Weather at Crane Looking Better

Looks like the weather is going to straighten up for at least a few days. Wednesday will still be a little windy but Thursday and Friday are predicted to be in the mid to high 60s. It will cool down some on Saturday but still OK ( according to the weather service ). My friend Les and I will head over on Wednesday AM and stay till Sunday. My computer is desk-bound so I won't be reporting again untill I get back. Any questions? Call me. Jerry

Crane--Windy--Snowy--Cold

Returned from Crane on Friday PM. We had gone over on Wednesday because our local weatherman had predicted a nice end to our workweek. What a dumbass dweb. We were probably the dumb ones for believing him in the first place. Any way, got in on Wed evening and got the trailer set up. My friend Ty was already there with his trailer.

Thursday morning we decided to make the rounds of pivots we usually shoot at, The ground is so soft that you don't dare get off the roads so we shot from the rigs. Broke for lunch and naps and went out again in the PM. All in all, we didn't probably kill 20 rats all day. They just don't like to be out in the cold wind. And it snowed some too.

Friday morning it was snowing but we decided to make our rounds again. Four guys and we didn't shoot more that 30 rounds. By noon the snow was blowing sideways and my buddy Ty, who had left earlier was in the middle of a whiteout near Burns. That was when we decided to pull the pin and cut our trip short by two days. The drive from Burns to Bend was mostly sunny but we drove into a headwind all the way home. Later Jim said he had gone back out in the afternoon and killed about 30 rats. When he called me this morning, he reported it had snowed all night and was still snowing at 8am with a buildup of 3 inches.

So the weatherman says, again, that it will clear up by this following Wednesday. Being gullible like I am, I will head back over next Wednesday and try it again. Hope he is right because we have some fellows coming over to rent some shooting chairs.

If you would like to rent a pivoting shooting chair, they are $65 per day and if you don't have a place to go out and shoot, we will take you out with our group of friends. Give me a call for more details, Jerry at 541-420-5342.

Endless Winter

Will Spring ever get here? Rats are up, even here near Sisters and Jim shoots rats every day at Crane. But, he shoots them from inside his truck because it is so cold, and sometimes windy, that you can't stand to be outside. A few of our shooter friends have gone to Crane to give it a try, but, most have only stayed a day or two and then headed home.
With fuel prices as high as they are, you don't want to make any wasted trips. Diesel in Bend is at $4.10. Ride sharing is the way to go. I postponed my trip this last week. Waiting for better weather. Supposed to get better the middle of next week.
Some of you that e-mailed and asked to be informed when the rats are up, well being "puter challenged", I put your e-mails in a folder where I can't get to. Duh me. Calling me is the best way to get info. 541-420-5342 Jerry

Back from the near dead

Sorry about the gap in info on the rats, but have been under the weather with whatever this nagging cough is. Probably a terrorist planted virus. I have been in contact with Jim at Crane and he is killing rats at an alarming rate. As of yesterday, there still was about an inch of snow on the ground but it hasn't slowed down the rat invasion. If you are headed that way just remember that the weather is really fickle this time of year. Our group will start forming up around the 15th of this month, coming and going as time and weather allow.

I picked up a brick of 525 Federal 36 gr HP ( my favorite ) at Bi-Mart today for $14.97. Probably as cheap as you will find anywhere right now. Also, gas in Sisters is $3.55 and Diesel is $3.99. I don't know about you, but I am going to have to car-pool to Crane this year.

The Central Oregon Sports Show starts in Redmond on the 10th. A bunch of us

are going to meet there and plan and scheme our Spring outings. One of which will be to Wallowa Lake around the first of June, looking for a world record Kokanee.

Start looking for me at Crane around the 15th and on. Tan Excursion with a black roof rack and labeled " Ratrouster Sage Rat Central " See Ya in the Killing Fields. Dobe

50 degrees, sunny, windy

That was the weather report from Crane a 10 am this morning. Here in Sisters, the weather wasn't as nice. Woke up to 10" of wet wet wet snow. See picture of outhouse now. Just finished snowblowing the drive way. What a bitch.

Hoping the storm will pass Crane to the North as the fields are starting to dry a little now.

More Rats Every Day

Jim has been spotting and killing more rats every day now near Crane. Been nice weather, but it looks to be changing for the worse this week. I made a trip to Redding last week and looked for rats along the way, Nada, but did spot one rock chuck just North of K-Falls. Heard from a shooter that was in the K-Falls area a few days ago and he claimed shooting 2000 rounds in 3.5 days. Today I spotted several rats on the Lazy-Z ranch just SE of Sisters. Looks like it is starting. The picture is of the new outhouse for "Rat Camp" at Crane. We will, hopefully have it place by 3/1.

