Inexpensive P-dog hunting

While I don't hold anyones hand I also don't collect $400/day. The good food, lodging and such come from having a really good family who provide all of that to me and mine for free.

In CO a hunting guide can't even carry a gun much less use one.

I shoot pds to help slow their evasion of a pasture or farmland. The challenge for me is in the quantity and high kill percentage. Long shots waste ammo in a 20 mph cross wind.

Personally I think an AR is a poor choice of rifle for pd shootin. You can't really use the quick back up shot for any extended period of time. Once they get hot they are just like any other rifle, bolt action, single shot whatever they can only be shot so fast before you have to put them down.
 
Originally Posted By: mr243 but then try to get a hold of the rancher is a nother story.

Very true. I was a bit surprised when I first moved to Colorado to learn that a lot of the ranchers don't actually live on the ranch. Many live in the small communities in the general area, simply because if they actually resided on their far-flung property, their children would have to travel 60-70 miles a day to attend school.

While it never hurts to knock on doors, I've also had good success finding huntable land/populations by stopping at farm supply stores and local gas-stations. And while talking to a rancher, it doesn't hurt to ask the name/phone number of the rancher that owns the adjoining property.

Mike
 
I have hired a guild twice in the years I have been going out to SD and have had very good luck but my group went back to square one and made a ton of phone calls and alot of miles and time. Don't get me wrong we still pay to hunt PD's. By the time you pay for hotel rooms and food you will burn up $200 plus a day pretty quick (trespass fee,hotel,warm meal at the end of day)So going through a outfitter or guild is not all that bad as long as you do some research and get a good one and that will get you into some good shooting.
 
I married into my hunting spots! Ran a ad that said wanted good woman that can reload, cook, open gates and has access to lots of ranch land send pictures and map of ranch.That probley wasn't the cheapest route but, it worked for me.
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WhitBri:

I know what you mean about trying to find an inexpensive prairie dog shoot. I have paid $4000 for elk guide, but I can't get myself to pay $400 to shoot a rodent. Call me crazy.

I went out to Mobridge last year on a do it yourself hunt. We drove all over the place and knocked on a lot of doors. We met some real nice people, but the problem was all the white ranchers had their dogs poisoned years ago. It's cheap and very very effective, they can wipe out a whole town in a day. The contractor that was doing it had adds in the paper and I was told he drives an ATV around with a spreader on the back spreading some form of poison. I suspect mouse poison would work fine.


Well, we quickly noticed that all the PD's were on property owned by Indians. Reason, they cannot afford to poison them. One of my friends found a local native that called himself a guide. After some negotiating, we agreed to hire him at his asking price, $50/day + beer. No kidding. He showed up the next morning with three friends, they just wanted to ride in a truck so we brought 2 with. Nice people, just no cars. Picked up another one on the land we hunted, which meant we were now outnumbered. Sounds funny, but the fact is they were nice people, well except for the drunk one that had us drop him off at the casino with $20 he borrowed from me.

The prairie dog hunting was fair. We shot probably 200 rounds each for three of us. When we got back home, I did a little research and realized that we were suppose to have purchased a tribal license that our guide said we didn't need. Also found out you are suppose to hire a certified guide, which ours was turned out not to be. In the end, everything turned out ok,but I will be more careful next time. The Standing Rock Tribe has a website. There is plenty of PD's there.


On a related note: has anyone ever driven from the South Dakota Badlands to Black Hills through the Buffalo Gap Grasslands (Fed Land I think). There are several miles where there are literally millions of PD's on both sides of the road. There are so many, it stinks like a turkey farm. They are digging up the road ditches and the sholders, the landscape looks like the moon. It's just crazy. I was on vacation with my family and after I couldn't take it anymore, I stopped the RV to read one of the small metal signs. Apparently this area is a black-tailed ferret reintroduction area and no shooting is allowed so there will be a food source and so people will not shoot the ferrets. Well, a couple thigs are obvious, the ferrets are not doing too well and the PD's are devastating the landscape there. Perfect example of government at its finest. If they would let some hunters in once in awhile, that would be the ultimate in cheap hunts. A liquid cooled barrel may be needed.

Jason
 
Early in the Spring I bring a couple hundred 22/250s and a brick of .22s. On the average day I will shoot 200 - 300 PDs. I normally only hunt a part of a day. Depends on the year, the plauge, the grass and the wind. Later in the year I only hunt early mornings or late afternoons when its cool and shoot 30 - 100 depending on the size of the town.
 
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