Author Topic: Shooting p-dogs from elevated platforms?  (Read 623 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline JoBob

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 8
Shooting p-dogs from elevated platforms?
« on: May 18, 2010, 03:07:14 AM »
Has anyone ever done this? We may be trailering four-wheelers out and have been thinking of building a platform on the trailer over the four-wheelers to shoot from to get us up 10 feet or so. Didn't know if that might spook the dogs too much or not. Any thoughts? Thanks, Joe.

Offline Swift One

  • Trade Count: (1)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 925
  • Gender: Male
Re: Shooting p-dogs from elevated platforms?
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2010, 11:43:59 AM »
I have seen folks that turn flat trailers into varmint shooting platforms that they pull right up to the P-dog fields and shoot off them.  I wouldnt see a problem with what you are trying to do. Question though. Why elevated so high?
It's all a hot mess...........

Offline Ladobe

  • Trade Count: (91)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3193
Re: Shooting p-dogs from elevated platforms?
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2010, 04:55:46 PM »
Spook the PD's, no.  But even down low on a light weight ATV or similar trailer it is not a stable shooting platform without some sort of jacks.  Up high like that in the wind you'll be "dancing" even with jacks most likely.   You can get away with it for night calling predators with spot lights (like the high truck rigs in the top picture are for) that will mostly be shot at close ranges, but it's not condusive to long range shooting at small targets like PD's.    Bottom pic is heavy duty trailers for digger shooting, so stabilizing jacks are not needed for these trailers.

HTH,

Larry



Evolution at work. Over two million years ago the genus Homo had small cranial capacity and thick skin to protect them from their environment. One species has evolved into obese cranial fatheads with thin skin in comparison that whines about anything and everything as their shield against their environment. Meus

Offline JoBob

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 8
Re: Shooting p-dogs from elevated platforms?
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2010, 06:31:43 PM »
The reason for the heighth is to have room for the four wheelers, actually Bad Boy Buggies, underneath. The wind was another concern. Even with outriggers I wondered if the wind would be an issue because hey, you can't shoot dogs without wind, can you? Joe.

Offline GatCat

  • Trade Count: (25)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 666
Re: Shooting p-dogs from elevated platforms?
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2010, 12:11:27 AM »
About two months ago, a game warden talked to a group of gopher shooters in California, he advised that recent F&G laws prohibitted shooting FROM a trailer that was still attached to a motorized vehicle...he said that it would be the same as shooting from a motor vehicle. To be legal, the trailer had to be disconnected from the motor vehicle towing it. Don't know where you are from, but it might be worthwhile to check ( closely ) hunting regs to avoid a possible problem
Mark

Offline oldandslow

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3962
Re: Shooting p-dogs from elevated platforms?
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2010, 02:49:12 AM »
Hunters with shooting tables in the back of pickups and the plague combined at the same time pretty much wiped out the prairie dog population in this area a few years ago. I don't think the elevated platforms spooked them at all. A few dogs are beginning to show up again but nothing like there used to be. It's illegal to hunt from a vehicle in New Mexico but I guess that only applies to animals and birds that are classed as game and not varmints. All birds except pigeons are protected.

Offline skb2706

  • Trade Count: (5)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1428
Re: Shooting p-dogs from elevated platforms?
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2010, 06:14:58 AM »
In CO we can't shoot them from a trailer while its attached to a vehicle. But this ridge puts us above the lay of the land as much as 20'. It is the cats pjs for shootin pds.


Offline helotaxi

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 375
Re: Shooting p-dogs from elevated platforms?
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2010, 12:47:05 PM »
It's illegal to hunt from a vehicle in New Mexico but I guess that only applies to animals and birds that are classed as game and not varmints.

If it isn't game and you don't need a license to do it, it isn't "hunting" as far as the law is concerned.  It's merely shooting with a live target.

What part of the state you in?