SmallCaliberCentral

I have been hunting pds in Oregon for about 6 years but always in the spring. I have heard from the farmers that they dont come out in the summer and fall is that true (july,aug,sept,oct)?

Majcl5, Columbian ground squirrels hibernate for the better part of the year. The males are the first to appear in the spring, the females at that time are about to, or have just birthed their litters and emerge a little later. As the temperatures warm to the 90’s they begin to disappear into hibernation until the next spring. You got to get while the getting is good.

majcl5: I believe you are referring to our ground squirrels as prairie dogs, and for the record bud, prairie dogs are primarily found on the eastern side of the Continental Divide; i.e. MT, WY SD, and some more southern states, OK, TX, and Colorado, but none live in Oregon.

Wistlepig is right on with his assesment too, once it heats up in early June, they're down for the count here, but can still be found through July in California, but not much later. They dont' like heat, nor do they like wind. Prairie dogs on the other hand, are up all through the summer until as late as early October, and wind doesn't bother them near as much (it would be hard to live in Wyoming if you couldn't hack the wind! )

Here they're called rats, sage rats, squeakers, picket pins, and even squirrels. We have given 'him' a personal name, and take pride in the ability to "teach Skippy to jump"......

Good luck with your new 22-250.....don't let that barrel get too hot in the heat of battle this year!

No flame but I spent the first 38 years of my life in CA. Started shooting off my uncle’s shoulder at 5. That was at ground squirrels. I go back at least once a year to visit and shoot with my brother, and can say with certainty that the California ground squirrel that inhabits southern and central CA does not hibernate. We have shot them in every month. You may have to wait on a cold day until they come up, but if it is not raining, they will come out.

WP: You are spot on, and I should have been more specific....I was referring to Northern California, the only other place I shoot rats. I lived east of the Gay Bay for a few years back in the early '70's after returning to The World, and remember going into the valley and shooting them all summer long. In San Diego, we shot some ranchers fields until almost Halloweeen too, so you're right, the farther south you go in The People's Republik, the more ground squirrels you'll see in the warmer months.

From what I hear now though, it's hard finding a place to shoot rats there now if you don't know someone very well. Newbies have a tough time of it. You are fortunate indeed to have relatives there that have a squirrel population. Having fun with Skippy is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on!

I typed pds because i am lazy. Sage rats is what i have called them for years or Oregon ground squirrels. I got a load for my sons 22-250 figured out. 37.7 gr of varget 50 gr v-max 2.480 oal,br-2 cci primer, .25" 3 shot .4"5 shot group should be around 3800 fps. I still need to chrono the 22-250.










"

GO BEAVS!

How big are these things? I just started shooting Prairie Dogs in eastern Colorado and western Kansas last in the summer of '05. That's when I got bit by the .204 bug adn began reloading. Our guys can get HUGE. They say that they average 9" while perched on their holes. Around the Denver Metro area where they don't get hunted, they are really fat. You'll really impress me with those 500 yard shots if you say those squirrels are only 4-6 inches long (like our ground squirrels).

Our Oregon ground squirrels are about 1/3 smaller than an adult PD. The average male runs about 8" to 9" tall.

Bear in mind that when we say we pop one out past 400 or 500 yards, it is from a bench using a front rest, rear bag, wind flags, laser rangefinder, etc. And it's not always on the first shot either.....wish it was!

And also considering that I've been doing this as my passion since I got back to The World in '67, I've sort of got the hang of it by now.

But it's still a lot of fun to roam the hills with a bipod and a small field bag for the stock, a fanny pack full of ammo, bino's and rangefinder, and do a walkabout. Some of my fondest memories are doing just that.

Not next year bevs DUCKS IN 07!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!