[wankerjake]

I've recently been interested in prairie dog shooting but never could find a spot that wasn't surrounded by road and just didn't feel like scouting just for a bunch of varmints. Well I guess it was my lucky day last weekend, I was out shooting on forest service land with my brother-in-law and a rancher came up to us and said "now why are you boys shooting here? You oughta be shootin' prairie dogs in my pasture!" So he gave me directions to his camp and said to stop on by and he'd show me where. So today a buddy and I stopped by and sure enough he told me of some spots. Turns out I'd been out that way before and seen his camp but never did stop to look for dogs.

The first stop was a bust, we had a big rain last night and it was still cloudy and kind of cold. We glassed for about 30 minutes without seeing anything except what appeared to be a few mounds. However, no dogs. As we were leaving the sun started to come out and I hoped that would prompt activity at the next place. Sure enough, I pulled up next to a pasture he told us about with corrals, and after a short while I could see 2 or 3 dogs at ~ 80 yards. SO I uncased my rifle and was gonna set up on a fence post but we decided instead to drive around and set up on a high point that overlooked the pasture. This turned out to be a good idea, as we came up to that spot the original dogs were were looking out were visible at 95 yards by the rangefinder. There were 5 dogs, lounging around one of the mounds watching us set up. Haha, we massacred 3 on that first hill. Should have gotten them all, can't explain a few of the misses. Here's a view:

http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/oo33/wankerjake/Pdog1.jpg

After that, I scanned the field for my buddy and spotted for him. He shot for awhile and hit a few. We were going to go see how we did after awhile when my buddy sotted another family over to our left that we had probably overlooked for an hour. Well I set up on them, they were also at ~ 100 yards and I drilled 4 confirmed, but we think 5 total. One was particularly impressive in that he flew a good distance when I hit him. Don't think we found that one. Here's the 4 we found at that spot, 2 at each major mound:

http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/oo33/wankerjake/pdog4.jpg

The 100gr soft point from the 243 made a mess of a few of them. Notice this one's in pieces:
http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/oo33/wankerjake/pdog3.jpg

Here's 2 from a hill my buddy was set up over. 180 yards:
http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/oo33/wankerjake/pdog2.jpg

And here's the 3 from the initial massacre:
http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/oo33/wankerjake/pdog5.jpg

All in all we had 10 confirmed, pretty sure one of my major hits we couldn't find and we found a big bloody spot on another hill that my buddy shot but no body. Also there were shots we couldn't remember so I bet we killed a few more. The weeds were pretty tall. I was thinking we ought to stake some markers out there as reference points. Anyway pretty hilarious time, I intend to try again.

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics, not sure why some are smaller than others. I'll try and remember to bring a camera next time :)

[heeler]

Crap... 100 grain bullets!!
Lol.
Glad you got in a decent days hunt.

[Patocazador]

I've only done that once. BOY, was it fun! We were going to go antelope hunting on a guy's ranch in Wyoming but he wanted to see if we could shoot first. So we brought a box of ammo each and our deer guns plus we had a shotgun in the back. We blasted about 25 of those buggers with a .25-06 and a .30-06 until we ran out of our total of 40 cartridges.
We were moping around because we didn't have any more shells with us when, almost simultaneously, we both remembered the shotgun. We raced each other back to the truck and I won. There were only the 3 shells in the gun so we decided that we'd alternate shots with me starting. I belly-crawled to about 35 yards from a mound and aimed at it and waited. When one popped out to look around, I shot it and it flew straight up in the air. I couldn't help it but I shot it again as it was falling back. Nothing was left but pieces. My buddy was mad because I shot twice .. but that's life.

[Bobson]

Looks like it was a blast, man. No pun intended. ;)

[Fat_46]

Welcome to the addiction. You'll start classifying the prairie dogs as flippers, spinners, and other names. My favorites are the Blue prairie dogs - his head blew that way, and the rest blew the other way!

[WYOMan]

Sure is fun isn't it

[jbkebert]

A .22-250 with a couple hundred loaded 55grain varmit gerandes equals more fun that any boy should have. We have hit a few dogs with a .300 win mag and even a 7STW. Yet nothing seems to have the splat factor of the .22-250. It's just plain wrong:D

[JDMorris]

How unconfortable was it shooting off a rock bed?

[wankerjake]

The pad helped, but still pretty uncomfortable. It was worth it though ;)

[JDMorris]

Why were you on the rocks? There was no grass or dirt around? Bed of a truck? ROCKS... Ouch..

[wankerjake]

1. Illegal to hunt from truck. Would have been my first choice.

2. The grass was tall and that was a high point to gain elevation to see the rest of the pasture. Elevation is necessary at this spot, the grass is too tall to see/shoot thru otherwise. I tried a few different spots. The most comfortable one didn't allow me to see most mounds so I had to move.

3. It wasn't as bad as it looks in the picture. To lay there the whole time it would have been pretty crappy, but I would get up and spot for my buddy and also to glass for dogs.

4. There are rocks underneath the grass too.

5. I have an idea about setting up a bench next time. We'll have to see if I can get the bench in a good position, in the shade where we can shoot in a safe direction and have good visibility.

[redneck2]

Might want to try out this site. http://www.varminthunters.com/ Lots of hard core varmint whackers there. You should see some of the rigs they have. They'll got for a week and take 10k rounds for four guys.

I just bought a bench from Cabelas. Swivel seat/top. Very steady. We were on an antelope hunt last year and took the PD stuff along. Ended up shooting over three different towns.

[BrainOnSigs]

Cool! It will become addictive. Since the bug bit....I now have 3 dedicated varmint rigs....reload.....and count the days until my next sod poodle safari.

One of my favorite things to do:

http://brainonsigs.smugmug.com/Photography/Cattle-Branding-1/pdog2C/424334822_z6fPs-O.jpghttp://brainonsigs.smugmug.com/Photography/Cattle-Branding-1/pdog2B/424334814_TNK9h-L.jpg

http://brainonsigs.smugmug.com/Photography/Cattle-Branding-1/pdog3B/424334831_LpuJs-L.jpghttp://brainonsigs.smugmug.com/Photography/Cattle-Branding-1/pdog3C/424334836_Vpz4r-L.jpg

An average afternoon....we keep count:
http://brainonsigs.smugmug.com/Other/Prairie-Dogging-2012/i-6mMgMDv/0/L/P-dogging-7-L.jpg

I am a huge .204 Ruger fan....at 250 yards.....all I need is a head...never do find it.
http://brainonsigs.smugmug.com/Other/Prairie-Dogging-2012/i-ZQNZgpp/0/L/P-dogging-4-L.jpg

[wankerjake]

Mother of God. Is that a 204 Ruger making those guys explode? I just ordered 300 58gr Hornady V-Max bullets for the 243... IF I can get the 3800fps advertised it should be pretty horrific. Although even 3600 should be just as bad.

[Texan Scott]

Don't touch those dirty things with your hands. Glad it worked well for you. As graphically messy as your 'success' turned out to be, nothing's more embarrasing than a catastophically messy prairie dogging failure.

[wankerjake]

Not sure I understand what you mean by "failure"... you talking about the plague? I touched them with a stick.

[Texan Scott]

sorry.... wrong kind of 'prairie dogging'... j/k.

but yes... touch them with a stick.

[wankerjake]

Hahahaha. I think I get it now :D

[BrainOnSigs]

BTW: I did actually whack one that I sent a picture to a SD state biologist who believes it had the plague.

http://brainonsigs.smugmug.com/Other/Prairie-Dogging-2012/i-hMD8xJD/0/L/Plague-Dog-2-L.jpg

[wankerjake]

Cured him;)

[Bush Pilot]

1. Illegal to hunt from truck. Would have been my first choice.

2. The grass was tall and that was a high point to gain elevation to see the rest of the pasture. Elevation is necessary at this spot, the grass is too tall to see/shoot thru otherwise. I tried a few different spots. The most comfortable one didn't allow me to see most mounds so I had to move.

3. It wasn't as bad as it looks in the picture. To lay there the whole time it would have been pretty crappy, but I would get up and spot for my buddy and also to glass for dogs.

4. There are rocks underneath the grass too.

5. I have an idea about setting up a bench next time. We'll have to see if I can get the bench in a good position, in the shade where we can shoot in a safe direction and have good visibility.
Where is it against the law to shoot PDs from a vehicle on private property? I can't believe that. If you were on a public road definitely.

