musselvalley
New member
Taking a family vacation in late May through the Black Hills and then to Yellowstone. Anyone know anywhere a guy can stop and shoot for a day or two in South Dakota and Wyoming?
Prairie Dog towns through SD and Wy
- Thread starter musselvalley
- Start date
Tex Adams
New member
The Thunder Basin National Grasslands have a large number of prairie dog towns. The trouble is, there is an assortment of ownership, making it somewhat confusing for people who are not very familiar with the area. In some areas, shooting prairie dogs is encouraged by land owners, but right across the fence it could be illegal due to the prairie dogs being protected.
For whatever reason, there seems to be a boom in the prairie dog population all over the northeast region of Wyoming this year. We have noticed quite a few moving onto the ranch, but I think I have been able to keep them at bay, atleast for the time being. After the antelope hunters I guide here on the ranch successfully fill their tags each year, I will usually take them down to a few spots I know where they can get in all the shooting they want. Several times, hunters have told me they enjoyed the opportunities to shoot prairie dogs as much or more than they did the pronghorn hunt.
Just as has been stated in regards to other types of hunts, unless you are hunting on private land, I would suggest you have a quality GPS with the land owner chip. I would also suggest a call to the local game wardens for their input as well. Most ranchers and private land owners want the prairie dogs gone, but due to liability issues, they can be leery of letting strangers access their property.
You are going about things in the proper way, by starting your planning early. You are much better off trying to locate a place early and getting things in place for your pending visit. It is pretty hard these days to just show up and ask for permission to shoot. By starting early though, and developing a relationship with a landowner, even if it is only by phone, you stand a better chance of successfully getting a place locked up. Do keep in mind, the months of May and June are when many of the ranchers in this region are gathering their cattle for spring branding and they may be less likely to allow access for people coming in to shoot.
If you have any specific questions I can help answer, don't hesitate to send me a pm and I will give you my number.
Tex Adams
For whatever reason, there seems to be a boom in the prairie dog population all over the northeast region of Wyoming this year. We have noticed quite a few moving onto the ranch, but I think I have been able to keep them at bay, atleast for the time being. After the antelope hunters I guide here on the ranch successfully fill their tags each year, I will usually take them down to a few spots I know where they can get in all the shooting they want. Several times, hunters have told me they enjoyed the opportunities to shoot prairie dogs as much or more than they did the pronghorn hunt.
Just as has been stated in regards to other types of hunts, unless you are hunting on private land, I would suggest you have a quality GPS with the land owner chip. I would also suggest a call to the local game wardens for their input as well. Most ranchers and private land owners want the prairie dogs gone, but due to liability issues, they can be leery of letting strangers access their property.
You are going about things in the proper way, by starting your planning early. You are much better off trying to locate a place early and getting things in place for your pending visit. It is pretty hard these days to just show up and ask for permission to shoot. By starting early though, and developing a relationship with a landowner, even if it is only by phone, you stand a better chance of successfully getting a place locked up. Do keep in mind, the months of May and June are when many of the ranchers in this region are gathering their cattle for spring branding and they may be less likely to allow access for people coming in to shoot.
If you have any specific questions I can help answer, don't hesitate to send me a pm and I will give you my number.
Tex Adams
Last edited:
Rustydust
Active member
Originally Posted By: AnkenyThe huge p-dog towns we had in central Wyoming have gone the way of the Dodo bird.
Hard to imagine it now, but there used to be a time when there were prairie dog towns in America that measured in hundreds of square miles. Can you imagine that? Now this was back in the day that those areas were just considered wasteland and no one tried to farm or ranch any of it because all the prairie dogs. .22 rifles were about what anyone ever shot them with and even then few were killed. Most people preferred to use their ammo for something a bit more palatable. Money was tight and a box of .22 shells were several bunnies or squirrels for the dinner table.
Ah, but to have a time machine, eh? Where is HG Wells when you need him?
Hard to imagine it now, but there used to be a time when there were prairie dog towns in America that measured in hundreds of square miles. Can you imagine that? Now this was back in the day that those areas were just considered wasteland and no one tried to farm or ranch any of it because all the prairie dogs. .22 rifles were about what anyone ever shot them with and even then few were killed. Most people preferred to use their ammo for something a bit more palatable. Money was tight and a box of .22 shells were several bunnies or squirrels for the dinner table.
Ah, but to have a time machine, eh? Where is HG Wells when you need him?
I remember the huge p-dog towns between Medicine Bow and Casper, WY. Hundreds of square miles of those critters around Shirley Basin. Folks used to bring campers and stay for days. The towns in Cave Gulch became hunting grounds for shooters from overseas. An acquaintance of mine brought clients in from Japan and provided them with cases of 5.56 ammo and whole assortment of At 15 rifles. I guess I am as much of a shooting hog as anyone. Even with the reduced populations I manage to kill a couple of thousand every summer.