Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Question for Oregon ground squirrel hunters

Anyone participated in the Unity, Oregon "Annual Rat (ground squirrel) Shoot and Hog Feed"? I ate lunch Friday at the Eldorado Ditch restaurant/bar in Unity and noticed the photos, hats, etc. advertising this event. There seems to be some confusion on the bar owner's/event organizer's part as to whether a non-resident of Oregon can legally shoot these animals on PRIVATE PROPERTY without purchasing a hunting license. Do any of you know? Thanks! Mike

If you are on private property you can hunt ground squirels, coyotes etc. as long as you have permission from the land owner to do so. Step of the property to hunt and you will need a non-res hunting license.

Thanks Supertrucker! Mike

where and when is this annual shoot?

Unity, Oregon. The 29th of April. I'll find out for sure on my next trip to John Day. I usually stop and eat at the sponsor's restaurant. She's looking to field approx. 32 six-man teams. Price is $75/ shooter. I gave her my name and number. She said she would call when things are firmed up. This will be the fourth or fifth year for this event. Anyone who's remotely interested in forming a six-man team from the Treasure/Magic Valley area please contact me via this forum. Sure would like to hear from some folks who've been to this shoot.Thanks! Mike

Most of us locals (the smart and safe ones) steer clear of that event. There are way too many people and beer in a confined area. Unity does have some good shooting, but was obviously better prior to having several hundred shooters converge on it annually. IMO, shooting with a few friends I can trust is MUCH better than amid a circus of drunks.
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Great! Thats what I was wondering about . Thanks for that info. Mike

Your welcome. Sorry to disappoint-----------better a safe disappointment though.
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Thanks 222, I was looking at that Unity event also. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I would check with Dearment of Fish & Wildlife or the Oregon State Polce on the licenes! I have been checked for licenes while shooting rats and dogs on private land. I live here in Oregon and would not think of shooting anything without a hunting Licenes on me or trappers licenes. Like the rest of you, I demand no drinking while shooting and want only my proven hunting buddies shooting with me. A good piece of high ground shred with a friend taking turns being the spotter, at least 3 rifles each shooting at least .250 or less and a target zone full of rats. No one remembers how many times you missed, just the great shots that were made and the laughter shared by two friends.

ST-

"If you are on private property you can hunt ground squirels, coyotes etc. as long as you have permission from the land owner to do so."

I've been through the regs recently and would like to add:

You can hunt without license if you not only have permission to hunt but the land owner/ lease holder also describes you as his/her agent to do so for predators ('yote's, cats, rabbits, 'rats). To cover everyone's butt, this should be in writting.

As a benefit, an agent can also jacklight predators at night.

Which unity oregon. I am interested, but I am guessing it is the one over by the east side of the state. I typed it into mapquest but it shows 2 unity oregons.

It's the one in Baker County (on hwy 26).

Regarding the license issue. I talked with my friends in the State Police F&W division, and they said the same thing Bend did.

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Why does everybody call it jacklighting? All you are doing is calling predators at night with the aid of a light. Highly effective on bobcats. I've done a lot of it in years past.

"... at night with the aid of a light."

It is illegal to use artifical light at night for most game in Oregon. There are some rodent exceptions. Also, if the landowner/leaser designates you as an agent, you can use an artificial light. For all State and Federal lands within the state, lights are a no-no. Some get around this by using a "starlight" scope which uses ambiant light (don't get caught with one that has an IR illuminator).

Why called a "jacklight"? I'm not sure, maybe for those jack "light" rabbits. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Maybe it comes from the "old days" before rechargable spotlights. They used to plug into the dash of the pickup with a jack.

It's a little known fact, that glove boxes used to contain gloves, but over the years they grew in size. Eventually they were large enough to hide midgets, so they were called "jockey boxes."

Hello, my name is Cliff Claven and I have a problem. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Just a bump and an update. This last Saturday during the big shoot, a guy shot himself unintentionally. I didn't get the full scoop, but a .17HMR was involved and so was Life Flight.

I'll take a quite day of private shooting thank you.
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That's what I've heard. Jackrabbits are more easily spotted and shot at night, necessitating the use of a light. Thus, the practice of using a light to spot jackrabbits morphed into "jacklighting" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />