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I'm considering going to South Dakota this July for some prairie dog shooting. This is my first time so If anyone has any information on where to go or who to contact Iwould appreicate the help. There will be three of us and we have a limited budget. Thanks for any help you can give me.:-D
I live in prairie poodle country so am quite familiar with it. My advice is for you to get some BLM maps and hunt gov't land. Of course, you can't shoot them until June 1st on gov't land. But if you go to a private property many will charge you nowadays to shoot them. Contact a game warden or any gov't office who can direct you to good areas with lots of 'dogs. Usually local BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, etc. know about 'doggin spots.
Any good, accurate .22 centerfire will do. I use rifles and Contenders in .222, .223, and .22-.250's mostly. Any good scope from a 2.5X8 on up will work, depending on how far you want to shoot. A good .223 with a 4X12 is hard to beat. Most good shots will be at less than 300 yds. If you're really shooting long-range a .22-.250 and more glass works well.
If I can help any more, just ask. We here in eastern Mt. shoot lots of p.dogs. So do the folks in both of the Dakotas.
Skinblood: Take plenty of ammo! I would also take 2 or three guns so that you won't be so apt to burn your barrel out from overheating it. In a good town that hasn't seen much shooting, you can easily overheat a barrel. I take a ground cloth and some sand bags, binoculars, hearing protection, cleaning equipment, etc. I have used a portable bench, but find that if I use the ground cloth and get prone I get more shots, maybe because the lower profile is less threatening. A word of warning, the fleas on prarie dogs in our area ( Texas panhandle) have been known to carry bubonic plague. Insect repellent and caution are in order.
Good advice, Dale. Often after thinning them from a bench I take off on foot to do some stalk and shoot. This is made even more fun with a Contender .223. Also thought I'd mention another real hazard... rattle snakes. They are often found cooling themselves in a prairie dog hole. They also eat small 'dogs. So, whilst you're crawling around at eye level with the serpents be careful. I've had to shoot a good many of them that way. It can almost scare the livin' poop out of you when you're down on your belly in close proximity of a buzztail. I don't know about you but I'm not a fast crawler!
Here in the panhandle we fear the cactus about as much as rattlers! Prarie prickly pear, a number of barrel cactus, And numerous jointed monsters with 2inch spines sharper than a needle that are barbed so that they are the devil to pull out. The joints break off easily, they propagate by being carried away to other locations. Most are small clumps, but some varieties grow 15 ft. tall. I recently cut one down that was at least that tall at a house we needed to put a roof on. The owner said he had brought a joint of it from Amarillo 40 years ago and threw it down at the corner of the house. The base of it was about 6in in diameter, so I took it home to get the interesting net looking wood after it decayed the softer parts away. It will not die! I keep cutting the roots that sprout where it contacts the ground and they come right back. I thought the drought we went through, 9 months with almost no rain, would do it in. Not! I looked at it a few weeks after the recent rains, and there are 6in. sprouts growing straight up. I am not a fast crawler normally, but you should see this old fat man move when inspired by a rattler! I've been known to become agile and acrobatic, accompanied by strange gutteral noises, when properly inspired by mr. buzztail.
Skinbood, have shot p-dogs in Ka, Ne, Wy, and S.D. for a number of years. Usually do it for three days befor we get tired of shooting. I use a k-hornet out to 250, 222 same and out to 300-350 with lite blts, 223 (1-9 twist) to 350-400, and 22-250/243 for the long shots. 243 if there is any appreciable wind. I prefer fixed power 24X scopes, but the 6x24's do fine. Mil dots are nice, but target rets with dots work fine. The K-hornet mounts a weaver K-8 and have made nice shots with it to 250 consistantly, but a 10-or higher power on it would be nice. The K-Hornet, 222, and 223 are great for seeing your shot impact and kill due to limited recoil. 22-250 and 243 have to much recoil to see most of your shots.
Ranges can be as close as 50-60 yds, and as far as you can see depending on your set up. I recommend a bench or table and seat to shoot from, and both front and rear rests. Sandbags work, but the commercial stuff works better. You also have a better field of view from a bench. Also recommend an umbrella to shade you and scope, a wide brimed hat, sunblock and pleanty of water or gatoraid. Some prefer spotting scopes, but I like a decent pair of binocs, of about 10X. I usually figure on about 250 rounds a day depending on temp, wind, and what ever the good Lord provides. I prefer to alternate rifles every 15-20 rifles to minimize bbls. overheating. I am headed for Wy for 3 days in June. Let us know how you do.
Good Luck,
1Shirt!:coffee:
I like to take our 77/17 with us for close in shots. When using it the dogs don't go to ground hears as fast. Last time we were shooting my daughter shot 6 dogs off one hose with the 77/17 Ruger. I also like using my .223 Bushmaster but once I shoot tgeh dongs teeend to go to ground and stay there. I've got a swivel chair from my deer stand with a barrel rest. I mount it on short legs in the back of my Rhino ATV. That way one person can drive and the other be read to shoot once we stop.
Lovedodg: Interested in your comment on BLM Reg. no shooting before June 1st. We do not have such rules on our BLM Range in Wyoming. When did this start? Do you have some problem with dogs on BLM in Montana ? I know there was concern in SD and the Malta area over too many being killed?:cry:
My weapon of choice is the .220 Swift. Later in the fall when the wind blows for long range the 25-06. It is nice to hunt dogs near rocky ridges so you can shoot Rock Chucks in between times.[smilie=w:
redwing; Not a BLM regulation, it is a state law. And yes it does apply on federal (BLM) land.