Need help planning a prairie dog hunt...How-To?

[Shootist1]

A group of us Louisiana boys have a real hankering to head out to west Texas or New Mexico, or wherever and make a prairie dog hunt. We know next to nothing. A couple of friends used to go yearly in the Texas panhandle, but no longer. Back then, they were welcomed by the ranchers, but I understand practically the only way to get this done now is go through an outfitter--which can get expensive, quick. IS there still anywhere someone can drive (or fly) and make an affordable hunt? Or is that a thing of days gone by, and your only chance now is on leased land. We'd love to make the kind of hunt you read about in the rifle magazines, but have no idea where to go, or who to call? Can the Chambers of Commerce in some of these little towns help us? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[redneck2]

This is off a thread that ran a few years ago. There is a mix of the initial list and some comments that others added. I'm taking a .22 mag, AR, 22-250, 25-06, and 7mag (long range). In some places you can pretty much sit for long periods, some you have to move (hence the bi-pod).

If you go to the Varmint's Den website (run by Varmint Hunter's Assn) you'll get input from guys that shoot a LOT of PD's.

HTH

Prairie dog hunt stuff

I finally talked some friends and coworkers into a PD trip. Going in late July, and have the rooms and guide booked already.

I've done some PD shooting before, but very informal, when I used to live in SW ND and didn't need anything but a rifle and ammo.

Now that we have a major investment, I want to insure that I don't drive 8 hours and forget something important. Could you folks look over the list and add (or subtract) anything I'm missing?

Rifles (DPMS 24" AR, CZ 527 in .223, Savage 17hmr, Ruger 17Mach2, custom Savage .243)
2x as much ammo as I think I'm going to need for each of the rifles
shooting bench/rest/bags
gun cleaning supplies
minor gunsmithing tools
canopy/sunshade
cooler with water and gatorade
good boots
revolver with snake loads
sunscreen/aloe
baby wipes
GPS
Spotting scope and tripod
laser rangefinder.
would leave the spotting scope at home, a good pair of binocs is much easier to use and all you need out to several hundred yards.

bi-pod (gotta have if your walking & snipin')
camera (duh)
lounge chair in a bag (a must)
rain gear (you never know)
I was going to 2nd both the bino's and the bipod. I'm a dedicated bench user in the PD patch, and always seem to want to do a walkabout with a fanny pack and bipod to see what's over the next rise.

The importance of bino's can't be overstressed. I just returned from a 4-day ground squirrel shoot, and one of the newbies that went with us had virtually all the right gear, EXCEPT a good bino. His reasoning was that with a high powered scope, what good would they be?

After about an hour of peering through his scope turned down to 6.5X, he sheepishly asked to borrow mine, and in less than 5 minutes, he said "well, guess what's the first thing I'm buying when we get back to town?"

Oh, and one more thing.....make sure your sunshade has the long spikes to firmly anchor it into the ground....the fellow above had his blow away like Toto in a 15mph zepher. When so far from home, it really pays to be as prepared as possible. Have a great shoot, and don't forget the camera!

Dittoes to the above: the spotting scope should be #1 on the "cull" list. Good binos are much more useful out to the ranges your rifles are good for.

Add a small first-aid kit (be sure it has tweezers for those cactus thorns!)

I like those new-fangled neck wraps you soak in water, but a big bandanna may be even more useful because you can also use it as a neck cover when tucked in under your hat. Speaking of which, you ARE bringing an honest wide-brimmed hat and not some ear-burning baseball cap, right?

Good lens cleaning kit. Blowing dust gets on every lens you own, and the dirty tail of your shirt isn't gonna do those high-end optics any good.

Want a special, to-die-for treat out there on the prairie? Ice-cold kosher dill pickles. Honest. Nothing tastes better, and they replace lost salt to boot. Get the biggest jar you can wedge into your ice chest. You'll need another one for day two!

Pick up a bartender's pour spout or three. Stuck into a water bottle, they are the fastest, easiest and best way to take the sizzle out of a gun barrel. Pour a few ounces right into the chamber, letting the water flow out the muzzle. You can dry patch it or just set the gun in the shade for a minute. It'll be bone dry by then.

Get one or more of thsoe magnetic gun rests that stick to your fender. Better than having your rifles slide down to plump in the dirt.

I just came back from a prairie dog shooting trip in Nebraska. This was my second time prairie dogging making the 1500 mile trip from Maryland. One item that I from very useful was a nylon baseball style hat with a built in scaff to cover your neck. It is very light, has built in bug repellant and buttons underneath the chin to keep it from blowing off. I also bought the nylon style pants by Officio with the built in bug repellant. They are very light and wick sweat away. Chap stick is also very helpful as the winds will dry your lips out very quickly. Also have a cooler handy with lots of bottle water and Gatorade type drinks and some snacks to keep your energy up.

The guys that recommended the bug repellant are right on the money. I live in central SD and we have had a fair amount of rain this year and the 'skeeters' are downright vicious. I was out mowing hay today and I had on two different kinds of repellant and a hooded jacket--they got me every place that wasn't covered(and a few that were)! Rocky Raab's recommendation for a wide brim hat is also right on. The sun can be brutal out here and a hat will be worth twice it's weight in gold fpr protecting your neck and ears. You'll be surprised at how much cooler you'll be wearing a hat as opposed to a baseball cap. Good luck and have fun and be sure and post us some pics when you get back.

P.S. Don't forget to pack some fairly warm clothes too,even in late July,sometimes it can get pretty chilly here.

