I have heard mention several times on the forum of prairie dog shoots and never having had that experience how do you go about arranging a hunt. I have hunted just about everything else including grizz but hear that "dog" hunts require a lot of shooting and MOA guns. Please educate me as to locations and cost. At 70, sit and shoot seems to be something that might be fun!
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Prairie Dog Hunt
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Bullseye 2620
Member
I have friends who live on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in north central South Dakota. This is short grass prairie country, and there is a lot of cattle ranching, and, the home to a lot of prairie dogs, which can wreak havoc on a cattle operation.
If you contact the Tribe's Game, Fish, and Parks Department, they can give you a list of ranchers who open their spreads to prairie dog shooters:
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
Games, Fish, and Parks Department
Denelle High Elk - Tourism Director
Phone: (605) 964-7812
Fax: (605) 964-7811
[email protected]
The deal varies by the host, but some ranchers are so eager to get help in controlling the prairie dog population on their spreads that they offer free lodging (usually in the bunk house) and meals in exchange for your services.
Most of the guys that I know that do this like bolt action 22-250s, 223s, and the 220 Swift, although I have seen 308s and 30-06s also used.
You will shoot a lot of rounds. Barrels will heat up. Most guys I know who do this seriously bring at least two rifles so that one can cool down while they shoot the other. Ranges vary from as close as 100 yards out to 300 or so.
Even if you have to pay to stay in a local motel in Eagle Butte, the Tribally-owned Super 8 is spotlessly clean and offers very good rates. You can call them at (605) 964-8888 for more information, and they may also have a list of host ranches, since a lot of varmint shooters stay there.
The Tribe also maintains an elk herd that they open for controlled hunts. The GFP Department folks can give you information about availability and cost, although they usually have openings available.
Let me know if you are seriously interested, and I will try to connect you with a couple of folks.
Good shooting!
Bullseye
P.S.: This is "Dances With Wolves" country, and is incredibly beautiful. The reservation is the size of Connecticut and is home to only about 13,000 people. Lots of wide open spaces including wild horses, buffalo, and much more.
If you contact the Tribe's Game, Fish, and Parks Department, they can give you a list of ranchers who open their spreads to prairie dog shooters:
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
Games, Fish, and Parks Department
Denelle High Elk - Tourism Director
Phone: (605) 964-7812
Fax: (605) 964-7811
[email protected]
The deal varies by the host, but some ranchers are so eager to get help in controlling the prairie dog population on their spreads that they offer free lodging (usually in the bunk house) and meals in exchange for your services.
Most of the guys that I know that do this like bolt action 22-250s, 223s, and the 220 Swift, although I have seen 308s and 30-06s also used.
You will shoot a lot of rounds. Barrels will heat up. Most guys I know who do this seriously bring at least two rifles so that one can cool down while they shoot the other. Ranges vary from as close as 100 yards out to 300 or so.
Even if you have to pay to stay in a local motel in Eagle Butte, the Tribally-owned Super 8 is spotlessly clean and offers very good rates. You can call them at (605) 964-8888 for more information, and they may also have a list of host ranches, since a lot of varmint shooters stay there.
The Tribe also maintains an elk herd that they open for controlled hunts. The GFP Department folks can give you information about availability and cost, although they usually have openings available.
Let me know if you are seriously interested, and I will try to connect you with a couple of folks.
Good shooting!
Bullseye
P.S.: This is "Dances With Wolves" country, and is incredibly beautiful. The reservation is the size of Connecticut and is home to only about 13,000 people. Lots of wide open spaces including wild horses, buffalo, and much more.
Last edited:
whitecoyote
Member
Check out the Varmint Hunter magazine.
The Varmint Hunters Association & The VARMINT HUNTER Magazine® - Hunters, Shooters, Reloaders - Your Source for Accuracy
Great articles. The classified section list guided hunts.
Good luck, you'll have a great time!
The Varmint Hunters Association & The VARMINT HUNTER Magazine® - Hunters, Shooters, Reloaders - Your Source for Accuracy
Great articles. The classified section list guided hunts.
Good luck, you'll have a great time!
mwtdvm
Member
btdt in 95.
Stayed in beautiful Zortman MT. My friend had connections with private landowners.
1. The wind blows constantly, but not consistently!
2. You need to be able to accurately judge distance.
3. My friend's 220 Swift blew them to chunks. My 22-250 just killed them.
4. Do not use cruise control on the gravel surfaced roads.
5. The nearest hospital is a 20 bed hospital in Malta Mt.
6. The State Trooper investigating the accident fined me $100 because there is an "unwritten law" for going over 35 mph on gravel roads.
Other than a week in the hospital when I got home, it was a great trip.
The local folks saved our bacon and I have nothing but the highest respect for them!
Take a lot of ammo. you may shoot 350-500 shots a day.
Stayed in beautiful Zortman MT. My friend had connections with private landowners.
1. The wind blows constantly, but not consistently!
2. You need to be able to accurately judge distance.
3. My friend's 220 Swift blew them to chunks. My 22-250 just killed them.
4. Do not use cruise control on the gravel surfaced roads.
5. The nearest hospital is a 20 bed hospital in Malta Mt.
6. The State Trooper investigating the accident fined me $100 because there is an "unwritten law" for going over 35 mph on gravel roads.
Other than a week in the hospital when I got home, it was a great trip.
The local folks saved our bacon and I have nothing but the highest respect for them!
Take a lot of ammo. you may shoot 350-500 shots a day.
