Prairie Doggin'?

[petroid]

I've always wanted to go out West to shoot prairie dogs and I'm putting out feelers to see if anyone can guide me in the right direction. I have a 13 year old boy and a father in law who would love to go try and remove some pests.

I am on a tight budget so a public land, diy hunt would be what I'm looking for. I have a camper I can pull for accommodations. No problem boondocking in some national forest or grassland. I've heard plague has been hard on the dog towns but they are making a comeback. Open to just about any area, thinking SD or WY may be our best bet but I am a total noob. I'm sure you Westerners on the forum would have a much better idea on best places to go. Of course, I don't know any ranchers and can call chambers of commerce to try and get leads on private land, but if anyone knows public land that has good numbers, I'm all ears.

[Blanket]

Wyoming, plenty of public land

[M-Tecs]

Some of the state DNR's or Game & Fish will send you info on dog town locations.

[petroid]

Wyoming, plenty of public land Little farther to drive, but Wyoming looks pretty good. I found an article that Thunder Basin is lifting the shooting ban and will be 100% open for PDs for one year.

[petroid]

Some of the state DNR's or Game & Fish will send you info on dog town locations.

Yes, I plan on contacting some to try and get info.

[castalott]

If I might suggest... lots of water, first aid kit, snake chaps/ tall boots, revolver loads with snake shot, very dependable vehicle, portable benches, easy lunches, friendly landowner nearby, clothes for any temperature,Ham License and gear, and stay off Indian Land. What am I forgetting?

( I have never gone- this is what my doggin buddies talk about.... Make sure someone knows where you are and checks on you...)

[baogongmeo]

Petroid, PM me.

[pergoman]

I will add that you should have more than one mounted spare tire with you. Frequently you drive along fences and they seem to have plenty of tire puncturing debris lying around. While we typically averaged a flat every second or third day there were days when we got two.

[richhodg66]

The Cimmaron Grasslands out in the southwestern corner of Kansas is National Forest land and I hear the prairie dog hunting there was very good a few years ago. Been meaning to get out there and give it a try, but haven't yet.

[54bore]

Montana, Seek out big farm land and ask permission. Permission isn't easy to get, to many yahoo's ahead of ya that didnt 'do unto others the way you would have them do unto you'

[Wolfer]

Contact the Forest Service in Springfield CO. They were very helpful to me when I started.
The southeast co area doesn't have many residents but they are very friendly and helpful.

[Texas by God]

From Kentucky I would suggest Kansas, Oklahoma, or the panhandle of Texas. A lot closer drive for you. Farmers will be more receptive to your family group than a bunch of grown men. Good Luck and have fun. Best, Thomas.

[petroid]

Thank you all for the advice. I will check out KS and SE CO. I don't really relish the idea of driving to Wyoming but it is doable. I think MT might be too much.

[Paul D. Heppner]

I live in NY and have made the trip to Montana 3 times just for prairie dogs, 4 times for mulies and antelope. P-dogs was always to the Fort Belknap reservation, stayed in Zortman at the Buckhorn where you can get your Reservation license and make arrangements for your "reservation hunting companion" which I guess is now required. Wasn't when I went. We (partner and I) got to know some other out of state shooters that flatly stated that they would never, ever pay for a reservation license when they could just get a conservation stamp which at the time I think was less than $5 and hit all the BLM land for nothing. The thing was, they saved up for two years to make this trip, got less than 25 shots between 3 guys per day and were complaining that they thought they would get better shooting. Should have seen their faces when we showed them our tally sheets for a couple days, 250+ shots each per day. We hunted the reservation, they wouldn't. Plus the tag was good for a year. We went again 51 weeks later. Two one week long trips on one tag. First time I went was with my 10 year old son and I think the tag was $45, son was free. The last tag I got was $117. I have asked a few ranchers and never been turned down. Just don't march in like a Yahoo or look like you are from California and you won't have a problem. Stop in at the local BLM office and they will supply you with maps to the dog towns. Take LOTS of ammo.

[M-Tecs]

I have no problem paying for the Res license and or "guide" if you get a "guide" that shows up it can work well. One out of three days is past experience on the "guide" showing. Only did it once but several friends had the same experience. On Res's that require it if they don't show you don't go. Their land, their LE and their courts. The only way I would do it again is if I don't pay until the end of the trip.

