Needing prarie dog hunting recomendations or advice

[BLUE72CAMARO]

I am trying to get a hunting trip planned for my dad, myself, and a few buddies this next spring to go out and shoot prarie dogs and I am a little bit lost on where to go and how to go about it. We are from the St. Louis area so I am looking more into the S. Dakota, Kansas, or Colorado hunts if they are good areas to go to just because they are so much closer than N. Dakota or Montana. None of us have ever went prairie dog hunting before and we are wanting to do this to stretch the legs on our coyote rigs and just do some shooting with our rifles since we arent allowed to do a whole lot with them here in IL.

So I guess what I am asking is where would you recomend some guys that are new to this go? Also should we pay for a guided hunt this first time since we are unfamiliar with prarie dog hunting and the area? I am all ears guys, just trying to get as much information as I can to make the right decisions for the group. I dont want to drive 8-900 miles to just fire off a handful of rounds and go home disappointed.

thanks in advance for any help you can give me guys,
Matt

[Rick in Oregon]

blue72: First off, welcome to the forum. Alot of die-hard rat killin' fools here with lots of advice and opinions to share.

For getting started in the rat patch, I'd strongly suggest using a guide for your first PD trip out west. That will give you the "lay of the land" so to speak, and give you an idea of what you can do on your own the following year. Look in the classified section of The Varmint Hunter Magazine, as lots of guides list there, and from my past experience in those PD states, you'll do well using a guide the first time out.

Good luck with the quest....warning though, once you go once, you'll be hooked for life. Seen it happen.......to me.

[sand rat]

I agree with Rick's information. To many times I have gone out with friends and wound up being a "hunt for a place to hunt" instead of a place to shoot a lot and have a good time.

Get your A game on and go with good equipment, Flat shooting rifle, one that will do justice at 400yrds and longer. Practice at those long ranges before you go, learning to read the wind and have a good time.

Let me add another thing. Life on Earth is to short with your Dad. A day will come when you will say " I wish we could have done this, or that, I really miss him"

Hire a guide, don't look back, and have a great time.

Sand Rat

[Sidewinderwa]

I agree with the information given to you. Go for a guided hunt the first time to soak in all the fun and not the worry of trying to find a place. I have found that it takes awhile to scout out good areas. Yes it is addictive. Take good glass with you so that you can find the critters so that you can make red mist.

[Valar]

Sand Rat Excellent Post! Miss My Dad every Day! I to would like any guide sujestions anyone might have for spring prairie doggin!

[Critter]

Quite a few years ago now(2002), I attended the Chuck Cornett shoot in North Eastern Montana at the Belnap Reservation. At the time they had all the bells and whistles, lots of targets, excellent guides and lots of property. Of course there were license fees, guide fees, etc. but all in all the experience was very positive.

I would strongly recommend that you sharpen your marksmanship skills and tune your rifle for long range work.

One of my favorite pictures is this one of shooting on their property. The rifle is a 6.5-.308 with 100 grain Sierra (MV= 3270) Varmit shown here engaging dogs at a little under 700 yards. Normally range isn't that long, closer to 300, but the vehicle down the hill was shooting AR-15s and at the range were out classed. They were attempting to walk rounds in and with all the shooting the close range dogs were in their bunkers.



PS: Rick was there and John Williams and I had both purchased theses excellent BR Pivots. John was shooting a Ruger #1 in .25-06.

[ryutzy]

Critter--where can I buy a shooting table like the one in the picture? What is the cost of a table like that? I have been looking at some but have not been entirely happy with what I have found. I like a strong SOLID table and I dont really care if it is more cumbersome to transport. I just want a solid table for long range shooting. What I've been using works ok but isn't great. I've been thinking about making my own shooting table, but with my limited time I would rather be shooting.

[Rick in Oregon]

ryutzy: That bench would be your original version of my patented design, the BR Pivot. The bench was sold and marketed by myself and wifey for just over ten years prior to selling the patent and manufacturing rights to Battenfield Techlonogies/MidwayUSA. It's been sold to every branch of our military, the FBI, NSA, and agencies you've never heard of, besides a fistful of LE agencies, forensic labs here and offshore. It has no equal for fixed-position prairie dog, ground squirrel or similar varminting activities where a solid, rotating platform is required.

