Squirrel report from eastern Oregon
Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 9:16 pm
This past Sunday my youngest son and I headed out to eastern Oregon to partake in some pest control activities. We left Portland around 7:30 AM and headed out along the banks of the Columbia River.
As always, the drive through the gorge is very scenic and for those that have never taken a trip through there, you’re really missing out on some nice scenery.
Since my youngster just got his driving permit I figured I’d let him chauffer me around for a change. All in all, he did good. I’m just glad for his sake that there weren’t any of those notoriously strong “gorge†winds that day.
After going over a 5400 ft pass and taking in the country side,
a slight breeze and a lot of squirrels.
we arrived at our destination in late afternoon and got unpacked. We were eager to make up for lost time since we weren’t able to go last year.
On Monday morning we were greeted with sunshine,
I’m just glad I bought as many rifles along as I did because it is nice to have backups when the barrels need to cool. In fact, I shot far more rim-fire than I had planned on because of this.
All rifles shot magnificently but for the 204’s, I had to limit the targets to 350 yards and beyond because anything less really wasn’t a challenge. But at 400 yards and beyond with 8-15 mph winds @ 60-90 degrees it was quite the challenge (which I prefer any way). The 204
and the 17 HMR
For the snaky like critters my son had a Springfield Armory 1911 45 ACP on his hip that I picked up new for $289.00 IIRC in the mid 80’s. Since then it’s been worked over including a “Bar-Sto" barrel and it’s a hammer in its own right. Naturally, he’s laid claim to it but the Mrs. (also known as “Momâ€Â) has other ideas. I had a Smith & Wesson Model 1006 for myself so I figured between the two we had things covered. Here he is trying his hand at squirrels “over-yonderâ€Â.
We stayed out in one of the fields about four hours before we decided to have some lunch. After lunch we headed over to another part of the ranch and again enjoyed the same success we had earlier that morning.
After we had been bench resting it for a while the youngster decided he would take the 22 around and try his off-hand skills. He did pretty good but the trigger is a tad crude as compared to his 17 HMR but he adjusted nicely.
Finally, late Monday evening we called it a day. We spent approximately 9 hrs out in the fields and every time we moved to another location we could see the local raven and crow populations feasting. We didn’t clean them all out but we took out a mess of them, probably 600-700 between us. Here is one that just felt a little bloated.
And another who just needed to clear his mind. I prescribed him some 17-HMRprofin.
And finally, one who just couldn’t keep it together;
On Tuesday, the weather certainly “was-not†ideal for shooting rats. It was windy, rainy and the chill factor was down in the mid 40’s. In fact, we didn’t see a single squirrel until almost 10 AM, so the morning was dismal to say the least. The afternoon was better but very breezy and with heavy clouds. We spent the better part of the late afternoon shooting the 17’s and 22 long rifles. All things considered, we did all right, besides, we both had fun and that’s what it’s all about.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. On Wednesday morning we departed but the weather sure looked promising for a good day…
Until next time…
As always, the drive through the gorge is very scenic and for those that have never taken a trip through there, you’re really missing out on some nice scenery.
Since my youngster just got his driving permit I figured I’d let him chauffer me around for a change. All in all, he did good. I’m just glad for his sake that there weren’t any of those notoriously strong “gorge†winds that day.
After going over a 5400 ft pass and taking in the country side,
a slight breeze and a lot of squirrels.
we arrived at our destination in late afternoon and got unpacked. We were eager to make up for lost time since we weren’t able to go last year.
On Monday morning we were greeted with sunshine,
I’m just glad I bought as many rifles along as I did because it is nice to have backups when the barrels need to cool. In fact, I shot far more rim-fire than I had planned on because of this.
All rifles shot magnificently but for the 204’s, I had to limit the targets to 350 yards and beyond because anything less really wasn’t a challenge. But at 400 yards and beyond with 8-15 mph winds @ 60-90 degrees it was quite the challenge (which I prefer any way). The 204
and the 17 HMR
For the snaky like critters my son had a Springfield Armory 1911 45 ACP on his hip that I picked up new for $289.00 IIRC in the mid 80’s. Since then it’s been worked over including a “Bar-Sto" barrel and it’s a hammer in its own right. Naturally, he’s laid claim to it but the Mrs. (also known as “Momâ€Â) has other ideas. I had a Smith & Wesson Model 1006 for myself so I figured between the two we had things covered. Here he is trying his hand at squirrels “over-yonderâ€Â.
We stayed out in one of the fields about four hours before we decided to have some lunch. After lunch we headed over to another part of the ranch and again enjoyed the same success we had earlier that morning.
After we had been bench resting it for a while the youngster decided he would take the 22 around and try his off-hand skills. He did pretty good but the trigger is a tad crude as compared to his 17 HMR but he adjusted nicely.
Finally, late Monday evening we called it a day. We spent approximately 9 hrs out in the fields and every time we moved to another location we could see the local raven and crow populations feasting. We didn’t clean them all out but we took out a mess of them, probably 600-700 between us. Here is one that just felt a little bloated.
And another who just needed to clear his mind. I prescribed him some 17-HMRprofin.
And finally, one who just couldn’t keep it together;
On Tuesday, the weather certainly “was-not†ideal for shooting rats. It was windy, rainy and the chill factor was down in the mid 40’s. In fact, we didn’t see a single squirrel until almost 10 AM, so the morning was dismal to say the least. The afternoon was better but very breezy and with heavy clouds. We spent the better part of the late afternoon shooting the 17’s and 22 long rifles. All things considered, we did all right, besides, we both had fun and that’s what it’s all about.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. On Wednesday morning we departed but the weather sure looked promising for a good day…
Until next time…
Glad you guys had so much fun out there too. That really is what it's all about. Congrats on the safe trip & the shooting fun.