First time prairie Doggin (long post)

[Kevin1990]

If I had a nickel for every time I saw prairie dog, Pdog, PD, etc on this forum, I’d be a millionaire. Not once until about a month or two ago did I pay attention to any of the threads because I’m in western NY.

Well, next summer my wife and I are going to do a cross country trip to see a childhood friend of ours who moved to South Dakota. (They don’t hunt.) So it clicked, and I started reading and watching videos of prairie dog hunts, and holy moly! Now I see why people talk about it all the time. It looks like an absolute blast.

Questions: I read about “guided hunts.” They drop you off at a field with benches and a lunch, and you pretty much head back whenever you want. They say on these websites you can run through 200 rounds in a day?!?! Is that true?

Can anyone recommend a guided hunt in SD?

Some sites say to bring 2 or 3 firearms. Would a .223Rem, 20 practical and 6br be good choices?

What is your experience with PD hunts? Looking at going mid to late summer.

Other than binoculars and range finders, are there any other equipment you would bring?

Thanks fellas.

 

[DLT]

I have never been either but have did lots and lots of reading on it. I would pack a spotting scope for sure and definitely those 3 calibers would be at home in the pd fields. 200 rounds a day would be easy to go through if you was in a hot town so they say. Won’t take long for others to chime in about it

 

[CharlieNC]

I would also carry a 17HMR for ease of shooting and cheap ammo.

 

[D Coots]

A good set of binoculars. No spotting scope for me.

Compare to field of view on you scope....

 

[jepp2]

They say on these websites you can run through 200 rounds in a day?!?! Is that true?

It all depends on how much the pd town has been shot, and how far you are willing to shoot.

Most of the hunts I read about, folks shoot at much greater distances than I find necessary. But I realize I have an excellent location to shoot, I go in early May just after the pups come out, and I am normally the first person to shoot the ranch each year. So that works in my favor.

But when I started many years ago, I was exactly where you are now. What I found in my search for a guide, is that most will not take a single shooter. Just doesn't make sense for them to. I would be cautious about someone that just drops you off in a field and you are on your own. Rarely do I shoot a single location all day. Rainstorms come up, things happen. But if you are on a good town, 200 rounds can be shot up in a half day.

Three years ago I switched exclusively to rimfire (17 HMR and Mach2). I have less barrel heat to deal with now, and can shoot 60 rounds per hour fairly consistently. But prior to that I used 20P and 223 successfully.

Don't under estimate how brutal the sun can be. Mosquitoes can be an issue if the area has been receiving rain during the summer. Knocking on doors of landowners can get you access, but finding the owner takes time and catching them at home is challenging. Be prepared to shoot in the wind, and being able to see your bullet strike is really important. Do you plan to shoot from a bench, walk, etc.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

Thanks for asking these question, The repleys could be useful to a lot of people like me that are thinking of going someday

 

[Kevin1990]

@jepp2 Thanks for all the info. That was a concern of mine. I was thinking if I go late summer, then everyone else will have eradicated the fields that id be at. Id like to sit, but I figured id bring a backpack, with all my gear and bipods, so I can walk and shoot prone as well.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

I'll chime in here. Shooting PD's and ground squirrels has been my passion since returning to The World in 1968 and has led to some discoveries in that regard. I'm certainly no expert, just an enthusiastic participant, but here's some items I've learned to take along for a successful and enjoyable rat shoot. Not in order of importance, just what came to mind while pondering the question.....

First and foremost, a rotating bench will add pure joy to the event and eliminate picking up the bench with the inherent dangers of equipment falling off to the ground just to engage a rat at another angle. I've used mine since 1996 and made shots in excess of 800 yards from it on PD's. 'Nuff said on that subject. Take a bipod too, as you may want to wander about and shoot on the fly, but remember cactus spines, rattlers, and scorpions are a reality to consider, along with both knee and elbow pads if you go the prone/bipod route.

