need "where to" prairie dog info, please

[sammyc]

I live in North Central Arkansas.

Some of my gun club buddies and I would like to do some pdog shooting this Spring but don't know where to go.

We'd like to do Texas or Kansas if possible just to save on fuel.

We don't have the funds to book the $1000 per man hunts, but are looking more for low budget or self guided hunting.

I've heard that in Wyoming and Montana you can just drive around and ask ranchers and get permission to hunt free.

Are there good dog populations in Tx and KS or even Colorado where that can be done??

I suppose if the hunting is free the extra fuel to Wyoming wouldn't bite too badly.

Or, if anyone has good experience with a guide who can fix us up for a couple of days for a hundred bucks per man......

Anybody got any recommendations??

Please advise,

Sammyc

[Rick65Cat]

ROFL!!
One week and no responses. You actually think people are going to give up where they have good success hunting P-dogs to someone else?
Sorry to say, you're going to have to get out and drive and FIND places yourself. Thats what I did.
Now I have a buddy who has access to over 35,000 acres of gopher rich farmland, and brings 4 or 5 of us out a few times in the summer.
Also found 2 more places by way of a co-workers who have relatives who own farmland that want help eradicating the sabre-toothed dirt pigs.
And no....I'm not giving up the locations except to say they are in western Canada.
You just have to ask around where you live or if you have relatives in other neighbouring states that will ask around for you with THEIR friends.

If you want to drive about 2100 miles (one way), I'll take y'all to my spot knowing full well it wouldn't be every weekend you showed up.

[Captqc]

Sam,
Check out "Basic P.D. Hunting Questions" under the .204 Ruger Varmint Hunting section that should provide some help.
Gary

[sammyc]

Rick and Gary, thanks for the notes.

Rick, I appreciate the invite but, I don't have enough elevation adjustment to aim at 2100 miles!!!

Although no one has posted their best spots here for the whole world to see, I have had some PM's with some really good information.

Since I don't have relatives or customers in areas where the dogs live, I've been making phone calls to County Co-op agents, Feed dealers and some local Chambers of Commerce.

I've made some promising contacts that way also.

Yes, I'll be driving around introducing myself in West Texas later this Spring or early Summer.

Maybe I'll find a spot I can invite you to!!

Thx. Sam C.

[skb2706]

I would sooner tell you where my gold mine is.

But from my house I'll give you directions.
turn right at corner drive four blocks
turn right at corner drive forward and turn left get on highway and drive 93 miles turn right
go 87 miles on that road turn right and a quick left.
knock on door and announce you are there
get back in car a drive 1.1 mile get out and shoot for a while

seriously there are alot of dogs to shoot but the fewer fellow shooters you bring the easier it will be to find the best spots. I'd search OK and KS for the ones closest to you.

[OldTurtle]

sammyc, Most people keep their favorite/available PD spots pretty much a secret....There have been too many problems with showing a "friend" one location and that "friend" showing up with a bunch of his friends, later, and ruining the location through either overshooting or making the landowner mad through poor sportsmanship, etc.

Within the last couple of years, the plague has wiped out a lot of PDs on a pretty widespread basis and that makes secret spots even more valuable...

This is the most recent Wildlife information from KS on the subject:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/cim/prairie_dog.shtml

I had a similar notice from a rancher where some of us go in Montana and it's so bad up there, he's shut down shooting for the next three years... Since he gets $150 per person, per day for housing, great food, and transportation around the ranch.... That's a lot of income he's passing up for a while.....

[Rick in Oregon]

Sammy: As you own a varmint rifle and showed up here interested in PD's, I'd assume you subscribe to The Varmint Hunter Magazine. If you look inside at the classified section, you'll see a slew of guides and landowners who will, for a fee, either guide you for your shoot, or let you shoot on their land for a fee in the area you have interest in.

If you do this for your first year, once in the general area, you'll be able to strike out on your own, meet folks, and most likely either return to the guide or ranch you started out with, or find another place that you'll go to another time.

