The smallest dog, the Prairie dog, i have a question on them.

B

Bobzo243

New member
I know this sounds alittle silly but i don't live close to a prarie dog farm yet. (but soon). i have a .22 lr 10/22 and like to get sum work out of it. so-

1) How close canyou get to a prarie dog hill and have sum fun.
can you get 50-60 yards and use a .22 ?

2) What time of the day are they usually out?

3) And what kind of a day do they like ? (sunshiny, cloudy, or cloudy all dark days).

Thank-You, for your answers...
drool.gif
 
1.How close you can get really depends on a lot of variables. If they have been shot at much is a big one. You can get in a good spot and wait for them to come back up in range, but patience is key.
2. I have seen them at all hours of the day, but most activity seems to be about an hour after sunup to midmorning, and again from mid to late afternoon.
3. They are fair weather critters. Most of their activity will be out in the sun. Cold is not a major issue as long as it is not too windy. One of the best afternoons of shooting that I have had was a couple days after a storm, the sun was bright, no wind, and the temp was 21F. Forget shooting if it is raining, and if it is windy the shots will be sparse and difficult at best.
 
If they have been shot at recently, they will duck back underground as soon as a vehicle vibrations are felt, but after about 5-10 minutes, will start popping back up...That's the time you use to get your shooting bench/table set up and everything laid out...

Prairie Dogs are "Sun Worshipers" and will usually be seen sitting on their mound, facing the sun...If an Eagle, Hawk, or Owl is flying around, they will disappear for longer times...Clouds will drive them underground as well...

I've shot some with .22lr rifles as close as 25 yards, but those are only up for a couple of shots...A .17HMR would give you better range before needing to break out the centerfires...Light breezes will make them skittish and they tend to move around a lot between mounds...Heavier winds will keep them underground longer and their 'up time' is much shorter..

Plan on taking some form of shade cover, as well as plenty of water and an ice chest to hold your ammo, so you don't have a heat build up with it...Your chambers will get hot enough very quickly unless you can rotate your rifles and use some method to cool the barrels...They need to be kept in the shade when not in use...
 
I used to go out on a windy day with a 10-22 and shoot at them between 50-100 yards. It's fun to adjust for elevation and windage and walk it right into them. They didn't seem to be able to hear the 10-22 so you could wipe 'em out one at a time standing right next to one another. It was a lot of fun!!
 
I used to do the same thing as a kid. I was a big noise-shy as a youngster, and my farthest connection as a child was at 75 yards. It doesn't give you the 400-yard hits, but it does get you dead picket pins.
 
You know out here I don't think the noise of shooting is what bothers them. I think it the hunter. We get WAY more shooting in when we sneak up and use our gilly suits, DON'T skyline your self. Wind is a killer but in mid summer there still out in the wind but not standing up. On very secluded towns we have shot them with our shot guns... PS Fox pro has an all clear chirp , Just saying!
 
Watch the PD holes for snakes. I had one buzz from a hole that I was using for a rest. That will make your butt tighten up so tight you can't go for a week.
 
My son likes to pop em with his 22 WMR. It is zeroed to 150yds and is good out to about 200yds if not too windy. I have a 17 HMR which is easily good to 200yds. Much past that, I get the centerfires out. Most dog towns that have been shot at much will see those closer than 300yds go underground when the shooting starts. But, when we take a 30 min break to rehydrate, and cool/clean the barrels, they will pop back up. If you are able to hit em, the 22lr is as accurate as any of the rim fires.

One note: I would avoid laying in the dog towns prone in the grass. PD's are known carriers of bubonic plague and it is spread by fleas that can get on you if you wallow around in the towns. Use plenty of deet if you plan to even walk thru the towns. It is just not worth it to me, to get that close. I like the challenge of the long range shots anyway.

Irish
 
A lot of good info, but the best is the danger they pose. I wont go into details, but when I cowboyed we used a different method for control. When that method was applied to a burrow the ticks and fleas POURED out of the hole. Like the ground was moving.
I bought a plastic card table that folded up. Bought 2 cheap barstool bearings and a heavy plastic cutting board. Got a couple of adjustable rifle rests. I'm sure you got a picture of what it turned in to. I'd set it up on my flatbed truck and use the beer box for a seat.
 
I kill them every year with a Ruger .22 pistol with a cheap red dot on it. Every year. Sure, miss a few with it as well but man- an offhand 100 yard (sometimes more!) kill with a .22 handgun is a whole bunch harder than a 400 yard shot is with your $1000 varmint rifle. And more satisfying to boot!

I used to kill quite a few of them with a S&W K-22 before I swapped to the Ruger. Red dots are a lot more friendly to my eyes nowadays it seems.
 
I wouldn't be afraid to use the 22. As long as you keep you ranges under 100 yards, and know you gun, it can be a lot of fun. What I would do is apply for a suppressor so you can take as many shots as yo want without the whole town knowing.
Good luck!
 
I grew up in prairie dog country. Started shooting them in 1949 with a Rem pump action 22 RF. Had a Weaver J 4 X scope mounted on it. That 22 RF was good for shots out to about 70 yards.. After I retired in 1997 I got a Ruger 10-22 T with a Burris Target 6 X AO scope . I got three extra 10 shot magazines for the 10-22. I hit them at longer range but most of the p dogs got back into their holes. I go out on sunny days when the wind is not blowing. Befor plague and poison was common in the area I live, I shot bunches of p dog pups with the 10-22 rifle. But after getting a 17 HMR and 17 HM2 rifles I don't use the 22 RF rifles. For longer shots I use 17 and 22 center fire varmint rifles.
 
If its pasture land use something like Montana Decoy's "Moo Cow" and walk right up to them. I have a different brand but they do work most of the time, nothing works every time. Had one rancher offer me his horse. He insisted that you could ride into the middle of a dog town and shoot them off the back of the horse with a 22. Never took him up on the offer so don't know for sure how well it would work
 
Originally Posted By: parsonIf its pasture land use something like Montana Decoy's "Moo Cow" and walk right up to them. I have a different brand but they do work most of the time, nothing works every time. Had one rancher offer me his horse. He insisted that you could ride into the middle of a dog town and shoot them off the back of the horse with a 22. Never took him up on the offer so don't know for sure how well it would work

We sometimes use the ranchers truck to go out into the field. They are used to it so we can drive right up on them.
 
Back
Top