Looking for first prairie dog adventure

[Mark M.]

Hey guys, I live in Michigan and about 5 or 6 of us are interested it going our first time prairie dog hunt, I know a lot of you out there are very familiar and have done this few times, most likely need a guide, what and where would you recommend, thanks.

 

[Randall Hardy]

Depending on your budget, Buffalo Butte in Gregory SD did a good job. They are expensive but you are treated VERY well. Beverages are included. Food is amazing.
We also hunted with a guy named Chris out of white river, we stayed in Murdo, I’m sorry I can’t remember his last name at the moment. If your interested I can check with one of my buddies for his contact info. Chris put us on some great shooting but no frills.

 

[L.Sherm]

P.M sent

 

[tstowater]

Some of the best dog shooting is the reservations. That said, they all have different rules as to licenses, guide requirements, etc. Some are very good, some not and some....well, you wasted time and money on the venture. Historically, the dog shooting in West river South Dakota has been very good. Depending on die-offs, poisoning, weather, quality/quantity of shooting varies dramatically from year to year. Areas to consider are Murdo, Wall, Fort Pierre, Buffalo, Faith. Some of these are going to be private, Grasslands and/or reservation ground.

Most guys are not going to give you a honey hole as that would be counter productive and with the size of group you have, you will need access to a pretty big area to give people a decent level of shooting. Like any other guided hunting, talk to some outfitters/guides and get some references (ask for positive and not so positive) and check them out. Make sure everyone is on the same page as far as expectations of shooting opportunities, housing, food, beverages, benches, etc.

One thing to consider is access in event of rain. Some dog towns are frankly inaccessible after rain, or, tearing up a road/pasture may well terminate future opportunities with that rancher. Some dog towns are quite accessible and not weather dependent and others are weather friendly only. One of the best days of shooting we had was due to getting rained out where we wanted to go and spotted a town that we got permission while driving around. Won't happen all the time.

Don't be afraid of driving a little further. I would generally expect that hunting pressure will fall the further west you get and the further from the interstate. Just some thoughts to consider.

 

[powderbrake]

Hey guys, I live in Michigan and about 5 or 6 of us are interested it going our first time prairie dog hunt, I know a lot of you out there are very familiar and have done this few times, most likely need a guide, what and where would you recommend, thanks.

I believe that 4 shooters is the MAXIMUM you would take on a pd hunt. It is like herding cats when you get 5 or 6 guys who can't even decide on what to eat for lunch, much less where the dogs are.

We have 4 on our hunts, with two cars. It seems that per person, a shooting table, a couple guns, ammo, cleaning stuff, cooler, trash bags, folding chairs,appropriate clothing, food, snacks, etc. will fill a SUV with two guys. As such, it takes a pretty good sized town to support 4 shooters, and that also means taking long breaks to have a beer or lunch, until the dogs come back up after they have been shot a while. That also means a lot of longer shots (300 to 600 yards). We typically hunt reservations in South Dakota, and we have done so for a long time, and we are pretty relaxed, ie, we don't count dogs killed, (for our group a killed dog is one which you can see the carcass, everything else is deemed a miss) and we are willing to wait for the dogs to come back up, we like the long shots, and we no longer take any pictures of dead dogs.

The other approach is shooting off the hood, one guy shoots, one guy spots. It is generally for shorter range shots, for smaller dog towns, and it means moving around a lot to find the dog towns. You can also shoot from the ground very effectively if you sneak up on a dog town, and smack a bunch of them before they figure out what's going on. The AR's on a bipod are great for this. Be careful of where you are, reservations in SD generally do not let you shoot from the vehicle or standing on the vehicle.

tstowater gave a good description of the reservation shooting. Just be aware that different states and different Indian reservations have their own rules and license requirements. Sometimes it is difficult to know if you are on Tribal land or state (private or public) land. Generally the reservations require you to hire a Tribal guide. This is a good idea, he takes you to the dogs, which generally are hard to find. If you need a state and Tribal license.... buy them.... it's cheap protection from the game warden, and we have been checked many times.

A good source of information for public/private (non reservation) hunting is the local game warden. On the state you are hunting, look up their Dept. of Conservation, and find the game warden's phone numbers, call them for help or the names of ranchers who will permit pd hunting.

I recommend that two of you do the research and make the trip the first time. Check out the hunting, the guides, hotels and restaurants. This will allow the larger number to better enjoy the hunt when you go as a group.

Another thing to consider is the equipment. What caliber of gun to take, how many rounds, binoculars, rangefinders, wind meters, etc. When you get on the prairie, it is very difficult to estimate the range to a dog mound, and the mound beyond that first one looks like it is just behind it, but could be another 50 to 100 yards.

I highly recommend good binoculars, since you will spend many hours with them glued to your face.
I recommend a rangefinder for the reasons stated above.
A windmeter is very handy, and I recommend a Ballistics Program on your smart phone.

Calibers..... well everyone has their favorite, and all will drop a prairie dog. Lots of guys like the 17 and 20 and 22 high velocity rounds, and they work very well. I have moved to a 6BR, and with the ballistics program, I don't feel that I need a "flat shooting rifle". Here is where your rifle complements the type of shooting you enjoy, like I said I am patient, and take fewer shots, others use AR15's and "adjust" with their reticle when they see the impact.

 

[jepp2]

what and where would you recommend

Using a guide would be highly recommended. You can do most of the searching and calling from your home. You will be too late for this year for the better outfits, most fill up pretty early. Just to get you started:
https://www.guidefitter.com/hunting/prairie+dog

I don't know your budget, but I consider $900 for a 3 day hunt with lodging, meals, and guide to be fairly common. That is per hunter. And remember to tip your guide.

Finding good spots on your own can be time consuming and take a lot of patience. If you are serious about going this way, PM me and I can share my view and approach.

 

[Mark M.]

Thank you

 

[nmkid]

How far west are you looking at?

 

[Tommie]

Ok. Look. Here’s the deal...
NOBODY is going to divulge their real honey hole. Takes too much time, effort and networking to find a spot on private land. My “secret” spot was discovered while on an invitation-only pheasant hunt in Nebraska. A bunch of guys had been shooting pheasants on a farmer’s property for a bazillion years and it was (is) a very tight group of buddies. By total luck I was invited on one of these hunts by a friend of a friend. While walking the fields I noticed tons of dirt mounds. “Hmmm. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at prairie dogs”. After the pheasant hunt was done I approached the farmer and asked if shooting poodles would be OK. Since I was now part of the cool kids club, he knew I was a safe and responsible sportsman and he enthusiastically agreed to allow me to knock off the vermin on his land. We became friends over the years.

Shooting on public or leased land can certainly be fun and productive but nothing beats having exclusive rights to virgin territory. Time spent building relationships is the only manner to have access to private land.

 

[sw282]

l'm 0ld and have been doing this for a WHILE.... Stay away from the ''REZ''..

Too many rules. Too much headache and time wasted.. We shot the RoseDud

in SD for years... Each time there were more rules, more regs. The ''guides''

will drink and eat you out of house and home.. Then want to get paid PLUS A

tip for doing nothing... Hire a guide. Pay your dues.. Have fun. You deserve it.

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