[catchbull@4]

I haven't hunted PDs in Wyoming since 2003, but my boys and I had pretty steady shooting in the Kemmerer area. I was living in Utah at the time so western Wyoming was a short drive, and the town were way more plentiful than what Utah offered. I've never scouted eastern Wyoming, but if it is true that thunder basin is reopening, that would definitely on my list. I'm not sure if it has changed, but when we hunted PD in Wyoming, you didn't need a license unless you wanted to shoot furbearers. I think it was like $30-40 if you wanted to take coyote, badgers, etc. We have hunted early to mid summer, but I prefer late summer early fall. Let the pups grow up a bit; helps with the shot to hit ratio.;)

[deerstalkerks]

The Cimarron National Grasslands in south western part of Kansas. Elkhart Ks. has 2 motels a couple of restaurants. Hunted it years ago. ask the KWLP to send a map of the grasslands, and ask how the dog population is. ps get your gas and beer early, they roll up the streets about 5:30pm..

[Ateam]

I hunted the Miles City area of MT and around Sheridan WY every year for the best part of 10 years. We would go spend a week on the prairie and shoot up about 1k of hand-loaded sierra B-Kings each. We always hunted on foot carrying water shooting sticks and a few hundred rounds. Once you get off the roads, even just a little, the dogs are usually much less skittish. I remember walking a dog town on the powder river in MT that never ended, I just ran out of rounds and day light. We usually hit something like 90 percent on average, though a few times I got the golden standard of no misses for a whole case (100).
Some tips,
-get off the roads (walk)
-don't drive on the grass as fire is a huge concern and you will be told to get lost in no uncertain terms if you do
-a spare is a good idea
-don't shoot the little burrowing owls that look like pd's
-spend the first day hitting the diners, feed stores, etc to make contacts
-carry twice as much water as you think you need
-a shower is worth its weight in gold after a few days on the prairie

I am sure I have forgotten more that I put down here, its been a few years, j words are just too darn expensive to go hozin em on the prairie.

[Ateam]

Oh yeah, shoot as many cottontails as you can, watch out for rattlers, and dont sit on any cactus.

[petroid]

The Cimarron National Grasslands in south western part of Kansas. Elkhart Ks. has 2 motels a couple of restaurants. Hunted it years ago. ask the KWLP to send a map of the grasslands, and ask how the dog population is. ps get your gas and beer early, they roll up the streets about 5:30pm..

Cimarron may be on the list due to it being a bit closer than anything else, so I will check on it for sure. Thanks

[petroid]

I hunted the Miles City area of MT and around Sheridan WY every year for the best part of 10 years.

That's a pretty fair piece of driving from where I am. Know anything about Eastern WY? I'm thinking Casper would be the farthest west I would like to drive.

[petroid]

I haven't hunted PDs in Wyoming since 2003, but my boys and I had pretty steady shooting in the Kemmerer area..;)

East Wy would likely be my limit on travel. I do like the fact that no license is required. Thunder Basin looks to have a lot of places to go. Know anything about that area?

[Sigmanz]

There is lots of private land in Kansas enrolled in the WIHA ( Walk in Hunter Access) the Kansas Division of Wildlife and Parks prints an atlas every year of enrolled lands. Thousands of acres. Information and the atlas is avaliable on their website. A good portion of Western Kansas has large populations of prairie dogs.

[Wolfer]

In the past I've done quite a bit of pasture poodle shooting in Kansas. Most of it on Treg Hatchers place near Syrucruse. (Hatcher Cattle ) It was free when I hunted there but I hear he's charging now. Him and his wife were very pleasant people to deal with.

Kansas requires a license that you have to buy the whole year whereas Colorado will sell you a day license much cheaper. Most Kansas dog towns are near the line. Not much farther to drive.

The towns I've shot in near Springfield Co. are not as big as some in Ks. But there's still a lot of dogs and the people are very friendly.

[country gent]

Take several rifles for each shooter to allow for barrels to cool and cleaning. Saves barrel life. A couple good days gunning on a prarrie dog town with just a 22-250 or swift will smoke the barrel. A 22 rimfire is a lot of fun on them along with a hornet, 222 or 223 maybe a 6mm of some sort and a 22-250 or 220 swift. STart out with the close ones with the rimfires and increase guns as the range increases.

[Plate plinker]

Thank you all for the advice. I will check out KS and SE CO. I don't really relish the idea of driving to Wyoming but it is doable. I think MT might be too much.
Both MT and WY is a heck of a drive. SO DAK has plenty of prairie rats. As stated Kansas does too. Tires and lots of water are good advice lots of water and shade umbrella mounted firmly if possible.

[Plate plinker]

Oh yeah, shoot as many cottontails as you can, watch out for rattlers, and dont sit on any cactus.

Yes forgot the cactus! Some are as small as your thumb nail but still irritating as HECK.

[M-Tecs]

Most prairie dog towns have cattle in or around them. Bullet selection is an issue to most land owners. Nothing wears out a welcome faster than the land owner hearing bullet ricochets. The more explosive bullet you select the better. The 17 Cal. rimfires with the 17 grain ballistic tips are almost impossible to get to ricochet. The 40 grain to 55 grain 22 Cal. V-Max or Ballistic Tips are very explosive also.

[popper]

Hutchinson has a town 'in-town' next to the WM.

[runfiverun]

Casper has a ton of private land around it.
make sure you have a map of what is what.

[petroid]

Thanks again for the info and advice. I know WY is father than Kansas but I'm hearing good things about the dog towns there. It's going to be a long drive no matter what. A few more hours won't be a big deal and ice been to Wyoming before. It's very pretty

[LeadPoisonTX]

Petroid, you got me curious and interested on this type of "new" adventure, so watching closely. What do you intend to shoot, cartridge and ammunition? Will you be casting for this trip, if so which projectile? Good luck, sounds like a lot of fun.

[petroid]

Petroid, you got me curious and interested on this type of "new" adventure, so watching closely. What do you intend to shoot, cartridge and ammunition? Will you be casting for this trip, if so which projectile? Good luck, sounds like a lot of fun.

Well, the only cast boolits we would probably shoot would be plinking with pistols or the 300blk or 308. The 30 cals may be overkill on pdogs and would only be for closer ranges unless we were feeling froggy as the velocities of my loads are under 2k. Most likely just 223 either AR or bolt gun and some 17 HMR and 22 if they are close.

[M-Tecs]

17 HMR and 22 if they are close.

After you use both the 22 will stay home. It sounds like this is your first time so you will want to take both so you can compare. I would enjoy hearing your thoughts on them when your return.

Fist timers tend to shot way too far. Pick a % of kills you want to make and when your are dropping below that % figure out how to improve it or stop shooting at the distance.

Normally it will be "breezy" so the HMR will max out at about 100 to 125 yards. On quiet days you can stretch that a far amount.

For the 223 on prairie dogs % tend to go down fast much beyond 300 yards.

[petroid]

After you use both the 22 will stay home. It sounds like this is your first time so you will want to take both so you can compare. I would enjoy hearing your thoughts on them when your return.

Fist timers tend to shot way too far. Pick a % of kills you want to make and when your are dropping below that % figure out how to improve it or stop shooting at the distance.

Normally it will be "breezy" so the HMR will max out at about 100 to 125 yards. On quiet days you can stretch that a far amount.

For the 223 on prairie dogs % tend to go down fast much beyond 300 yards.

Yes I'm sure the 22s won't be much use but there is only one 17 between us. We will likely keep our 223 shots inside of 300.

I called a couple places in Kansas and after talking to several people finally got a rancher. He said the only dogs left in Kansas are either not huntable or leased. Still checking on other places

[Ateam]

I shot 223 almost exclusively on all my trips. When you are shooting 1-2k handloads per trip, cost and availability of components becomes a serious factor. I usually shot a bolt gun (cz527) but brought a heavy barreled ar for a backup. I like the boltgun much better on all accounts as the only benefit to a semi is rate of fire, and I already found it difficult to keep the barrel cool on the bolt gun. I did smoke a barrel once in Sheridan WY, I got into a draw where all the shots were inside 100, and they were very tame and plentiful, and well it was a sort of fox in the hen house scenario.

Which brings me to another thought, bring a good copper solvent. I always used Sweets, but whatever works for you. At the end of the day (usually 1-200 rounds) you will need to give the bore a good stripping. Just my .02, ymmv.

[ole 5 hole group]

Everything depends upon the dog town and how hard they have been shot at. There will always be wind and in some terrain the wind will be blowing in 3 different directions in different locations between you and your prairie dog.;)

300 yard shots with a 223 are not easy - you'll need good glass and probably a couple "sighters" to connect. In my limited experience 223 with 52 to 55 grain bullets are best within 150 yards. We use "wildcat" 22 centerfire and a 22 BRL with 53 grain burgers are very consistent out to 350 yards and with a sighter or two dogs are in peril out to 450/550 yards but most of them don't seem too concerned about it.:smile: You'll need elevation in order to see and shoot at dogs much past 250 yards. Walking around the dog town with a 22lr is good exercise but not much shooting unless the town has a few pups.

1st time out, I'd recommend bringing along a 243, as most towns today don't give many 50 to 125 yard shooting, so unless you want to just sit on them and get a shot every 20 to 30 minutes I'd bring what can reach out to 250 to 400 yards - at least you'll get shooting, maybe not many hits but shooting instead of glassing is the fun part.

I haven't been out the past 2 years to my ole reliable locations in SW North Dakota, as some type of disease knocked hell out of every town - I heard prairie dog populations went way down in surrounding States as well, so maybe check with the local Game Wardens in the areas you intend to shoot.

As for glass, 36X is usually to much as mirage will get ya - I use a "custom" 18X40X40 viable with benchrest crosshairs, others in our party use Leupold 24X boosted to 30 or 32 power with benchrest crosshairs. One uses the straight 24X but to me, it's on the "weak" side. A good table rest with bags are nice and binoculars or a small spotting scope.

Here's our set up, as we reload on site as it can be 75*F in the morning and 98*+F in the afternoon.


190805190806

[petroid]

That looks like a well practiced setup there ol 5 hole. I know our equipment isn't up to serious varminter standards, but I don't think the kids will mind, me included. I fully predict there will be a lot more shooting than killing. If they stay still long enough for us to walk the shots in, we might have a chance.

[JMax]

Grasslands outside of Casper WY was always good for days of shooting

[Plate plinker]

Your going is an excuse to get a 204 Ruger. Thats my favorite now and I have a friend out in SD that has a PD town on the ranch, well he has a SAKO in 204 now too. He was impressed the way it shot flat and rips into them.

Ole 5 Hole Group
Nice mud flaps. Look like snowmobile track?

[Texas by God]

I recommend taking an accurate .22 in the spring when the pups are learning. Lots of below 100 yard shots. For me the 22-250 is king between 100-400 yds. Due to mirage and eye fatigue I consider 12x max for me at least. I'm afraid cast bullets will ricochet too much from the hard prairie soil. I've watched .357, .41, & .44 swc's skip and hit the ground like skipping a rock on water! My favorite place was Muleshoe, Texas where my uncle farmed for decades although I've shot them in Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. We found a small town near No Man's Land on the TX/Ok border last fall while scouting for Pronghorn near Dalhart. It brought back memories like the wind going different directions like ole 5 hole mentioned and the fact that a .223 ain't a 22-250 past 300 yards. And I got one that was too curious at 30 yds with a 12 gauge! I wish y'all a wonderful hunt wherever you go.
Best, Thomas.

[Sur-shot]

I have a friend out in SD that is a county official, he and I have been talking for years about putting together a PD shoot-hunt for our two families. One of the items that comes up regularly is the increasing type and number of restrictions placed on public lands and the prohibition of motorized vehicles of any kind, on some of that land. The PD towns out in the middle of the restricted areas means two things, limited access and a lot less pressure on the PDs. But, You basically have two choices, carry everything while walking in/out or carrying on horseback, mule, etc. Toting everything in and out can be a real chore. Suggest you check your intended public lands hunt area carefully on a map and make very sure you have a reasonable means of legal access, per local authorities, before you leave the driveway. You might consider a guide to keep you out of trouble.
Ed

[ole 5 hole group]

Ole 5 Hole Group
Nice mud flaps. Look like snowmobile track?

You have good eyes.

[petroid]

I have a friend out in SD that is a county official, he and I have been talking for years about putting together a PD shoot-hunt for our two families. One of the items that comes up regularly is the increasing type and number of restrictions placed on public lands and the prohibition of motorized vehicles of any kind, on some of that land. The PD towns out in the middle of the restricted areas means two things, limited access and a lot less pressure on the PDs. But, You basically have two choices, carry everything while walking in/out or carrying on horseback, mule, etc. Toting everything in and out can be a real chore. Suggest you check your intended public lands hunt area carefully on a map and make very sure you have a reasonable means of legal access, per local authorities, before you leave the driveway. You might consider a guide to keep you out of trouble.
Ed

Thanks for the advice. I have noticed on some of the maps that there is very limited access in certain areas without going cross country. We will have to decide between carrying our gear to find the best shooting, or likely suffer poor shooting from more accessible areas

[dk17hmr]

For what it's worth I live in SW Wyoming and drive up to Montana to shoot pdogs in volume. Population isn't great here, there's enough to keep me busy but there's alot if driving for a couple hours of shooting around here.

I have shot dogs with just about everything I own from 17 fireball to 50 razor back. 204 and 22-250 are my go to and will blow up dogs alot further out than people think. My dad loves his 223s and 6x45. I take my big game rifles out to shoot dogs to stay in practice with them and off hand shooting as well.

[Beerd]

..............., You basically have two choices, carry everything while walking in/out or carrying on horseback, mule, etc. ................Ed

How about a game cart to carry all yer stuff?
..

[M-Tecs]

How about a game cart to carry all yer stuff?
..

recommend solid tires. The cactus are hard on the tubes. They are still a PITA. Used them for a while. Went back to a backpack and shooting mat using bipod's and shooting prone.

[low8option]

You are in a fun treat.

Been driving out to NW SD for the last 15 years. Shot dogs on the Rosebud the first couple years before making contact with a rancher in NW SD. My wife and son usually go with me. We carry a .204 Ruger, two .223s and two 22-250s and for long range shooting two 260 Rems. Best all around gun we have found is 22-250 with 55g bullets. We take dogs regularly from 250 yards to 500 yards. Both my son and I have taken many dogs in the 600-800 range with this gun. The .204 is a flat shooter out to 300 yards and gets a little finicky after that although I have many kills at 400+ with it. The .223 is great out to about 400-450 yards. For convenience I load the same bullet as in the 22-250. Something we have learned from experience is to load the 22-250 a little below max and it does just as well without over heating. My son and I got bit by the long range aspect hence the 260s. Last year we both broke the 1000 yard barrier with them.

Average rounds expended per day, my wife shoots around 250 while my son and I will shoot upwards of 400+ per day. Good glass is a necessity and expect to lower the magnification as the day warms up and the heat wave distort you imagine. Use a bipod or sandbags to steady your aim. You will need some type of spotting glass, we use common binoculars to scan for dogs. A laser rangefinder is a big help and if you purchase one pay a little extra and get one good to 1000 yards, you'll save money in the long run.

Don't be intimidated by the wind. Most of my best shots were made with some stiff winds blowing. Regardless of what reticle you have in your scope you are going to find yourself using a lot of Kentucky windage and elevation and that's what makes it so much fun.

Hope this helps with your planning. Be advised, this game is addictive and its hard to go only once. Have fun and good shooting.

If you have any particular questions, PM me.

[petroid]

How about a game cart to carry all yer stuff?
..

Might have to borrow the kids wagon lol

[petroid]

Low8 thank you for the info. PM inbound

[jim147]

Sounds like a lot of fun let us know how the planning and trip go.

[petroid]

Sounds like a lot of fun let us know how the planning and trip go.

I will do my best to keep this thread updated as I go. I'm waiting to see if my friend and his boys can come. If I don't have another adult and someone my son can talk to, it won't happen for safety and camaraderie reasons.

[petroid]

So my buddy can't go, but he's planning to next year. I have asked another friend with boys, waiting to hear if he can go. On a side note, I have been trying out different bullets. Bought a bunch of Hornady 55gr SP with cannelure. My gun doesn't like them. Sold them. Tried some Nosler Varmageddon tipped. I haven't shot Noslers before and had good results with the 55gr FB tipped. Then I tried the 53gr FB tipped. These are apparently new this year and I noticed right away they are much sleeker. I was worried they wouldn't shoot well with less bearing surface from my 1:7 twist barrel. Boy, was I wrong! And they have the highest BC of any bullet in their weight class, even the boat tails.
193300
I don't know what happened with the far right group. Three are right in there, and two defy explanation. I don't remember anything weird, but I think I'm going with the middle load, as the accuracy is there (there are 5 shots in the group) and it will have a bit better velocity than the lower charge. Around 2950fps from my 16" barrel. Should do the trick.

Oh and here's what the 1:7 twist was meant for. I don't have any 77gr SMKs but these 77gr Nosler HPBT work pretty good.
193301

[low8option]

Just a suggestion but something I learned when working up loads. Try a couple different velocity loads on each bullet. For example, my most accurate load in the 22-250 is about 150 fps below max. Another thing, if you have the space, try shooting at 200 and 300 yards and see what types of groups you get. When working on my 260 loads I found a bullet/load that consistently held sub moa at 100 yds when shot at 500 yds would not hold a 2 moa group. Same powder with another bullet of same weight consistently went back to sub moa at 500 yds. So distance and bullet speed definitely influence how your rifle shoots.

[petroid]

I only have 125 yards handy to shoot but I do plan on longer range testing.

[petroid]

I think we are a go. My brother says he can go and I talked to the parents of my son's friend and they said "ok." So now we just have to assemble all the gear, guns, and ammo and plan the attack!

[jim147]

Good to hear and good luck.

[petroid]

Went yesterday with a friend to a local range. In addition to making some new friends and getting to shoot a Barrett 50 cal, I shot at 2 and 300 yards to assess accuracy and bullet drop. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome, learning that 2"high at 100 yards translates to 1 " high at 200 and one mil dot holdover at 300 is dead on. Had a lot of fun shooting cast bullets too. End of June can't get here soon enough

[chickenstripe]

You are going to have a blast!!!!

Alot of good info here, on equipment, etc.

What we did, to mitigate the mirage
1) start shooting early in the AM
2) set the shooting bench in the bed of a pick-up, and shoot from there

The wind does have a plus side, it keeps the barrel heat mirage out of the optics.

We took 4K rounds each (there were two of us) and came home almost empty (23hours of shooting over 3 days)..... I took a 22LR (2K rds), 22 hornet (1K rds of 40gr V-Max), and a 204 (1K rds of 32gr V-Max)..... Next visit I'll only be taking the 204, with 3-4K rounds of ammo. My shooting partner took a 22LR, 222Rem, and also a 6mm as others here had suggested..... With the 6mm there is to much recoil to see the impact, and too much heat to shoot more than 5-6 shots. We both agreed that the 204 and 222 were returning, and the remainder were staying home.

We took turns shooting, with the other calling shots and acting as a "target locator"! Every ten rounds we'd switch roles to give the barrel a break, or to clean them.

Rangefinders were useless for us..... nothing to range against. To get the distances to PD's that we had shot, we'd walk out to them, and range back to the truck. YMMV

Closest was 22yds (45ACP), and farthest was 503yds (204)... average distance was about 250yds, and all in a 20-30mph full value wind! Calculated/Approximated Kentucky windage for the 503yd shot was 34". Shooting those small targets at distance, really spoils you for groundhog hunting back home..... a 300yd shot is nothing on a groundhog now.

[sw282]

Been shooting PDS for almost 20 years.. Not being from the areas l always hire a guide... l have shot Texas, New Mexico, North Dakota, S Dakota too. Wyoming just north of Laramie is a good place too. Never have bothered shooting them with a rim fire.. Shooting them with 222Rem, 223Rem, 221Fireball, 220Swift l use ONE bullet only.. 40gr VMAX... Be it 4300fps in a Swift or 3400 from a 221FB the 40Vmax does it ALL. Never have owned a 22-250, tho l have always heard good things. Back when l was a VHA member l got in the 500yd club with my Model 70 Heavy Varmint in 243Win shooting 58gr VMAX...l seldom shoot it now because of too much recoil.. Cant see the RED MIST if l flinch... Nothing out there can match a 220Swift for a flat trajectory.. Not even after 80 plus years.
0ptics are limited to 10 power MAX for me... Anything more than 10x brings on mirage... Worst enemy for shooters on the plains is wind. l have seen it push a bullet as much as 4-5 ft off target... l shot Bench rest for quite a few years before going on my first PD shoot...l was pretty good on the 100yd and 300yd line... Those strong Prairie winds quickly humbled me. Take sun screan... Lots of water and a good shooting bench.. BR Pivot is the best... Great fun.. Nothing like it

[winchester 71]

go to Wyoming or Utah

[petroid]

Getting excted! Barely more than a month away. I am loading all the 223 ammo for four shooters. Right now I have about 2000 rounds of that. I just received 500 more bullets and am waiting on brass. Will be using 22s and 223 ARs and a 223 loaner bolt gun. We will probably only shoot for a few hours a day as the boys won't be able to concentrate that long and it will save us ammo. I think we are going to Thunder Basin in Eastern Wyoming. Will likely stop in the Black Hills and see Mount Rushmore and also the Badlands either on the way there or on the way back. It's going to be a low key, fun, do whatever we feel like doing trip.

[35remington]

I've been on these sort of trips before.

Unless you have a well knowing local accompanying you on the trip, most of the time will be spent looking for good places to shoot rather than shooting. More successful trips follow the first one, which narrows the field and separates productive areas from unproductive. Same as with any other type of hunting or shooting. My counsel is to make sure you don't get first trip hopes up too high.

Good luck. Hope you have fun whatever happens.

[petroid]

Just over two weeks away and final preparations are being made. My son's friend came over with his dad's AR. I put an old tasco scope on it instead of the red dot sight he had and we got it sighted in. Got as much ammo loaded as I can afford and the camper is good to go except I need to repack the wheel bearings to be sure. Has anyone been out prairie doggin' that can comment on whether the pups are out yet and what kind of numbers you are seeing?

[M-Tecs]

Shot both ND and and SD today. Pups are out. About 250 rounds of 17 HMR and 750 223 with about 85% hit. Started at 7am and finished at about 930 pm. Morning about 15 to 18 mph wind. After about 2 pm under 5 mph wind.

[petroid]

Shot both ND and and SD today. Pups are out. About 250 rounds of 17 HMR and 750 223 with about 85% hit. Started at 7am and finished at about 930 pm. Morning about 15 to 18 mph wind. After about 2 pm under 5 mph wind.

Cool! Where in SD were you? We haven't made any hard plans on where to go. If there are plenty dogs in Fort Pierre or Buffalo Gap public lands we could do SD. If we have to go to WY we can, just farther to drive

[M-Tecs]

We were on very limited access private land in the central part of the states. Same owner on both sides of the border.

Weather and hunting pressure effects shooting greatly. When the pups are just coming out shooting is normally very good. For public land 100 to 300 round is normal. If my % drops much below 70% I reduce shot distance. Some like shooting long distances and are happy with low hit percentages. On really windy days we pack it in at the 50% hit mark.

[dk17hmr]

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1947_zpsxrpxiexu.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/dk17hmr/media/Mobile%20Uploads/KIMG1947_zpsxrpxiexu.jpg.html)

They are out.

[petroid]

Great pic dk17hmr! I'm getting excited, now. We still haven't decided whether we are going all the way to Wyoming, or just stop in South Dakota. I'm sure there are plenty of dogs in Thunder Basin, but we may be able to find enough in the Buffalo Gap grasslands to satisfy our needs. It's much less driving and closer to other touristy type things to do if we need a change of pace. I guess we will have to wait and see

[dk17hmr]

Use your first trip as a scouting tourist vacation. After that you won't need to stop at the tourist things and you'll spent more time shooting.

[35remington]

Just as I said.....your first trip of this sort will see a lot more scouting than shooting unless you get lucky.

[M-Tecs]

Just as I said.....your first trip of this sort will see a lot more scouting than shooting unless you get lucky.

In 30 plus years of serious pd shooting I wish kept track of how many miles I put on scouting. All I know is it's a lot.

[petroid]

In 30 plus years of serious pd shooting I wish kept track of how many miles I put on scouting. All I know is it's a lot.

Of course I haven't been there before so I really have no idea what to expect, however, technological advancements have made scouting from my living room possible. Many state wildlife agencies provide maps locating known prairie dog towns. This in itself is wonderful, but who really knows if the dogs are still there until you lay eyes upon them.

Perhaps the most exciting tool is Google Maps/Earth. With just a web browser you can scan the aerial photography and coupled with maps provided by said agencies, actually see the dog towns and what sort of terrain and roads are available to access them. Google Earth even has a "Historical Imagery" tool that allows you to see all available satellite images they have available. Many areas have twenty years worth of images. This can give a better idea of which colonies are stable, growing, shrinking, or even gone. Obviously, these are not real time images and much can change in a short time, what with disease and eradication efforts. What may appear to be a sizable town may prove to be a bunch of empty holes in the ground. We will see for sure when we get there.

There is an app I found for my phone called Avenza Maps. It is free and many if not all of the National Parks/Grasslands have a free map for Avenza that shows actual boundaries of public/private lands as they are interspersed throughout these areas. The app works with the GPS of your mobile device and can pinpoint you on the map as well as allow you to place markers either of your location or anywhere you so choose. I have extensively studied the aerial photography by Google and located what I hope to be quite a few active, accessible dog towns and placed markers using the Avenza app. With a little luck, we can find some decent shooting even if we are really out in the sticks, as the Avenza app works even without cellular service because the map is downloaded to the mobile device and the GPS will work just about anywhere.

I, too, have spent many hours and drove many miles looking for game. I have walked into a foreign woods in pitch dark and planted my rear at the base of a tree hoping a nice buck will walk past. I do understand that you never know til you get there. But I have also learned that there are many tools available now that weren't available 30 or even 10 years ago. I am doing my homework as best I can to increase our chances of success. I hope to report back that my efforts were effective and we find plenty of prairie dogs. And if these tools help other people, that would be just fine as well. Yes, there are plenty of people that know where to find plenty of prairie dogs just like there are people that have their special fishing spots and would never divulge the location. If we find a super enormous dog town that is just loaded with the little buggers, I probably wouldn't tell either, but if I can find it, so can you!

[M-Tecs]

Finding pd towns is not a problem nor is finding towns with lots of dogs. Finding towns that provide good shooting is a challenge.

What happens after the first shot is a good indicator.

[petroid]

Four days til we roll out! Changed just about every fluid on the truck; oil, coolant, tranny fluid, transfer case fluid, rear diff oil. New belts, air filter, throttle body cleaned, engine bay cleaned, interior cleaned. Have been loading guns, ammo, cleaning supplies, food, water, etc. in the camper. Can't wait til Friday!

[M-Tecs]

Keep us posted and have fun.

[petroid]

Well, we are back!

We had a great time and I can't wait to go back, but there a few things that could have gone better.

We drove several hours Friday and all day Saturday. Just as we were getting close to Buffalo Gap National Grassland, my truck's rearend had had enough and burned itself up. We let it cool down and filled it back up with gear oil and limped to the grassland where we camped Saturday night. Since no one was open Sunday to look at the truck, we spend some time checking zeroes and target shooting, then set off down a two track where I had seen a dog town on Google Maps. It was our only option as we couldn't go very far or very fast in the truck.

We did find a dog town, but it was small and provided few shots. Still we had fun plinking at cans with 22s when the dogs were down. I got a kill shortly after we arrived, which happened to be the only confirmed kill of the day, but we all cheered as the dog did a nice backflip when hit.

Sunday evening we loaded up and traveled a few miles to the town of Philip, which had a Ford dealership who could look at my truck. The town had a golf course, lake, and campground 2 miles North of town. This would be our home until Wednesday when the truck was repaired. It was nice to have constant electricity, and long, hot showers, although the shower was a few hundred yards away in the golf clubhouse. I simply showered in the camper as it was less hassle than going to the clubhouse. Perhaps the best thing about this place was the swimming hole. There was a large lake that people would ski and wakeboard on but also a small, maybe 3/4 acre pond that was fed by a natural hot spring that poured 138 degree water into it. This gave the boys something to do while we were at camp and saved my ears from a bunch of whining about being bored. There were also a couple of frisbee golf holes that we played at using an aluminum pan lid since we didn't have a frisbee.

Monday, the shop looked at the truck and after searching around, found a rearend that could be delivered the next day. They had a beat-up Suburban they they loaned me (for free) that we could use until the truck was fixed. It wasn't anything special but had room enough for us and our gear, so off we went. Monday afternoon, as soon as I got back, we loaded up and went looking for prairie dogs. We traveled toward Wall then went South to the grasslands. Here we found several dog towns over the next few days that provided varying degrees of shooting quality. We wound up going back to the same one several times. It was quite a bit bigger than we initially thought, which allowed us to shoot at different parts of it on different days. There were always dogs visible, some closer than others. We had fun shooting at longer ranges and did get some hits and sometimes they would pop up close by in 22 range.

We definitely shot a lot more than we hit, but we expected that. Perhaps the most fun was the times we would walk out to see what we had killed. The pups would bark at us from holes close by and weren't too scared to show themselves. As we walked, we would scan nearby holes and often get a shot at close range. Using 22s, this was quite sporting, but also not good for confirming kills as they would usually fall back into the hole.

Wednesday late morning, I returned the Suburban, picked up the truck and we broke camp. We arrived at the aptly named "Scenic Overlook" of Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, just South of Wall. Breathtaking views of the Badlands and Grasslands were the norm here and we had beautiful rainbows that stretched across the whole sky after a small rain shower.

Thursday we left in the morning and drove to Mount Rushmore. After a few hours, we came back to our camp, loaded up the truck and went out to shoot prairie dogs again. It was cooler and breezy which was a welcome change from the hot, stale air the past few days. We shot better this day and all had multiple kills. My favorite moment was when my son shot a pup at close range with a 22 while we were walking. He went up to the hole to check and found it not quite dead yet. In his excitement, he was confused. He said "It's still alive! What do I do?" The three of us all yelled in unison "Shoot it again!" After he shot it point blank, we were all rolling with laughter at the scenario.

We took off Friday morning and camped just North of Kansas City, then made the final push home Saturday. It didn't initially go as I had envisioned, but when we arrived at the Scenic Overlook, it just seemed like it was all going to work out, and it did. I most certainly will go back and can't wait til I get the chance.

Thanks to all who have given advice and info on this thread. It certainly helped me, and I hope it can help others.

[petroid]

I can't seem to get any pics to upload but I will keep trying

[NVScouter]

I've always wanted to go out West to shoot prairie dogs and I'm putting out feelers to see if anyone can guide me in the right direction. I have a 13 year old boy and a father in law who would love to go try and remove some pests.

I am on a tight budget so a public land, diy hunt would be what I'm looking for. I have a camper I can pull for accommodations. No problem boondocking in some national forest or grassland. I've heard plague has been hard on the dog towns but they are making a comeback. Open to just about any area, thinking SD or WY may be our best bet but I am a total noob. I'm sure you Westerners on the forum would have a much better idea on best places to go. Of course, I don't know any ranchers and can call chambers of commerce to try and get leads on private land, but if anyone knows public land that has good numbers, I'm all ears.

Well if you make it to Cody WY you can shoot them on my place and I can show you a couple more towns.

[petroid]

Well if you make it to Cody WY you can shoot them on my place and I can show you a couple more towns.

Thanks for the invitation. I'm going to try and see if we can do it next year. Not sure how much farther west I want to go. It was a long trip to SD