praire dog hunting

[1biggun]

Just got back last week from a South Dakota Praire Dog hunt. I used my custom AK 47 varmit gun 26" heavy barrel in 223. shot close to 800 rounds in two days. mostly hand loads but had to burn up some wolf as well. was taking shoots from 50 to over 600 yards. I had several confirmed hits at 600 and a lot of hits at 400+. was on the bruell Indian reservation. I seriously doubt that 7 shooters even made a dent in the massive town we shot at. we use 17 hmr,s and a few 22 mags as well for up to 150 yards or more. I even shot a few with a AK pistol. one guy had a real nice rockriver AR 15 that was so so in the accuracy department likely due to the ammo or somthing other than the gun. One guy was supecious of the hits I was claiming so a 2 liter bottel of coke was set out a 375 yards it went about 8 feet in the air when I hit it. Argument over LOL. If you ever get a chance do shoot Pdogs take it . really nice country and a good place to ATV as well

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[sjohnson]

Bud, it's Brule . My guess is that you were somewhere in the Lower Brule Reservation, somewhere north of Chamberlain, SD.

Glad your plans came together, and that you located in a huge placement of 'dogs. I've been shooting them for many, many years now. Why pay for targets when you're doing the ranchers and farmers a favor by taking out the prairie rats.

Congrats!

[1biggun]

Sorry for the miss spell. Its my third year there this was the best for long range shooting. I need to get that 260 remington or something faster for the last 20 shots of the day. I am also working on a fast twist 22-250 bolt gun to allow me to shot the 80 gr+ bullets. we were basicaly up the missorri river from the interstate. paid $50 a day to shoot. not to bad considering we got to take ATVs and ride all over the place, hell I spend more drinking if I stayed home on a weekend. also working on a 17-223 AK and I was checking out how well the 204 ruger fits in my mags. Im really getting the long range accuracy bug lately. I would have loved to have had a 264 MAG the last 3 shots of the day, I would love to get one at 800-1000 yards

[sjohnson]

Some of the old boys down here also like the 50 cal bolts. Vaporizes the rats

[railbuggy]

Never been dog hunting before.Do you leave them for the birds,or is there use for them to offset your cost?

[sjohnson]

BTW, brule ("burnt") is the French translation of the Lakhotan "Sichanghu" which translates as "burnt thigh"

Imagine a hot, windy, dry great plains day. A dry lightening strike starts several hundred thousand acres of grasslands on fire. The grass is no higher than a man's waist as it burns, whipped into a massive firestorm by the wind.

The people ran toward what water they could find, such as the Missouri. Many died, and many who made it were badly burnt on their legs.

It must have been a fire epics are made from, for a people to choose the event for their name.

[sjohnson]

Some people eat them, here's some recipes: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

My favorite recipe includes beer and jerkey. Leave the critter for the skunks, coons, yotes and buzzards, and eat jerkey & drink beer. Most just leave them. Flea-bitten rats.

My main reason for not eating them? [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[1biggun]

dont forget monkey pox.
the coyotes and badgers and what ever eats them clean them up in a day. it is hard to find a dead one more than 12 hours old. years ago I think there was a bounty on them like 5cents each for the tail but they stoped that because they dont want you to touch them. many ranchers poisen them off. the indians are trying ferrits in one area.

[upgrayedd]

I am DYING to go blast some prairie dogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course, to prepare for the trip, I'd go out and purchase a new rifle, because I'd want something larger than the .17 HM2 for those dogs.
I'd move up to the Marlin .17 HMR. this is the "big brother" version of what I currently own in the smaller caliber.
I 'd also have to try out the old remington .222 bolt.

What is the license fee for out of state hunters? What do the pelts go for?

[upgrayedd]

Of course, I won't get better than 165 to 200 yards at best from this HMR caliber, but I've been wanting one for a while anyways, this would be a good excuse to buy one.