Sage Rats this weekend 5/14 - 5/16

[TonsOfOregonBrass]

Sag rats Bed down from around 12 - 4. Give or take an hour depending on the heat. early morning / early evening is the best time to find them out.

 

[Pnutz]

I've been shooting Sage Rats and rabbits in Ft Rock for the last 13 years and these last couple of years have been the worst compared to years prior. It's become pretty popular and it seems now every field has hunters in them every weekend keeping the numbers down. It's kinda hard to justify the trip out their anymore for just a few rats.

 

[Angler]

I was around Redmond for 8 days and found plenty including rockchucks. Nothing can beat the K-falls area though.

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[Gunner3456]

For any folks farther south, the area around and beyond Bonanza, which is about 20 miles out of Klamath Falls going E. on 140, is great. I have a really good long time friend who lives just E. of Bonanza and he knows "everyone." We murder the sage rats. Then he comes over here and I take him salmon and steelhead fishing on the Rogue River.

We get sage rats, rabbits and rock chucks, all with .22lr. BTW, we don't set up stands for rats or rabbits. We walk the fields with far greater success, but you can't have other groups there and do that.

I think that's a great barter, and might work for other people too.

 

[ORBrit]

Gunner is that an open invitation to come and shoot rats?
I would like to head out again, weekdays are possible too, but wanted to have a more active day than what we experienced in Christmas Valley/Ft. Rock area.

 

[Gunner3456]

Gunner is that an open invitation to come and shoot rats?
I would like to head out again, weekdays are possible too, but wanted to have a more active day than what we experienced in Christmas Valley/Ft. Rock area.

Sorry, I'd love to but this is just a suggestion that guys down South head over there and develop some relationships. There's an obvious town restaurant in Bonanza where the locals hang out.

My long time buddy guards his shooting places as most people do, and I feel lucky to be included. As I said, I pay him back with fishing trips. He can come and stay at our home and catch salmon and steelhead. I can help clean them and then freeze them for him. I also have taken him charter fishing at the coast. I stay at his home when I go over there and we have a great time.

The ranchers often begin to see the "city boys" as users. Unfortunately many come in and don't watch their backstops, damage crops, shoot holes in sprinkler lines, and give nothing in return. Many act "entitled."

When I go over there I take whole, cleaned, frozen salmon or steelhead with me. I take one for my buddy and one for each of the three ranchers who's ranches we like best and use most. If I'm short on those, I buy jerky at Gary West Meats here in Jacksonville, OR and take a bunch of that instead. The Teriyaki version is outstanding.

I believe you have to get to know people over time to develop trust, and you have to be sure to show appreciation. Ranchers and farmers are pretty doggoned independent, but they'll do anything for a neighbor and the favor will be returned. If they like you they'll do anything for you. They are the salt of the earth imho, but they don't automatically trust outsiders.

 

[Gunner3456]

I have mentioned before that my wife's family owns and operates a 4,000 acre wheat and cattle ranch between Arlington and Condon. It's lousy with rats but it's too far for me for a casual trip. I get there about once a year during rat season and we murder them.

I guarantee you that Dave wouldn't let you hunt there for the reasons I mentioned above. Guaranteed.

Condon would be a great place to hang out and get to know some ranch hands.

These people have to know you, and remember, they always return favors and so should you.

 

[ORBrit]

Thanks for the input Gunner.

We got to know a Dinsdale ranch hand in CV last weekend and he invited us to shoot at his house. If we go back there I'll be sure to bring him something (case of beer or jerky) to thank him for inviting us.

I don't want to come across as being privileged or entitled though, showing up with gifts or favors with the expectation of being invited to shoot.

Unfortunately with the idiots out there that ruin things for everyone else, I can't blame the ranchers for being picky about who they allow to shoot on their property.

I don't mind paying a little to shoot - it sure beats driving around for hours wasting gas, and daylight.

Anyone know of any places that have high numbers of rats, and reasonable fees to shoot?

 

[Gunner3456]

Thanks for the input Gunner.

We got to know a Dinsdale ranch hand in CV last weekend and he invited us to shoot at his house. If we go back there I'll be sure to bring him something (case of beer or jerky) to thank him for inviting us.

I don't want to come across as being privileged or entitled though, showing up with gifts or favors with the expectation of being invited to shoot.

Unfortunately with the idiots out there that ruin things for everyone else, I can't blame the ranchers for being picky about who they allow to shoot on their property.

I don't mind paying a little to shoot - it sure beats driving around for hours wasting gas, and daylight.

Anyone know of any places that have high numbers of rats, and reasonable fees to shoot?

