More az prairie dog fun...

[benchracer]

About two and a half years ago, I had my first taste of Prairie Doggin' on the Big Boquillas Ranch in northern AZ. It was a lot of fun and absolutely worthwhile! I wrote about that trip here:

https://www.longrangehunting.com/th...-and-after-action-review.175021/#post-1227232

Since then, I have spent a lot of time in northern AZ and have had the pleasure of getting to know the area a lot better. This last Sunday, I spent a beautiful afternoon Prairie Doggin' on public land. I was successful in dropping a few dogs at distances of between 500 and 600 yards, and scared a few around 700 or so. The giggle factor was high!

I was shooting my 22-250 with 53 VMAX's and enough 8208 XBR to launch them at 3850ish from my 26" barrel. My rifle is nothing special to anyone but me. It's a sporterized Mauser '98 with a Shilen barrel and a cheap, Midway special, BSA scope. It's a humble package, but it shoots, and I find myself falling in love with it all over again every time I take it afield.

Prairie Dog season ends here in just a few days (it re-opens July 1st). It was a wonderful opportunity to spend a warm, sunny afternoon in the Prairie Dog fields!

 

[sourdough44]

Sounds great, nothing like an enjoyable day shooting in dogtown.

 

[Dosh]

racer, used to shoot them on the Boquillas also. Now shoot them on a 65000 acre ranch near Williams. No fee there and am related to the landowner and the rancher who leases the ranch. These little buggers haven't seen a hunter in 20 years. Big fun!

 

[ar10ar15man]

either of you 2 want to share locations ?
i live in sun city and would like to find
a place to shoot dogs.
pm me if you chose to make it not public
thanks

 

[benchracer]

either of you 2 want to share locations ?
i live in sun city and would like to find
a place to shoot dogs.
pm me if you chose to make it not public
thanks

Prairie Dogs can easily be found on publicly accessible land in the Seligman area, south of I-40. My best advice is to spend some time scouting and do your homework. Northern AZ is a checkerboard of public and private land, so it pays to carry maps and to be aware of exactly where you are.

There are a number of ranches in the area that allow public access:

https://www.azgfd.com/landowner-compact/

If you prefer to skip the legwork, the Big Boquillas Ranch is a nice option. They charge $20/day per person for Prairie Dog access. The down side is that they only offer access in August/September and in March:

https://huntbigboranch.com/

 

[benchracer]

racer, used to shoot them on the Boquillas also. Now shoot them on a 65000 acre ranch near Williams. No fee there and am related to the landowner and the rancher who leases the ranch. These little buggers haven't seen a hunter in 20 years. Big fun!

Sounds like the perfect setup!

I am aware of some very rich prairie dog towns that are on private land, where access is prohibited. I can imagine the fun if access were ever allowed to those spots!!

 

[ar10ar15man]

thanks...
but i am new here and going out my driveway is a scouting trip.
i was hoping for a little more guidance.

Prairie Dogs can easily be found on publicly accessible land in the Seligman area, south of I-40. My best advice is to spend some time scouting and do your homework. Northern AZ is a checkerboard of public and private land, so it pays to carry maps and to be aware of exactly where you are.

There are a number of ranches in the area that allow public access:

https://www.azgfd.com/landowner-compact/

If you prefer to skip the legwork, the Big Boquillas Ranch is a nice option. They charge $20/day per person for Prairie Dog access. The down side is that they only offer access in August/September and in March:

https://huntbigboranch.com/

 

[Wedgy]

thanks...
but i am new here and going out my driveway is a scouting trip.
i was hoping for a little more guidance.

Follow the directions in the previous posts "Seligman area South of I-40" and "use Google earth to scout"
I used Google maps and found this in a minute;
https://goo.gl/maps/w3mgpqHRbN891b3m8
Grainy picture but those aren't asteroid impacts

 

[Gudge]

racer, used to shoot them on the Boquillas also. Now shoot them on a 65000 acre ranch near Williams. No fee there and am related to the landowner and the rancher who leases the ranch. These little buggers haven't seen a hunter in 20 years. Big fun!

Is there any way I can get access to there

 

[Dosh]

Is there any way I can get access to there

The owner has entered into a contract with a guide. I've met him and he isn't very cooperative. Am talking to the owners of an adjacent ranch, but haven't seen any positive response. The Boquillas is a great hunt if they still allow the hunt.

 

[N.Scott Nail]

Dosh, Thank you for the update...... I will be looking into it shortly!!

 

[woodnut]

Nothing wrong with a good Mauser actioned rifle! I worked on several builds using them. As one fellow says, "only accurate rifles are interesting rifle". Don't matter what it looks like, if it's accurate, it's PURDY !

 

[alnpar]

racer, used to shoot them on the Boquillas also. Now shoot them on a 65000 acre ranch near Williams. No fee there and am related to the landowner and the rancher who leases the ranch. These little buggers haven't seen a hunter in 20 years. Big fun!

I would like to hook up with someone to Shoot P Dogs. I've done it for my first time in Colorado. 1,000 miles of driving only to find a couple hundred dogs. I got 38 in two days of shooting. Not worth the drive and money for that few.. Anyway I'm looking for good shooting a lot closer to home here in AZ. I live In Sierra Vista. If you can share where I can go, or even buddy up I'd appreciate any help or information. I love my .17 HMR but have other thundersticks if needed! LOL [email protected] Thanks in advance

 

[alnpar]

Dosh, can you give me some kind of contact information, address, or directions to be able to shoot on those 6,500 acres? So much closer to home. I understand if you can't publish it here as so many others can see. After that trip to Colorado, I think I got this may be more fun than Trap and Skeet.