First Prairie Dog Hunt (NOT THE LAST)

[Dry Heat?]

I use a 223 Remington VTR, Windham Varmint Exterminator and Windham AR 24" that we converted to 22 Nosler on Praire Dogs. We like 55 gr NBT at distance but for 200 yards or so and closer, the 36 gr. Barnes Varmint Grenades work as advertised. It looks like the Prairie Poodle swallowed an IED when you hit em. They don't feed well in an AR, but the 35 gr Nosler version has a tip that allows it to feed and you get the same explosive result. Blistering velocity out of a 223. A 22-250, you'd probably be in the 4,500 FPS neighborhood with these fly weight Bullets.
We have gotten a lot of rain here in Arizona since last June and it's still falling. The Praire Dogs should be robust this year. I'm gonna have to try some of them Berger's!

 

[Dry Heat?]

Hi I'm new to the forum. I live in southern missouri. I'm wanting info on available places to pdog hunt within 500 miles or so. If possible i would like contact info. I would be willing to pay 100 dollars a day. Not sure if that is a reasonable amount? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thankyou

You're gonna be shocked at what some Ranches are charging to shoot Praire Dogs per day. Around Rock Springs, Wyoming, my guys tell me expect to pay around $1,200.00/Day. That includes Lunch. Only other thing that covers is Access. That's it. You furnish your own rifle and ammo. Needless to say, we didn't go. I don't know about other areas but I hear it's not cheap in Colorado, Montana and other States, either. Good Luck.

 

[greenejc]

Hi I'm new to the forum. I live in southern missouri. I'm wanting info on available places to pdog hunt within 500 miles or so. If possible i would like contact info. I would be willing to pay 100 dollars a day. Not sure if that is a reasonable amount? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thankyou

Check with area farmers/ranchers in Kansas and Oklahoma. Don't offer money. There are plenty of places that will let you hunt for free. Check at Co-Ops and farm stores for locals with prarie dog problems. Lots of places in Central Kansas and Oklahoma have problems with them. I currently have access to at least 4 ranches here in and around Calhan Colorado that I can get on for free. If you get to know the rancher or the manager and the farmer you will either get to hunt for free, or not at all. Luck of the draw.

 

[greenejc]

You're gonna be shocked at what some Ranches are charging to shoot Praire Dogs per day. Around Rock Springs, Wyoming, my guys tell me expect to pay around $1,200.00/Day. That includes Lunch. Only other thing that covers is Access. That's it. You furnish your own rifle and ammo. Needless to say, we didn't go. I don't know about other areas but I hear it's not cheap in Colorado, Montana and other States, either. Good Luck.

I'm here in Colorado, and I hunt and have permissions on 4 separate places. I hunt the 'dogs for free, and have Coyote permissions and Antelope permissions to go with the dogs. On one ranch (28,000 acres) I also have mule deer permissions and I can bring friends to all of them. Its a lot in how you fish for permissions.

 

[hunter67wa]

P dogs have no heart! You need a battery.
We use 22lr, 223, now 223AI, 22-250 fast twist with 75's and am going to build a 20 VARTAG

 

[greenejc]

Ok, I hunt for permissions. I get a lot of no's but I get a lot of yeses too. I use a 6mm Rem. and a 25-06 for prarie dogs. I try to use something that lets me practice for larger game. I have a .223 but it doesn't have a good enough trajectory for practice. The other two cartridges more closely match my big game rifles. And they double as deer and antelope rifles. I've done some experiments with the 308 and30-06 using Saboted .223 bullets, too. I just haven't gotten them to shoot accurately enough for P-dogs. If I have a dedicated prarie dog rifle, its probably the 25-06, just because its fun to shoot and extremely accurate at distance. Oh, and it throws prarie dogs 6 or 8 feet through the air at 350 yards. I like to watch them fly.

