did you go? we went near Burns.

We go to the northeast corner. The Enterprise/Joseph area of the Wallowa Valley.
Title: Re: Sage Rats
Post by: boneaddict on April 04, 2012, 06:59:02 AM: Wenas (sheep country road) has quite a few. With all the "shooters" that go out there to the ranges etc. I was surprised to see so many. Little buggers kept running across the road last night as I was headed out there.......by the way, got checked for a discovery pass, so I'd say the emphasis patrols are still out there.