Sage rats??

2LEYS · 02-01-2004, 03:19 AM

So what is the story with sage rats? Is there any good public land to go on? When does the action pick up?

Abalone · 02-01-2004, 03:56 AM

As soon as the weather warms up.

I used to pick them off on a farm in Wamic, there are tons of them there but I hear Madras has plenty of them too. You need to spend some time before the weather warms up knocking on doors.
What kind of Varmit gun do you have ? Let me know if you find a place I would love to join ya.

I bought a .22 Magnum with a 0 to 9 scope. It does the job just fine.

SLEDDER · 02-01-2004, 05:50 AM

I would love to go also. 22 mag. or 223

Rusty · 02-01-2004, 07:06 AM

My experience hunting sage rats is limited to the Burns/Crane area. There are millions of them there from mid-March through April. Any area east of the Cascades around ag land will be loaded.

The other great part about hunting them is how easy it is to get permission from the landowners!

I mean EASY. A couple of them offer FREE COFFEE if you will hunt their property, no kidding.

As always, present yourself as a responsible person who will respect their property, and follow any rules set down by the landowner. AND most important, once you leave his/her field, make an effort to go back and personally thank them for letting you have such a good time on their property. Watch how fast they ask you to come back ANY TIME! One even asked me if I'd like to come back and hunt deer next October!

Enjoy, it is a great outing!

Rusty

Rusty

1pump · 02-01-2004, 04:04 PM

I used to hunt on private land near Ashwood. Some years there had been more rain than usual and the grass would be too thick, making it nearly impossible to see anything on the ground. That was a rare year when that happened, though.

I went along as a guest of the guy who had deer rights on the land, but it can't be too tough to get permission around there. Lots of land, few houses, and tons of rats, porcupines and coyotes.

Until November I was going to Hines once a week for work. Hopefully, I'll start going again before too long, and I can ask the locals about the hunting.

If anybody has room for another hunter, I'd like to go as well. I shoot a stock 10/22 w/ 3X9.

fishinpoor · 02-01-2004, 06:22 PM

HEAD DOWN TO KLAMATH FALLS AND SURROUNDING. AREAS,ACCESS IS PRETTY GOOD,JUST KNOCK AND ASK AS MOST RAT SHOOTING IS PRIVATE PROPERTY,THIS IS A RELIGION DOWN HERE,BEST SHOOTING STARTS IN MARCH PROVIDING WE HAVE WARM WEATHER,AND CAN LAST UNTIL JULY(TIME IT BETWEEN CUTTINGS)BRING SEVERAL BRICKS OF AMMO

Salty Walty · 02-01-2004, 07:34 PM

I mainly shot over in the Burns,Crane and Princeton areas. The best shooting was from March to early June. It was easy to get permission but now there are some outfitters actually offering hunts over there and some places actually lease the rat rights. There is still alot of oppurtunity and fun to be had just knock on doors and be aware of your background. Bring lots of ammo and sun block. I've been on shoots over there where the field looked like a Civil War battlefield when we left. In May it gets more challenging when the little ones come out.

BuKuBass · 02-01-2004, 07:55 PM

When the young'uns bunch up on the hill, that's when you up the caliber and flock shoot. Nuthin' but a thin mist is left.

billc_sbio · 02-01-2004, 08:18 PM

You want to try to hit it after it starts warming up, but BEFORE the grass/alfalfa starts to grow (which is does...real FAST)!

After that, stay in close contact with your farmer/rancher friends and see WHEN they cut. You want to hit it again right after they cut!

They usually cut 2-3 times a summer. That way you can SEE them. They disappear when the grass or alfalfa gets too high!

Salty Walty · 02-01-2004, 08:24 PM

When the alfalfa gets a few inches high or they run down the pivot pivot ruts and only pop up once in awhile. We call that hunting the "Varmint Cong", and all the Bill Murray "Caddyshack" dialogue to go along with it.

billc_sbio · 02-01-2004, 08:26 PM

My favorite rifle is my old Sako HB .222 Rem., but I also use my old "Grey Digger" rifle, which is a Ruger #3 in .22 Hornet. Sometimes I take a T-C Contender w/.22 Hornet barrel on it too...that's even more of a challenge. Fun stuff those Sage Rats are! GREAT long range shooting practice too!

It's often good to take a friend as a "spotter" with you as often it helps to have someone else pick out targets for you...looking through relatively high powered scopes doesn't let you see very much of a field...and a spotter with binoculars can pick out other targets quickly.

Usually my spotter and I trade off...take turns...MAJOR shooting fun.

