I live in eastern NC and would like to shoot some PDs, were would be the closest place for me with a good population??

Kansas or Oklahoma would be the closest.

You'll need to leave before sunrise if you want to get back home before dark .

Seriously, if you're going to travel that far by all means contact someone local and trustworthy who will guide you. The distance you'll be traveling it doesn't really much matter which of the Great Plains states you pick as a destination since they'll all be a "fur piece".

There are a few guys doing prairie dog guiding and they don't charge much compared to most types of hunting. Do a little research and find which state is least expensive in terms of whatever small game license (or perhaps no license in some states) you will need, and which state has the most abundance of accessable dogs. I'll bet that someone will see your post and offer to guide you, provided you're serious about doing a good prairie dog hunt. There's nothing quite like it for a serious rifleman who likes to shoot.

If you can offer ground hogs,I am sure someone would trade with you.

No groundhogs close to me but plenty of deer, no trophies though. Okla. sounds great, wife's family is out there but none hunt that I know of, maybe contact them. Been out there a few times and have never seen any PDs except for wildlife refuge near Lawton, guess I'll ask around, would not mind a guided trip if its not too much $$$.

A couple of words of advise....you can do with them what you'd like.

Prairie dog shooting guide = guy who leads you to a big field and says "there they are shoot 'em".....remember that when you are asking how much to get a guide.

The word guide in this case is blurred from what you would normally consider a "guide".

I agree that your best bet is to find someone who you can trade out a hunt/shoot with.

I got pds.......what do you got ?

quote:

Originally posted by skb2706:
A couple of words of advise....you can do with them what you'd like.

Prairie dog shooting guide = guy who leads you to a big field and says "there they are shoot 'em".....remember that when you are asking how much to get a guide.

The word guide in this case is blurred from what you would normally consider a "guide".

I agree that your best bet is to find someone who you can trade out a hunt/shoot with.

I got pds.......what do you got ?

I agree with your observations on "prairie dog guides". However, how does this differ from other types of "guides"?

The suggestion of a trade hunt is a good one.

EWOK: Another possibility is contacting the Chambers of Commerce of some of the smaller communities in the area you wish to hunt. Most of them have websites.

You can also contact the local ag department to get some good leads. Seems like Lawton is on the west side of the state. I bet you can find a few dogs fairly close, what time of year are you considering?

EWOK...

You won't find many PD's around Lawton. You need to get a bit further north and west, say Elk City, or over in the panhandle of either Texas or Oklahoma.

If you know ANYONE who lives in these areas, drop them a line, renew an old friendship, or start a new one. Most of the ranchers/farmers in these areas that have 'dogs on their land will generally let you shoot all you can, and ask if that's all you wanted to shoot.

Don't know about licenses required, since 'dogs are not considered "game animals" but a quick online check with the Wildlife and Fisheries Dept of both states can answer that question pretty quickly.

You might also contact the Chamber of Commerce in a town near where you want to shoot and see if they can refer you to someone who has 'dogs and wants them eliminated. Some might want to charge a small fee for your shooting pleasure, but most will welcome you with open arms. Just don't shoot their cows! If you get along with them, it will quickly become an annual safari.

Hope this helps. I know a guy, sorta, out around Amarillo. If you drop me an email, I'll see if I can hook you up with him 'cause he'll know who and where and when.

goghoti@sport.rr.com

John

i have hunted pd's in the southwestern corner of kansas and southeastern part of colorado. Between Syracuse kansas and Holly colorado, there are numerous pd towns. some i'm sure are a square mile. they dont' seem to be shot at much, because even the close ones don't run down the hole when u shoot and miss. I think holly colorado is around 1400 miles from Charlotte. I am from the Hays kansas area and we have pd towns around here but nothing like the holly colorado and syracuse areas. if u want more info feel free to email me.
matt
arny70_1@hotmail.com

EWOK,

I shoot p-dogs every year out in the panhandle of Okla. I have a friend who lives east of Boise City about 12 miles. There is only one p-dogs town in Cimarron and Texas counties we can't hunt and it is posted. HOwever, all of the landowners in the Okla. panhandle will let you shoot till your arm is too sore or you run out of ammo. Boise City is a place where you could get a cheap but not extravagant hotel room. There is one town out there we hunt that is about 1000 acres in size. That is right is more then a square mile around the thing.

Plenty of dog shoot to be had in the great state of Oklahoma.

Thanks for all the help, seems my PD hunt was turned into a coyote/hog hunt in eastern Texas next year, neice is getting married and the wife thinks we should go and BIL has 600 acre ranch with coyotes and hogs so it won't be a complete waste of time, but maybe I can go in '08. Then I'll just drop her off in Okla. to vist her other brothers and sisters and I'll go shoot till my arm falls off or I run out of ammo, that will just give me more time to get a couple new rifles and load more ammo, like I said THANKS for all the help both Boise City and Holly sound like good spots.

bkmastr, hows the PD hunting around the Lucas area in Mid Nov? Going pheasant hunting with Dad 2nd,3rd, & maybe 4th week in Nov. He said we could go to either KS or SD or both. I don't want to do both, i.e. more driving & buying more than one out of state license. He has more farmer freinds in KS, around the Lucas area, than in SD. The one's in SD are on the East side of the Missouri River, and I've read the best PD shooting is on the West side of the river. I would like to go to a SD reservation or public grassland, but I'm not sure if the other guys going on the trip would be willing (it is a Pheasant hunting trip, but I want to do some dog popping ). Thank you for any help/advice you can give. Billy

Billy, i'm not from the Lucas area, so i don't know if or where the pd town's would be if any. i'm farther south and a lil west. I am originally from bogue ( 10 miles east of hill city) and have hunted around there alot. i'd try getting ahold of your dads farmer friends. that'd prolly be your best bet. I can tell you that the last few years it has been relatively warm through november with a few cold spells. so the dogs usually are out on the warm days. I've heard ppl say that pdogs hibernate during the winter, but i've saw them out running around on a white ground before. But that was when it was probably 30 degrees and sunny out with no wind. I doubt they like the single digit temps with the wind blowing 30mph.
bkmastr

Bkmaster: The Prairie Dogs in the high plains country of eastern Montana have been killt by me during the months of October, November, December and January on numerous occassions!
I have not travelled to Prairie Dog country in February and March for many many years now. But they in fact do come up out of the ground on sunny days and even if the temperature is below freezing they will stand around in the direct sun light.
I don't know why.
I have heard my friends who Hunt Coyotes in February and March tell of seeing the Prairie Dogs out standing on the snow in the sun during those months!
Again - I don't know why.
Theres no grass to eat to speak of then, and they have stores of dried grass in their dens already.
Maybe they are just tired of the dark?
Last November while on a Mule Deer Hunt in eastern Montana I had occassion to see Prairie Dogs out on November 15th!
You will never (at least I have never!) see a Ground Squirrel out in mid-winter.
But I do know this, if its windy, gray and even just spitting flecks of ultra dry snow the Prairie Dogs do not come up above ground.
I don't know why.
So you will need a sunny day (which is the norm in much of Prairie Dog country) with no wind there in mid-November to have a chance of seeing them out.
Good luck.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy