What guns do you take on such an outing?

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The 17HMR is the best rimfire for p-dogs. Wicked accurate and relatively cheap ammo. Really solid knock down power; surprisingly so. My Anschutz 1517MPR is second to none; nearly perfect for the p-dog task. If you want cheaper (who doesn't) Savage makes a new Precision 17HMR that is quite accurate and can be had for just under $600. My Annie now costs around $1100...I only paid $700 for mine about 6-7 years ago. My buddy has a Marlin he bought years ago and it is very accurate.....can be found for around $400. The CZ is really popular, but I have no experience with them....under $500
 
Sniper66 said:
That's why I write these things down and solicit responses. Helps me think through things with people who give a damn. The reason I take two 17HMRs is because the trip gives me the opportunity to shoot both in an infinite number of circumstances that can never be replicated at the rifle range. Do I need two? Of course not. I prefer shooting the 17HMR up to around 125 yds because I don't have to reload. And the HMR makes much less noise and consequently I get more shots; less recoil too. When I bring out the .223, the noise chases the dogs away much quicker. OK. The 22 Hornet has been my 100-150 yd gun and I like it because it is an old-timey cartridge and I like to give it a run every now and then just for fun. And I can give my reloads an opportunity to shine. OK...the .204 because it is a flat shooting screamer that obliterates targets at much longer ranges, 150-200 most of the time, with the occasional shot out there further. My long barreled .223 because it is the most reliable shooter I've ever had. When conditions get complicated, wind and such, my Rem 700 .223 will always deliver. A 50gr bullet at 3200 fps out of my .223 is steadier than a 39 or 32gr .204 bullet at 3700-4000 fps. The AR .223 provides the semi-auto benefit when the caller brings in coyote pairs and quick multiple shots are useful.
Thanks for reminding me of the safety issue. I carry a good insurance policy that travels with my firearms, so I'm OK there. Plus I stay with my friend who lives several miles from the nearest town and no one else is out there. My guns locked in my home while I'm gone are probably at greater risk of theft than the ones in my car. Not sure why the question about binoculars, but I use a Leupold 10X50 and they are very good....spotting scopes are not as useful as the binos. Also not sure what is "depressing" about 4 days of unrestricted hunting in beautiful country that is only interrupted by naps and a snack.
So....after due consideration, I'll probably stop at 6 rifles...wish me luck.
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I have as many options as you,including a few .308 rifles.

But using the KISS principal,I would take the Mossberg bolt in .223/5.56 ,and the same in a repeater [ M-4/AR-15, and then possibly a Marlin bolt in .22 magnum for close up wok.Allowing range to about 300 meters.

And of course the pistols that I never leave home without !.
 
I would probably take the 5.56 AR for most of the shooting. I would have my 44/77 (bolt action .44 Mag) in case I decide to go with something different for a day. I would also take the CZ Bolt action .22 in case I feel like plinking. As far as a pistol, I would be torn between the HK P30 and the Glock 42. In either case, I would use a holster with active retention, for both of those I have Safariland ALS holsters.
 
Sniper66 said:
OK...you have convinced me to lighten the load. I removed the extra 17HMR, the 22 Hornet, and decided against the BOG DeathGrip tripod...taking a lighter bipod instead. My level of excitement inflames my desire to take everything. Can hardly contain myself. A separate note to those who think only a .223 is required. While I recognize the versatility of the .223 and I shoot it a lot, a question emerges. Do you guys have a 17HMR? Three years ago I had shoulder surgery which made me shy away from anything with a recoil. During that period, I shot the 17HMR a lot more which increased my comfort with longer shots, I've developed great faith in the killing power of that speedy little round. Calm wind is essential. When I prepare for the p-dog shoots, I practice 100yds with the 17HMR, 200 with the .223 and 300 with the .204. Now I had planned to take a shotgun too, since close quarter coyotes are best dispatched with a shotgun. But to lighten the load, I'm relying on the AR. Thanks for thee coaching!
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To answer the question, no I don't have a 17. You are correct about calm wind and calm wind and Prairie Dogs are seldom found together.

