Prarie dog hunting information

[KN]

I go in South Dakota, Around the rosebud reservation area. I stay away from tribal ground, too many restrictions and its expensive. Find some farmers with private land and there are no headaches with permits and guides and such. I have never used this guy but know several people who have, His name is Bob Emery. You might try finding him for a shoot. Check with the South Dakota state web site. or type in south dakota prairie dogs and go from there. You'll have a ball, take plenty of ammo, and food. You don't find alot of eating places in the middle of SD.  KN

[dakotashooter2]

Check and see if SD has Forest Service maps available. Here in ND the maps show the location of most of the larger dog towns, whether the land is private or public and has the landowners named on the occupied ranches.

[Selmer]

I am also a teacher, just moved to north central Iowa this summer from SD.  I have access to private land in western SD and have been looking for someone to go with, I understand the teacher salary restrictions.  Probably won't happen this summer, our first child is coming in May, but next summer it will be for sure, especially when I get my .243 AI barrel for my Encore.  Let me know.
Selmer

[Selmer]

It sounds like a good plan to me, but like I said, it will probably have to be the following summer, although I might be able to direct you to some good areas of free private shooting, but I don't make any gaurantees unless I'm along.  I teach 5-12 band up here by Mason City, IA, I have a Suburban, but it sounds like there is plenty of room between you two.  I'm glad to hear you aren't the shoot and drink type, I've thrown those people out of my duck blinds before.  Stay in touch, we'll see what we can arrange, but I"m pretty sure that this summer is out with the new baby coming.
Selmer

[Selmer]

I forgot to mention that if you boys like fishing we would be able to arrange that as well.  My father would probably come along, we'd bring a Suburban and our puddle jumper boat for the West River dams, the dams have good bass and bluegill fishing in them, we'll be near Pierre so if Missourri River walleye fishing excites you, we would be able to work that in as well depending on how long you were able to stay.  Just some more options for us.
Selmer
PS If you PM me I'll send you my email address.

[Selmer]

If we don't fish that's fine too, I was just setting out more options.  I just bought my first Encore, .454 Casull is my first caliber so that I can hunt deer with it here in Iowa without having to use a shotgun.  The next couple barrels will be a .243AI then a .20 caliber, probably a Tac .20 or .20PPC.  They seem like a fun caliber and I love to screw around with new stuff when reloading, this .454 will keep me occupied for a while.  All kinds of bullets and weights to choose from.  Plinking loads, hunting loads, full-power loads, amount of crimp, different primers....  I'm just drooling over the thought of spring and good shooting weather to come in again...
Selmer

[Sharps-Nut]

Selmer, looks like great minds might think alike.  I have been playing with a 22ppc in a ruger 77kmvt for a couple years now.  Let me tell you the ppc class round is critter to be played with.  Brass is a little pricey like a buck a throw for new unprimed but the round is tack driver.  I am actually forming my own brass at basically no cost just time at the reloading bench and a set of surplus 250-3000 dies and a forstner case trimmer with the outside neck turning attachment.  The dies are plemtiful gunshow item and the the only extra expense is the outside neck turner at about 40.00.  But for this you can turn 7.62x39 brass cases into 22 ppc.  They fireform great and I have got my best gruops with my homemade brass.  My gun will shoot 3/8 inch groups over all size or .152 if you prefer the center to center method.  Thats three shots from sandbags at 100 yards.  Now don't take this as bragging because everyone I put behind the gun does about this well.. I think its just the design of the round..    Long story short plan on the ppc class round to be a tack driver for varmiting.  I look foreward to putting this gun to work on prarie dogs in the future instead of the boaring old paper game.

[Skeezix]

I've just moved to northeast Missouri about 20 miles from Hannibal, and got a bad hankerin to shoot prairie poodles this spring/summer.  I've got a 34 ft fifth-wheel travel trailer with triple slide-outs, and a Ford F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab (4 door) diesel to pull it.  It sleeps 4 in super comfort and 6 if some don't mind sharing a queen sized bed.  And I've got a 5.5Kw generator to run the A/C, microwave, and other goodies in it.  