 

[rogerstv]

<<<< I'm wanting info on available places to pdog hunt within 500 miles or so. >>>

Joseph,

You can hunt them for free on public lands in Wyoming. Suspect that is the case in other states too. Have to be off the right-of-way in Wy. I was hunting Pronghorn when my buddy and I decided to stop and shoot a PD. Resting on a fence post, I took my first and only PD. A game warden showed up and told me I needed to be on the other side of the fence. He was cool. Was near the Pronghorn opener. I suspect he had much bigger fish to fry. He didn't flinch with me standing there talking to him with a loaded rifle. I'm from IL. Different and wonderful world out west. I will go back.

We were focused on filling our tags. So, PD's were not on the "menu" during our trip. But, they are there to be had. Hunted just south of Buffalo, Wy.

I recommend cutting your teeth on the free opportunity just to get out there. Spend the evenings, maybe a couple hours each day seeking local information. Maybe you stumble into the rancher needing a cull for a case of Budweiser or two.

Bob R.

 

[greenejc]

<<<< I'm wanting info on available places to pdog hunt within 500 miles or so. >>>

Joseph,

You can hunt them for free on public lands in Wyoming. Suspect that is the case in other states too. Have to be off the right-of-way in Wy. I was hunting Pronghorn when my buddy and I decided to stop and shoot a PD. Resting on a fence post, I took my first and only PD. A game warden showed up and told me I needed to be on the other side of the fence. He was cool. Was near the Pronghorn opener. I suspect he had much bigger fish to fry. He didn't flinch with me standing there talking to him with a loaded rifle. I'm from IL. Different and wonderful world out west. I will go back.

We were focused on filling our tags. So, PD's were not on the "menu" during our trip. But, they are there to be had. Hunted just south of Buffalo, Wy.

I recommend cutting your teeth on the free opportunity just to get out there. Spend the evenings, maybe a couple hours each day seeking local information. Maybe you stumble into the rancher needing a cull for a case of Budweiser or two.

Bob R.

Its the same here in Colorado and in Kansas. Also, in Texas where there are public lands that allow hunting. And in Oklahoma, as far as I know. Any of the National Grasslands in these states allow hunting, too.

 

[Zen Archery]

$1200?!?!? I do a lot of asking around. If they are truly crop damaging start playing 6 degrees of separation you'll find a family member or friend with connections.

 

[greenejc]

$1200?!?!? I do a lot of asking around. If they are truly crop damaging start playing 6 degrees of separation you'll find a family member or friend with connections.

I pay nothing here to hunt prarie dogs. I have at least 4 ranches that let me hunt just to get rid of them. Come out here sometime and I'll take you on one. The rich kids are the ones who are getting charged. They are members of high dollar hunting clubs back east and using outfitters. They can afford it but they are still getting taken to the cleaners.

 

[Kansaswoodguy]

$1200 seems high we pay around $100 a day per guy but after a 18 hour drive hotel stay ammo cost who wants to show up to town only to find out plague wiped them out 8 weeks ago. I don't mind paying something to know I'll be on dogs when I get there.

 

[remy3424]

Lots of good advice here, one last bit I will throw-out....print-off a trajectory table for your exact bullet and velocity for every rifle you take. Put in all the info you can (elevation, temp, etc). JBM Ballistics has a good one I use. Print off as far as you plan to shoot plus a couple hundred yards. I will print out to 800 yards in 25 yard increments. To really use this you need target style turrets on your scope. I shrink it down, I cut off the windage so it will be narrower than a strip of clear packing tape, apply to the stock of your rifle. Now, find him, range him, dial up the elevation and watch him explode!

 

[OhYtD]

Super clear Pictures, what camera is that ?

 

[greenejc]

Nebraska has a very large grassland where you could camp and buy a small game tag and hunt prarie dogs, too. I know you can hunt them here in Colorado on the National Grasslands with just the cost of the small game license. You can also hunt on BLM land here for free. There's a lot of BLM land here.