Essentials for the prairie dog hunter.

[jamesdmock]

I last shot prairie dogs in 1998, but I have some great memories. Along with myself, I traveled with John Boughton, Wayne Tabor, and Bucky Murdock. John and Bucky have passed. Where should one go to enjoy this sport? I would recommend Wyoming. The ranchers in Wyoming are generally friendly to responsible shooters, and there is no requirement for license. Although the equipment varies from shooter to shooter, I mostly used a custom Remington 700 chambered in .223 and another in .220 Swift. With either, please use fragile bullets to cut down ricochets. My favorite scope was a 6.5X 20 Leupold VXIII. I have hunted SD, NE, CO, but WY is my preference with SD a second Good shooting...James.

 

[nakneker]

Prairie dog hunting is always enhanced with good company, accurate rifles with good optics, a serious pile of ammo and a good bench, preferably mounted to a trailer.

We don’t have the numbers WY or SD have, pretty anemic numbers actually but we still have fun.

 

[jpx2rk]

Prairie dog hunting is always enhanced with good company, accurate rifles with good optics, a serious pile of ammo and a good bench, preferably mounted to a trailer.

We don’t have the numbers WY or SD have, pretty anemic numbers actually but we still have fun.

Isn't fun the primary objective ?? LOL

 

[centershot]

Go to a state that is not sympathetic to their existence. In Arizona, they have a season for them because they, bleeding hearts, do not want to interfere with the mating season. I shot with a group of guys yesterday and they stated that Arizona is going to inoculate the dogs against the black plague. Really?? Do you anesthetize them first?

 

[powderbrake]

Essentials for the Prairie Dog hunter:

An accurate rifle
A clear scope
A solid bench or rest.
An ability to read and adjust to the wind.
Plenty of water to keep hydrated.

Aids to hit more dogs:

Rangefinding Binoculars
Kestrel 5700 Elite running AB Ballistics.

Essentials to having a good time:

Comfortable folding chair
Cooler of beer and water
Bug spray
Sun protection lotion and gear.

For maximum fun:

Good buddies with you
No counting of hits (lies are allowed)
Lots of Prairie Dogs (not absolutely necessary)

Remember, we do it to challenge ourselves, and because it is FUN.

 

[ALK]

Don't know why people call it prairie dog hunting. Back when we had prairie dogs, we called it "shooting prairie dogs". The Plague took care of my shooting fun.

 

[ACard]

Don't know why people call it prairie dog hunting. Back when we had prairie dogs, we called it "shooting prairie dogs". The Plague took care of my shooting fun.

Nice pretentious and pedantic post... shooting/hunting why do you even care what people call it. Just let them have fun discussing a hobby and sport they enjoy...

 

[Tommie]

The ranchers in Wyoming are generally friendly to responsible shooters

Those days are long gone. Now ranchers who allow shooting have their land leased out to outfitters. The days of hanging out at the coffee shop or knocking on doors to find shootable poodles is pretty much a thing of the past.

 

[5spd]

You can still knock on doors and get a go get em answer.
Not all ranches are leased out, some I shoot on only have deer leases but say go get every pdog, coyote you can.

Rangefinder, binos, water, hat, accurate gun scope combo, lots of ammo, solid table, boots, watch for snakes.

 

[jamesdmock]

Another important item is a good camera. Part of the enjoyment is seeing flora and fauna that is missing in your part of the world. I have seen ferrets, golden eagles, bald eagles, pronghorns, mule deer, elk, badgers, and rock chucks. Many of the wild flowers are unknown to me, but the Indian paintbrush was very beautiful.

 

[J.d. Popkes]

Those days are long gone. Now ranchers who allow shooting have their land leased out to outfitters. The days of hanging out at the coffee shop or knocking on doors to find shootable poodles is pretty much a thing of the past.

I’d second this. Tourists and outfitters have removed this experience. It’s commercialized now. And public land is, well, public. Good for target shooters but the public is working on ruining this too, doing public stuff. And the government has no problem shutting it down, they’re just looking for a reason. Unfortunately.

 

[justme]

Study up a bit on the history of the area you are going to shoot. One of my now grown sons was a history major. Usually plenty of interesting stuff to enjoy in prairie dog country if you care about such things.

 

[urbanrifleman]

Hot chicks.

 

[JSH]

You can still knock on doors and get a go get em answer.
Not all ranches are leased out, some I shoot on only have deer leases but say go get every pdog, coyote you can.

Rangefinder, binos, water, hat, accurate gun scope combo, lots of ammo, solid table, boots, watch for snakes.

If your a local, I can see it. If your a “come here” times have changed. It has taken me a number of years to gain trust of several rancher/farmers. Trust is earned and not bought or given freely, as it once was.
I knowingly, respectfully still asked about hunting at several places, that I knew I would get turned down. But I still made it a point to visit and offer to help move equipment or drop them off some where if need be. That has gained me a huge amount of friends and friendships over the years.

One friend sent me an invite to his wedding some years back. I showed up to the wedding and congratulated him and his bride, whom I had met before. While I was shaking his hand, I said with a grin “ can I hunt this year” before he said anything she gave me a hug and said any time, lol. We still laugh about it to this day, and I always call ahead of time.

 

[sw282]

''A PLACE TO SHOOT'' is the most essential item

 

[Tommie]

You can still knock on doors and get a go get em answer.
Not all ranches are leased out, some I shoot on only have deer leases but say go get every pdog, coyote you can.

Rangefinder, binos, water, hat, accurate gun scope combo, lots of ammo, solid table, boots, watch for snakes.

I agree and disagree.
For local folks it’s still possible to charm yourself into a rancher’s good graces. As far as out of staters doing the same thing, well I guess anything’s possible. My point is when someone on the other side of the country wants to play the poodle game, asks for advice and then gets answers like “ah heck just hang out at the local diner” etc, it’s almost a 100% fool’s errand.

 

[markT]

Folding chair with back, quick set up bench (table) with folding legs, fast adjustable front rest and a few firearms.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

Mark, love the Bed Rug!
I've got it installed in my truck with canopy too. It makes it easy on the knees when in the back, great insulation and looks good to boot.

The tailgate makes for a good field cleaning table also, and if solvent gets spilled, it's no big deal, no discolored paint.



Not a critical item for squirrel or PD shooting, but it adds to the overall enjoyment of the event.

 

[ebb]

I would think that one of the most important pieces to the puzzle is the prairie dog. The place to hunt them is a piece of ground that has a BUNCH of them.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

I would think that one of the most important pieces to the puzzle is the prairie dog. The place to hunt them is a piece of ground that has a BUNCH of them.

You mean like this?