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View Full Version : Cimarron National Grassland / Elkhart KS area



Greg
02-16-2014, 05:00 PM
any members live near Cimarron National Grassland ??

I would like to try an early spring Prairie Dog hunt this year.

and the MSN weather has been forecasting 35º-60º+ temps for last week and again this week

is the Prairie waking up for spring already ?

richhodg66
02-16-2014, 10:06 PM
I have lived in Kansas for most of 20 years now and still haven't made it out there (probably six hours from me). I called down to the USFS office there and got some maps sent to me and they were nice enough to pen in where the big towns were. That was a few years ago, but a friend who went there said the shooting was real good. I heard that a plague outbreak had reduced down the prairie dog numbers, but that's been a while too, they may have sprung back.

Call their office and ask. They were real helpful and friendly. I may have to look into it again, sounds like a lot of fun.

You're from the Midwest, so I assume you know this, but the weather here can spank you real bad real suddenly in early spring/late winter. If you're camping out, pack accordingly.

Greg
02-16-2014, 10:37 PM
thanks Rich

DIRT Farmer
02-16-2014, 10:43 PM
I was at Pararie Dog state park (NW Kansas) in the first week of December, The park dogs were still out even with snow on the ground.
Mid April (2013) we camped in the same park, they were out all day. I think the park people would have been ticked if we had started shooting though.
A combo turkey dog hunt is on my list.

Wolfer
02-18-2014, 09:09 PM
It's been a few years but I used to go pretty regular in west, southwest Kan and southeast colo.
I've got some buddies that still go out around Springfield and Campo Colorado. I've never been this early but I went once around the mid of April. All the dogs we killed were males. I've read the females stay in the den until the pups are weaned. Generally around the first of June. It can be really hot out there at that time but there are a lot more targets.

I went once in the fall, after deer season as I recall. It was cold in the mornings but warmed up during the day. Shooting was slow but when I figured up the hours spent in the dog town against my empty cases it worked out to a shot every 2-1/2 minutes for the three days I was there.
It was a good time. I do a lot of belly crawling and it's a lot easer in a coat. Plus cold weather dogs are very considerate of us old farts. They won't come out until around 9:00 so there's plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast.
I've had good luck finding places to go by calling the chamber of commerce in those small towns. Those women that run them know everyone in the county and can rattle off phone numbers without looking them up. I think their bored because they'll talk your leg off but their very helpful.
The least help I got was from calling game wardens. Actually they were no help at all!
Good luck. Woody

Greg
02-24-2014, 12:18 PM
Dirt Farmer & Wolfer

thank you both for your help