Prairie Dogging?
A friend and I want to go out west to Nebraska, or Dakotas prairie dogging. Any tips on where to go, what is the best time of year to go, ect.,will be appreciated. Would really like to get in good with a land owner who wants the little critters exterminated, where we can camp where we hunt. Any suggestion?
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Shoot me an email sarge.
Late April/June/July is the best.0 -
quote:Prairie Dogging
Oh,,,,,, I get it now!
You want to actually go SHOOT prarie dogs!
I thought you were just sharing with us an urgent need to visit "the throne".[:I]0 -
I moved to Minot alittle too late to take part in Prairie Dogging. What caliber do you recommend? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by stanman
quote:Prairie Dogging
Oh,,,,,, I get it now!
You want to actually go SHOOT prarie dogs!
I thought you were just sharing with us an urgent need to visit "the throne".[:I]
So did I and was a little reluctant to click on this thread!! Whew, thank goodness it wasn't what we thought.[xx(][xx(]0 -
quote:Originally posted by matwor
quote:Originally posted by stanman
quote:Prairie Dogging
Oh,,,,,, I get it now!
You want to actually go SHOOT prarie dogs!
I thought you were just sharing with us an urgent need to visit "the throne".[:I]
So did I and was a little reluctant to click on this thread!! Whew, thank goodness it wasn't what we thought.[xx(][xx(]
[:D][:D][:D][:0][xx(]0 -
quote:Originally posted by sarge_3ad
Sorry for the misunderstanding you all.[:D] Guess I never heard it put that way. I was refering to hunting prairie dogs not PDJ's. (Pre Dump Jitter's) for you civilian type folks. [:D][:D][:p][:p]
Email sent dcloco, Thanks!0 -
quote:Originally posted by catpealer111
I moved to Minot alittle too late to take part in Prairie Dogging. What caliber do you recommend?
Most any caliber will do. Seems most like .222-.243 and such. Lots of fellows I know use their game rifles to stay in tune. I use my 7x57 (deer rifle) and then for dramatic affect the 264 Win Mag gets a little excercize.0 -
220 Swift spreads them out a little, barrel gets hot quick. Good idea is to take 3 rifles and alternate between them so you don't get them hot. I'd guess a 17HRM would do real good too, it tears a rabbit apart at 150 yards but I've never used one on dogs, yet. When I lived in South Dakota the 17 Remington was real popular for that. Buddy used a 300 WinMag on them, only rifle he owned, he was real good with it, hit dogs out to 400+ yards, a little too much gun for them, it really spread them out. 0 -
I have a 22LR, 30 Carbine, and 30-06 at the moment. They're not really your flashy modern calibers, but I think they should do. 0 -
Buddy of mine used his '06 on some pasture poodles last summer; what a mess! At least with a .300, all you get is a fine mist!
And yes, we spent the next day preparing thir final resting places.....NOT!0 -
Go wherever they film that Meerkat Manor show... lots of 'em running around there! [:D][:D] 0 -
DO NOT go where there is any publicity whatsoever. You'll attract the PETA nutfudges.
Organized prarie dog shoots have pretty much been shut down here in Colorado because of them. Essentially, the PETA turds jump in front of you screaming, "Don't shoot!" just before you're about to take a shot.
FWIW, it is a wonder that nobody's been killed (although they should be).0 -
dunno, but I sure wish I could go. I'd buy a whole nother rifle and scope to do it.
quote:Originally posted by catpealer111
I moved to Minot alittle too late to take part in Prairie Dogging. What caliber do you recommend?
now that they have .17HMR, that might be more economical for 200 yds and under. more than that, 22-250 is the obvious choice. those two choices pretty much shut out .220, .222 and .223. unless you got a lot of surplus .223 you want to burn off.
quote:Organized prarie dog shoots have pretty much been shut down here in Colorado because of them. Essentially, the PETA turds jump in front of you screaming, "Don't shoot!" just before you're about to take a shot.BANG! whoops, too late0 -
When I lived in Montana, I used to load 110 grain hollow points for my 30-06. Damn fine gopher(that's what we called them)round.[:D] 0 -
aside from private land owners, in nebraska there's a tract of land (not too big) owned by a club called "pheasants forever" they bought specifically for pheasant hunting, you might want to check with them if they need some prairie dog control off-season. or maybe that's what they do off-season. I don't know. 0 -
I've been hunting them for years here in Colorado. I've found that the early spring is a good time. The young ones don't really know what that BOOM means and the old ones seem to have forgotten. I start out with rimfire (17HMR and 22mag are great out to 150 yards)then, after they're too skittish up close, I switch to a 22-250 out to a quarter mile. I've used 223, 25-06, 270, all to great effect. Caliber choice is entirely up to you. At the risk of sounding barbaric, I go for "impact gymnastics", so I stay with a lightweight, rapid-expanding ballistic tip in the .224 family
For mijelo: Let 'em lay. Gotta feed the coyotes.0 -
quote:Organized prarie dog shoots have pretty much been shut down here in Colorado because of them. Essentially, the PETA turds jump in front of you screaming, "Don't shoot!" just before you're about to take a shot. Then I'd bring a paintball gun with and enjoy shooting both.
quote:What do you do with them when you
are done for the day,leave them lay where they are or gather them and
bury them ? Leave them for the coyotes,badgers, hawks and eagles. They will ALL be gone the next day. Sometimes the coyotes will even come when they hear the dinner bell (Booom).0 -
Organized prarie dog shoots have pretty much been shut down here in Colorado because of them. Essentially, the PETA turds jump in front of you screaming, "Don't shoot!" just before you're about to take a shot.
Then I'd bring a paintball gun with and enjoy shooting both.