OP
What's the best time of year to hunt, considering the weather heat/cold. My current scoped rifles are 25-06 and 30-06, but I have a couple of Winchester SRCs in 25-20 abd 32-20 that might be fun. Will talk to my shooting buddy tonight and see if we can work up a hunt together. Thanks for the information,this sounds like a cure for the retirement blaas. I have got to get away from this Florida heat.
Look up Winner, SD on the internet, and go to the Chamber of commerce and you can download a listing of places you can contact about shooting dogs. One of my favorite pastimes. You need a portable bench rest, I made mine from a 24"X36" piece of 3/4" plywood, 30" X 1" diameter galvanized pipe with floor flanges for legs, (only 3 legs for uneven ground) cost me about $50 about 6 years ago. Or you can buy one for around a $100+.
Work up loads that will shoot under i minute of angle, better under 1/2 minute. Need at least two guns better 3 guns to let cool off. Load up at least 500 rounds of ammo for each gun. Plan to shoot at least 3 days, as something such as rain, excess heat, high winds will spoil at least one day. Have a 4wd vehicle as you will be driving across country a lot. You need a "good" pair of binoculars, at least 8X or 10X for spotting the dogs, a rangefinder to measure ranges, a wind meter to figure out wind hold, a decent rifle rest or sand-bags for the bench rest. Plan on shot out to 500 or 600 yards, and depending on whether or not the dogs have been shot over recently, you may not get any shots less than 200-300 yards as they can be "gun-shy". If you're lucky, and get into dogs that haven't been shot at, and early in the summer (late May early June) the young dogs are really stupid and make easier targets. A .22 mag or 17 HMR could be used out to 150 yards or so. A 22 hornet isn't a bad gun out to 250, but the 22-250 is great out to 400+. A lot of people like the 204 Ruger as it has so little recoil you can see your hits via the scope, which is what you came for.
For some video's of Dog shooting, visit on the Web, "Seekers of the Red Mist". It's a great website.
Working up the accuracy loads is part of the enjoyment of the hunt, and it can take up to a year to get everything ready. Start looking around for a spot this fall, and make arrangements by Jan. for May/June shooting.
Rifle scopes in the 12X-14X are about minimum, with magnification in the 18X to 24X better. Better grade glass makes for a much more successful shoot. Knowing where your gun shoots at all those distances is the challenge.
Best thing I got was a custom elevation knob by Leupold. Made to the exact specs of your particular load in your gun. Read the distance on your rangefinder, dial in the distance on the knob, hold dead on and shoot.
Expect wind from "0" to 40 mph, with normal average around 25-30 most days. Find out how much drift your load needs to offset those winds. There are websites where you can input your load and it will calculate the drift for any wind speed.
Work up loads that will shoot under i minute of angle, better under 1/2 minute. Need at least two guns better 3 guns to let cool off. Load up at least 500 rounds of ammo for each gun. Plan to shoot at least 3 days, as something such as rain, excess heat, high winds will spoil at least one day. Have a 4wd vehicle as you will be driving across country a lot. You need a "good" pair of binoculars, at least 8X or 10X for spotting the dogs, a rangefinder to measure ranges, a wind meter to figure out wind hold, a decent rifle rest or sand-bags for the bench rest. Plan on shot out to 500 or 600 yards, and depending on whether or not the dogs have been shot over recently, you may not get any shots less than 200-300 yards as they can be "gun-shy". If you're lucky, and get into dogs that haven't been shot at, and early in the summer (late May early June) the young dogs are really stupid and make easier targets. A .22 mag or 17 HMR could be used out to 150 yards or so. A 22 hornet isn't a bad gun out to 250, but the 22-250 is great out to 400+. A lot of people like the 204 Ruger as it has so little recoil you can see your hits via the scope, which is what you came for.
For some video's of Dog shooting, visit on the Web, "Seekers of the Red Mist". It's a great website.
Working up the accuracy loads is part of the enjoyment of the hunt, and it can take up to a year to get everything ready. Start looking around for a spot this fall, and make arrangements by Jan. for May/June shooting.
Rifle scopes in the 12X-14X are about minimum, with magnification in the 18X to 24X better. Better grade glass makes for a much more successful shoot. Knowing where your gun shoots at all those distances is the challenge.
Best thing I got was a custom elevation knob by Leupold. Made to the exact specs of your particular load in your gun. Read the distance on your rangefinder, dial in the distance on the knob, hold dead on and shoot.
Expect wind from "0" to 40 mph, with normal average around 25-30 most days. Find out how much drift your load needs to offset those winds. There are websites where you can input your load and it will calculate the drift for any wind speed.
Bullseye 2620
Member
On Cheyenne River, I'd say spring (May) or fall (mid-September to mid-October). The summer (mid-June through mid-September) can be really hot (100° F. +) but with very little humidity. . .just 25 mph winds coming out of the due south. I'd check though to see what the people there recommend. Ranchers may not want you close by during calving season, etc.
Bullseye
Bullseye
My dad and I went on a prairie dog shoot in South Dakota about 1985 or so. As I recall, the hunting license was $2 and was good for Jan 1 through Dec 31. It wasn't an organized shoot, and we didn't really know what the proper etiquette was. We just drove around until we saw a ranch with holes in the field. We knocked on their door and asked it they minded if we shot their prairie dogs.
We learned later that poisonous snakes like to live in abandoned holes.
We learned later that poisonous snakes like to live in abandoned holes.
Yes, there are rattle snakes in SD. Everyone I know carries some kind of handgun with shot loads for snake avoidance. So far we have been lucky, and have not seen any, but other friends have seen several in Nebraska and in SD.
