Sage Rat Shooting

[Thebigbaby]

Was hoping you could educate me up on sage rat hunting.

It this something typically done with a guide? If so, do you have any recommendations? If guided, is it already to late this year?

Can you get away with DIY public land? I’m not asking for specific spots. Father-in-law lives in Redmond and there is a bunch of BLM land out there so just curious if that could work.

Just purchased a 17 hmr with 550 rounds and got her sighted in. Also have a Ruger 10/22.

Hunting buddy’s and I are mainly looking at it as the halfway point for Deer/Elk season so it would be nice to get out there and have a little hunting camp for sage rats. Maybe do a little fishing as well.

 

[roosiebull]

Was hoping you could educate me up on sage rat hunting.

It this something typically done with a guide? If so, do you have any recommendations? If guided, is it already to late this year?

Can you get away with DIY public land? I’m not asking for specific spots. Father-in-law lives in Redmond and there is a bunch of BLM land out there so just curious if that could work.

Just purchased a 17 hmr with 550 rounds and got her sighted in. Also have a Ruger 10/22.

Hunting buddy’s and I are mainly looking at it as the halfway point for Deer/Elk season so it would be nice to get out there and have a little hunting camp for sage rats. Maybe do a little fishing as well.

generally speaking, you pay a trespass fee to the ranchers. there are some on public, but the ag fields concentrate them to unnatural numbers, which is what you want. my BIL has a bunch of land by Burns where i shoot, but i know most ranchers let people shoot for a trespass fee. there are guided deals too, but i don't think it's necessary, just hunt down a rancher pay him the trespass fee, and ask lots of questions on "do's and don't's" if you go drive out in the middle of their pivot and tear it up, you probably won't be invited back... be respectful and build a relationship, maybe even offer to help through the year, and you can probably find a place to shoot for free as much as you want. 550 rounds is realistically 2 mornings of prime time shooting, so keep stocking up if you plan to do it.

i generally shoot my 17 for a couple hours when it's full throttle shooting, then i shoot them with my bow around the edges until i'm sick of shooting... you don't want to shoot a bow out in the field, because you have to walk out and grab your arrows, and they don't want people walking through their fields... for good reason.

just be respectful, and understand those fields are their livelihoods, not just a sage rat hot spot... Easter until the crop gets tall enough to hide them is the best time to shoot, then again after the first cutting, but at that point, it generally is only good early, because it starts getting hot. you are trying to do your best to impact the population, kill as many as possible, so i generally pack a 12ga too, and around the edges, when there are 3-6 poking out of the same mound, whack them all... might sound a little brutal but that's why you're there.

i have helped drown them before, water trucks, put fire hoses in the holes, and a pack of aussies waiting for them to come out of the holes, they run over, kill them, and back to waiting for the next ones.... the ranchers want the rats dead, they like people who are good at killing them

 

[diamond10x]

^^^ This sounds like a riot!! Sounds like prairie dog hunting but an even better time haha

 

[roosiebull]

^^^ This sounds like a riot!! Sounds like prairie dog hunting but an even better time haha

it's about as fun as it gets... the only shooting that's more fun is winter over there when the jack rabbits are hammering the hay stacks... shooting at night, we have had nights we quit shooting at 400 rounds each... non stop shooting. gets cold though, i remember getting my BIL's pickup stuck in a pivot track, having to walk back 3 miles to his house in negative 10 degree temps, then run the tractor back down there to pull the pickup out, but the whole pivot was more brown from jacks than white from snow... pretty unreal. about sunrise, they just start piling in, and tearing up the hay stacks.... only like that on good rabbit years, but those are the years that the rabbits are a problem... as soon as it gets dark, do a couple coyote stands, then shift gears to jack whackin'... during the day, still hunting through the sage shooting rabbits with my bow, but using the 17 is also really good offhand practice.

the beauty of that shooting is there is still a sense of urgency to shoot, so it's pretty applicable hunting practice... especially with a bow. when i go over there, i take an arsenal. i bring a shotgun, my 17, my creed, recurve, and compound with plenty of ammo for everything.... will be making my first trip over for Easter... want to call in a badger this year

 

[Lawnboi]

I covet my pdog spots like I do my deer spots.

