How much time remaining for rats?

[dan97526]

Oregon/NorCal rat shooters,

How much time do you think we have left before the squirrels hole up for the summer? I'm hoping to get one more two-day shoot in the weekend of the 21st.

Thanks,
Dan

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[Rick in Oregon]

Well Dan, after exactly 52 years of shooting the little buggers, I'll offer this:

By the end of May, around Memorial Day, the alfalfa is usually too long to see the rats (a rat stands at about 6"-9", the alfalfa right now is over a foot tall). When first cut happens, usually around late June or early July, the rats are still somewhat active, but by then it's so blazen' hot, the rats are down by 09:00, not to appear again until late evening when it cools off. We've found it's not worth the time or fuel costs by this time of year as the shooting is sparse to say the least. You can see them after the cut, but shooting time is so short because of the heat, the squirrels are down before you get 25 rounds down range.

So at this time of year, the rats are still active, but crop length will be the limiting factor. You may get some shooting around the pivot or field edges as the rats scamper across the ranch road.

So to sum it up, this late in the season, it's a crap shoot as to if you'll have a decent shoot. The weather looks good and favorable for rat shooting, but you have to be able to SEE them in order to shoot them. By the 21st of June though, well, don't get your hopes up too high.

Here's what it looks like during primetime in rat country (late April):



Primetime for Oregon/N. CA rats is from late Feb/early March to the end of May. Good luck if you go.

[futuretrades]

Well Dan, after exactly 52 years of shooting the little buggers

I only have about 45 years under my belt, and RIO is spot on with his assessment.
I went shooting 2 weeks ago, and where we were, the alphalfa was only about 4-6 inches hi. We had a great shoot, even after I hung up my centerfires. Didn't want to waste the ammo. Could not see hits very well, and even my "wet towel" trick did not help much with barrel heat. But we had our way with "Skippy" till around 1pm, with our 10-22's! Like Rick said, it's a "Crap "Shoot" at best! Planning one more trip, after cutting, sometime around the 20th, but this will more than likely be my last trip

[hemiallen]

This is my 3rd year shooting Squeeks in Alturas, and my son and I have never gone this late, until this week. We experienced our last "late trip". At 85 degree's it is too hot for us AND the squeeks mid day, but we could shoot from 7am until about noon, when everything seemed to go away for a few hours. Around 2pm they were back out. I think for ~24 hours shooting time we killed 150+ each, that is from 1:30 pm Tuesday until 10:30 am Wednesday.

We found the edges were loaded with activity when you drive up, but they are smart and don't come up after you spook them, which is probably why many drive and shoot from the vehicle to have any success. Walking a ditch got us started Tuesday until we saw heads popping out in an alfalfa field next to the ditch. We walked into the field and with shooting sticks or offhand, shot 17hmr's for an hour or so. Until we walked out in the field, we couldn't see anything in the field, so we thought the whole trip was a bust.

Some fields were cut, and those with high ground gave us 100+ shots each in a 3 hour stand Wednesday morning, with no breeze it was uncomfortably warm so at 10:30-ish we decided to drive home and call it a season. The quantity of good fields was down, heat was an issue, and my Grandson had a fever so we drove back home and learned something ourselves. It was fun, but not worth the 6 hour drive, IMHO.

Headed to a local rancher-shoe string relative's in an hour to help with his ground squirrel and pigeon problems, so I may have a new "hobby" to take care of!


Good luck

Allen

[dan97526]

Thanks for the helpful hints.

Had a good shoot last Sunday. We're going to try it once more for the year this coming weekend. After that I'm hanging up the rifles for the season.