[Sniper66]

Hey wankerjake,

Welcome to the club. When my brother and I first started shooting p-dogs 7-8 years ago. Our first trip out we killed about 30-40 each day; now we consider that a very slow day, but even a day like that is a great day. I love it. When we started we were both using Ruger #1 .204s. They are incredibly explosive. I have a Rem 700 VLS .243 and have shot many with the 58 gr Hornady, which often dismemebers them. It is my 300+ yd gun., Mostly, now I shoot smaller calibers when I can, the 17 HMR in particular. I ordered a .22 Hornet about 3 weeks ago and am starting to build experimental loads. These days we go with several 1,000 rounds and 8-10 different rifles. You can go nuts with this stuff. A guy I know has a trailer he pulls behind his SUV. It is outfitted with 2 shooting benches that swivel 360 degrees. He and a buddy built it and it is really cool.
I have one advantage. I have a handicap parking placard and with it, in Kansas, I can legally shoot from the truck. I don't walk so good, so it is a big help. I called the KDWP to make sure I knew what was legal and they said that with my handicapped status I can shoot from a vehicle, but that otherwise, private property included, it is illegal. I can roll into a dog town and shoot several before they start to get wise. This is especially effective in the spring when the young dumb ones come out in droves and this is when you are the rancher's best friend. The best shoot my bro and I had was 3 years ago. On a 4 day shoot, we killed about 1,100. On another occasion, when I was alone, I killed about 450 in 2 days, most of them young ones with a .22 !! My right hand was swollen from working the bolt. This spring we killed about 400 with 300 being on the second day with my Anschutz 17 HMR. The key is finding good places to go. I do tons of research and talk to dozens of people. Every Christmas I send gift baskets to my favorite ranchers. I like these people a lot and they have become good friends. I help them on the ranches when I can. As you can see this has become a passion for me. When I am on my way home from a trip, I am planning the next one.

[wankerjake]

Where is it against the law to shoot PDs from a vehicle on private property? I can't believe that. If you were on a public road definitely.

1. Believe it. Arizona is one such place. Private land, public land, same rules apply. Private land owners do not own or control game animals. Game animals are regulated by Game and Fish; NOT landowners.

2. It is illegal to hunt from a vehicle in Arizona. Since prairie dogs are game animals, it is illegal to shoot them from the truck regardless of whether the land was public or private.

3. It was public land, right next to a dirt road. Ranchers in AZ can lease state land to graze livestock. They don't own the land but are granted permission to use it. This was "his" horse pasture last year, but he's not running animals in there presently. Whether his animals are in it or not, it's public land. I can see how that may be confusing to folks in states where most land is private, and I did not take the time in the original post to clarify the ins and outs of leasing state land.

I didn't write the rules, just try and follow them. Wasn't doing it the hard way because that's the way I like it, I was just working with the situation I had. I don't like getting tickets. It is my opinion that a man ought to be able to shoot prairie dogs from his truck on his own land if he pleases. And I bet it gets done on the big private ranches. And if I was hunting a big private ranch and the landowner recommended I do so... well I'd probably take his advice. Right next to a road is generally neither the time nor the place to start bending the rules, although nobody drove by while we were there.

I've hunted Arizona for over 20 years. I'm pretty familiar with game laws, especially the ones that apply directly to my hunting applications. Odds are that if you have never hunted in the state of Arizona, you can take my word for what is legal and what isn't;)

[Mauser lover]

I use a .30-06 for my prairie dogs/ground squirrels... A little rough on the shoulder, but worth the extra recoil, at least I think so.

[MachIVshooter]

Yet nothing seems to have the splat factor of the .22-250. It's

.220 Swift :D. I use 50 gr. V-max's at a moderate 3,950 FPS.

Also, .25-06 with 75 gr. pills at 3,700 FPS will send 'em a'flyin'; I actually had one get strung over a telephone line 15' above.

My next build is a 28" 6mm-06 AI, but it won't be so much for the splat factor as simply hitting them at extreme range. The .220 kills them fine at 600-800 yards, but those light weight bullets don't hold well enough for better than ~ 15-20% hit ratio at such distances, and even less on a windy day. I'll be using Sierra Matchkings or Berger VLD's in the 6mm-06.

OP-welcome to the club! Few activities are more fun. Find a busier town, and the challenge starts to become how many can you get with one bullet. 3 is the most I've done.

[BrainOnSigs]

I use a .30-06 for my prairie dogs/ground squirrels... A little rough on the shoulder, but worth the extra recoil, at least I think so.



Why? The energy doesn't get dumped into them.....you can't see the hits like I can with .204 Ruger....and I damn sure won't be shooting 100-200 rounds of .30-06 in a sitting either.