I've been looking for some good folks to do some hunting/shooting with.  And I totally agree with not mixing drinkin and shootin.  I figured to do some phone calling around up there to find exactly where to go.  Or maybe even make a scouting run up there one weekend soon, before the weather warms up.  And then when we go, pull the trailer up there and stay out there near or amongst em.  This would be a cheap way to have a ton of fun.    :grin:

I've gotta get my reloading equipment set up and running here soon so's I can get in plenty of practice and get stocked up on ammo.  I'll be shooting a .22 Hornet, .22-250, .243, and possibly also a .250 Savage.  The .22-250 is a Win Model 70 Coyote and is the only serious varmint rifle I own, and the others are regular sporter weights.  But I figured I could fill in with them while the Coyote cooled down between barrages.   :lol:

Skeezix
_____
Only accurate rifles are interesting.

[kmitch199]

If possible,a friend and I would like to do a little pd shooting in June. We are looking to shoot in Oklahoma or Kansas since we are traveling to that area for a sniper competition. I have looked around at the Kansas and Oklahoma wildlife department sites to see if it is possible but they don't give any clue of where it is available. Any info about good areas would be appreciated and then I could contact the chamber of commerce and/or the wildlife office for the area.

Thank you in advance for any info you might provide.

[czechtech]

There is some p-dog hunting around Elkhart Ks. went last year but they were pretty skiddish. Elkhart is in the s.w. corner of Ks.  We hunted them on the Cimarron National Grassland I am planning to go out again this year maybe there or somewhere else around there if I can find more places.

[kmitch199]

That is what we have narrowed it down to as well. Doesn't seem like there is a whole lot in that area without knowing the locale better. Did you have to pay $70 for a license? That is what I think I saw on the Kansas game commissions website.

Thanks for replying too. I wasn't sure anybody was still reading this or maybe they just didn't want to give up there good spots.

[Mark Trail]

I tried to get information about prairie dog hunting from Kansas and it was like pulling teeth.  Several calls to the dept of cons. and all I could manage was the counties that they are found in.  They listed Meade, Ford, Gray, and Hamilton counties.  I was looking myself as I had been hunting in the Pawnee Grasslands before but the Colorado dept of cons. banned hunting of them in the plains.  They determined in the 1800s they had 8 or so trillion prairie dogs and today only 6 trillion remain so since they are so cute they must be protected from the mean old hunters.  Of course you can still poison them but heaven help you if you want to shoot one.  An earlier post suggested staying out of the Rosebud Reservation and I would agree.  They have shot themselves in the foot with their high fees and requiring a guide for $100 a day to drink all your pop and say everyso often good shot.  The Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana is doing the same thing.  I subscribe to Varmint Hunter magazine and I'm trying something different this spring.  From what I understand you can shoot in the plains of Colorado without a hunting license if you are hunting on private ground and act as the owners agent to remove problem prairie dogs.  Several ranches advertise this and charge from $25 to $100 per day to hunt.  I would rather give the rancher the money as they are the ones having to deal with the destuction the prairie dogs do plus trying to make a living on the plains.  The cost could be lower of course if you knew someone and they didn't charge you.  One place I called had 6,000 acres and 3,000 of it was infested with prairie dogs.  Can't wait to go.  If you think you would find yourself as far as North Dakota give their conservation department a call and tell them you are interested in prairie dog hunting.  What a pleasant surprise in talking to them.  They sent me a complete prairie dog package.  I can't say enough good things about the people working in the North Dakota department of Conservation.  I hope to get up there at the end of summer provided the gas cost don't get too crazy.  Well thats it get loading as you will need lots of bullets. Good luck.

[kmitch199]

Thanks Mark T.,
     It isn't that much of a stretch to go into Colorado from the Cimarron National Grasslands. It would be nice however to know ahead time where to head. Do you know of anyone posting info on the web as to who would welcome a few shooters even if you had to spend a couple of bucks to access their land?

[czechtech]

As for the license fee,  Yes   you are supposed to buy a small game hunting license there may be weekend permits avaliable at less of a cost but I bought one good for the whole year in hopes to go back and maybe do some pheasant hunting also   I think it was $70 or $75