thewall_13

I've never been prairie dog huntin and I finally found a place to do it

could you guys tell me the basics of prairie dog huntin ..... what scope gun cartridges etc.

gopher slayer

Finaly somthing i know tones about PD are the same as gophers (i think) Ive been using a .22 for years now with open sights Ive take a few out at 100 yards (B.S. luck shots) my father uses a stock ruger 10'/22 witah 4x tassco 22 mag scope I have used this gun and have taken gopher out to 60 yards (havnt seen any further) but i wish i had a bit more scope. I recently purchased a marlin 917vs 17HMR and mounted a simmons 4-12x40AO scope on it. its of plenty scope for shootin gophers out to 150 yards. the 17hmr is a fun little cartridge because its VERY explosive on small game. It has been known to blow gophers in 2 if there smaller and the bullet hits right but it does get costly at $11.99CND for 50 Rounds. Now how to hunt them i walk the fields manily there uslay preatty stupid unless they have been hunted hard. If they just have there head sticking out of the hole you can just stand still and they will come out. you can make a whistle by just holding an empty .22 shell to you bottom lip and blow it makes a high pitch squeal this will often cause them to come out of thier hole farther. If you can drive out into the field you can get even closer to them. just drive with your windows down and use your mirrors as rests. (shooting from vechical is illegal but on private property varmint hunting its no big deal around here any ways) a set of binos are a scope is nice to have to identify your target better. I hope this Helps.

James B

Prarie dogs are much larger than gophers. Its hard to get very close to them after the first few shots. With a 223 size rifle its not to hard to hit them a 200 yards or more.

Beer Slayer

I've hunted prairie dogs for years, since I was old enough to carry a gun. I started out using a Daisy .177 caiber pellet gun. Worked pretty well on the year's first crop of new babies. But, I found getting closer to any of the larger p dogs to be quite challenging, plus a pellet gun would not have done much good on a full grown dog anyways. Since then I've used a .22 LR, .22WMR, and .22 Hornet. All do a fine job of putting an end to p dogs but a lack a little bit of punch on the downrange side. Like most other animals, once they have been shot at a couple of times they become very shy. Thus, those that do show their face tend to be in the 200-350 yard range. My current setup, a HOWA M1500 chambered in .223 with a Bushnell Elite 3200 5-15X50AO scope and equipped with Harris bi-pods allows for clean kills with 40gr. CT Ballistic Silvertips at well over 200 yards. The only advice I can give you is to find a good, comfortable place to sit, be still, watch the wind, have a rock solid rest for those long shots, and bring lots of ammo. Good luck and good huntin.

Sixgun_Redneck

i could have swore that Prairie dogs are gophers. Anything ranging from .22LR and up is good for em. I use a .17HMR with a 2.5-10X42 and i just bought a .22-250 with a 4-12X40. Should work dandy together, .17HMR for shots under 100yrds, .22-250 for everything over. I usually just drive around in a golf cart or pickup shooting em. The box also makes for a nice place to lie prone.

Red Hawk

We don't have any Prairie dogs out here but plently of gopher or as my dad called them "goobers"

I have shot a few with .22 with scope. I don't recall the range but wasn't too far away.

Shotguns: Slight overkill if you can get close enough

Bow: Never tried it but its on my to do list

Glock: overkill lol

Ks_Sniper

Okay. A gopher is not a prarie dog, but a ground squirrel. They are very common in that they both live in colonies which can become quite vast. The dog, however, gets bigger than the gopherand is much more difficult to get within 50 to 75 yds of, so hunting them with anything but a long range rifle is simply out of the question... but let me know if you ever manage to pick one off with a bow or shotgun, Red. I can admit when I'm wrong. Also, if you're wanting to hunt them, a .17 would be ideal for ranges up to 150 yds with little need for distance compensation. Beyond that, a centerfire like the 22-250, 222, 223, 243 are perfect for these farther ranges out to 300 or even 400 yds.

Other than this, all I can say is make sure you have a great vantage point/hiding spot, bring plenty of food and water so you don't have to end your fun early, and make sure your rest is unmoving, yet will absorb the shock from the rifle fire. Good luck and happy hunting.