When you've been used to shooting Sage Rats out at 200 yards or more with a .222 to .220 Swift, shooting an unaware Mulie at that range is nothing!

[ 02-01-2004, 09:28 PM: Message edited by: billc_sbio ]

Dave's not here · 02-02-2004, 04:13 PM

What are sage rats?

Erich_870 · 02-02-2004, 04:42 PM

Hey fishinpoor, you plan on going out this spring? I have been telling myself I would try shooting sage rats for a couple years now, grew up practing on house rats, thought I would try something new. I have seen tons of them driving out of town.

So what how do you guys set up? Do you just pack an old blanket and find a good spot to spend half the day prone? Or shoot off the hood of your rig?

I'm trying to get organized this year to take my girlfriend out. She hates shotguns so no duck hunting for her

but, she grew up with a rifle in her hand so I know she would get a kick out of sage rats [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img] .

[ 02-02-2004, 05:43 PM: Message edited by: Erich_870 ]

Crayfin · 02-02-2004, 04:52 PM

Fishinpoor

how's my old pal--Ladies and Gentlemen, you will find a very good likeness of FP in the Trophy Photos with a good bull under Crayfin (He is the ugly one next to me :grin: )

When would you like me down there for some killin?

CRayfin

Blue Tip Spinner · 02-02-2004, 05:56 PM

sage rats are another name for ground squirrels. small furry rodents that burrow holes in the ground and eat their weight in alfalfa daily.

i grew up hunting them around grass valley, or. they used to have thousands of them around the barns and houses, but we ended that. i now hunt them around the tyge valley area, and some good public places in the white river management unit.

salmurai · 02-02-2004, 05:56 PM

Dave's not here, They are a variety of ground squirrel. They eat a ton of the ranchers hay and are generally not appreciated in great numbers......unless you're hunting them. :grin:

fishinpoor · 02-02-2004, 06:36 PM

ERICH-870,i plan on doing quit a bit of rat shooting this spring,the blanket prone with a bi-pod is the way to go,lots of ammo and lots of laughs.CRAYFIN my old hunting and fishing buddy you know march is a killer time to do some sage blasting,you let me know when you want to come down and i'll make sure we have ribeyes in the freezer.p.s. if any of you have the chance to elk hunt with cf,beware the bulls will try to run ya down.give me some more of that knuckle love

billc_sbio · 02-02-2004, 07:41 PM

"Sage Rats" are really Townsend's or Belding's Ground Squirrels, which look like miniture Prairie Dogs. They run between the size of a small V8 juice can for a small->average size one, up to the size of a beer can for a really big, fat one.

Sometimes we do the "Walking Varmint" thing with shorter range rifles, like .22 rimfires or I use my .22 Hornet.

But often use the hood of the pickup, parked on the edge of a field...rubber mat on the hood and a rifle or two on their short legged Harris Bipods and a box of varmint centerfire ammo next to each one.

I normally use my Bull barrelled Sako .222 Rem. or a Rem. 40X in .223 Rem. for most of my shooting. Sometimes dig out the .220 Swift for the really distant shots.

We've shot 'em out to a measured 350 yards with the .220 Swift and .22-250s, but most shots are usually between 120 and 200 yards, which is really good range for .222s and .223s

[ 02-04-2004, 08:54 PM: Message edited by: billc_sbio ]

seabass · 02-02-2004, 07:49 PM

Rats are a blast with a bow and arrow. Use rubber blunts on your arrows. Don't carry more than three arrows or you will forget where all of your arrows are. I have had my best success in Klamath Falls but have also had fun in central Oregon. It was hard going to class at OIT when the rats were out.

Dave's not here · 02-02-2004, 08:11 PM

In Cederville Calif. they have a squirel hunt every year. Property owners let people on there land and at the end of the day a bbq in town. Cederville is on HWY 299 east of Alturas.

24 on/ 48 off · 02-02-2004, 10:46 PM

K.Falls. April. Just go knock on a door.

--spud-- :smile:

Jeremy · 02-03-2004, 01:37 PM

http://donb.furfly.net/malheur/mammals/beldings.html

Ras · 02-04-2004, 10:31 AM

And if you are really into "Squeaks", you can become a member of the "Red Mist Society" :grin:

Ras

Abalone · 02-04-2004, 10:59 AM

Save a nut shoot a squirel. Blahm !

[ 02-04-2004, 12:00 PM: Message edited by: Abalone ]

squirrel fisher · 02-04-2004, 05:37 PM

There are a lot of sage rats in national forest land. You will find them in pockets that have sandy soil with little moisture. We use bow and arrows with judo points on the arrows. Shoot one arrow at a time and retrieve that arrow before shooting another arrow.