Prairie dog guides

yotenaylor

yotenaylor

New member
Me and a buddy are wanting to take a trip out west after prairie dogs. From what I can tell West Nebraska is the closest, but, again, this is a guess.
Anyways, is there anyone here that guides, or can give a guy a hand up on information, I'd appreciate it.
 
South Dakota might be a better choice, remembering the no shooting ban early in the season. There are several websites that are easy to find that will get you hooked up with a guide.
 
I found tons of "guides" on the google thing. How do ya know whos gonna be worth a hoot? I figure if someone can relay some good times-bad times stuff to me, it might keep me from makin a hurried, rushed and regretted decision.

What are you doin in the next couple weeks? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Check out the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservation websites. I haven't been there in a while but they used to list guides. They will cost a few $$$, but the shooting for me in the past was incredible.
 
I hunted last year with Willie @ Jim River Guide Service. He was recommended by others on the forum and works out of Pierre, SD. Willie can put you on dogs as far as you can see. His rates are a little high, but he does pay for your motel room, a high end dinner each night after the shoot and an ample lunch in the field. He seemed to have a tendency to over book and figures he can handle 6 to 8 shooters. The only problem that caused was transportation to the field.
 
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I hunted last year with Willie @ Jim River Guide Service. He was recommended by others on the forum and works out of Pierre, SD. Willie can put you on dogs as far as you can see. His rates are a little high, but he does pay for your motel room, a high end dinner each night after the shoot and an ample lunch in the field. He seemed to have a tendency to over book and figures he can handle 6 to 8 shooters. The only problem that caused was transportation to the field.



I'm another satisfied client of Willie Dvorak. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

We only had 4 in our shooting party the first day, and only 2 after that.....so maybe the crowded or overbooking isn't a regularity with him, at least it wasn't with us. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Best of all, he treated my 13-yr-old son with patience and respect. He probably spent more time spotting for him than all the other shooters combined.

If it means anything....we're going to use him again. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
What about guys that want more of a "lower" budget, do-it-yourself P-Dog hunt? Such as pulling out a 5th wheel, using that as a base, then using either the tow vehicle or 4-wheelers for field transportation...
 
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What about guys that want more of a "lower" budget, do-it-yourself P-Dog hunt? Such as pulling out a 5th wheel, using that as a base, then using either the tow vehicle or 4-wheelers for field transportation...



That is always possible. However, to avoid a lot of fruitless roaming around I would suggest you find someone that knows "the lay of the land".

I don't know if you have been out here shooting PD's before, but the notion that you can just drive out onto public land somewhere and find good shooting is really rare. Typically public land is over shot and finding a private land owner, with good shooting, is hard work and time consuming.

You are already spending a lot of money just to make the trip, IMO a few $$ more, hiring a good guide, can be difference between a successful trip and a loser.
 
I let my wife guide me last weekend. She's not cheap (probably cost me $50,000 by now) but extremely effective at finding dogs, spotting and remembering things I forget.
There are only about two things I hate worse than having a four wheeler(s) driving across the pasture...I can't remember what either one of them is.
 
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There are only about two things I hate worse than having a four wheeler(s) driving across the pasture...I can't remember what either one of them is.



So you would suggest I take the 7000lb. diesel truck across the pasture instead of a 600lb. four wheeler? Seems to me, a lower weight vehicle would have a much lower impact. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
How about not.

I shoot prairie dogs in at least a dozen different places and never drive anything in the field.

If you and every other dude that comes along decides to take a little drive across someone elses land its doubtful they will ask you back. Place will look like a parking lot at Walmart. Call my sister and ask her.
I never have trouble getting permission to shoot somebodys land but regardless of what it looks like to me....its still theirs and I don't care if they drive on it like it was Daytona, I just don't.
 
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The early ban is only in part of the Conata Basin. I know ranchers all over the western part of SoDak that would love to have you come out to exterminate and eradicate if you are a good shot, the entire population of the pesky desert rats.