That said, if you’d going after them on public land. I’d leave the 22 at home and bring something bigger.

17hmr is a solid 100-175 yard rifle for them if weather permits. Educated dog towns will leave you with little shooting after a short while. Terrain makes it fun if you can find a town with some.

Something that can reach out to 3-400 on semi windy days will keep your barrel hot.

A suppressor also helps a lot in not spooking the whole town after a couple shots.

Bring something to lay on, and or a tripod and chair. Those things are nasty and carry some significant diseases. No way I’m shooting an arrow at one.

 

[Thebigbaby]

Thanks for the responses. It sounds like a ton of fun. I think we will just go public and camp/have fun/shoot a few sage rats. At least this year. In the future maybe plan ahead and pay to play.

 

[Viper*6]

17hmr all day on sage rats.
Fun to shoot. When the close ones are DRT I breakout the 204 Ruger for the longer range stuff.

 

[Tmac]

They are a blast. We’ve found some on public land around recent burns, chained areas, etc. Anything that knocks the vegetation down so they can be seen. They move around enough that I prefer them to prairie dogs for training up new hunters. Makes them be accurate on a smaller target, with some time pressure.

 

[orelkaddict]

We usually also take something for longer range shooting so we can shoot rock chucks in the afternoon if it's a good sunny day. Between sage rats and rock chucks during the day and rabbits at night we can get a shit ton of shooting in during the spring. We go every other year so we can spring bear hunt and fish for springers on the off years

 

[doggone]

Its hard to find sage rats on public land in OR...at least I have not found any. But the area around Burns OR is loaded with rats and there are several guides in that area that offer different pkgs. Sage rats go back underground to hibernate around mid July so you wont see them during the reg fall big game seasons. 1st of April to July 1st is prime time.

 

[roosiebull]

We usually also take something for longer range shooting so we can shoot rock chucks in the afternoon if it's a good sunny day. Between sage rats and rock chucks during the day and rabbits at night we can get a shit ton of shooting in during the spring. We go every other year so we can spring bear hunt and fish for springers on the off years

It is fun to take the hunting rifles up to the cliffs for chucks. The 17 is hell on them too inside 200yds.. I don’t know how those little bullets are so destructive

 

[TheGDog]

Poppin' Squeeks all day with .17 HMR is frickin' Awesome! Just that and some Kwik Stix and you're good to go.

 

[PanhandlePilgrim]

There are a couple guys running outfits around Burns, not sure what they charge, it used to be $250/day. We are fortunate enough to have access to a big ranch near Crane so we never had to go that route but it would be worth it to me me to go a couple days even for that.
I have seen large amounts of squirrels in idaho south of Boise on BLM land and many of the clear-cuts throughout the state have them but nothing like the cultivated fields can generate.

550 rounds for a 17 is a good start. I take at least that many rounds along with an AR or (with expanding type ammunition, not FMJs), and i also have a 6 BR. Start with the 17 and once the closer ones get picked out or go down move on to the AR and eventually on the 6 BR once they get out passed the 300-350 but if it's windy the 17 doesn't get much attention.
Happy Hunting.

 

[B23]

There used to only be a couple sage rat guides services in the Crane Or. area but I think there's quite a few of them now. I haven't been back in about 4-5 years now but I've used Tim w/No Off Season a few times and it was always a good time with plenty of rats to shoot but that was 4-5 years ago and it seems like the Crane area turned in to a major hot spot for sage rat shooting so what was once great shooting may now be just kinda ok-ish.

 

[Salmonchaser]

When I was a kid the ranchers used to pay us a nickel a piece plus 22 ammo. But it’s still fun. Don’t shoot the irrigation lines either. Tends to result in a negative response next time.