 

[Horsemany]

Shootist. If you're going expressly for Pdogs look further north. Central Nebraska and Central South Dakota. Thick enough there to just drive and stop and ask ranchers when you see towns. I've never been turned down yet. Highest concentrations are in SD though. Bring bug dope. The chiggers are a pain. It doesn't matter if you wear pants either they'll find a way to your feet. They don't start to itch for about 4 hours after you were bit. By then I usually have dozens of bites. They itch like mosquito bites that last for about 1 to 2 weeks. We've considered going a different time of year to get away from the damn chiggers.

This is a good time to be pdogging because the economy's in the toilet and there aren't as many shooters. I pay to go shoot in SD on a big ranch. Last year we went in July and were only the 2nd group. In years prior there would have been dozens of shooters in before July. This makes it so you can shoot on a town all day because they're not scared yet.

 

[Olympus]

Tagging this for future reference. I'm interested too. What I hear is that South Dakato is the best place and usually the best time is around May when the younger pups are venturing out and aren't wise to the ways of the shooters. Easier and more plentiful targets.

 

[Shootist1]

Thanks guys. Great info so far. We're willing to travel--just hate to start with a blank slate. I've heard about the shooting in Nebraska and SD--guess we need to hook up with someone in the area, or use an outfitter the first time. WE LOVE Louisiana--but it's so far off the beaten path for anything. Great hunting down here for deer, ducks, small game, etc--but anything more exotic (or fun) is a thousand miles away. Any more info from anyone will be greatly appreciated.

 

[dakotasin]

prairie dog opportunities abound... lots of folks don't mind paying to shoot 'em, but i won't; 'course, living here gives me that luxury that an out of state shooter doesn't have.

do be sure to bring sunscreen, bug spray, some sort of shade (or a place to escape into the shade), and a big cooler. for guns, i strongly reccomend your primary big-game whacker, and a varminter (a fat-barrelled 22-250 or the like).

150 - 300 rounds per day, and shooting them in may sucks if you are travelling any distance - the weather is entirely too unpredictable. mid-june on out is a good time.

pick a state, and start your research. great opportunities in wy, co, mt, and sd (those are the states i'm familiar w/ shooting them in). can't imagine other states would be much worse...

 

[redneck2]

Thanks guys. Great info so far. We're willing to travel--just hate to start with a blank slate

Like I said, go over to Varmint's Den. You'll get some leads there, though most guys obviously aren't going to give you their best shooting spots.

I've got a friend whose family has 18,000 acres on the Kansas/Oklahoma border that has lots to shoot. That's where we're going.

I know a guy that used to go to Winner, SD every summer. First time, they just went to a local restaurant for breakfast on the first day and started talking to some ranchers. Got limited permission for one place. Land owners wanted to check them out.

After a few days, they had way more places to go than time.

 

[Horsemany]

I know a guy that used to go to Winner, SD every summer. First time, they just went to a local restaurant for breakfast on the first day and started talking to some ranchers. Got limited permission for one place. Land owners wanted to check them out.

Yep that's how it works. It's actually more efficient to do it this way rather than spend weeks on the phone trying to line something up. Most folks will let you shoot the same day you ask permission. If they're a local hot spot people usually pay a little. I have a place (Near Winnner SD) that we all pay $35/day. It's money well spent. It's got big towns close to a square mile each. You can shoot all day on them. Once the shooting starts you're usually shooting 300yds. minimum on out as far as you want. We've found once you get out toward 600yds it's a crap shoot. A tiny shift in wind at that distance and you're bullet is off by feet.

One tip for you Shootist. You will hear folks talk about shooting dogs somewhere and it sounds great. But make sure the town is big enough. I've shot on small towns here in Nebraska that were fun for a few hours then peter out to nothin. They were maybe the size of a couple of football fields. That's fun for a local because they can do it for a morning or afternoon and have all the shooting they need. But when you travel specifically for dogs you want a big enough town that you don't run out of shooting. Especially if the weather is not nice they won't all come out. So just because someone says they know of a place that has dogs doesn't mean it's necessarily good enough if you're traveling cross country to shoot. The greatest concentrations are in Central South Dakota. Wyoming and Montana are great as well. I know some deals can be had in SD right now. It's a state that makes a bunch of money on tourism from out of state hunters. Numbers of hunters were way down last year because the economy's in the toilet.

 

[MachIVshooter]

One more thing to add to the gear list: Foam sleeping bag mat. Prone is usually the best position to shoot them if you don't have a bench, but it becomes uncomfortable in a hurry if you've got weeds and the like poking you in the belly and elbows. These $5 mats make all the difference.

 

[cland]

Plenty of good advice in the above posts....

I used to hunt the little buggers at my son in law's farm in the Texas Panhandle. I tried a scoped Ruger 10/22 but the shots were a little too far out. I also tried a Ruger Mod. 77 in .243 which was great. You can't get very close to the rascals, maybe 200 yds. in my case on foot. They hole up is you get too close.

I light shooting bench or a pad for prone shooting if not too weedy would be nice. What was weird was a Ford pickup didn't seem to spook them and you coulddrive around the field and get 50 yd. shots out the window with the .22.
But I didn't think that very sporting and I wasn't trying to wipe them out, so
there it 'tis.........

 

[Shootist1]

Whew. I knew I would learn a lot when I posted this question. I'm sending the link to the other guy helping me set this up--so he can appreciate the fraternity of rifle shooters. I appreciate it all--tips, advice, etc. This forum is a boon to anyone with a reasonable question on guns.