Sage rats and rock chucks

[tionico]

Do you have any sage rats, marmots, or rock chucks on your property or nearby?

Nope. I'm not far from you, here in the South Puget's Sound area. Sage rats are desert critters, they got smart and moved east, tired of all the soaking wet weather. Rock chucks, nosirree..... this is one HUGE lump of blue clay, hardly a rock in sight except for the odd glacial erratic, and landscape rocks folks have imported at a very high carbon footprint (heh heh heh.. couldn't let THAT one pass me by....). Marmots, we have nearby, but up on Mt. Rainier. Too low here ... and I rather suspect they're not fond of clay muck anyway.

so negative, three times.

Not sure about the other two types of critters, but if I did have marmot here, I rather suspect I'd haave been after their pelts some time ago.....

 

[RallySoob]

Where is there to stay at hotel wise in the area. I heard the hotels in xmas valley are a little gross.

I've only stayed at hotels in madras. Everytime I've went out to frt rock over night we had just slept in the vehicle parked out in the desert. I have a spot we sleep that is under some tree's just out about 3mi from fr rock itself. Basicly it's about 1mi before you hit cabin lake road going up the gravel road passing frt rock towards china hat. I've taken a coyote and several rabbits on that road too and I've seen a cougar about 700yds off that road once. I had my cougar tag too but no gun to reach out that far at the time, only AR15's that trip. I was so pissed off for the rest of the day, it ruined my trip actually.

 

[Snopczynski]

I ride ATV's, I have always been meaning to take the banshee out to Xmas Valley.

 

[Pnutz]

I've had my banshee out at X-mas valley and its pretty fun. Lil dusty but Fun. Bring a GPS BC you may get a lil lost since everything is flat and looks the same so its hard to reference stuff.

Dunes aren't to huge but big horse shoe shaped bowls to rip around in.

I ride ATV's, I have always been meaning to take the banshee out to Xmas Valley.

 

[ORBrit]

I've only stayed at hotels in madras. Everytime I've went out to frt rock over night we had just slept in the vehicle parked out in the desert. I have a spot we sleep that is under some tree's just out about 3mi from fr rock itself. Basicly it's about 1mi before you hit cabin lake road going up the gravel road passing frt rock towards china hat. I've taken a coyote and several rabbits on that road too and I've seen a cougar about 700yds off that road once. I had my cougar tag too but no gun to reach out that far at the time, only AR15's that trip. I was so pissed off for the rest of the day, it ruined my trip actually.

Is there any public land to shoot at in the area? Not even so concerned about hunting, but figured the flat desert may be a good place to test the range limits on my new .22-250.

 

[Snopczynski]

Is there any public land to shoot at in the area? Not even so concerned about hunting, but figured the flat desert may be a good place to test the range limits on my new .22-250.

there is blm land along the highway near burns and crane.

 

[USMC1911]

I ride ATV's, I have always been meaning to take the banshee out to Xmas Valley.

Thats where your handle rings a bell. Planet Sand

 

[Pnutz]

Well I'm off to X-mas valley tomorrow AM to see what kinda critters are running around.

 

[Snopczynski]

I wish I was going!

 

[ORBrit]

Well I'm off to X-mas valley tomorrow AM to see what kinda critters are running around.

Should be an awesome weekend!
Happy hunting

 

[JAYROD9528]

between the four of us we shot over 200 today in two hours.

 

[solowars]

Im almost out the door and wont be back till tuesday wish me luck im going after gray diggers.Im going to break out the big boys on this trip its the first trip of the year and i need some misting effect..I would post pics but i get in trouble:huh::huh::huh:

ONLY HEADSHOTS!!!!!!

 

[Pnutz]

between the four of us we shot over 200 today in two hours.

Where were you guys At?

 

[Kaltbluter]

How late in the year does the sage rat hunting stay good? I want to make it this year but I won't be able to for at least 3-4 more weeks.


Thanks.

 

[Pnutz]

How late in the year does the sage rat hunting stay good? I want to make it this year but I won't be able to for at least 3-4 more weeks.


Thanks.

I've hunted them into Mid July. It's only good to hunt them when the hay fields are only a few inches tall. So right after the farmer plants and right after the farmer harvests. Right now they are just planting and almost all fields only have about an 1-inch of growth. Probably in a few weeks most fields will be tall and you won't be able to see them very well or at all.

 

[solowars]

Just got back into town, Toasted 13 ground squirls and a couple flocks of starlings. Longest rifle shot made was with a 7mm mag at close to 600(give or take 50 yards) on a mid sized squirl. Longest handgun shot was made with my scoped 44 mag at just over 100 yards on a adult. More then 20 miles on foot and a pretty nice sunburn

FYI Babys arnt out in the numbers but small amounts were out and about, another month or so and it should really get good. Also right now with the babys still in the den the adults are very finicky and only stop for a quik second and then dissapear back into thier holes. Thats way i took the big boys so i could reach out and touch em.

Oh and I almost killed another friend, when i tell them 20 miles in 2 days i guess they will start to belive me.

 

[tomcat]

pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! need pics...just post a link....for thim who wants to see pics...the uthers dont have to open the link....

 

[solowars]

I didn't take a camera this time, but i will be going again in two weeks. Theres lots of canyons with small clumps of trees and lots of open area for my favorite type of shooting, long range.

I posted pics last year and almost lost my account because i guess its WRONG to hunt varmints.sigh.........I'll post pics of the landscape next time but its just like i described above its super open, hot and not much flat land except on top on the hills and in between. Its wear my ashes will be spread and its my favorite place to be. If you have a kid you should make a camping/hunting site thats your guys special spot and set a date every year to go so when your gone they can go and still feel close to you. The 20th of april is me and my old mans day and sense he passed away i haven't missed a 4/20 and i never will. This year i took dads squirrel rifle along and shot 4 for him and now see why he loved that rifle and why he wouldnt let me touch it

Heres a couple from my last trip with my Dad and of course one of my doggy when he was a pup

 

[dilleybilly]

a buddy and i just got back from turkey hunting in ne oregon and shot quite a few marmots

 

[theduke]

Lots of birds ? How'd you do? Pics We need more pics!