I've been through South Dakota and Wyoming a bunch. It seems there is plenty of public land out there.
Has anyone done any prairie dog shooting on public land? I wonder if one could just roam around looking for dog towns.
I'm planning a trip in June.

A lot of people do exactly that. Look on a map for large areas of BLM or National Forest land and then call the Chamber of Commerce. BLM office or Forest Service office in the nearest town. Ask them about the opportunities for shooting there, they might also know of some ranchers that need PD control help

Sweet, thanks.

slancey: when I lived in New Mexico in the Grants area public lands are were I did most of my p-dog shooting. found tons of them on National Forest Lands and Bureau of Land Management lands. you'll save yourself a load of driving if you contact the district ranger of the federal and state lands you plan to visit before you go and ask if there are p-dogs in the district, and about where are the towns located. They usually have a fairly good handle on such matters. Tom Purdom

Slancey,
You need to get a BLM map. They show the private lands and it is mixed in w/ the public quite a bit. I think they can be ordered online. There is quite a bit of area to shoot p-dogs up here in the NE part. The downside is it takes some searching to find their towns and the easy one are shot out of course. The best hunting is on private lands. Some landowners charge access fees and some do not. Also on public lands on some areas of the grasslands, p-dog shooting is closed, so you need to get with the Game&Fish as well. They have a map that shows the closed areas.

You can also check with the South Dakota Wildlife and Fisheries folks online. There are lots of prairie dog villages on public land. You can also request maps there. Happy hunting.

If my memory serves me correctly there is an Office for the National Grasslands in Wall South Dakota.

I used to shoot Prairie Dogs on the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands in the Conata Basin just south of the Badlands National Park. Unfortunately most of the Conata Basin has been closed (or at least was the last time I was there) to Hunting due to the reintroduction of the Black Footed Ferett.

The Buffalo Gap National Grasslands is quite large so I am sure there are other areas that hold a good population of Prairie Dogs. WHile I have driven through the Fort Pierre National Grasslands I have never shot any Prairie Dogs there so can not really comment on the shooting opportunities there.

Larry

Thanks to all for your input.
I just returned home from a trip to the Dakotas. I shot one day on the Standing Rock Reservation and another on the Great River National Grasslands.
Both were the best dog shooting I've experienced in 6 trips west. They were also the cheapest.
I completed the week long trip by myself.
Piece of cake!

So I take it that I could contact the same departments in Nebraska for like info??

Yes.
The National Grasslands are the best. If you visit the local ranger office, they will give you good maps with dog town locations. Mine cost $6 and it was very accurate.
Try finding towns that are far away from hotels, as they will get much less hunting pressure.
I was always shooting in sight of another truck full of shooters, and I drove about 12 miles from where I stayed.

When I was stationed at Ellsworth AFB (just outside of Rapid City) I used to do most of my PD shooting South and East of Rapid City, along HWY 44!
Lots of shooting opportunities there!

CAUTION: When you go, take a good supply of water and a compass with you! A person can lose track of how far they have walked, as well as what direction! Most importantly, IT GETS HOT THERE!

Have fun, but be carefull.