[788Ham]

BrainOnSigs,

Thanks for posting those pics, been awhile since I saw any "flying squirrels" !

Colorado is another state that won't let you shoot from a truck, don't ask me how I know.

My .223 w/52 gr. BTHP's makes 'em jump and fly too. Most I've ever gotten with one round was 3, the 4th got away, dragged himself into the hole.

Wanker, get yourself a Harris Bi-pod, the rocks won't bother you as bad!

[wankerjake]

Yeah Ham, I have a bipod. It's the 13-27" model. I'll bring it next time. It's too tall to shoot prone but I can bring a little chair and sit I think. Yeah guys I can see how it could get addicting. We went and scouted today. There are more clear cuts but couldn't find dogs in any of them (except the original two). Talked to the rancher and he confirmed that those are the only two places he sees them. We weren't shooting today though, just scouting. Had my girls with me. We glassed from a few different spots on the pasture we shot at and there are still plenty of dogs :)

[murf]

it is also illegal to shoot from, or across a road in arizona. includes forest service roads.

murf

[thecarfarmer]

Okay guys, bear with me - I was born, raised, and have spent my whole life in cities. So, what may be obvious to you, ain't to me...

My question: why shoot prairie dogs? It doesn't sound like you guys are eating them. I mean, you wouldn't just shoot deers and let 'em lie. Are PDs something that causes some sort of problem?

-Bill

[7.62 Nato]

Carfarmer,
City boy born and raised myself. Maybe I can explain. Pdogs do to crops, land, and structures in the country what city rats would do in their environment.

[thecarfarmer]

Thanks, 7.62! I suspected that they were a problem of some sort. Just that they aren't something you find around Seattle...

If I ever get out where they are, do you think a 45/70 would work on 'em?

;)

-Bill

[25cschaefer]

A 45/70 might work as long as you use something bigger than 400gr solids loaded for Ruger #1 only.

[Mauser lover]

Why do I use a .30-06? Because of the extra weight to the slug. And the .30 is more accurate than all of my small bores. Except the 10/22 with target mods. And the 10/22 is only more accurate to about 50 yds. And I consider prairie dogging practice for larger game. Handloading practice if nothing else. I still need to try out a .204 though.

If you have an almond orchard, prairie dogs/ground squirrels eat the nuts, all of them, and they dig under the trees, so that when the next big rain comes, and the wind blows, the trees fall over.

[Texan Scott]

I was born, raised, and have spent my whole life in cities

Wow... I would say 'I'm sorry', but that sounds condescending, doesn't it? (There are actually a few really big cities I really like and wouldn't mind living in... but none of them in this country.) BTW, no matter what your friends who've 'been to the country once' tell you, cows are NOT scary. Maybe they were milking the ones with the big horns?
PDogs carry the plague... reason enough to kill them and let them lie. Also, having to put down livestock because they stepped in a hole and broke a leg BLOWS. Beef is expensive enough.

[788Ham]

Wanker,

You'll bring a small chair? Whatta you gonna do then, have the kids running to the truck for beer between reloads? Ha Just bustin' your chops, those P'dog shootings can be lots of fun!

[thecarfarmer]

Maybe they were milking the ones with the big horns?

Yeah, I saw some movie where a guy goes out to milk the cows, only to find out that he'd been... uh, never mind.

Funny thing: my very first task of my first day as a USDA inspector was to do the ante mortem inspection of cattle. Keep in mind, the closest I'd ever been to any domestic livestock, let alone a cow, was to see one in a pasture while driving down I-5. The instructions were basically to just look for any that didn't act like the rest.

Did I mention, this was during the height of the BSE (mad cow) scare? I hate to think how lax their standards were prior to that!

Anyway, I got the '411' on prairie dogs now... they're like rats. Except that you're not in a city, where the neighbor will call the cops if you discharge a .22 pistol or something (although there are unsubstantiated rumors of someone firing .45ACP with plastic bullets powered by primer caps in a commercial building in Shoreline - but that's just some internet rumor).

Anyway, I'm gonna' be heading to Bonneville for Speed Week in a few days; if there's anybody needs some prairie dogs shot between Seattle and Wendover, UT, shoot me a PM and I'll throw a 12ga in the trunk of the car.

-Bill

[wankerjake]

You'll bring a small chair? Whatta you gonna do then, have the kids running to the truck for beer between reloads?