You make a very good point. You don't "buy" the chance to shoot on a ranch with a relatively small gift. That would be an absolute cultural insult. You develop a relationship or get lucky and you shoot. As you leave you simply leave a gift of appreciation. That's culturally just returning a neighborly favor. You could also give the gift during your shooting if the rancher came out to where you are already shooting, or was shooting with you.

Think of it as if a neighbor rancher drove some of your cows back into your pasture and fixed your fence. Your wife then takes him a home made pie as a thank you. That's how they do it. Think of what an insult it would be if your wife first took him a pie, and in return "expected" him to keep all of the cows in the pasture and keep all fences fixed. Make sense?

 

[Shawn the Locksmith]

Hi Gunner, seen your post. Any sightings of pigs down that way?
Thanks

 

[Gunner3456]

I haven't been over for about three weeks. The grain and hay crops are getting tall. It's been really rainy (as much as I can ever recall seeing this time of year) and cool so hay isn't getting harvested. As soon as "summer" finally hits and they hay the fields (usually the first half of June,) there will be shooting again.

They grow lots of winter wheat and hay all around the greater Klamath Falls area (elevation about 4k feet I think) so there actually is field mowing and combining late May-August. Alfalfa is usually cut in early June and again late summer. Same is true of most of the good areas in NE Oregon.

If they choose to plant spring wheat, it's harvested in August and is getting too tall by now. There is almost always something that's been freshly cut any time after early June. Before April, most fields are open, but then the growth starts. The exception is winter wheat which is sown in the Fall and is getting pretty tall by early March.

Very few farmers and ranchers grow just one crop, so they may have fields open at any time. Also, some still practice leaving fields fallow every few years, but some (smart ones) plant a cover crop if they do.

Pasture land is often open and eaten down enough. Sage brush areas are harder to hunt but can be loaded with rats and rabbits and rock chucks.

I still believe in walking to hunt rats. They hear you coming and stand up on their mounds to have a look and... I don't like to set up a stand, but that's just me. We get plenty close to use a 22lr off-hand and iron sights by walking slowly.

hth

 

[drew]

Many farmers will try to get three cuttings from their alfalfa which actually means there can be different heights in those fields than the ones that are cut twice. About 20 miles south of Bonanza are Malin and Merrill. As far as local hangouts, there's an obvious place in Malin and probably still one in Merrill. There are usually plenty of the little varmints around. I've always referred to them as ground squirrels.

As far as people screwing it up for others, it happens. I know a number of farmers/ranchers who will only let people they trust on their property. Idiots who shoot sprinkler pipes, equipment, or towards inhabited areas wreck things for everyone.

 

[Gunner3456]

Yep, they call them ground squirrels too. Sage rats is a term I learned on this forum.

Leaving gates open, tearing up the ground with vehicles, shooting or even endangering equipment, not assuring a good backstop, drinking to excess - all that and more, and why would you let strangers on your property to shoot up the place? Some guys act like it's party time, and if they do stop to say thanks on the way, out, they're drunk.

 

[Oakley1wa]

I've been wanting to go to Eastern Oregon to do this for a while. I'd be interested if anyone wants company to go out and camp a night or shoot all day on a weekend or something. Any takers?

 

[caden08]

Any good areas in sw Washington? Been trying to get out but don't know the area to well.

 

[Oakley1wa]

Any good areas in sw Washington? Been trying to get out but don't know the area to well.

I think they can really only be found on the eastern side of the state

 

[Shawn the Locksmith]

We'll have to keep in touch. I would like to go pop some critters. My time is really scattered!!! so i need to do a lot of impromptu things. I'm also looking to going down to the Madras area for a feral pig cruise some day

 

[Oakley1wa]

Im interested... I'll just keep an eye out. I have a pretty flexable schedule.

 

[caden08]

I think they can really only be found on the eastern side of the state

Kind of what I figured... Did alot of coyote and sage rat shooting In the deerpark area. Now that I'm over here I regret the move... Well if anyone knows any decent areas in the area, a heads up would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[CEF1959]

Sage Rats are out everywhere this weekend. Shot 327 of them from noon to 6 pm today, and 2 rabbits.

In what sense is this "hunting"? When I grew up hunting, there was always an element of stealth or stalking, followed by a harvest of meat. My dad taught me to respect animals and not just shoot them for blood sport. Shooting critters from a lawn chair just to watch the red mist fly? I dunno. It seems to serve a useful purpose for farmers now that we've killed off the natural predators and created monocultures of chipmunk heaven, but "hunting"? Hmmm. Can it really be "hunting" if you kill 327 in 6 hours? That's almost one per minute for 6 hours.

Maybe just call it killing. Hunting is a noble way to harvest meat the way our ancesters did. This slaughter of chipmunks should be called something different maybe..