Prairie dog hunts

Someone at the FTA today was telling me parts of the Wall, SD Buffalo Gap National Grassland is off limits to prairie dog hunting because of some sort of what I think he called the Black footed ferrot. I've hunted there. I wonder how common this is out west with this apparent protected ferrot effecting prairie dog hunting opportunity.

There were or are a couple places in WY that are closed because they found the thought to be extinct ferret on a ranch.
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A guy told me they promised to bring some ferrets back to that ranch but he said they never did

Just a small area in a big place nothing to sweat it about! Buffalo gap, Ft. Pierre grassland a the Black Hills Nat Forest are open to the public.


Ted Turner has some huge tracks of land in a few counties out West there also that protect the swift fox and the ferrets also.

Tactical
I live just a few miles down the river from where ferrets were originally found. They did reintroduce the ferrets back on a couple of those ranches a couple of years ago

http://www.ohranger.com/buffalo-gap-gras...ional-grassland

They always say if you find some endangered slug on your ranch then you never found it! LOL

Black Footed Ferrets are cool little beasts. They are likely the least known of all our "weasel family" mammals, and the only one of that family (Mustelidae) that, at one time or another, wasn't part of the fur trade. They were , apparently, not common even when they were first "discovered" by modern taxonomists. I would love to get a glimpse of one sometime. They are teetering on the very edge of extinction.

Them burrowing owls that hang out in the dog towns are cool also they are something to see!

I would also love to see them, although I have seen Burrowing Owls in the past. They are so-so common in, of all places, central and southern Florida. Some of the old folks down there when I was a kid called them "Ground Owls".

People whine and complain about the ferrets but they only affect a few SMALL areas. Its the ranchers that hate the government and the hunters that dont care about anything but what they want to shoot. Ferrets are awesome little critters, I have trapped and handled wild ferrets and they are pretty neat to see in the wild. I have no problem letting a few prairie dogs live in peace to have a few ferrets around. Especially since they are pretty dang endangered.

A friend of mine was the ranch manager who was told they couldn't bring a dog along to work cows on over 40,000 acres because it was on the reservation and the Federal government tells you what goes. As far as I know the blackfooted ferret was never reintroduced out there after all the head aches.
Allan

Wyote, I heard the story probably 15-16 years ago, good to hear they did bring some back.
I was in the bighorns killing coyote for a rancher in the summer time.
A construction guy told me about it, he said he was neighbors with that ranch. Lol but then I've heard guys say their neighbor lived 55 miles away!

A little information from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service- https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/factsheets/Black-Footed-Ferret.pdf

And- http://blackfootedferret.org/

Phoenix Zoo Live ferret cam- http://www.phoenixzoo.org/animals/ferret-cam/

Law dog I was driving a county black top few years ago, saw a borrow owl in a badger hole in road ditch, told fish n game guy and one went out and found owl scat, but owl wasn't there
Pretty small owl

Is the plague noticeably effecting prairie dog populations out west?

USFWS trapped all the ferrets they were aware of to save them and breed them. while in captivity they got plague and died. every single one. USFWS thought they were extinct. then they found some more. they have no clue how endangered they are or if they even are. inept bunch of government stooges. cwd used to be called scrappie till it was introduced into the deer and elk herds by,,, wait for it,,,,, USFWS working with the university in ft Collins co.

plague and prairie dogs go together like peas and carrots aje

There was plague in wy when I trapped out there, it will wipe a town out, I imagine a few years later more prairie dogs move in

Must not be any plague on the ranches I shoot on? Dog towns just keep getting bigger and bigger. Headed out on August 2nd for a while. 33 years of it.

I never seen one wiped out handi trapper. never known there not to be a plague warning either

Really? You must not work with the USFWS very much, or be very informed about the research they do with ferrets. Im sure those inept biologists dont know very much about those ferrets, should probably leave it up to the ranchers.

The only plague I know of comes from my 22.250’s @ 3900 fps. lol

really rino? why then did all those experts in wildlife biology let what was at the time the entire population die? they impress me about as much as people who refuse to mow my lawn when I find them begging at an intersection. fwiw I know where a few are in wy. no way im telling USFWS. I don't want locked out

hey rino, scrappie in deer and elk. USFWS working in co yes or no?

