The rich are getting richer. I don't know a poor person who owns 10K acres...
68W40
68W40
Cash Crop Prairie Dogs
- Thread starter EvanB
- Start date
ken158
Silver $$ Contributor
Got hooked on shooting PD’s when doing a few Wyoming deer and antelope hunts, After you had tagged out, the guides would take you to the PD towns to burn the rest of your ammo where many “bets” were made among the hunters. I made enough money once to pay for my mule deer shoulder mount! Anyway, the PD shooting was intriguing so a buddy and I booked with a “guide” who was the teenage son of an outfitter earning summer money. After the first year, I started talking with a local on one of these forums who invited us to come hunt with him. We had a blast that year and have gone every year since except for the 2020 pandemic fiasco. We have met enough ranchers and had enough invites to come back that we can hunt a different ranch about every day. Our trips have been fine tuned from driving across country to now flying to Denver, rent a SUV and stay in a motel. This year, I found a deal on an Air BNB which will cost us about half of our usual motel charges and we can now cook our own meals to defray costs. Overall, it is somewhat pricey but it is also my vacation!
First time l shot Wyoming l did the Denver fly-in trick. Rent a car, head north. Ammo max flying is 11 pounds
or app 250rds of 223Rem. Walmarts/gun shops that sell Winchester white box 200rd value packs are your friend. Even on those fly in/fly out 2day quickie shoots l always worried about running out of ammo!!. Gotta love those 4day work weeks and Blue Monday call ins
Time. Most people are either too lazy to put in the research or don't have the time to drive around looking for good dog towns. I have tried both and if you hit the public lands going into Ft. Pierre, the dogs are shy. The rate of shooting was much slower than the guided hunt we paid for.
What I see is narrow minds look at it one way, their way only. They do not consider all the other variables. Those that don't have the time , those that live in a completely different part of the U.S.A., those that have the money and don't care about spending it, those that want it easy, etc, etc, etc.....
I have 160 acres in Wyoming and since I've owned it for 20 years I've shot dogs out there. We have 11,000 acres in all, us land owners. Only 1/2 a dozen or so residents on this property. My property borders 33,000 acres of BLM. I've got dogs and I shoot them when I'm out there. Paying to shoot them next month in a different state, staying in a cabin on the property, do not mind the $$. It's a reasonable price for what we're getting. All the comfy comforts of home.
I have 160 acres in Wyoming and since I've owned it for 20 years I've shot dogs out there. We have 11,000 acres in all, us land owners. Only 1/2 a dozen or so residents on this property. My property borders 33,000 acres of BLM. I've got dogs and I shoot them when I'm out there. Paying to shoot them next month in a different state, staying in a cabin on the property, do not mind the $$. It's a reasonable price for what we're getting. All the comfy comforts of home.
Dgd6mm,
I'm with you and agree with what you say. For me, I have a corporate job in the Southeast. It's 1,250 miles to get to the dog fields in SD. That's 1.5 days of dedicated driving. There and back, I can commit 3 days to travel. Yes, I can fly but that costs more and I like all of my gear with me. Usually guides provide a 3-day hunt as the norm. That's 3 days of driving and 3 days of hunting with a day left to try/see other things. I think p-dog shooting is one of my favorite shooting sports. I love the scenery out there, the people and the general wide open areas. Not to mention that you become a better marksman and realy learn the winds. On our second trip out, we were shooting in 52 mph winds and had to tuck in behind a cattle break in the field just to keep our ammo boxes on the benches from blowing away. That taught us the wind better than anything in the Southeast.
If I lived out there and had easy access, I'd probably be singing a different tune. For me, there is no supply here and I'm wanting to shoot 'em. I'll pay a reasonable fee. However, when it gets to where I think it's not worth it, I will and have bowed out.
I'm with you and agree with what you say. For me, I have a corporate job in the Southeast. It's 1,250 miles to get to the dog fields in SD. That's 1.5 days of dedicated driving. There and back, I can commit 3 days to travel. Yes, I can fly but that costs more and I like all of my gear with me. Usually guides provide a 3-day hunt as the norm. That's 3 days of driving and 3 days of hunting with a day left to try/see other things. I think p-dog shooting is one of my favorite shooting sports. I love the scenery out there, the people and the general wide open areas. Not to mention that you become a better marksman and realy learn the winds. On our second trip out, we were shooting in 52 mph winds and had to tuck in behind a cattle break in the field just to keep our ammo boxes on the benches from blowing away. That taught us the wind better than anything in the Southeast.
If I lived out there and had easy access, I'd probably be singing a different tune. For me, there is no supply here and I'm wanting to shoot 'em. I'll pay a reasonable fee. However, when it gets to where I think it's not worth it, I will and have bowed out.
powderbrake
Gold $$ Contributor
Yep, prairie dog shooting ain't cheap. Between my guns, custom actions and stocks, loads, scopes, front rest, rear bag, table, ballistics calculator, wind meter, ranging binoculars, and all the latest gargets which I MUST have, I spent about $16,000, and I'm still sitting in St. Louis. So that's the investment portion.