The first time that I went on a trip with the current bunch of guys that I hunt with all they talked about was their 17's. I mean, I heard about 17's for 11 hours and 700+ miles. I was just about ready to stop at a Walmart along the way and buy me one! After we got out there and started shooting they shot their 17's for less than 5 minutes and put them away in favor of something that was less affected by the wind.

A good combination of what you listed might be either the 17 or the 22 hornet and either a 223 or the 204. If you are actively shooting on a Dog Town I doubt that you will see any Coyotes up close.

I've shot Prairie Dogs with a 223 from about 25 yards to a measured 615 yards. And yes, that 615 yards was a stretch for a 55 grain bullet!

I do understand the recoil thing!
 
Sounds like a fun outing. I second the .223 as the primary. Were I going, I'd take along a .22-250 Ackley.

We will want pictures.
 
6 rifles?

Talk about an embarrassment of riches!

I'd go with a rimfire .17 rifle for prairie dogs out to 200 yards, and whatever .223 rifle you've got with the highest magnification optic for anything beyond that, or for Coyotes.

Sounds like an awesome trip, wish I could put something like this together.
 
Iggy said:
50 cal works pretty good at 600 yards.. Pink mist.
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Years ago I had the distinct pleasure of hunting prairie dogs with Art. I was running the aforementioned .17 HM2 and he was running a .243.

Once in awhile he'd catch one is such a way that it would flip the PD out of his hole and about 2 or 3 feet into the air.

It was pretty funny.
 
Id probably just run a .17 and bolt .223, but that simply comes from my personal preferences.

Id also probably be using this as an excuse to pick up a .22-250 or a heavy Valk/.22 nosler upper for my ar......again the kinda stuff i do.
 
I would take 2, 3 max depending on what ammo supply looks like. If taking 3 I would include a .17hmr.
If surgical precision is your style, leave the AR at home. If you think it will be high volume shooting take the AR.
We took ARs .223 HBARs into a huge PD town in South Dakota. 2 of us with 2000 hand loaded soft point rounds each and ran out at the end of day 3.
 
Kingcreek said:
I would take 2, 3 max depending on what ammo supply looks like. If taking 3 I would include a .17hmr.
If surgical precision is your style, leave the AR at home. If you think it will be high volume shooting take the AR.
We took ARs .223 HBARs into a huge PD town in South Dakota. 2 of us with 2000 hand loaded soft point rounds each and ran out at the end of day 3.
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Speaking from experience, an AR-pattern rifle with an ACOG is terrible for p-dogs.

In that scenario, high magnification and high velocity are your friend!
 
For me it would depend on ammo. I’d want to take at least a couple thousand rounds. If I had that much in one or two appropriate guns that’s what I’d do. But if I needed to take 5 guns to get that much ammo nbd.
 
I'm leaving Friday for a 4 day prairie dog/coyote shoot and finally decided on 6 rifles. I know it sounds a little nuts, but what would you do? I have access to 2 large ranches in western Kansas, about 10-12 sq miles in total. One ranch is home to lots of prairie dogs and both have populations of coyotes. I've been invited to a 3rd ranch, but have never been there.
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Can I go? I'm in North Central Kansas and probably right on your way there.:D

I'll only take one 223 of my own so I can carry one of your other rifles for you....
 
All i would take would be a .223 bolt action rifle. I am not sure about the scope ... 3-12x42 or just a fixed 6x
... and only one type of ammo
 
We had 3x9 and 3.5x10x scopes on rifle length free floated barrels. No ACOGs.
We were shooting over a huge town that hadn't been shot before and the dogs weren't shy. Sometimes we would pop them at 25 yards with a .22 rimfire handgun. Many shots were 2-300 yards with very few at 400+.
 
Trey Veston said:
You guys do realize that prairie dogs are sold as pets in Japan for nearly $3000 right?

I visited my daughter there last year and was shocked to see the little buggers in cages in pet stores for crazy prices...

View attachment 918300

View attachment 918301
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Wow!!! At those prices I'm hoping to shoot about a half a million dollars worth next weekend! I wonder what a slightly used one is worth?
 
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