Oregon rats, 'chucks, and gongs.

[HARPERC]

I just returned from Oregon and shooting all of the above with TimTitus (tt35), of No Off Season (NOS), and had another great time on the high desert.

We spent time the first morning checking sights, and Tim recorded a couple of points, and as a spotter he was 100% on in 4-4.5 minute winds.

So many good things to say about Tim's operation, but coming away with feeling like I've advanced a level in my shooting from taking this trip, is one that is sticking with me.

Suitable for all ages, with volume (sage rats), long range (rock chucks) or some gongs and rocks, I recommend go, take your kids, it's cheaper than theme parks and cruises, and a lot more entertaining.

 

[tt35]

It was great to have you down again, Carl! To say I was impressed with the hits you made would be an understatement! Conditions were tough and to go four-for-four at long range on targets that small is quite a feat in my book. Since Carl is humble and a man of few words, here's my FB write-up of Carl's hunt:


I enjoyed a couple of fun days with Carl Harper. With time running out for his trip, he had only enough time to do a 100 yard sight-in on his big guns (.338 RUM and .300 WM) so we
started off with some rock shooting at 495 yards. We dodged rain and hail but when we had some dope, I input the numbers through my Kestrel pocket weather meter with Horus ATRAG ballistics in it and went to find some rockchucks.

Carl murdering some rocks and gaining dope.


Carl's primary long range rig is a Pre-'64 Winchester M70 in .338 RUM with a McMillan thumbhole stock and a Nightforce ATACR 5-25X scope. His load for this trip consisted of a Nosler 190 grain Accubond over about 100 grains of RL22 powder. I immediately liked the gun and the set-up. Carl uses this rifle for almost all his big game hunting. I figured a .338 RUM was probably enough gun for a rockchuck!

We hiked in and set-up on a rim across from a known colony of 'chucks. A couple of mule deer bucks in velvet were ousted from their bed under the rim as we came to our hide. The first 'chuck wasn't particularly far at 271 yards but we felt it would be a good warm up in the 20 mile per hour crosswind. Carl put a perfect headshot on it and it didn't even move from where it was perched on the rock.

Mule deer exiting their nap.


Several other 'chucks were braving the wind and weather on a further rim but they were sky-lined not giving us safe shots. In these circumstances, it becomes a game of patience waiting for a 'chuck to present a shot with a safe background then getting hunter and spotter together before the rockchuck goes out of sight or gets back into an unshootable position. This is where rockchuck hunting differs from rock shooting. The spotting and time pressure changes the dynamics and makes it more similar to big game hunting.

One rockchuck eventually cooperated. I ranged him at 499 and 500 with the Liecas and ran the dope through the Kestrel Pocket Weather Meter. The effective wind was running as high as 15 mph and the windage adjustment was almost as high as the elevation adjustment. Carl sent the shot and lifted the 'chuck about a foot off the rock. Another first-round hit in a stiff wind! I watched as the tough old rockchuck drug itself off of the rock and into a crevice with parts exposed that weren't naturally supposed to be exposed. No Off Season's rule is normally "No Body, No Count" but the confirmed hit through the spotting scope and the blood we found gave Carl the kill.

Carl with one of his 500 yard kills.


Before we finished Carl put another first-round 500 yard shot on one using the same dope and with the same result except this one went some six feet in the air! It really was some pretty crazy shooting under the conditions. I was impressed.

The next day we started with some sagerat shooting. Carl warmed up his Tikka .223 picking off 'rats between windrows of hay. (Looks like there will be some pretty good first-cutting shooting this year.) After cleaning up some vermin from the hay fields, we then put Carl's .300 on some steel gongs before heading out on safari. We had a relaxing afternoon looking over some historical and geological wonders while we checked some known rockchuck colony locations from the past. Seems the rockchucks are having a hard time keeping there territory populated in some of these areas but we got to see some beautiful high desert country as we spent the day hunting more than shooting.

Our only rockchuck victim of the day came as we worked our way down a two-track road glassing as we went. A 'chuck appeared at a modest 345 yards but again a crosswind needed to be reckoned with. Carl went prone as I ran the numbers through the Kestrel and gave him the dope. He went for the headshot again and as you might have guessed, he put another first round hit on the 'chuck! It was a fitting end to some phenomenal shooting. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of Carl's rifle regardless of the distance!

Another windy shot--a 345 yard headshot.


To say I was impressed with the shooting would be an understatement but I was also encouraged and impressed with the Horus ATRAG program in the Kestrel. Even though we had to do some interpolating, the numbers it gave us were spot on for both elevation and windage. It worked perfectly and gave Carl some good dope to log and take home for future reference. I'll put a link to the Kestrel/ATRAG here and post up some photos as well. It also is available with Brian Litz's Applied Ballistics program.

Here is a link to the Kestrel in the No Off Season store:
http://no-off-season.com/store/Software-Electronics-Instruments/Weather-Meters/4500NVS

 

[Rogue Hunter]

Well done guys!
Looks like you had an awesome day! gun)


-Mike