I would like to drive west somewhere to hunt p. dogs. I am in central Florida. What state that has them in shootable numbers or where rancher would gladly welcome you to help thin out the little varmints that is closest to Florida? Would a guy need a guide or could one do it on his own? I would also like to go in the spring or summer months. Any other info such as seasons, licenses, public vs. private land, etc. would be really appreciated.
joe

DIY unless you have freinds in the area you want to go is hard.

Its big country. I think any dog towns you find on public will be shot over a lot.

I went to MT for years Wyoming a few times had local info and freinds to get us onto private land.

Had a great time shot 10s of thousands of Pdogs didn't didn't think nothing of taking 3 to 5 thousand rounds per trip for 5 days and shoot most of them up.

Then the ranchs I hunted and became freinds with the owners got the plaged and killed all the dogs off. 2 years ago I called one ranch where it was nothing to shoot 500 to 1000 dogs a day.

The rancher said you can come but you only need about 4 shells.

If you can find them you will have a great time.

Most of the state that have p dogs will have information about where etc. available through their Game an d Fish Departments. The reservations have their own Game & Fish departments and most will also have either a web site or will send the information you are looking for. It is getting harder and harder to find private property with sizable dog towns that allow shooters. When the talk of putting the little rats on the endangered species list thousand of acres were poisoned and those that weren't got the plague because that is how nature takes care of overpopulation. I used to shoot 4000+ rounds a year and now I consider it a great summer to shoot 400. Supposedly the Rosebud in SD still has great numbers, but you have to have a guide, etc. and I refuse to pay to help someone get rid of a pest, they should be paying me for shooting them.

The days of driving out west and knocking on a door and finding good PD shooting are over. Ok, you might get lucky and find a place, but I doubt it. Best have it lined up before you leave home. If I had not shot PDs before I'd most certainly hire a guide, which essentially gets you access to PD towns.
I used to have half a dozen great places in SODAK that I shot for free, 10-20 years ago. Most have been poisoned, some are leased up. I hire a guide and get access to good shooting.

I have no problem in hiring a guide. In fact, I would prefer that. I would just like to find a state as close as possible, but even then it will be a long drive. But like Clark Griswold said, "Getting there is half the fun." I would like to go this summer, but next summer (2014) will probably be more like it. That gives me plenty of time to research places to go. Thanks for all of your help.
joe

Your best bet would be to call the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Last I heard a guide cost a little over $200.00 a day on the Rosebud, but well worth it.

You can find shootable prairie dogs in any of the Great Plains states (TX, OK, KS, NE, SD, ND) and in the states adjacent to those on the east side of the Rockies (NM, CO, WY, MT). Clearly, none of those are very close to Florida. The southern part of the range (TX, OK, KS) is closer than the northern part, but the southern portion has suffered worse drought over the last two years and many dog towns are sparsely populated right now. Plague is cyclical and hits and misses around the country over a decade or so.

My advice would be to do a search for guides, then contact prospects to ask what shape their towns are in. There is some excellent shooting out there -- you just have to look for it.

Since you are driving you can presumably haul all of the equipment you need with you and don't so much need an "outfitter" as you need simply someone who has access to some good towns where he can take you. Guide services vary from providing everything including lodging, meals, and ammunition, to simply pointing "over yonder" where you can shoot. Spend some time on the net and the phone and you can probably find whatever level of service you're looking for.

Thanks guys. This is all great and useful information.
joe