Now that's just ridiculous Ham... I can fit all the beer I need in my day pack. No sense in making the kids run back and forth, when they could be spotting for me!

We went scouting the surrounding area today and was kind of a bust. I talked to the rancher on the way in and he said he's only seen dogs at two places. We confirmed this today. The pasture we shot over last time still had plenty of dogs left in it. I just can't help but chuckle when I see one stand up.

I brought my young girls (mommy is out of town) so I wasn't shooting, just looking. I have a loose appointment with said pasture Friday afternoon though:)

[BrainOnSigs]

Why do I use a .30-06? Because of the extra weight to the slug.

You will find that varmint hunting...especially small varmints like sod poodles...call for lightweight, fast, frangible bullets...many with polymer tips. They are designed to fragment explosively on impact. Some prefered bullets are Sierra Blitzkings, Hornady V-Max, and Nosler Ballistic tips.

[Sniper66]

My friend John who had an infestation of them on his cattle ranch said, "You can raise prairie dogs or you can raise cattle, but you can't do both." I hunt in several western Kansas counties and some townships have issued poison orders in an effort to eradicate the critters. The reason being that they can destroy a pasture by eating the grass down to the dirt, leaving nothing for cattle. My other friend lost a herd bull worth about $5,000 because it broke a leg in a dog hole. Also lost a horse the same way; it was a family pet, not worth a lot of money like the bull, but valuable none the less. Ranchers who rent their pastures to other cattlemen cannot find renters if they have no grass. This is why the ranchers like me. I get rid of dogs and send them a Xmas present for the privilege and they don't have to spend lots of money on poison. The reason I shoot them?? It is a hellava lot of fun and I love the wide open spaces and fresh air. And by the way, after shooting a bunch of them, I go back in a day or two and they are all gone. Scavanging critters like them.

[CountryUgly]

I used to like popping them with a Savage in .17hmr but these days I use an AR15 in 5.56/.223 with 75gr Hornady Steel Match. It works well for me. Nice shootin by the way.

[Snag]

http://i.imgur.com/xyKe8.jpg



What the heck is that?

[BrainOnSigs]

Field dressing.... :eek:

Now...if I could just get that to happen to the pronghorn or deer that I shoot.... :D

[Snag]

lol. Field dressing looks a lot like a Timon stuffed animal.

[BrainOnSigs]

lol. Field dressing looks a lot like a Timon stuffed animal.
After they get hit with a chunk of copper/lead at 4100 FPS you never know what you might find....or not find....

My hunting partner and good friend named this "The Mask".....we never found anything else...just it's face. Freaky......

http://brainonsigs.smugmug.com/Other/Misc/i-P869mt3/0/M/prairie-dog-mask-M.jpg

[MachIVshooter]

Colorado is another state that won't let you shoot from a truck, don't ask me how I know.

On private land and shooting pests you can, unless something has changed very recently.

You cannot, however, shoot from a public road, whether in, on or over the vehicle.

Anyway, I got the '411' on prairie dogs now... they're like rats.

They're not like rats; They ARE rats. Praire rat is the common verbage out here.

As said, they damage crops, make land development difficult (have to dig it up and lay the dirt back down to get rid of the tunnels/dens that would cause structure damage as the earth settles into those voids) and they pose a major hazerd to livestock. Horses stepping in rat holes is mostly a myth, but cows are dumber, clumsier and do not pay attention to where their hooves are going when moving in a herd. By the time the rancher discovers he's short an animal, the critter has usually expired and begun to rot in a field.

After they get hit with a chunk of copper/lead at 4100 FPS you never know what you might find....or not find....

I'll try to find the SD card with the video on it, but I hit one in the head at about 40 yards, and the bullet removed it's brain in such a manner that it looked like it had been done surgically. Litte praire rat brain, perfectly in tact, laying about 5 feet from a the dog with the top half of his head gone.

[Bush Pilot]

1. Believe it. Arizona is one such place. Private land, public land, same rules apply. Private land owners do not own or control game animals. Game animals are regulated by Game and Fish; NOT landowners.

2. It is illegal to hunt from a vehicle in Arizona. Since prairie dogs are game animals, it is illegal to shoot them from the truck regardless of whether the land was public or private.

3. It was public land, right next to a dirt road. Ranchers in AZ can lease state land to graze livestock. They don't own the land but are granted permission to use it. This was "his" horse pasture last year, but he's not running animals in there presently. Whether his animals are in it or not, it's public land. I can see how that may be confusing to folks in states where most land is private, and I did not take the time in the original post to clarify the ins and outs of leasing state land.

