Skippy and the handcart company

[sharptailhunter]

Sharptail: Sorry for the thread deveation, but he asked.

No apologies needed. Bikes are a big part of my life. I recently did a complete restoration on a '73 Honda XL250. It's a sweet daily rider. Ramos, I ride a KTM 250 XC-F. This is the first bike I had owned so I started small, although it's plenty strong enough for me especially since my boys and I usually just cruise the fire service roads looking for grouse and rabbits to shoot with our Walther P22s. Finally, I love road cycling. I'm too busy to ride as much as I would like, but I usually bike about 300 miles a week.

So, to bring it back to all things ground squirrels. I'm tossing around the idea of hosting a spring sage rat round up. The ranch is plenty large enough to support campers, tent or travel trailer. Depending on which direction we shoot, we can shoot anywhere from 200yards to a conservative half mile. So, in addition to controlling the rats, we could maybe have a long distance shoot off? One of my many other hobbies is BBQ, so I was thinking of smoking some BBQ for everyone one night. Could be a fun time?!

[Rick in Oregon]

Sharptail: As virtually all our interests seem to coincide (the BBQ really got my attention!), count me and possibly the crew from the EORFS in on the event.

Talk about beau coup fun.....204's, a target-rich environment in great country with friends we've never met face-to-face, and BBQ to top it all off. Now THAT gentlemen, could be a true bonaroo good time. (Heck, I'll throw in my mountain bike too!)

This also sounds like a custom t-shirt event......

[sharptailhunter]

This also sounds like a custom t-shirt event......

I was thinking of calling it the Southeast Idaho Sage Rat Rendezvous. We could do a picture of a BBQ'd sage rat on the t-shirt.

[RAMOS]

I usually can't get away during the nice months. However, if there is any interest, I would be willing to donate a Boer meat goat if you want to BBQ one. I would do the slaughter and skin but, leave it whole. This would be a prime December buckling. Just let me know and I will hold one back. I'm sure we could find a "ride" for it.

[cduff406]

Heck, I'm totally in for that gig too. Sounds like a good time, at least for everyone except the sage rats!

[Clint E]

Nice write up and pics.
That cart/bench looks real handy for many things

[Varmint Laser]

How about the ..... S.I.E.R.R.A S.P.L.A.T.

Southeast
Idaho
Explosive
Rat
Rodeo
Assembly

featuring the

Sage-Rat
Popping &
Launching
Aerobatic
Team

[sharptailhunter]

V.L., that's perfect! My Savage shoots the Sierra "niners" really well. I gotta get some of the 32 gr BKs to try on the sage rats. I'll tell yah, I noticed a difference between the 39 gr BKs and the 32 gr V-Maxs. The splatter factor with the 32s is ridiculous! Even so, the niners created an impressive "whop" nonetheless.

I will be turning my attention to rock chucks for the remainder of the year. As such, I'm wondering which bullet to shoot at them? I'd have to think the 32 gr rat destroyers would still be explosive on them too, yes/no? I have shot them before, but it was with factory Remington 40 gr loads. Those were effective as well.

[204Shooter]

Thanks, I've been taking pics for a long time, so have a bunch accumulated. Okay, normally I would not post such a pic, but as most here know me for who I am in my "senior years", I'll share a bit of my evil past with the crew here, but just this once, and just this pic.

That is awesome Rick! We are seeing a side of you that I never knew existed. Thanks for sharing!

[Rick in Oregon]

That is awesome Rick! We are seeing a side of you that I never knew existed.

Thanks Brian, but that side of me DOESN'T exist any more. I've used up 12 of my 9 Lives, and looking back now, realize how fortunate I've been to have survived my wild world-wide odyssey. I've got more stiches in me than a sewing basket, enough kevlar for a tac vest, and enough titanium in me to get a good start on an F-16. Nowadays, hitting my trails here at the place on my mountain bike is about as wild as I care to have it. Throw in a few nice accurate rifles and some varmints, and I'm good to go.

Sharptail: Sorry again, but you gotta respond to the Site Boss......right?

[Sidewinderwa]

This also sounds like a custom t-shirt event......

I was thinking of calling it the Southeast Idaho Sage Rat Rendezvous. We could do a picture of a BBQ'd sage rat on the t-shirt.

That sounds like a great idea. If it would just stop raining I would be in Idaho shooting sage rats now. It would be great to meet some other shooters and have a great time. Oh and you said something about a BBQ?

[sharptailhunter]

That sounds like a great idea. If it would just stop raining I would be in Idaho shooting sage rats now. It would be great to meet some other shooters and have a great time. Oh and you said something about a BBQ?

Yeah really, this rain is incredible! I just hope the game bird hatchlings will survive. They need protien from bugs, usually grasshoppers, within hours of hatching. If it's too wet, the can't stay warm and the bugs won't be out yet. Point in fact, haven't seen a single hopper yet. FWIW, my number one hobby, of many, is upland hunting over my German Shorthairs... Love it!

So, I was thinking for NEXT spring to try for the rat round up. And yes, there would be BBQ, but not BBQ rat, more like pulled pork, or the goat our friend Ramos offered... Or both

We put water guzzlers down there on the ranch for the deer and game birds. By one of the guzzlers there's a trail camera. It always has night shots of coyotes and one big azz badger. I need to see if it's legal to use a night vision scope for varmints in Idaho. That'd be sweet to hit that badger from like 600 yards out, at night! I'm also hoping that all the greasy grimy gopher guts I'm leaving down there are luring in the coyotes. By morning, every single dead rat was gone... Something is cleaning em up for me! At the very least, it'd be cool to watch nature's janitors go to work through a pair of night vision binoculars, yes/no?

[Varmint Laser]

STH
As far as Rock Chucks go, the 204 with the 39 SBK does the DRT thing quite well. Though, with the heavier chucks it just will not spit them into the air at 300 yards like the Sage Rats pictured around this site do. While I have yet to "harvest" a sage rat, I do know an 8 pound chuck at 300 yards can soak up the 39 pretty well and stay mostly intact and have just a short flight of half a foot or so.
My .22-250 or my buddies .220 Swift can do some launching with a 55 gr. Ballistic Tip, but they are not as fun to shoot as the "little" .204 is.

[RAMOS]

There is no expiration date on the offer of a goat. They are are really something BBQ'd. If you have never done one, just do it the same as your' pork, pull it and gety ready to wipe your' chin!