Since it was my first time shooting prarie dogs, I read all I could about it and decided to use the method described by Varmint Al on his website. This method is to use a rangefinder to get the yardage and set the sight using ballistic charts.

I did a great deal of work to have my tables correct with the appropriate sight settings in 25 yard increments. All my preperation paid off as I had many many one shot kills up into the 400 yard range. My .223 Tikka with 75 a-max's did great. I was very happy to be able to hit as well as I did since many of the targets were young and very small.

While telling my co-workers about my first prairie dog shoot, I was informed by one guy that my method was unsportsmanlike. To be sporty, I was supposed to guess the yardage and shoot off-handed with open sights.

I would appreciate any replies as to the equipment others on here use and whether I was indeed unsportsmanlike. Thanks

Your co-worker must be a liberal. That's the way they think.
There is nothing unethical about insuring quick kills that the LRF will help you do.

Don

somethings are best NOT discussed with liberal coworkers....shooting pds would be one of those things.

and did your coworker mention the fact that the shooting should only be done with a slingshot, shooting grapes??

If you really wanted to be "sporty" you could just throw rocks at them You're supposed to guess so you could possibly just wound them and let them suffer?

Is there something wrong with wanting to dispatch them quickly and humanly with a single shot? I use a rangefinder and chrono my loads so I know exactly where they will hit "if" I do my part. I don't like wounding anything, not even prarie dogs, that's unsportsmanlike and unethical.

quote:

Originally posted by P. Steve Morgan: To be sporty, I was supposed to guess the yardage and shoot off-handed with open sights.

I would appreciate any replies as to the equipment others on here use and whether I was indeed unsportsmanlike. Thanks

I think you're confusing "sporty" and "sportsmanlike". Anything that introduces greater uncertainty and rewards higher skills might be said to be more "sporty". Killing rattlesnakes with bare hands might be sporty; whether it is "sportsmanlike" is another question.

Most people regard varmints as, well, varmints. Meaning that any method you use to exterminate them is, by definition, not "unsportsmanlike". When you shoot prairie dogs for "sport", the only standards that legally apply in most jurisdictions are those you set for yourself. I may or may not agree with your standards, but also I have the choice of not participating with you and adopting my own standards.

By the way, I see nothing in your quote of your coworker that necessarily implied that he/she disapproved of your standards, but rather had different standards. However, in classic political and social terms, it is "liberal" to allow each is own standards, and "conservative" to impose one's own standards on others. Therefore, if your coworker was attempting to impose his/her standards on you, then he or she is more a "conservative" than a "liberal".

I assume he or she walks to work and avoids all the technologies available today.
Well if it's a liberal as some have suggested, they might not be that familiar with work.

I am horrible at judging distance. Anything over about 110 yards all looks the same to me. If I don't have my range finder and can hit a groundhog past 200 yards, I get very excited. Range finder makes it easier, but I don't really gloat about hitting a groundhog using the range finder. I don't use bipods or sticks, either rest off the side of a tree or shoot prone -- I feel that is sporting enough of me, so no guilt about using a range finder.

The term liberal is greatly over used and has so many conotations that it is almost nondescript.It is used in groups when someone wants to say "Hey I belong Too"!

Your co-worker just has no understanding of what he is talking about. See if you can round up an iron sighted High power rifle and take him out in the boonies and tell him to have a go at it and show you what he's talking about. If you would feel better calling him a Liberal you can do that too. roger

bartshe-you may have a point NOT all liberals are secular progressives,BUT do they all still chuck spears at 200 yards.NOW THATS SPORTING!

The dip shi_t you work with couldn't be more wrong.

What ever level of technology we employ beyond killing with bare hands is an advantage over our prey.

I don't quite know how to tell you guys this, but shooting varmints aint about Sportsmanship. The aim of the game is to hopefully eradicate as many agricultural pests as possible, by fair means or foul.
Grizz

quote:

Originally posted by 308Sako:
The dip shi_t you work with couldn't be more wrong.

What ever level of technology we employ beyond killing with bare hands is an advantage over our prey.

+1

Right on!!!

Don

Thanks for the replies validating my shooting methods.

After I've had a chance to think about it, the guy that took me and my dad to "his" place, said it wasn't right to shoot them all. Hell, the PD town was over 2 miles long and 1500 yards or so wide! Even after shooting all day from the same place, there were still some barking at us as we drove out. We didn't even shoot 10 percent of the area and still didn't kill all the ones where we did shoot. WTF?

I guess I won't be invited back.

Well Steve, if you're not invited back, there are lots of places in Alberta and Saskatchewan, that would welcome you. Sounds like you were hunting a small time operation.
Grizz

Nothing is wrong with using a LRF.
Tell your co-worker to kindly piss up a rope.

The logical conclusion of your co-workers theory is that it's more sportsmanlike to shoot half of em in the guts, feet, legs etc and let them crawl down their hole to die a slow death then accurately place a lethal one shot kill in em every time and terminate their lease.
Your co-workers an idiot.
Even where I live I have to agree that discussing p-dog hunting at work in mixed company is like yelling in a loud voice "HEY SOMEBODY COME OVER HERE AND ARGUE WITH ME!!!"

That's exactly the reason I don't discuss hunting or guns at work. I think we've established laser rangefinders are a good thing in hunting!

Your coworker is 100% correct and just to prove it have him show you how its done
I can judge distance better than most but the Leica Geovids are very handy,heck you almost need a pair of binoculars anyway.

I say He's dead right! so for Christmas you should get him a speer so he can chuck them at his favorite gopher .NOW THATS SPORTING.

psm, that gobber at work was pullin your chain, you did it RITE!!!! and you proved it too your-self great job.i own a bushnell 1,000 range finder and wouldn''t trade it for nothing,cheers and carry on! jjmp

The rangefinder is merely a hunting tool that has evolved out of current technology; it's no different than a scope, a rifle, cammo, scents, etc. I am sure when the first rifle came about there were those who thought that technology provided an unfair advantage to the hunter, the same with the scope. In fact there are still those purist who think scopes are unfair and everyone should use iron sights or bows. It is what it is, and like with most things you have a choice to use it or not. It doesn't matter if you're liberal or conservative. Lou

quote:

Originally posted by P. Steve Morgan:
While telling my co-workers about my first prairie dog shoot, I was informed by one guy that my method was unsportsmanlike.To be sporty, I was supposed to guess the yardage and shoot off-handed with open sights.

I would appreciate any replies as to the equipment others on here use and whether I was indeed unsportsmanlike. Thanks

Yup, that's what I do. I use a Garand with battle sights that I can't see because my eyes won't focus on something that close. I usually take about 40-50 rounds with me loaded with 150 gr. soft points. I only shoot the Garand off hand and don't own a range finder.

I usually pull it out when I see a few on a mound way out there. "Way out there" is I think about 300 yds. It could be 500 yards too. Not sure as I really can't see them all that well anyway......

The guys I go with are quite amused by the whole thing. I push an 8 rounds clip into it and turn the sight up to what I think might be the yardage and fire one for effect. I most often have to make some more adustments, but we all get a great thrill at all the dust and the guys are usually looking through their scopes and hooting when I get close to one. The clip makes a satisfying "pinnnng" as it ejects and I load another into the Garand and I try again.

So far I have three confirmed kills, and several hundred dusty and confused pds. One kill was most spectacular as I made a perfect heart shot and he ran for the hole and died about 2 feet from the mouth, leaving a cute little blood trail from where he was standing. That was a one shot kill by the way.

Hey, it was your first time. You'll eventually get it right.

Jim