I don't think the paintball gun would work too well on the prarie dogs. [;)]0 -
Didn't one of those mullets get shot in the ankle at one of the Rifle shoots? Ran out into the no-man's land, wearing a dog(?) costume or something like that? I seem to remember it happened about 7 years ago.
I tried 2 shots with a Cobb .50BMG at one town by Melrose; took about an hour for 'em to stick their heads back up! Couldn't find anything at all where the shots were aimed, just a 2' groove in the ground about 2" wide.0 -
quote:Originally posted by catpealer111
I moved to Minot alittle too late to take part in Prairie Dogging. What caliber do you recommend?
I think a 22-250 will reach out to 1000 yards!0 -
quote:Originally posted by sig232
quote:Originally posted by catpealer111
I moved to Minot alittle too late to take part in Prairie Dogging. What caliber do you recommend?
I think a 22-250 will reach out to 1000 yards!
I think that's a little optimistic.0 -
I was checking out an aussie gun forum regards to what they think about the 22-250, the conversation centered mostly on shooting larger varmits than gophers, but generally gave some more things to think about:
- 22-250 does have a lot of muzzle blast.quote:F@ck me that looks like a bolt of lightning- they like the .204 Ruger, but range is in between .17HMR and anything .224
- twist rate and projectile make a differencequote:22/250....if you decide to go that route, make sure that you get one with a decent twist rate. The factories mostly fit them with 1:14 barrels, which means that they max out at the 55 gr bullets (and some not even that heavy). With a 1:9 to 1:12 you'd be getting into the heavier bullets, with better drag coefficients, and would really be able to make good use of that large engine room.but then quote:50- 55 grain bullets shoot flatter to 400m. Fast twists produce higher rotational velocities which stress hunting bullets more, resulting in more superficial wounding. There are no hunting type bullets that require a fast twist, only target bullets that even the manufacturers say are not suitable for hunting. A 1 in 14 twist will stabilise 60 grain Hornadys and Noslers, 63 grain Sierras and 70 grain Speers as well as the 74 grain RWS TUG- all hunting bullets.- the .243 may give you more optionsquote:Have had both .22/250 and .243. Prefer the .243 as it is more versatile. Can drive the very accurate 55gn Nosler 400 FPS faster out of the .243 than you can with a .22/250 and has a similar ballistic coefficient to the best 55gn .224 projectiles. Add at least 50 yards to your effective range. Have the option of heavier projectiles for larger game if the opportunity arises. Didn't like the regular case trimming required with the .22/250.0 -
Just drive down I-80, between North Platte and Kearney, not sure where, and on the south side there are about a billion little mounds out there. Good part is they aren't very jumpy with all the traffic.
Sorry that didn't really add anything to the topic, but shoot me an email and in a few days I should have a list of names of ranchers in western NE that I think have prarie dogs on them.0 -
quote:Originally posted by catpealer111
I moved to Minot alittle too late to take part in Prairie Dogging. What caliber do you recommend?
now that they have .17HMR, that might be more economical for 200 yds and under. more than that, 22-250 is the obvious choice. those two choices pretty much shut out .220, .222 and .223. unless you got a lot of surplus .223 you want to burn off.
[/quote]
17 HMR is EXPENSIVE to shoot. I reload 223 for half the cost per 100 rounds.
22-250 - nope - you will burn a barrel out from the heat.
204 - yes. At our last trip out, have a confirmed kill at 500 yards with a NEF Handi rifle in 204.
17 Rem - Oh yeah. Two cousins from the same hole. 487 yards.
223 - easily. Lasered at 587 yards, with a 40 gr Nosler BT.
We shoot between 300 and 700 rounds in a 6-8 hour period.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Huntingnerd33
Just drive down I-80, between North Platte and Kearney, not sure where, and on the south side there are about a billion little mounds out there. Good part is they aren't very jumpy with all the traffic.
Sorry that didn't really add anything to the topic, but shoot me an email and in a few days I should have a list of names of ranchers in western NE that I think have prarie dogs on them.
I would LOVE to shoot on that patch of land. It is ALL that huntingnerd33 says that it is. Can easily go 1300-1700 yard shots...if you wanted.0 -
quote:Originally posted by dcloco
22-250 - nope - you will burn a barrel out from the heat.
No. You won't. You could. But not if you have half a lick of sense. I've crammed thousands of rounds through my 22-250 to date and it's still very accurate. It won't always be, I realize that. But that is just a misstatement. The 22-250 is my go-to round for prairie dogs.
EDIT: Let's substitute "lick of sense" with "ounce of self-control".
That being said I do have a gripe about the 22-250. Recoil. I like to see the impact through the scope and my 12-lb Savage won't even let me do that. Which is why I'm saving pennies for a good ol' tried-and-true .223 for the sport. When I went back and read the post I realized what a grumpy ol' poop I sounded like. It's just that I've capped more of those miserable rodents than I'm able to count with my 22-250 and I'm enamored of the ballistic potential. Hope this softens the post some. Gawd knows I don't need any mre enemies.0 -
muzzle brake, they claim theirs reduces recoil by 60-80%, felt recoil is that of a .17HMR, 139$ installed
http://www.scorehi.com/main.htm
(? they left the l off of .html)0 -
quote:Originally posted by buschmaster
muzzle brake, they claim theirs reduces recoil by 60-80%, felt recoil is that of a .17HMR, 139$ installed
http://www.scorehi.com/main.html
I can't get the url to come up.
EDIT:
Got it. For the money, that's not a bad deal. But, dude. I'm trying to convince She Who Must Be Obeyed that I need another rig for p-dogs/coyotes.0
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