I think you are just one of the people who will never be happy with a government agency, especially a wildlife agency. To save an entire population would require stopping all shooting of prairie dogs, how well would that go over with the public? They dont have an easy job, somebody will always be unhappy. You just said yourself, they let an entire species go extinct because they are stooges. BUT, now you know where a few live and you wont tell them because YOU are too concerned about loosing a dog town to shoot at. It aint an easy job when all you deal with is the public and their one sided views and opinions.

I don't shoot them I trap there. when I shoot prairie dogs its for bait. killing stuff just to kill it doesn't thrill me

I know a lot of good Federal professionals. Stooges isn't something that comes to mind when I think of them.

Where are those professionals when people want you to not trap wolves? real nice of them to tell WY they can't legally kill any outside of Yellowstone. Stooges is exactly the right word. why not find out why you can't buy seal oil or meat or fur? are seals endangered? what about elephant ivory legally harvested? What word would you use?

Im sure you have noticed, but this country and the government agencies inside it are not run by common sense anymore. There are plenty of good wildlife professionals, I happent o know quite a few, but somewhere up the chain it all goes to heck. And unfortunately they have to listen to both sides. As I said earlier, they cant make everyone happy-including you. Its a job where you have to upset the least amount of people with a decision. (and I think you can kill wolves in WY now, otherwise the fellas that checked them in at the office killed them illegally.)

Shooting p-dogs doesn’t amount to a hill of beans nor have an impact on the ferrets food source.

More likely to have some stooge from back east blast a couple ferrets with his itchy p-dog finger. That’ll have way more impact.

And no, not a fan of the federal stooges either. But here it’s sage grouse.

[quote=Rhino7 To save an entire population would require stopping all shooting of prairie dogs [/quote]


Boone beat me to it.......

There are a few good wildlife biologists left out there with the feds. And then there are those with the USFWS....there might be a handful of decent ones there too - but overall many of their policies suck big time and they very rarely ever follow their own schedules of delisting actions. I strongly believe with GIS and computers......the overall quality of most biologists has declined. I am one and have observed most rarely get to the field these days.

Your right danny on the CWD and CO thing. Most media turn their head on the origin of CWD. It did involve starving deer and sheep in the same enclosure. And even when cervids were sick and dying they continued to sell extras from there.

Some confusion here between the people that work for USFWS and the people in charge of them that get the rules from the people above them that know nothing about what the heck is even going on! LOL Who here has never got the stupidest directions from a supervisor in the past?

Anyone go on some good prairie dog hunts this year?

I’m leaving in 3 weeks

Lower Brule Indian Reservation is choked with them they have a several mile long strip along the Missouri river road that is solid dogs.

Is that all deeded and alow shooting by permission?

Check with the Wildlife office it's on Corp take ground, the local I talked to said a guy could go shoot them but I'd check with the CO there 1st! (605) 473-5666

You generally have to pay to shoot dogs on the rez. Rosebud anyway. Ft Pierre Grassland you can shoot dogs for no fee.

I shoot in the Standing Rock now. Have been for 30+ years. Although the majority is on private ranches. There is obviously parts of the some dog towns that spread onto tribal lands. I’ve never paid to shoot. Have become close friends with these ranchers and of course they tell their neighbors, which always gains more access.

Some Reservations you need a guide also some you just go and shoot, some have a lot of tribal lands some are deeded lands mostly so it's always good to call first!

Are those guides very helpful?

Sure if ya like to party! LOL

I went prairie dog hunting once, and loved it. Strangely, I don't ever see articles about it, like in American Hunter magazine. I would think it would make for a good read.

Lol

Yeah they are helpful. + some will eat them or use them in a ceremony. I haven't hunted or ate them in a long time.

prairie dog hunting isn't really hunting. you just find a spot with a good view and start shooting. they are prolific breeders and shooting them wont endanger the species. it is just as fun though to set out a hundred empty pop cans, get back how ever far and shoot them. don't forget to pick your cans back up. unlike dead prairie dogs nothing eats dead pop cans. I sure wouldn't spend much to shoot prairie dogs. watch out for rattle snakes anytime your around dog towns. especially a warm afternoon in late winter early spring

Remember to take a shooting mat or Dragbag.

