Finding prairie dogs

[PiedmontGuy]

I suggest you look at the OLAP properties in the Oklahoma panhandle. There are several quarters of land there that I bet you can locate prairie dogs. If you use the aerial on google maps, you can see the marks for a colony and then just go out there. I haven't seen any regulations against hunting them on public lands. Here's the type of marks you would be looking for. The picture below is some private land in eastern Cimarron County where I shot an antelope but my stalk was a little weird because I was looking down most of the time to make sure I avoided all the holes. I think this specific spot, the OSU graduate students go out to survey the prairie dogs every year or two. You do have to be careful because some OLAP properties ONLY allow shotgun and archery.

 

[Deer Slayer]

Def con Shooter - Did you live around Valentine?????

 

[TheDoubleD]

OLAP lands are all walk in. Shooting prairie dogs is needs shooting tables, spotting scopes, sand bags, several hundred maybe a thousand rounds of ammo for n afternoon. Not really a rimfire game. You can shoot them with anything but a game best done with heavy barrelled .22 caliber centerfires but you need a .22lr on the bench for those close up that charge you.

 

[Bchance]

OLAP lands are all walk in. Shooting prairie dogs is needs shooting tables, spotting scopes, sand bags, several hundred maybe a thousand rounds of ammo for n afternoon. Not really a rimfire game. You can shoot them with anything but a game best done with heavy barrelled .22 caliber centerfires but you need a .22lr on the bench for those close up that charge you.

that charge you?? I’m from the panhandle, Guymon to be specific, shot many prairie dogs. Never had one charge me lol.

 

[adamsredlines]

Not really a rimfire game. You can shoot them with anything but a game best done with heavy barrelled .22 caliber centerfires

Unless you're suppressed...where I go all a centerfire does is puts them all into hiding. We shoot rimfire with great success.

 

[TheDoubleD]

Yes charge you!

You're sitting there at the bench eye glued to scope, looking for targets at 200-300 yards, where you have been shooting all day, when out of the corner of your non-shooting eye you see movement and it feels danger close. Might even make you jump. You look up an there 20 yards away sits a prairie dog, they look huge that close when you have been looking all day 100, 200, 300, 400 and further. How did they get that close without you seeing them? They had to be charging don't you see.

I always have a .22lr real handy, laying on the table for just such shots. Last trip for gophers in Montana I used Ruger Revolver in 17HMR for table gun. Sure would like to get a chance to do that with prairie dogs.

So if they weren't charging, I was ready!

 

[TheDoubleD]

Unless you're suppressed...where I go all a centerfire does is puts them all into hiding. We shoot rimfire with great success.

I have spent all day in the same spot never moving shooting over the same town. I would be challenged with 200 yard .22LR rimfire shoots, not so much with the 17 HMR. 200 yard shots and beyond really out side my rimfires shooting skills. 200 yards would be my maximum iffy range for rimfire on prairie dogs. Gophers beyond 150 would be wasted ammo.

Out to 300 is for the small centerfires .22 and 17 Hornets and Bee's and similar such. 350 stretching it for the .223 AR's-although I will confess to having a heavy varmint AR that has not been tested long range on little varmints yet. For shots out beyond .350 break out the bolt guns, .223, 22-250 and I have a heavy-17lb .219 Donaldson Wasp for the the long shots with kills beyond 500 with these guns.

Yes the dogs do go down at shots, especially close ones, but they come back up. The long ranges ones tend stay up.

Of course I must further confess that all this long range shooting is done sitting at a shooting table, gun rested on sandbag. I also have to confess the majority of my prairie dogging was done around Dalhart, Colorado and Montana. I have never shot an Oklahoma Prairie dog, they might act different

 

[rjbrooks7]

I’ve been slaying them with a suppressed 17HMR at less than 75 yards for years just north of El Reno. I rest my rifle on a bodark post or hang it out the truck window or just lay prone in the bed. I left the farm the other day and went to get some chicken and noticed them right at the entrance to Lucky Star. They’re all over the place at Canton too.

17 kills em-just be mindful of a cross wind. Pop em with subsonic 22s and they get back up. I put a can on my 18” AR with a Primary ACSS and my cousin, the Afghan combat marine, dropped at least a dozen in about 60 seconds before they knew what happened. Glad he’s on my side...

anyone know how to get rid of them for good? I’ve been shooting them on a monthly basis for 6-7 years and they won’t move on. They’ve taken over about 80 acres of premium Bermuda pasture I miss the rent on...

 

[HoLeChit]

I’ve been slaying them with a suppressed 17HMR at less than 75 yards for years just north of El Reno. I rest my rifle on a bodark post or hang it out the truck window or just lay prone in the bed. I left the farm the other day and went to get some chicken and noticed them right at the entrance to Lucky Star. They’re all over the place at Canton too.

17 kills em-just be mindful of a cross wind. Pop em with subsonic 22s and they get back up. I put a can on my 18” AR with a Primary ACSS and my cousin, the Afghan combat marine, dropped at least a dozen in about 60 seconds before they knew what happened. Glad he’s on my side...

anyone know how to get rid of them for good? I’ve been shooting them on a monthly basis for 6-7 years and they won’t move on. They’ve taken over about 80 acres of premium Bermuda pasture I miss the rent on...

Im over in mustang, and would be thrilled to come out and help shoot them. I’ve heard some techniques in terms of eliminating the entire town as well and would be happy to sit down and figure out a good strategy. PM me for my number.

 

[Snattlerake]

I has a 30-06. Get a few lined up single file and then call me.