Prarie dog hunting

[hunt4food]

I guess I don't have enough hobbies yet. I am thinking about trying Prarie Dog hunting. I am sure many of you have done this. Can anyone give me some advice on the best places to go out west? What time of the year is best?

[Flashman]

I know Montana put a season on them last year. Public land is closed to shooting priarie dogs from March 1st - May 31st. Private land is open year around. I suggest good clear optics, and lots of ammo.

[WalleyeGod]

Southwestern ND is the place to go. SD also would be good. MT too far.

For more info, send an email. [email protected]

[This message has been edited by WalleyeGod (edited 05-27-2003).]

[Redlantern]

Hunt4food, did you have any luck? How do those things taste? I assume you ate them. Anybody have any recipes for crow? I would like to hunt them but don't ever hear of anybody eating them.

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Erik

[hunt4food]

Walleyegod, I tried your email address that you left me, but it doesn't go through. I would like to hear from you.

REDLANTERN, I don't plan on eating any of them, but if you want some, post your name and address and I will have a cooler full of them shipped to you on ice and ready for your recipe. I don't hunt crows, but I suppose if you cooked them slowly with potatoes, carrots and celery, you could throw the crow meat away and then eat the potatoes and carrots!!

[Redlantern]

Hunts4food, obviously you see what I'm getting at, but in all seriousness, do people eat these things? Seems to me it might be worth a try. I ate eelpout as a joke and found them to be rather good.

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Erik

[hunt4food]

I too have eaten eelpout. I tried it about 6 years ago on an ice fishing trip to Lake Of the Woods. It is very good. If I was really hungry, I am sure I could prepare a Prarie dog to taste pretty darn good. I don't plan to be that hungry though
My long range rifles don't leave much on the bones anyway if you know what I mean. I bet it would be very tender though!

[Guest]

Vermon! Dirty little diseased creatures, cary the plague and all kinds of things, infested with fleas! Fun as hell to shoot though! what a blast. Grand Junction, Colorado is the best. I used to live on the outskirts of town. I could pop the little buggers out of my back yard. Oh to shoot the 22-250, 22 mag at their dirtly little bodies again.............. Spring hunting is the best, try to hit a baby at 300 yards can sharpen a persons skills for sure. They will laugh at you (sound out alarm) to the other colonies. You must think like the prarie dog to get yer prarie dog......................

[Flashman]

Well I just returned from North Eastern Montana and boy did I have a blast. My uncle lives out there so I get double duty out of the trip. Spent two days shooting flicker tail gophers at a farmers place close to his, man where there lots of those little buggers. Friday between 6 of us we dented the primers on just over 8,000 22 long rifle shells, Saturday and Sunday we drover out to a prairie dog town. I didn't ever think it could happen but I actually got tired of shooting my 220 Swift. The pups were on the mounds and did we have fun. This year we had range finders with just to see what distance we were hitting some of them at. I took one at 619 yards, was towards the end of the day after you really start to get the feel for the wind and distance, first attempt at that dog. I couldn't believe it. I was expecting to put some dust close to him so everyone could throw some lead at him but I hit him. I only wish I had more vacation time coming. LOL

[hunt4food]

Now that sounds like fun. Sounds like you might be ready for a new barrel on that .22! As much as I would like to do it this year, I just don't see it happening. Too much other stuff in the way like work. I have been told spring is better than fall, but it would be tempting to combine a dog hunt with a bird hunt. It seems like a long drive out west just to swat those little buggers. I am definitely going to do it next spring. Thanks to all of you that provided your input!

[Redlantern]

Hunts4food, I guess you called it right about them being filthy. Don't send me any, I don't want any monkeypox. If you want to shoot something, I've got a yard full of pocket gophers. They don't taste very good, though.

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Erik

[Flashman]

the last two years I was going out there for pheasants but we'd set aside one day to do some prairie dog shooting. If the sun is shinning you will get shooting. Last fall when I was out there we had cold weather with a light mist in between patches of sun, temp was 38 degrees but we still got some shooting. Two years ago in the area we hunted pheasants they got hit with a pretty big ice storm. We didn't do well on the birds and had more fun shooting dogs so we decided on a spring hunt just for the little rodents. I'm sure we'll probably still head out for birds this fall and probably bring the varmint guns along as well. It just doesn't make since to drive that far and not bring my swift along.