Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints prairie dog hunt

I would like to plan a hunt to where ever is near cent Missouri. That's relative I know. Anyway, are there websites out there, can you get out on public land, what is cost if you have to hunt private land, etc, etc.

I appreciate the discussion. thanks

If you camp on Lake Oahe there is cheap camping available.
You can hunt South Dakota for $80 for a non-resident license
on the Standing Rock Reservation.
You could phone the Standing Rock tribe and ask them if they have any suggestions on where to hunt.
When the weather is bad for hunting it is good for fishing. They have guides who will take you out in their boat.
I don't know if Kansas or Nebraska has them or not?
Try a Google Search.

thanks. I have never PD hunted before. Is it an all day event or morning and evening or what. I have this idea of taking several guns of various caliber and just having fun.

It can be an all day shoot if you are in a good p-dog town that has not been shot over a zillion times.
It starts at daylite & goes on & on, depending on weather also....have lots of ammo.
Once they know what the bang is about and human form they will dissapear like mad, then its wait till one pops up to scout. If you are in a vehicle they are gone under, they know what it is!
A good gun that you can shoot & hit at 200-500 yds is a requirement in just about any town thats been shot over.

SUGV1,
It is all about fun and there are no rules. They are considered varmints. I have shot the youngsters with 22 rifles and pistols,
all the way up to a 30-06 with 110 HP.
Now I mostly use a .223 with light bullets, but I still bring out my .220 Swift for "special effects".
Bring good ear protection!
There are sharp rocks, and cactus out there, so bring a scrap of carpeting to lay on 6'x6' is about right.
Otherwise you can rig up a small portable bench of some kind.
Some guys shoot right off the hood of their vehicle.
I bring a tent and sleep right in the dogtown, so I am out there as soon as the sun comes up and shooting before breakfast.
Google search for hunting info in each state you are thinking about.
Here is a picture of my youngest son shooting off a homemade shooting bench, very portable. He uses a bipod but I prefer a sandbag. Get comfy and bring sunblock. There are no shade trees in South Dakota,
whelennut

Prairie dog hunting is a full-honk EXPEDITION. It's a full-day drive each way for you, and it is sunup to sundown out in the boonies unless you already have made arrangements.
Perhaps the first thing you should do is plan at least five days just to explore, with the guns along for the ride.

Take a couple of different rifles also. A good medium range 0-300yd rifle and one to cover 300-600yds and plenty of ammo.

We normally get up in the A.M., go eat a good breakfast, run back by the motel and well you know..Then go out to the town and shoot. About 5 or 6 hours and you will be wore out and ready to call it a day if you have been on a good town. 5 or 6 hours of straight shooting is alot.

One more thing, take ALOT of ammo.

Good luck, its a blast...

I drove through SD on my move from NY to CA and finding a place to shoot prairie dogs in SD was really easy. I just went to a small town and asked around. They sent me down the road to a guy working at a store and he set me up with one of the nearby ranches. Got about half a day of shooting then stopped because I was tired and way too sunburned.

Exactly! I can't figure out why people think they need a guide?
South Dakota ranchers are the nicest people I have ever met in my life. Just have manners and you have made a friend for life!
whelennut

You are on the right track! We went on a DIY pd hunt in Wyoming a couple of years ago. We just went to the local BLM office and asked the wildlife guy for some general directions. (They won't give you specifics or a given town would be shot out in no time.) We invested a few hours driving until we found a town with a reasonable number of pd's and camped at the edge of the town as Whelenut said.

We had a great time. Just kept it relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. Good luck with whatever you decide to do! It really is a kick.

My experience in Wyoming and Montana is that lot of the ranchers have contracted hunting rights out to guide services and that includes prairie dogs. I like to go to different places every year so I hire a guide and don't spend time looking for dog towns. I would rather spend the money than the time to locate the dogs.