This is the BR Pivot Lite model with my Sako M75 Varmint in 204 aboard:



This was taken a few years ago in N. CA during one of our bonaroo ground squirrel shoots:



You can still purchase the BR Pivot, just not the Lite model. Here's a link if you're interested: http://www.battenfeldtechnologies.com/c ... -Block-Top

When the action is fast, there's nothing like a rotating bench with an accurate rifle aboard. We're all counting the days till our buddy Skippy the Flying Squirrel makes his spring debut once again.

Critter: That was a good PD shoot there in MT. Too bad Chuck Cornet is no longer with us. I was hoping someone else would pick up the ball and run with it, but so far, no more Prairie Dog Conference to plan for.

This pic was taken in MT during that shoot. I was able to nail the unluckiest prairie dog in the country at a lased 841 yards with my Holland-built .243 Ackley:



Counting the days till spring.....ammo is all loaded up, rifles tweaked.......

[Critter]

Critter--where can I buy a shooting table like the one in the picture? What is the cost of a table like that?

You're talking to the man!

[ryutzy]

Thanks Rick!! That looks like what I'm looking for! You are the man!

[Big Horn Barney]

May I recommend Triple Three Outfitters in Buffalo, WY, operated by Craig Smith. He has good hunting leased up and he is a full time outfitter. PD's in the summer and Big Game in the fall. His phone number is 307-684-2832. I am sure you will not be disappointed. I have spoken with many of his hunters and they have all been satisfied. Good Luck

[OldTurtle]

Blue72Camero, Welcome to the forum...I'm currently living just west of St Louis and understand your desire not to be spending all day on the road to get to Prairie Dogs.

You will find that there are few options when it comes to 'short' trips... In Colorado, all PDs are restricted on public land east of I-25 and finding private land that will allow unknown drive ups is pretty much impossible...Most shooters that have access are pretty close mouthed about theirs due to others coming in behind them and really screwing it up..There is a group of us that have access to three ranches in Colorado, but we don't share, just for that reason...the ranchers have known us for several years and trust us to take care of their property...
View on one of the ranches:



Western Kansas has some in the Western and Southwest parts and Kansas has a "Walk In" program that property owners have their property listed for legal shooting without having to go through the 'ask first' process, but you would need to contact their department of conservation to get the specific details...A good day's drive..

South Dakota has some public Grasslands, but they have specific seasons and here again, you need to check with their Wildlife department for specifics...But it's a fairly easy, long, one day drive to get there

Dickinson, ND has been really helpful in promoting PD shooting there... The Visitors and Convention Bureau/Chamber of Commerce will send you a sizable package of information on the subject, including numerous ranchers in the area that invite PD shooting, but you have to contact them prior for permission...A few phone calls will pay off in the lack of wasted search time..

All of the above are low cost options....There are outfitters and ranchers that supplement their incomes providing places to shoot and most even furnish food and lodging included in their costs, but the costs can be substantial in some cases..
A couple of buddiies of mine went to one in Montana for four days and had excellent shooting and accommodations/food for $150 per day, per person...They all felt it was worth the expense and driving time (two hard days drive)...

[BLUE72CAMARO]

Thanks for all the recomendations guys, after talking with family over the holidays we may have picked up a few more people going with us now. I have to wait and see how serious they really are though and see if they will follow thru or bale out on us. I definitely plan to get a hold of the places recomended here and get in touch with the places OldTurtle mentions for the free info. The more information I can get the better at this point.

Also you guys are very correct on enjoying the time I have with my dad. Me and him hunt together most of the time either of us go short of a little bow hunting and his yearly duck hunting trip to Minnesota. Heck we spent most of the day yesterday sitting in a make shift goose blind and working on making or crow setup better. As for the guide thing I dont have a problem spending the money to get several days of good shooting, now getting my dad talked into that is another story. He is one of those guys that doesnt spend money unless he cant find a way to do without buying/paying for it.

[OldTurtle]

He is one of those guys that doesnt spend money unless he cant find a way to do without buying/paying for it.

Give yourself a few years and you will start thinking the same way....I thought about all the things I would do after I retired, but failed to consider the lack of funds to do them the way I'd like to....It's called saving...I didn't realize how nice it was to have paid vacation and comp time off..., as well as raises in the future...