Brim hat for sun protection, long sleeves, plenty of drinking water, shade canopy for use when the wind is not a factor. Take more ammo than you think you'll need. Better to bring it home than run out in a hot rat patch. Take a decent camera, cell phone okay, but a real camera will give rewards not considered.

Laser rangefinder, good pair of bino's (forget the spotting scope). Good boots, no tennis shoes. Proper rifle cleaning gear (bore guide). A 4x4 truck is a good idea in case it rains. Those gumbo two-tracks can get pretty sloppy mighty quick, and you'll want to get back to town if it gets bad, and a 2WD vehicle is a recipe for disaster (or a long stay in the mud. Sleeping bag if you go 2WD).

I always take at least one rimfire pistol or revolver. You'd be amazed how fun having it handy is, as the little buggers can pop up 15 yards from your bench.....too close for a rifle, but perfect for some handgun fun. I usually take one of my Kimber 1911's with a 22LR conversion mounted for the close ones.



Those are just some factors in front of mind, but there's others that I'm sure will be added to the list by guys who've done it for years also.

Our group during a blistering June day shooting rats on a friends ranch:



Rodent mounds as far as the eye can see, or your rifle can shoot (recall that extra ammo....):



Can't overstate the joy of having a rotating bench, ANY bench is better than none:



Good luck, plan well in advance. Early or mid-summer is my pick for PD's; the young ones are out to add to the fun. I hope you enjoy your new adventure, we're looking forward to pics of the event next year.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

May I ask without Hijacking the thread, recommendations for range finders

 

[dusterdave173]

SD guide Willie Dvorak at Jim River Guides is the go to in that state--He will put you up in a nice hotel--feed you a great meal one night if you hunt for two--he will put you on PD's It ain't cheap but then what is? If you are alone he will stick you with other shooters--that can be a good thing You will get to shoot PD's--it is the least gamble you can do. If it rains they pack you in a truck and zip however far they need to so you can shoot--for a first timer it is not bad--after that you will find better options. Take a 223 that you have good dope on and rangefinder binoculars--The learning curve is steep at first but second day you will be better--
You will plan your next trip on the way home I promise

 

[JSH]

^^^^^^ not much one can add to the above advice from Rick.
200 is doable, do the math on an 8 hour day. No breaks and no reloading figured in.
I must have never hit a good town or my connection rate was better than some I read about. In the last 30 years I recall one time of a 300 round day at one town and never moved the bench.

 

[JSH]

May I ask without Hijacking the thread, recommendations for range finders

The only one I ever had first hand use of that gave good consistency on flat ground I hunt, was a Lecia, don’t know the model. If you stand in the back of a truck, that small amount of elevation helped a bunch with a couple of others.

 

[jepp2]

recommendations for range finders

I've been using the Vortex Fury for the past 5 years. Needed to simplify. Scan with binos to find the available dogs. Find them in the range finder. Find them in the rifle scope set on 24X.

Now I scan and range them. Decide which one will die next. I always take the best shot available. There are more expensive and better range finders. But with a monocular it can be challenging to range a small target on mostly flat land. I range over 1,000 times a day during my shoots.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

May I ask without Hijacking the thread, recommendations for range finders

Been using my Leica LRF1200 for over a decade, still works excellently, but in the years since, there's some mighty good ones out now, so do some research to fine that unicorn.

I forgot to mention also, that an accurate dope chart for each rifle can't be overstated to about guarantee hits at extended range. Mine are all worked up on Sierra Infinity 6.0 for each rifle and local atmospheric conditions at the shoot site.

My chart on my 20VT for an example:

 

[JSH]

I will add a little. Weight is your friend. It will enable you to see your impacts, hit or miss. Makes corrections faster also.
I seldom use a range finder any more. Maybe a bit in the morning when they are laying out getting warmed up.
Ricks chart made me think, I use to have my zero set running high@100. That has bit me in the azz and I quit doing it.
Side focus is handy as a pocket on a shirt.
Zero stop is also a good thing if one gets flustered in the heat of the battle.