A Few More Rats Today

Jim made his route today of about 5 pivots that are right near hjs house and tells me he got 10 rats.
I'm starting to get inquiries every day now about renting shooting rests and have got some dates booked. If you are thinking about renting a rest ( $65 a day ) including shooting with our group, you might want to call and reserve a date. Jerry at 541-420-5342

February 1st Rat Report from Crane,Or

I just got off the phone from talking to Jim at Crane and he got out today and spotted 10 rats of which he killed 8. Not a bad ratio. Ten rats isn't many to brag about, but, as each day goes by a few more are showing, maybe setting the stage for an early start to the season. Time will tell.
There is still about an inch of snow on the ground and melting slow. It will also be a while yet before driving in the field will be OK. Way to soft yet and the ranchers don't need any more ruts to contend with.
For anybody shooting a 17 HMR, Bi-Mart has shells on sale, for $9.97 per box. They also have 10/22. 25 round clips on sale for $12.97. If the anti-gun nuts get their way, 25 round clips will be hard to get in awhile.
The weather in Eastern and Cenral Oregon is forecast to be clear and resonably warm for this time of year for the next week. If you are getting cabin fever it might be a good time to make a road trup and check out your favorite "go to " rat shooting area. Might even be some good fishing in some of the reservoirs that are open year round. At any rate, rat shooting should be up and running in about a month or so, giving us enough time to get all our gear ready. For me, that means by the time I leave, I will have 10 times what I need. Bullseyes & Tight Lines

First Rat Shot at Crane

Late yesterday morning, I got a call from Jim. He had just shot his first sage rat of the season in one of our shooting areas near Crane. In fact, within walking distance of his house. There is still some snow on the ground and he spotted a few more also.

When he called, I was on my way out to Xmas Valley to see if any rats were up there. Usually the Xmas Valley rats surface later than the ones at Crane. And sure enough, my wife and I scoped out all the fields between Fort Rock and Xmas Valley and never spotted one rat. However, we did ,during the course of the day, see 4 Yotes. No snow on the ground there. Just FYI, it is about 93 miles from Bend to Xmas Valley townsite.

Call me. Jerry at 541-420-5342 for info on renting a shooting chair at Crane, including a day shooting with our group. $65. Or you might check your local craigslist under sporting--sage rats. Check sage rat central often or sign up as a follower.

Sage Rats Spotted Near Crane

Talked to friend Jim today and he reports that some of the locals have seen a rat or two up and running around. Nothing to shoot at yet though. Jim is starting to patrol the pivots we will be shooting in and wants to shoot a rat in Jan. The weather is starting to warm a little, at least here near Sisters.

Starting to get calls to rent a shooting rest ( on wheels ) at Crane this Spring. If you are thinking of renting a rest, give me a call and reserve a time. $65 a day including shooting with our group of rat killers.

Finished my SRAV this week, now just need some rats. In the meantime, I have been doing a little local surfing. See attached picture.

SRAV Stage 2

I have got my SRAV ( Sage Rat Assualt Vehicle) nearly finished. Just a couple of tactical decisions to be made, such as, where to mount my drink holder. ( Water, of course. ) There are shooting supports to my left and across the front. Had to place the uprights so as not to get in the way of steering. Also on the left side is a gun rack and mounted on the front rack, a storage crate with a lid and a holder for my speed loader ( tube feed). Then angled across the front are dual gun racks for my back up rifles. Between the handlebars is a pouch for holding my loose ammo for easy access. The rear rack is clear for holding a cooler, or I can bungee down extra coats or etc. And then, of course, is the fold down rear drop rack for hauling 2 shooting rests. All in all, I think I have it pretty well covered.

Jim and I have decided to start taking reservations for shooting rest rentals. First date available will be March 1st. No deposit required, just call with the dates you want to be there. Jerry at 541-420-5342

First Stage SRAV

Here are some pictures of my current winter project. I call it my SRAV. Sage Rat Assualt Vehicle. I have built a folding carrying rack on the back to haul two of my "Ratrouster" shooting rest on wheels. It will fold up when not in use. Second stage will be a rifle rest in the front and LH side for shooting from the seat. The whole idea is to ride two up and go to the far side of the pivots to set up. Being an old guy, it is getting harder for me to walk any distance. Still struggling to get above freezing in Burns but looking out at my thermometer by my shop, which right now is in the sun, temp here near Sisters is 74. Farmers Almanac is calling for decent Spring weather. Lets hope so. Paint will follow when project is finished Jerry 541-420-5342

Rats In January?

