Any prairie dog hunters here?

[42769vette]

If so where would you go? I'm going somewhere hunting this coming year, I just haven't decided where and what yet. I'm thinking setting up on a prairie dog town might be a good fairly cheap trip. While I'm out that way (west) I was thinking about heading back to Wyoming and tagging another pronghorn.

 

[giovani]

Wyoming and colorado offer some really good dog opportunities, in Colorado the the pickings get slim within about 50 miles of the big cities.

 

[ZbornacSVT]

We used to tag those little bastards for hours back in Montana!!

Actually was more fun running them over with the courtesy van when I worked for the Ford dealership. And yes....I/we would swerve with customers in the van. There was a 1/4mile stretch behind the dealership that it was not uncommon to get 3 or 4 in a pass. Best part was, the more you tagged, the more were in the road munching on their buddies!!

 

[ihammond]

I amgoing back to western Kansas the first week of June. The little ones were out and made for easy pickin's. We had to book the ranch were we hunt back in late January to get the week we wanted. The rancher only lets one group of up to 4 hunt at any time.

 

[1911Shooter]

We always head to South Dakota in the fall for pheasant hunting and they are loaded with them. In the afternoons, when we have already tagged out, we hunt them. Its a blast. The best part is you can just sit there and shoot. Once they go into hiding, you wait ten minutes and they come right back up. Its like a grown mans wack a mole. Its great.

 

[red_zr24x4]

We went to South Dakota,out by Wall. We spent a week camping in the primitive campground in the National Grasslands, then driving out to the different PD towns.
One word of advice.. even though its not against the law to have firearms in the NGL, the rangers still freak out about it.
We went to the Land Management office for the NGL, they will sell you a map of the area, and have a copy on the desk with all the towns hi-lighted, you just copy it to yours

 

[ryanbr]

Cheyenne River Indian Reservation is the best place I've been in South Dakota. If you are around the Pine Ridge Reservation you really have to watch getting jacked around. The Cheyenne River was a great experience. They want you there hunting!

 

[Farmritch]

Been going to south Dakota for 5 or 6 years but did not go last year as the Plague has been hitting the population over the last few years.
I'm guessing that the earlier posters have not been out that way in the last couple years.

 

[halfmileharry]

Wyoming and colorado offer some really good dog opportunities, in Colorado the the pickings get slim within about 50 miles of the big cities.

I USED to hunt in Colorado but since all the new anti gun/mag laws I won't spend a dime there until those laws are repealed or reversed.
S.Dakota has some fine dog hunting.

 

[Trigger Time]

Been going to South Dakota since my youth. It use to be less of a hassle than it is now. I haven't went in the last 4 years. I'd love to make another trip but I have more important things on my plate now and can't fit it in financially or time wise with all the other projects eating it all up.

 

[Farmritch]

The other big negative for South Dakota and other federal public lands, you can't drive off road anymore, and lots of roads ( they call them roads) have been closed on public land to all but foot traffic.

 

[1911Shooter]

Been going to south Dakota for 5 or 6 years but did not go last year as the Plague has been hitting the population over the last few years.
I'm guessing that the earlier posters have not been out that way in the last couple years.

I was there as recently as November. We didn't have any problems. We were in Chamberlain and the prairie dogs we thick, so think in fact that farmers were asking us to hunt thier properties.

 

[Jason R. Bruce]

I've shot them in WY, CO & KS over the last few years. It's all relative to their government removal programs, sometimes you get in and find they've been poisoned out and the shooting is slow. I'd probably stick to the SD, NE, KS area if I were going exclusively for prairie dogs right now.

 

[Trigger Time]

There's no doubt also that when you find them they have become wise to what's out to get them, lol.
Also as mentioned above the mass poisoning has almost ruined it for us shooters or at least where we have always went.

 

[Mark-DuCo]

How exactly do you go about hunting them? Do you have to know a farmer or is there somewhere you can go to hunt publicly? I am wanting to plan a trip but I don't really want to spend the money on the private ranch hunts.

 

[Trigger Time]

How exactly do you go about hunting them? Do you have to know a farmer or is there somewhere you can go to hunt publicly? I am wanting to plan a trip but I don't really want to spend the money on the private ranch hunts.

Over the years we made friends with farmers and then by word of mouth found more land to Hunt. It's basically a turkey shoot. They never know what hit'em

 

[DRob]

Reservations

We've shot on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations for years. Avoid the Pine Ridge! There has been both plague and poisoning on the Pine Ridge. The net result is much more pressure on the Rosebud. Be aware that most, if not all, of the reservations require you to have a Tribal License and hire a Tribal Guide.

We've shot south central SD exclusively for the last 5-6 years but are going elsewhere this year due to plague and overly heavy "hunting". By the way, to call it hunting is a real stretch.

We've always used full service guides who provide meals and lodging along with the shooting. It's easy that way and, as an old buddy used to say, "I don't want to hunt 'em, I just want to shoot 'em".

You can find a lot of outfitters/guides/whatever you want to call them by searching for "prairie dog hunting" by state. I believe the Varmint Hunter's Assoc., in Ft. Pierre, SD, keeps a list of guides.

 

[jrclaxon]

I lived in Colorado for many years (escaped just in time!) and had a field of prairie dogs between my home and business. I would stop on the way to work and shoot a half dozen or so and stop on the way home and do it again! Did it several days a month, great for stress.

 

[red_zr24x4]

The Last time I was in S.D. They were still poisoning them (5yrs.+/-), we had met one of the guys doing the poisoning. My brother went back maybe 3 yrs.ago, the guy we had met said they were not poisoning them anymore, they were flea powdering the towns to kill the fleas to stop the plague.
Our guess is that the State realized how much money they were missing out on by poisoning them, they decieded to get the population up so more people would come to the state.

 

[katfishinking]

also check out n. Dakota. I spent 3 yrs. in minot, air force. its been several years, but back then, we shot the crap out of them. there were many of them. again, that's been years ago, but maybe worth a try, off the beaten path, so maybe better shooting.