If you would like, I can call some of these guys and see if they have cattle up in the pastures right now or see if I can get you hooked up with somebody for cheap...If I still lived out there, I would take you for free. They are everywhere in southwestern SoDak and found other places west of the Missouri River, but most plentiful as previously stated on Rosebud and Pine Ridge. Just remember to bring a pistol or riot shotgun. I know enough natives down there so they don't give me any trouble, but they are two of the poorest places in America and they don't care for tourists. Camp/stay off the Rez and drive out to where you are going to shoot. Many people never have problems, many get robbed blind when out shooting. You won't hear that on the news.
 
Post deleted... I guess the lack of sleep and overly strong coffee got the best of me... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif
 
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Looks like we have some major "chillin' out" to do around this Board!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
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There are only about two things I hate worse than having a four wheeler(s) driving across the pasture...


Me too!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
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Its a habit....assuming the worse. Comes from experience.

Didn't insinuate anything. If you want the places you shoot to look like the brickyard at Indy...go ahead drive all over them.

It matters alot to me how the properties I shoot look.....before I get there and after I leave.


I don't do pills....don't need them.

Anyone that owns land has at one time or another had trouble with trespassing. This had nothing to do with trespassing so I give up......where'd that come from.

Don't defend yourself....its silly this is the internet. Where I shoot you wouldn't have to walk five steps if you didn't want to, shoot all day and not drive across the prairie like the masses think is necessary.

Ask anyone that has went with me....there are plenty of them.
 
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Its a habit....assuming the worse. Comes from experience.

Didn't insinuate anything. If you want the places you shoot to look like the brickyard at Indy...go ahead drive all over them.

It matters alot to me how the properties I shoot look.....before I get there and after I leave.


I don't do pills....don't need them.

Anyone that owns land has at one time or another had trouble with trespassing. This had nothing to do with trespassing so I give up......where'd that come from.

Don't defend yourself....its silly this is the internet. Where I shoot you wouldn't have to walk five steps if you didn't want to, shoot all day and not drive across the prairie like the masses think is necessary.

Ask anyone that has went with me....there are plenty of them.



My apologizes for my previous post... The combination of lack of sleep and ultra strong coffee must have put me on the defensive...

After re-reading our past few posts and thinking it over a bit, I do believe we are on the same page, but due to the internet, we were not able to convey our thoughts so the other would completely understand.

I think we are a lot alike, you and I. We both agree on little or zero impact on the properties we hunt. I like to leave a site, hopefully, better than the way I found it. As I believe you would as well...

We both respect the owners wishes and their property. It's theirs, after all, and they can do with it as they please. We are both thankful being allowed the use of their land and behave accordingly.

I too have been conditioned to assume the worst. Especially when it comes to allowing hunters on my own property. I'm currently going through a case where I caught 4 locals poaching deer on my property. This happened close to two years ago and I'm still dealing with the legal fallout.

As I said before, I'm new to the whole prairie dog game and don't know what exactly goes on with hunting them. Thus the reason I'm here on this forum...

Again, my apologizes for flying off the handle...

To all...

If there is anyone out there willing to take this newbie under their wing and show him the ropes of prairie dog hunting... Drop me a P.M. as you have a very willing student... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
No worries my friend. My skin is so thick it meets in the middle.

I was only implying that where one person drives isn't the problem, its the next person, his friends, their friends, their friends and before you know it the place ought to be paved.
 
All prairie dog towns are not the same and the states that they are in are not the same. Never shot dogs in Colorado but lived there for several years and the towns are no where near the size and breadth of the towns in WY and SD. In the picture below you can see the size of one town in SD, those dog hole mounds went on for several miles. In center left of the picture you can see what happens when the dogs eat all of the vegetation.

The point is that we all use different methods of taking dogs. Some people like to stalk and sneak up on them. The majority of the shooters just setup benches and shoot at the dogs as far as they can see them. My method is to move and shoot and most ranchers that I frequent do not have a problem with this as long as I kill a bunch.
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