HANDI Prairie Dog Cart

[PHATINJUN]

After going to OK dog shootin a few times I have been kicking it around and wanting to build a cart shooting bench. This is what I have come up with and should prove useful this yr in SD and it didn't cost me $300. I can haul a couple of dbl hard cases ,my cooler ,shootin bag a ammo can and seat. The whole thing takes about 1min to set up and break down just need to hit it with some flat black to finish the camo. Kurt

[PHATINJUN]

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[PHATINJUN]

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[PHATINJUN]

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[norm ks]

pretty slick cart has big wheels

[mechanic]

UH...how many prairie dogs does it take to pull that?.........

Excellent job!  You are an innovative designer.  Do you do something like this for a living? 

Ben

[PHATINJUN]

It was partialy Chinese engineering (copy)and build as you go...but I ran into a bunch of trouble and was spending way to much time trying to find the right angles for the front arm to have the seat attached and support the front so I put the fold down legs that I already had on .I figure if you get on one of them huge towns just start shootin your way in and move . Kurt

[Flemc1]

AWSUM , Cart/Shooting Bench Kurt .

Just need a GIANT umbrella attachment 
Chris

[PHATINJUN]

I know what ya mean about the sun and I do have an umbrella but with the winds of most afternoons if it's hooked to the table it jerks around quite a lot and if it ain't ya spend to much time chasing it around the prairie. So I settle for a straw hat, light longsleeves and good polorized glasses with plenty of water. I may try one of those accordian style pop up sun shades if I find one very cheap just don't want to get to loaded down. Kurt

[d_hiker]

Kurt, that looks good.  I am going to show the pictures to my son.  He has been thinking about doing some sort of cart to pull behind his ATV when he goes camping.  This would provide a nice table for cooking and fixing meals also.

A few years ago when we went to SD shooting, we setup an awning.  The first day it worked great.  The second day, the metal tubing gave way to the winds, 30mph+.

[PHATINJUN]

Just back from my SD PD shoot .The cart worked great and gave me a great advantage with the new laws in SD not allowing motorized vehicles more than 30 feet off the USDA established trails. I think if I was to make any changes it would be to put 20" air tires on it. If any of you have been watching the weather up there it was wet and I got my first taste of the legendary Prairie Gumbo I sure am glad I took the 4 wheel drive suburban rather than my motor home. I got there on friday morning to scout around for towns I was in the Fort Pierre National Grasslands .It rained all the way til monday night and there were only a few roads that I could even get into but I had a very good new map that the USDA put out late last yr and with a Rangers help we marked all the towns with the size of the town in acres. The one that I was able to get into and set up my tent happened to be 220 acres and was loaded with dogs up til this point I had seen more Antelope than PD these dogs had not been shot at yet other than pot shots by the locals as the PD season on public lands is closed til the 15th of June.First day I shot almost 400 rds of 204 and 223.Perfect weather with sunny 75 and light winds. 2nd day I shot about 275rnds mostly with 223 and and 243 as the winds picked up some but still had about as much shooting as I wanted.my 3rd and final day were a bust as high wind warnings made it all but impossible to shoot... the evening before had tornado's to the north .As I was tearing the tent down and packing up I had lots of little dogs all around me coming out of their holes so I got the 17mII out and shot almost a box just packing and loading the truck.Other than the weather all went well but got shorted the one day. I will definatley be going back next yr and will not have to do any scouting with what I learned from the area this yr. The ride home was wild as just after fueling up outside Rochester MN I got behind a storm chaser we drove 80-90 mph all the way down WI to the storms he was chasing in N IL I got home about an hour and a half  sooner than expected white knuckled and all. Great adventure and fine shooting. Kurt

Almost forgot but I had a confirmed kill on one with the 204 that ranged 627yrds my longest confirmed kill so far.

[Hofs01]

Very cool! Glad you had a good time!

627 yards!!!! WOW!!!

[norm ks]

well glad to hear you had a shoot fest was that a 39 gn in the 204 i had a lot of fun with the 17 hmr and 204 shined when the wind was less then 10 mph

[Hofs01]

Norm....I bet that 204 shoots like it was free

[norm ks]

be honest it has about 1200 rounds through it hardly any riflings left must be one of the barrells that was not cut deep enough riflings killed alot of dogs beyond 400 plus yards  realy predictable bullet flight

[PHATINJUN]

34 grain Midsouth Varmint Nightmare. You got that right Norm after a while even a little wind can't stop you from hits with a little english added. I know the shot was mear luck more than anything but sure was cool to see him back flip.Kurt

[d_hiker]

Kurt,

I've been off GBO most of the summer.  Tending grandsons has taken more time than anticipated.  I was supposed to go to Kansas where my hunting buddy moved for a PD shoot one weekend but that never materialized.  Oh well there is next summer.

It sounds like you had a great trip.  Congrats on the long shot.