I didn't write the rules, just try and follow them. Wasn't doing it the hard way because that's the way I like it, I was just working with the situation I had. I don't like getting tickets. It is my opinion that a man ought to be able to shoot prairie dogs from his truck on his own land if he pleases. And I bet it gets done on the big private ranches. And if I was hunting a big private ranch and the landowner recommended I do so... well I'd probably take his advice. Right next to a road is generally neither the time nor the place to start bending the rules, although nobody drove by while we were there.

I've hunted Arizona for over 20 years. I'm pretty familiar with game laws, especially the ones that apply directly to my hunting applications. Odds are that if you have never hunted in the state of Arizona, you can take my word for what is legal and what isn't;)
We used to PD hunt in Montana on both private land and reservations. I wish I had a dollar for every time a rancher would see us shooting and ask us to come over to his place when we finished. FWIW, probably 95% of our shooting was from our pick-up and we never had an issue. We've even had game wardens stop and ask how we were doing and usually let us know about other spots. The part about the road is interesting, in 20 years we never got hassled about shooting from a road.

[murf]

in arizona, the game and fish set up "sting" operations using fake deer to catch people "road hunting" (also illegal in this state, but hard to prove). they are pretty serious about it over here.

murf

[Mauser lover]

Yes, small, soft targets call for small, soft, and fast bullets. But it doesn't matter if I shoot at it with a .224, because I miss more often, when I can shoot at it with a .30-06 and hit, even if all I do is put a .308 diameter hole in it, it is done.

[thecarfarmer]

A 45/70 might work as long as you use something bigger than 400gr solids loaded for Ruger #1 only.

I found a thread on gunloads.com about '500-600 gr. 45-70 Load Data (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=33699)'. Some of these loads should take care of any size animal up through the size of a domestic house cat.

Thanks for the advice, as I'd have probably tried to do something stupid like shoot 'em with my .22!


-Bill

[Texan Scott]

No one has ever shot deer with a .22. Nobody would ever do that. It would never work. I can't imagine why anyone would think that. Can't be done, ever. Nope.


Wait... this thread is about prarie dogs? What are you people, crazy?

[wankerjake]

Went out yesterday to the same spot. Was a bit frustrating. The dogs were there, but wouldn't hold still for us. There was one mound about 80 yards away but way to the right with dogs at it, but they would drop down every time I set up on them. The grass is pretty tall in the pasture so they pretty much have to be standing, or be in an area where the grass is short which is few and far between. It was afternoon and a thunderhead came in and blocked the sun. They seemed much less active after that. We each shot ~ 10 times each in an hour and a half or so. 2 confirmed kills is all, both by me. Thought I'd missed them both (both 100 yards or less) until we walked the pasture and found them dead. I didn't take pics, camera was left in the truck and I just wasn't excited about them. I think because I thought I'd missed them after the shot, and even though I found out later that I hit them the initial dissapointment at missing an easy shot was still there. Is it wrong to just want to see them explode, and not be excited if they don't?:evil:

It was super aggravating to see the dogs popping up to our right. 80 yards is a friggin' gimme, but it was far enough to our right that I couldn't get on them from where I was, and the grass in front of us was too tall for my buddy to shoot from where he was. I had two rifles, so I set up 3 times in a position where I would be able to see them. Waited ~15 minutes each time and they stayed down. So I'd move back over to the main pasture and look over and there they'd be, sitting up pretty. Sneak over to my other rifle and wait... nada. Jerks.

I tested groups with the 58gr V-max earlier that day and it was encouraging. Recoil seems light and I think I'll be able to see hits thru the scope better. Also the velocity/bullet construction should really make them "pop." The most frustrating part about load development was that 48.0gr H414 was a 1" group, 48.6 was about 0.75". 48.9gr started to open up. BUT, 48.3 gr my first two shots were a quarter inch apart. I pulled my third shot which is unacceptable on a lead sled. I called it low and right, and sure enough that's where it hit. But I don't know for sure. Do I shoot again or just go with 48.6gr? Decisions, decisions.