Jim at Crane says the source of this information is reliable and from a local who knows the difference. A Sage Rat was spotted East of Burns, out on the snow, a couple of days ago. ?????

In the meantime, Jackrabbits are working over the haystacks in the Crane area. You have to have permission from the owner, but it is legal to spotlight the rabbits. Just be ready for some minus 0 temps.

Keep checking in. Last year we were shooting rats by mid to late Feb. Jim and I are renting shooting rests on wheels this year for $65 per day, including shooting with us and our rat killing group. Various models of shooting rests are for sale also. Check my earlier posts for pictures.

A Winter Update

If there were any rats up now, they would have to be on snowshoes. Drifts are 3 feet deep at Jim's place in Crane. But, looking ahead, Jim shot his first rat on Feb 2nd last year. So, possibly only 2 months until shooting. I made my first trip last year on Feb 16th. But if you recall, pictures from early last season show that shooting rats in Feb-March is not for everyone. It can be pretty cold and windy. Of course the wind is a 12 month occurence in that part of the counrty.

Right now, we are checking on the rabbit population over in the Catlow valley. Might try a trip pre-Xmas.

We have had an early winter here near Sisters. Not very harsh, but winter snow and temps. One of picts attached shows my shop this morning. I have been spending time in my shop when I can, mostly working on building " Ratrouster"shooting rests. Trying to get enough ahead so I won't have to spend any time this spring during shooting season building more.

Going to try a new approach this year with the "Ratrousters". I will have them for sale ( going to have to raise the prices on the ones on wheels ) but, I am also going to rent them out. Haven't worked out all the details yet, but a rental will include a day of rat shooting with our group. Jim and I are going to team up and should prove interesting. Watch here for further info or you can always call me at 542-420-5342.

On a personal note: Last summer I developed what looked like a cyst on my lower lip. Turned out to be mucosal melanoma ( cancer). It was removed and then Sept- Oct, I went thru 6 weeks of radiation treatments on the affected area. Dr said only a 10% chance of it returning, Also had a skin cancer spot removed from my old bald head. Also OK. Saw my heart Dr. last week and he said with my new pacer/defib device I was on cruise control and he would see me in a year. I just need to lose some weight now. UGH.

Around the first of last month, I fished Lake Billy Chinook for 4 days over 2 weeks. Limited on Kokanee every day.

More later as things happen. Let me know if anything is happening in your world. Hoping to get a few more followers this year so we can share rat shooting and fishing info.

End of summer Recap

Well, haven't been out for rats since July. Some were still showing into August but I was spending more time fishing. Fished some from my 8 foot pontoon boat and then bought a 7 foot Livingston so I could keep completly out of the water. After I got a seat in it and balanced properly, it worked real good. We went to Carmen Diversion Res a few times with good results. Last time out I boated 17 nice Rainbows. It is only 42 miles from my house, so, we go about noon and fish the PM bite.

Also fished Ochoco Res with Grandson Brandon and Prineville Res a few times in my 16 Ft Tracker. Always have good luck there on Crappie and Bass. Usually do good trolling for trout, but is to boring.

Spent a week at Seaview Wa. and was able to fish 2 days with brother-in- law Matt in his 22 ft Sea Dory. What a comfy ride. We had 3 takedowns and boated 2, 13 lb Chinooks.

Now dealing with some melanoma on my lower lip with radiation treatments 5 days a week till Oct 19th and they found a couple of spots on my old bald head that need to be removed. So, most of the next couple of months will revolve around Dr. visits and we have 5 grandkids playing sports this fall that gives us something to do on Tuesdays, Thursdays,Saturdays and Sunday. Never a dull moment. See Ya

P.S. You might notice that I have shaved my beard. Had to for the radiation treatments. Get used to it. They said the whiskers probably wouldn't grow back in the treated area.

Crane, Or Hay is down & Rats are up

Just returned from 3 days at Crane. Most of the first cutting is down and raking and baleing is in full swing. Saw a lot of rats in the mowed fields. Now would be a good time to call your farmer friends and make one more trip shooting rats. We opted to go fishing instead, since my friend Jim had permission to get into some private bass ponds and we had only 2 dqys between Dr appointments. Getting old isn't for sissies. Kept enough bass for dinner.

