Sagerat prep:

[HARPERC]

We're scheduled to hunt sage rats with No Off Season April 4th and 5th, I'm starting to feel the organization heat.

Last year the guys went through enough .223 ammo we got home with 18 lbs of brass, not counting rimfire.

Currently on a break from brass sorting. We'll use more rimfire this time, plus 1 more shooter, and I need to get going on a supply of .17 HMR also.

 

[Rogue Hunter]

Cool!!!!
We have an April rat hunt scheduled too
I've been busy cranking out .20 VT's , .20 BR's , and 6 Dashers in anticipation of our hunt. Between me and the three boys, we burned 3000+ rounds in one day last year.

-Good luck on your hunt!gun)

-Mike

 

[HARPERC]

Great fun, we're up around Crane, how about you?

 

[Rogue Hunter]

Great fun, we're up around Crane, how about you?

We will be hunting east of Klamath Falls gun)

-Mike

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Ok I have to ask...What is a sage rat? We have gophers, and going for a couple days in the next few weeks to shoot a pile.

Steve

 

[Rogue Hunter]

Ok I have to ask...What is a sage rat? We have gophers, and going for a couple days in the next few weeks to shoot a pile.

Steve

Belding's ground squirrel.
Looks like a mini prairie dog. -About 1/3 the size. They infest the alfalfa fields.
They actually have measured them by 1000's per acre gun)

-Mike

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Ok. Ours are Columbia ground squirrels. Sounds like pretty much the same thing.

Steve

 

[Gale Johnson]

Ok I have to ask...What is a sage rat? We have gophers, and going for a couple days in the next few weeks to shoot a pile.

Steve

We have made the trip to shoot with Tim at NOS for the last couple years, the 2 day drive is getting long.

Are there good numbers of gophers up in Northern MT?

 

[RockyMtnMT]

We have made the trip to shoot with Tim at NOS for the last couple years, the 2 day drive is getting long.

Are there good numbers of gophers up in Northern MT?

Not so good in North West MT. To much mountains and trees. We go to SW MT to my Uncles place and shoot. We will shoot a few thousand over a weekend.

Steve

 

[HARPERC]

........We have made the trip to shoot with Tim at NOS for the last couple years, the 2 day drive is getting long...........

We're only about 8 hours out from Tim, but I keep threatening to have one of the 12 y/o take over for a couple of hours instead of sleep all the way.

 

[MachV]

Sounds like you could use a good pellet gun too? My hunting partner took a 17 Gamo with us last Saturday and while the little lite 17 cal pellet had a little trouble in the wind I got to thinking a quality 22cal pellet rifle might just be a good thing to have around. It scares them less than the 17HMR and a whole lot cheaper to shoot.
Do you ground squirrels look like this??

.

 

[HARPERC]

Just about anything works. I think the .17HMR with a decent scope is hard to beat. Cost effective if you're trying to provide ammo for 3 kids. The splat factor is much better than the .22's. A slingshot would work, but a little slow. At the heart of it, it's a depredation hunt, alfalfa fields with irrigation pivots, and high kill rates rule.

They aren't spooky, you can be shooting centerfires, then notice they've come up right at the platform. I had planned to have a Contender .410 for the close ones, but it's got away from me a bit. Even the eagles that show up for free lunch don't bother them for long.

Bob Beck and the EOL guys have a couple of good programs shooting centerfires (ok if you have multiple rifles or don't care about burying your favorite barrel). The show is on Vimeo, or on No Off Seasons (Tim Titus, tt35) Facebook page under "Burning Some Powder".

You really have to see it to believe it. An infestation of biblical proportions is the only way to describe it. 2 for one shots not unusual. Kind of Zombie apocalypse, shoot one, and then his buddies that come to feed on the carcass.

I took a couple of 12 year olds last year, and they're in again this year. They maintain it's the most fun they've had in their lives. Video game pace.