After the "hunt" I met up with some guys from a local forum and it was my first exposure to class 3 fully auto firearms. Shot a M16 and HK something or rather. Holy crap, that is every bit as fun as I thought it would be. But that's neither here nor there, at least to the topic of this thread;)

[murf]

try the 48.3 grains and shoot a five shot group.

bet you could hit that dog standing at 80 yards!

murf

[BrainOnSigs]

1) The dogs love the sun. Nowhere for the raptors to hide.

2) The ones I whack don't get skittish if they see part of you, or you are partially hidden behind a truck, etc....but they don't like a fully exposed human figure.

3) If you are serious about p-dogging you are going to need to make a commitment towards a dedicated rig and an accurate hand load for it. I never make 80-100 yard shots....more like 150 yard to 300 yard shots. You need a very accurate rifle for this but the advantage is that you are a good distance from the dogs to see you.

[MachIVshooter]

It was afternoon and a thunderhead came in and blocked the sun. They seemed much less active after that.

When there's overcast, they can't see the arieal predators very well without the contrast of bright sky, and so stay down. Hawks, owls and other raptors are one of the greater threats to praire rats.

[Mauser lover]

They can't hear you shooting as much when you get far enough away... You just need to have an accurate rifle, and a good optic. I don't know if that makes any difference to prairie dogs or not, but it makes me feel better when I "need" to practice at 400 yards.:evil:

[tri70]

I love to shoot them with 223 Nosler bt from my mini 14, most shots are within 200 yds, gotta love the 20 rd mags! We would hunt pheasant in SD and finish early for pdogs in the afternoon! We shot some in the panhandle of OK and the farmers don't ask your name but how much ammo do you have left.

[MachIVshooter]

I love to shoot them with 223 Nosler bt from my mini 14, most shots are within 200 yds, gotta love the 20 rd mags!

Yeah, because you'll need that many to score a hit.

Mini-14 + praire rats + 200 yards = Turning ammunition into noise/dust plumes, and giving the varmints lots of exercise.

[tri70]

Yeah, because you'll need that many to score a hit.

Mini-14 + praire rats + 200 yards = Turning ammunition into noise/dust plumes, and giving the varmints lots of exercise.
My minis shoot very well! I have a target model and a standard 196 that I have tinkered with and get the most out of, I could put it up to any jam-o-matic!

[788Ham]

MachIVshooter,

Yes, you'll get busted on private property, shooting P'dogs from a truck. Cost me $125.00 and 4 points against my license about 12 years ago. I was outside the truck, leaning against the LFT front tire shooting while sitting on the ground.
The warden said he watched me shoot 4 P'dogs. Warden showed me in the reg. book why he was ticketing me, said he could confiscate my truck and firearm if I wanted to push the issue, so I just signed and that was the end of it. You can't lay across the hood and shoot, shoot from the bed of the truck, using the bed rails as support, or lay against the truck and shoot for any reasons! Brass assed fact sir! I was there.

[tri70]

I had some buddies talking about building a trailer with shooting stands or benches like the one previously mentioned. Would that be legal in your state? I would shoot from a plastic folding table a camp chairs with a canopy over us.

[tri70]

If you find a town that has good numbers and they are not gun shy a semi auto is a lot of fun. You could start off with a 22 LR, if they have been shot at, you need a good bolt and bullet combo to reach the 200-300 yd ones. First crack of the center fire usually sends them running for cover. Some guys start out with high powered air rifles and go up.

[wankerjake]

If you are serious about p-dogging you are going to need to make a commitment towards a dedicated rig and an accurate hand load for it. I never make 80-100 yard shots....more like 150 yard to 300 yard shots. You need a very accurate rifle for this but the advantage is that you are a good distance from the dogs to see you.

Yeah, I'm not sure how into it I'll get, for now a decent load out to 250 yards will suffice. I don't have the time or money at the moment to get too head over heels about it. Perhaps someday though :)

[tarosean]

Memories.

Spent much of my youth depradating towns. No fancy schmancy purpose built rifles, just a kid with a Glenfield 60 and a few quarters to buy my ammo.

[BrainOnSigs]

I had some buddies talking about building a trailer with shooting stands or benches like the one previously mentioned. Would that be legal in your state? I would shoot from a plastic folding table a camp chairs with a canopy over us.

Just finished mine. :what: :D

http://brainonsigs.smugmug.com/Other/Misc/i-vD3G3dt/0/S/texashuntingstyle3-S.jpg http://brainonsigs.smugmug.com/Other/Misc/i-ZGVrG9X/0/M/texasstyle3-M.jpg

[tri70]

That is awesome BOS!