The guides set you up on top of a hill overlooking a big dog town and leave you there. Not much guiding needed after that. The shooters I see set up have very nice shooting benches, rifles, and high-end optics. They're into tack-driving at a long distance.

I've heard that the guides on the rez near here get $300/day or $3000 for the season to guide an elk hunt, and they have screwed up more hunts than they help.

I’m sure 20 cases of Budweiser will get you on some of their so called hot spots. lol

It is a huge deal here in Eastern Oregon some guys use some pretty fancy equipment for the hunt. You can spot the sage rat hunters on the highway driving fancy pickups, pulling fifty thousand dollar camps, side by sides and high end target rifles with the newest spotting scopes. I let a sheep herder friend come out a couple times this spring to hunt them. He took 150 home in sandwich bags to freeze and use for Coyote trap bait.

Buddy has a place just outside Chamberlain he's reasonable $50 a day and cuts guys a break on multiple day hunts he has 2 benches out in the town a guy can use! Just don't shoot a camel or a zebra and things should go well. LOL

Hunting prairie dogs is way more fun than shooting pop cans. Just my opinion.

well the little owls, kit fox, badgers ,coyotes and even those cute little cannibals the prairie dogs all got to eat. I don't have a problem with people shooting them just don't understand calling it hunting. its just shooting.

How much ammo do some of you go through on a prairie dog shooting trip?

How much ya got bring it!

1K. Sometimes a little more.

I've watched guys shoot 4 rounds a minute for extended periods, We shoot in teams, the spotter who calls the shot, range ,windage, how many clicks then fire for effect and the shooter. This way you learn a lot about the wind, ballistics and your gun. Also on a warm or humid day you can watch the bullets in flite. Using suppressors you can usually sit in one spot till you get your fill.

Also if you spend a little time on google earth and a map of "walk ins", you can find PD towns, some real gems close to the road.

I used to be that guy, shooting 1K + rounds in 3 days. That was 20 years ago. Got expensive re-barreling rifles every couple years.
Now we’re like you Diggerman. Taking turns spotting for the other. Much more enjoyable. I guess age has that effect on a person?
I’m headed out this Thursday for a week.

The biggest problem is shot up towns that when you pull into them the dogs go under ground and they don't pop up much just the stupid one now and then. It happens a lot on public and private ground that gets a lot of pressure.

One needs to research the BFF Recovery effort. Especially the part when they bred BFF to a Russian species they thought were close. And the train wreck that ensued after that. Not everything research does is correct, nor does it make them God.

CWD originating at CSU Research facility and those deer being sold to Alberta. Green back cut throat trout recovery effort, (raised the wrong species) the list is simply endless on failed efforts.

Good luck handitrapper.

You brought up a point I was wondering about...barrel longevity. It seems switching shooters is wise. Switching guns is probably wise too.


Diggerman- I was wondering about suppressors too. I only have had a chance to pursue prairie dogs once, but I was thinking looking into a suppressor would be wise.

Depending on how hot your loads are will matter to barrel life. I reworked both of my pdog rifles (currently both 22-250) over the winter. Usually no more than 3k-4k rounds before having some work. I know some guys only shoot half that amount before barrel work.

I don't know if it's true but I once heard 223 barrels last longer than 22-250s.

In my experience a well tuned AR .223 is very effective to 600 yds. after that is where the bolt .22/250's outshine the.223. Suppressors are awesome, no sweaty earmuffs, Dogs stay up longer, no accidental ear blasts. Voodoo bags are also mandatory equipment.

Throat erosion is usually the typical problem with most. A .223 has considerably less case capacity. Thus lower velocities and longer barrel life. But faster, thin jacketed projectiles make for a bigger mess of the little critters. And that is @ least half of the fun. Probably more.

I don't ever plan on shooting anywhere close to 600 yards Digger, so I'll stick with 223.

I used to use 223. But switched to 204

Won’t go back. And I shoot 100-400

Also 24 power scope is nice

204 I think is pricier ammo though. I haven't priced it lately.

Does the sun/mirrage often require you to turn your scope down below 24?

Yes if it’s real hot. Which it usually is

.223 is but reall like the flat of .204