Stopped by Great Basin Sporting Goods in Hines and said hi to friends Ron & Kate. Ron must have 250-300 guns in stock. Stop in if you are going thru.

I still have "Ratrouster" pivoting shooting rests in stock and am getting calls every week. Selling a few. You should try one.

Last week I fished Prineville Res one day and Ochoco Res another. I would call it average. Couldn't find any Crappie.

Still Killin Rats

I thought it might be the end of the good shooting for this year, but I decided to head out to the ranch for a look. Besides, I knew there would be no crowds since only myself and one other guy are okeyed to shoot rats there. Well, the other guy was there with his old friend, so it was kind of crowded. The three of us had to share 1200 acres of pivots. We are allowed to take only one other shooter with us at a time. I elected, that day ( 5-30 ) to go by myself. Alfalfa was getting a little tall. My attached picture shows the height compared to a Pepsi bottle. The other guys were shooting off their 4 wheelers so I moved off to another pivot ( they got there first and had the pivot, loaded with rats ) to the East. I had my Hitch-Haul plugged into the receiver on the Excursion and had strapped my Ratrouster to it. I backed up to the field ( of course, driving on the Alfalfa now is to damaging ) and had a 180 degree plus field of swing plus some added elevation to see the rats easier. The weather was OK. Temp around 60, very light wind and just a few light sprinkles. One of the attached pictures shows a wind/dust funnel. After all, this is Central Oregon, so weatherwise, anything is possible. I did a little driving around as well on some of the ranch roads and took some shots from the rig when the opportunity presented itself. The pivots streach for some 5 miles and are all linked with maintained roads. I saw quite a few Antelope and even some young ones. By 4 o'clock it looked like the weather might sock in so I called it quits with 84 kills for the day. Now remember. I score kills by the "Ratrouster" method. I know some of you score by the " I musta killed method". In that case, I "musta" killed 350.

I'm sure some of you are trying to figure out where The ranch is and maybe some of you know. One of the requirements of me shooting there, by the ranch manager, is that I have to tell anyone I take out, do not contact the ranch manager and try to get on to shoot. He said the answer will be NO and he doesn't want to be bothered. Message delivered.

In the area you want to shoot, knock on doors and ask. Sometimes it pays off, bigtime. This last week, I talked to shooters from around Xmas Valley and the shooting was still pretty good.

I've been selling my Ratrouster pivoting shooter rests right along and because of the Sh***y weather have been making some more this Spring. Getting in lots of shop time, but no fishing. So I have a fair stock right now. I will keep up on any rat shooting info I come across and what fishing info I can. Check in often and comments are welcome.

Latest ( and probably last) Trip to Crane 2010

Looked like a break in the weather thie last week, so decided to give Crane one last chance for a rat shoot without wind. Stopped at " the ranch" on the way over to see how high the alfalfa was and wound up killing 129 while just passing thru. On leaving, I looked West to check traffic and saw a huge black plume of smoke. Wasn't very tall yet, so knowing something was amiss, I turned and headed back towards Bend. Sure enough, a tanker truck had rolled over and caught fire. ( See Pictures ) I talked to an eyewitness and he said the truck hit the other shoulder and over corrected and rolled. Second roll it caught on fire. I was surprised that the sage wasn't on fire. Unfortunatly, I think the driver was killed. Didn't hear for sure. On the way home I saw they were digging a huge pit for the cleanup.

That was Wednesday. I stayed thru noon on Friday and packed up the trailer and headed home. Weather was great but the alfalfa was growing fast and you had to find bare and dry spots to be able to see the rats. Still easy to get 100 kills a day but after 6 round trips to Crane and 24 days of shooting this spring, I was ready to call it good. There will be a couple of weeks of decent shooting after cutting. I am going to just make day trips to a closer location until it grows up high. In the meantime, I will unpack my boat and start fishing. A caller, about purchasing one of my " ratrouster" shooting rests was at Odell Lake and said the Koke bite was on there now.

Don't forget to go back thru my old posts for a look at the "ratrousters" and other Rat Info.

I'll keep posting on any shooting info I get and keep you up to date on my fishing success, or lack of it. By the way, to enlarge any of my photos, double click on them. Try enlarging the center pic to see how thick the rats were at "The Ranch".Bullseyes and tight lines.