Then there is the enjoyment of selecting the proper cases, bullets, primers, and powder, building and testing the loads, researching the steps for greater accuracy, and a few more trips to the range. ( did I mention the cost of the Chronograph, the Magnetospeed and finally the Labradar, along with the tripod to mount it?) throw in another $1200 "investment's" there.
The trip to the pd's, 5 days of shooting, hotel, guides and food and booze will be around $1300-$1500, and includes spending a week swapping stories and lies on my great shots with my buddies, doing the kind of shooting I love, beautiful scenery, and just plain FUN. It beats the heck out of a trip to DisneyLand., and I haven't missed it for over 25 years (except for last year with the Covid).
Do you know what a hobby is? It's a hole in the ground in your back yard that you cheerfully pour your money into. My hole is labeled "Prairie Dogs".
Then there is the enjoyment of selecting the proper cases, bullets, primers, and powder, building and testing the loads, researching the steps for greater accuracy, and a few more trips to the range. ( did I mention the cost of the Chronograph, the Magnetospeed and finally the Labradar, along with the tripod to mount it?) throw in another $1200 "investment's" there.
The trip to the pd's, 5 days of shooting, hotel, guides and food and booze will be around $1300-$1500, and includes spending a week swapping stories and lies on my great shots with my buddies, doing the kind of shooting I love, beautiful scenery, and just plain FUN. It beats the heck out of a trip to DisneyLand., and I haven't missed it for over 25 years (except for last year with the Covid).
Do you know what a hobby is? It's a hole in the ground in your back yard that you cheerfully pour your money into. My hole is labeled "Prairie Dogs".
l could say the same thing about people that go to MYRTLE BEACH. My Daddy's parents lived ON the beach.
They lived there because they were poor and it was the only place GranDaddy could afford. Back then beach property was worthless because it wouldn't grow anything except Crepe Myrtles and Sea Grass. Growing up in Charleston the BEACH was never more than 30 minutes away. Me, l hate the beach. Always hot and sticky. Only comfortable place is in the AC.
Now Prairie Dogs are DIFFERENT
They lived there because they were poor and it was the only place GranDaddy could afford. Back then beach property was worthless because it wouldn't grow anything except Crepe Myrtles and Sea Grass. Growing up in Charleston the BEACH was never more than 30 minutes away. Me, l hate the beach. Always hot and sticky. Only comfortable place is in the AC.
Now Prairie Dogs are DIFFERENT
redrockranger
Silver $$ Contributor
It might be that the rancher who only owns 10,000 acres is a poor person ?
STS
Silver $$ Contributor
I've been shooting those stinking things since 1976 and have never paid anyone to get rid of their pests. I shoot aprox 2000 a year plus another 1200 to 1500 gophers (Colombia Ground Squirrels) per year. They are all over the place around here, even in my back yard. We have to travel about 100 miles to get to some really good dog towns but I have tons of gophers right here at home. They are about 2/3 the size of a p-dog. It's what I fill up my time between fly fishing days with. 
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JSH
Gold $$ Contributor
Pretty much been in or around agriculture all my life. I have yet to meet one that claims to be even breaking even.
The family farm is getting less and less every day. Corporate America owns a large amount any more. it Is all but impossible for a young person to start from scratch farming or ranching.
I am fortunate to have met and made friends with many if not all of the places I have to hunt anymore.
Bird hunting quite a few years back was my major past time. Numerous times good intentions of bird hunting turned into working calves in the fall, moving equipment, or hauling grain.
One old bird dog I had expected to ride in the truck a while before chasing birds, lol.
2018 we shot near TexLine Tx/NM. Ranch we were on was 110 sections. We asked about his neighbor. Rancher commented his neighbor was poor with only 26 sections. Section is a mile square or 600 acres
Kurz
Silver $$ Contributor
You might be short sheeting the 'poor' rancher:
In U.S. land surveying under the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), a section is an area nominally one square mile (2.6 square kilometers), containing 640 acres (260 hectares), with 36 sections making up one survey township on a rectangular grid.
james
Gold $$ Contributor
I remember the good old days in the late 1990's when I along with my dear departed brother-in-law and a friend went to Rosebud for 3 years in a row. We stayed in Winner at the Big Pheasant hotel and every morning ate at a small resturant with a great breakfast. We paid $35 for a weeks worth of shooting and only instructions were to don't shoot the livestock and be sure of what's behind your targets. Oh my gosh we had a wonderful time - terrific memories!!
OK Medic, l am about 5 miles from the Augusta National Golf Course. Being literally forced to make the area my home almost 50yrs ago by Uncle Sam's Army l have visited the course a couple times during the MASTERS watching guys whacking a little white pimpled ball with a stick. Also listening to the crowd ooooh
and aaaaah over those whacks. No comparison to MY WHACK on a Prairie Dog with a 40gr VMAX@3800fps!
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