If you don't get Varmint Hunter, you can find it on some newstands or look them up on the web at http://www.varminthunter.org Another very good magazine for good info on varmint rifles and loads is Small Caliber News, but TVHM is the one with all the guide info within. Warning: Once you go after PD's, you'll be hooked, and your bank account will suffer accordingly. Good luck with your quest.

[sammyc]

Thanks for the advice Rick.

I don't currently get TVHM, but I will check out their site and probably subscribe.

Yes, "the bug" is expensive even when you don't have pdogs handy to shoot.

I've got a couple of .204's, (1 Cooper, 1 Ruger) but yesterday I accidentally bought a Cooper .22 PPC and a Weatherby .223 SVM!!

Now I gotta start working up new loads again! GEEZ, It never ends!!

Thx again, Sam C.

[skb2706]

Yes, "the bug" is expensive even when you don't have pdogs handy to shoot.

How well I know what it costs when you do have them handy. Its not the cost per trip that kills me....its the frenquency of the trips. Going again Thursday night for the weekend, weather permitting.
I can get away with $120 for handloaded ammo and another $50 or so for gas. The other stuff i have to have anyway. Costs a whole bunch more taking 'newbies' out because they don't initially have any concept of ammo costs and they want to shoot alot more and spot alot less.

[WY-NEvarmints]

SammyC

Hi, newly joined but have been digging in and enjoying the site for some time now. Finally decided to join because of the outstanding positivism that seems to abound here (Rick in Oregon...KUDOS my good man) some other sites do not portray the like, also for the pure experience that so many members have and share so thanks for that guys. I live on the WY/NE border so I am fortunately in a PD rich environment that I guess we locals take a little to lightly after hearing from those of you having to travel great distances for such a thrill with PD's. However I am now jealous of those of you that have hogs to whack at. As SKB2706 stated, it is not the distance for us that hurts, it is the fluidity of trips that adds up quickly. Case in point, I was laid up in the house for a few days and cabin fever was settin in so I decided to venture over to one of my honey holes about 10 miles away and see how many PD's were willing to play. As it turns out the wind was blowing about 20-30 MPH and gusting A LOT higher than that quite often. I happen to have the luxury of an old open faced shed with just the right amount of boards missing to be able to snipe them from every angle. That being said it don't do any good once that little burger leaves the area to face the wind other than the fact that 'Skippy's' family members look around to see why 'Skippy' just exploded and hence a few follow up shots to the same mound due to the wind taking the sound away. Worked really well for me and I was able to do pretty well considering that wind. The wind is kind of a constant in this area as I am sure it probably is not to uncommon in the area that SKB2706 hunts as well, therefore you get kinda good at wind drift compensation in these parts. So if a trip to an area such as this is in your future that is something to consider as it tends to peave some folks. I too have the CRS syndrome as R.I.O. suffers from and I walked out with out the digital camera. I did get some pics on my cell but don't know how to get them from that contraption to an email. I will have to create a list as Rick did and if anybody has any idears on how to get them from phone to here, I would graciously post em. I know how much a good pic or 2 adds to these posts. As posted before, I would not tell you where to go, but if you were to show up, I am sure we could find Pdogs to play with, and yes I am now setting here wishing I was back out there sending some down the pipe.

Thanks,
Dean

[Glen]

Welcome to the Forum Dean!! Glad to have you here!!

[WY-NEvarmints]

I think I figured out how to get them from phone to here. I will give it a whirl. Sorry for the lack of quality but as I stated earlier, they are from the camera on my cell phone.

This one was the first of the day from a .204 34 GR JHP. The secone one is a closer version of this.
http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn31 ... 1343a1.jpg
http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn31 ... 813431.jpg

This one fell to a 34 GR JHP (Winchester's) as well at a distance of about 150 yards. Second one here is same Pdog just closer up.
http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn31 ... 814361.jpg
http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn31 ... 814351.jpg

This little feller was about 10 yards further out on his way to see what just happened to his cousin in the previous pic's just a second earlier. He found out!!!
http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn31 ... 814501.jpg

This unlucky soul let a 40 GR VMAX find him straight upwind from me at about 175 yards (Last one of the day)
http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn31 ... 814531.jpg

A pic of my .204 that landed them.
http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn31 ... V018-1.jpg

Hopefully this works
Dean