 

[John Beauchamp]

If I had a nickel for every time I saw prairie dog, Pdog, PD, etc on this forum, I’d be a millionaire. Not once until about a month or two ago did I pay attention to any of the threads because I’m in western NY.

Well, next summer my wife and I are going to do a cross country trip to see a childhood friend of ours who moved to South Dakota. (They don’t hunt.) So it clicked, and I started reading and watching videos of prairie dog hunts, and holy moly! Now I see why people talk about it all the time. It looks like an absolute blast.

Questions: I read about “guided hunts.” They drop you off at a field with benches and a lunch, and you pretty much head back whenever you want. They say on these websites you can run through 200 rounds in a day?!?! Is that true?

Can anyone recommend a guided hunt in SD?

Some sites say to bring 2 or 3 firearms. Would a .223Rem, 20 practical and 6br be good choices?

What is your experience with PD hunts? Looking at going mid to late summer.

Other than binoculars and range finders, are there any other equipment you would bring?

Thanks fellas.

Different strokes for different folks. I went ten years running South Dakota, Colorado, Montana, with a group of 10-12, camped on the ranch, all prearranged no guide. Things I learned. No bino's no range finder. I set my scope on 10 or 12 power and left it there all week. I sighted in 1' high at 100 yards . Almost all my shots were 400 and under. When you set up find some landmarks that are easy to see and that don't move, shoot a dog near them just guessing distance. or use range finder if you have one. I had three distances far, medium. and close. for far I held top of dog, medium middle and close bottom of dog. Works for 90% of shooting. I never made any scope adjustments during the week. Unless you are very experienced at calling distances you will think everything is much farther away than it is. About bino's and spotting scopes, those dogs don't have name tags and don't wear different colored shirts, so if you have a bunch of dogs out there and you find one then have to set your bino's down and try to find that same dog in the scope I will have killed two or three while you're looking for that particular dog. I killed a dog at 960 yards after 6 shots but that wasn't as much fun as killing 200 at lesser range at about 80% kill rate . My advise just shove the gun out there towards one of the known landmarks hold low medium or high and pull the trigger.

 

[rmeyerwy]

Depending on the area of SD you are traveling to, you may be able to do a DIY with a little leg work on your end. If money is not an issue, and there is a guide in the area you are in, that might be good for the 1st time. If you are backpacking and such, a ground cover would be highly recommended, I am too old and too fat so wont go there, I recently got the bushnell fusion range finding binos, I like them and find the bino/rangefinder in one very handy. Binos really help, highly recommend a pair. In my opinion, your choices of rifles are good, unless you get on a town that has not been shot before, they figure you out pretty quick, so you will get some rangy shots, but thats part of the fun right?!! If you can drive to a spot, as said before, a bench is REALLY nice, I like the MTM Hi-low shooting table around $120. Yea it really doesnt take much to shoot 150 + rounds, especially if you take some distance shots, 300 and under should be money ( watch the wind ) but you start getting past that and factors start adding up ( I know there are guys who can "hit" all day long at 600+ yards, but I aint met one whose average is on the downside of 50% ) but again, it adds to the fun. Watch out for rattlers, misquitoes, cactus, do not use FMJ bullets, take your time and enjoy.

 

[5spd]

Rick above has it pegged pretty good.
I shoot thousands in WY, can't add to what he stated, cept Im just a 1 gun shooter.

 

[17cal Fan]

May I ask without Hijacking the thread, recommendations for range finders

Hitting a prairie dog with a range finder is not all that easy. I'd obtain more ammo instead. If you throw dirt on em, aim higher or drive closer.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Mid to late summer in SD will be WARM, think 100+ possible. I bring a 22 mag for targets less than 100 yards, but have shot them with 22lr(pistol and rifle), 17 rimfires are good. Otherwise a varmint weight 223 and a barrel wrap cooler and 500-600 rds for 2 days should help you decide whether you will go again. Put the wind at 6 or 12, will help you get a feel for distance/drops. I zero all centerfires for 200 yards.