Prairie Dog Shooting

We finally got high speed internet in our area ;D, 15 years of "Dial Up". So know I am able to look at some of the video's that are posted on this site. I watched a video of some fellas blowing up a batch of Praire Dogs, which just happens to be my favorite pass time. I noticed that the shooters were laying on ground pads. This looks awfully uncomfortable. Not that our approach to shooting Prairie Dogs is the best-but it works for us. We haul a Polaris Ranger, in a 10'x6' utility trailer, out near where we leave the road for our daily expedition. Then we hook the trailer on to the Ranger (can also use a regular ATV) and load all our junk in the back of the Ranger and head out. We have gun racks on top of the Ranger's roof that we made from a couple 2x8s and 2x4s. We have rotatimg shooting tables and an EZup canopy tent (12'x12') we put over the shooting tables and shoot in the shade. Not that our system is the best but it beats laying down in the sun and straining your neck and back. And the elevation of ths tables helps to see more of the little critters But I am sure alot you fellas out there have similar setups. I figure a guy might as well be as comfortable as possible when your doing what you enjoy. When iit is the middle Jan. and Prairie Dog shooting is a long way off you have talk about something. Now I am just starting to ramble. Time to post this Cabin Fever ramble. ;D ::) :D Dale

I shootem pretty much year round, all it takes is a sunny day with temps over 35 degrees and they will come out, and they really show up nice against the snow.
If our current nice weather holds for the weekend I may have to go whack a few after we get done goose hunting.

Mike

Pictures Man, where are the pictures???

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BigDog

Pictures Man, where are the pictures???

---

+1

I like getting up off the ground too, it's easier to see, and it's easier to be seen if someone else comes out to the same area. I've either shot off a table in the bed of my pickup, or used an "ATV" type of trailer with a table sitting on that too. I also like to use an EZ Up shelter to keep the sun off, as long as the wind is light enough not to blow it away. Shooting off of a table on the ATV trailer allows room for 2 shooters at the table, where as in the bed of the truck, there's only room for one.

Quote:

---

and they really show up nice against the snow.

---

So does the spray from a good hit..... ;D

We use the Inventive Technology 360 deg. sharpshooter bench from Cabela's. With a Steady Point shooting rest. We can get 2 shooters in our trailer and this setup works great. We put 2 jack stands under the rear of the trailer and put the tongue jack down while still hooked to the Polaris Ranger that makes everything pretty steady.

OK, You wanted pictures - this may be a little over the top for some, but this is the shooting rig we use . . tuff job - but someone has to do it ;D ;D

[img width=600 height=450]http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii138/13phantom/PD-08-1.jpg[/img]

We disconnected the trailer because of the wind that day, just after this picture we took the Umbrellas down also. . It gets to whipping the trailer around and we have a hard time hitting the little critters. Just adds to the "excuse" for missing ::)

Almost a twin sister to our rig except our gun rack is on the roof of the Ranger and we put up an EZup tent over the whole trailer. Nice rig you have there. It makes the heat a little more bareable. ;D :o

Now that is really roughing it ;D I sure wish that we had p-dogs around here, but it is too hot and dry for about anything other than an occasional armadillo :)

Wow Phantom
You look pretty stressed out in the pic....shootin pdogs can be hard
on a guy. Its been a long winter. Makes me want shoot something cute and furry just looking at your rig. Bad thing is theres no pdogs around here and this whole area is fresh outa cats. Must be a kitty disease.... Bill

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by phantom

OK, You wanted pictures - this may be a little over the top for some, but this is the shooting rig we use . . tuff job - but someone has to do it ;D ;D

[img width=600 height=450]http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii138/13phantom/PD-08-1.jpg[/img]

We disconnected the trailer because of the wind that day, just after this picture we took the Umbrellas down also. . It gets to whipping the trailer around and we have a hard time hitting the little critters. Just adds to the "excuse" for missing ::)

---

Nice set up there.....

Nice setup. We've always just laid on the ground on carpet or some foam rubber. Took the time this past year to sew a canvas/carhart like cover over it. Foam is 4" thick.

Very Nice set up. So when can WE go out and put it to use? I have a BR Pivot shooting table but not the nice trailer to put it on.

The part of "WE" resides with a couple of friends and I that are heading up to Montana this year on another shoot . . you don't HUNT Prairie Dogs, you just shoot them, targets of opportunity . . sort of ! It is a "truly" good time with a few long range rifles . . take more than one and lots of ammo for them all. On one field last year we shot for 2 1/2 days, and they were still coming up when we left, and I know that I expended over 400 rounds in two rifles, not sure just how many in the other two.

This is truly a neat outfit, and it allows us to be off the ground, if you are shooting from the ground that can wear you out in a day. My elbows give out long before the rifle gets hot. and it also gives us a very solid platform to set the guns too, sandbags and good front rest. We can swivel 360* on them but are kind of limited to a field of fire about 45* without getting the blast from the muzzles. Then if we leave the RINO (no relationship to the ones in office) attached, the forward shooter has that to contend with . . The only other thing we do is to put down the jacks and this is a very stable solid shooting platform, and if one guy has to move to do something he lets the other know that he is going to move so that he doesn't mess up a shot for the other . .



I really feel sorry for you guys that don't get the opportunity to do this, it is great shooting over long ranges at a target that is not much bigger than a 12oz. Coke can, and at times smaller. I have been doing this nearly every year for the past 10 years and look forward to it more each time. You really find out just what a given caliber is capable of when doing this. I have several rifles that I take along with me each time, and the .223 in a bolt gun and a 22-250 in a bolt gun are the requisites, after that anything goes. The .223 is about the best of the bunch for shooting them, out to about 250 yards, wind and gravity take over then. Then we break out the 22-250 and go at them again, it will do the job to around 400 yds. but that all depends on how good the scope is and "Your" eyes are. . ;D

My suggestion is - if you have ever wanted to do this . . . get,er done - and soon. I have a table that I can set up on the ground that is very similar to the ones attached to the trailer that I can set up in a matter of minutes and it will work just fine for this. If I have a suggestion on them get one that will rotate 360* that way you don't have to keep moving the stand around, just rotate it . . In the picture we took the RINO off and were having lunch, then we let the tailgate down and set the jacks, there was nothing behind us, just out in front of us. By the way, this was in the panhandle of Oklahoma . . I have some other pictures, but can't get to them right now . . will attach them later . .

Quote:

---

By the way, this was in the panhandle of Oklahoma . .

---

Okie land ROCKS!!!!


Hutch ;)

Got the uploads done and here are a couple from last years shoot . . . Montana . . This country almost gives a new meaning to FLAT . .
[img width=600 height=450]http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii138/13phantom/recdpics052.jpg[/img]
[img width=600 height=450]http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii138/13phantom/recdpics053.jpg[/img]

The first one shows the rig all packed up and ready to move out . . tables down and stowed away for travel, they are sequential, you can see the shadow of the trailer in the 2nd one. This was taken about at the end of the afternoons shooting, we drove off the property and left the 4x4 and trailer out there and drove back to town, about 20 miles in a truck. That was nearly a 1/2 section of land that we were shooting on. It doesn't look like much from the pictures, but there were Dogs everywhere.

You can see that shooting from the ground would not be very good, too flat to have any range at all. The trailer and the benches gives us about 3' of height to the field of fire. I hope that we are going back into that area again this year, we were the first ones in to that area last year, and the young and dumb's were out in force . . . ;D

I have tried everything from laying in the dirt, then on a mat using a bipod, bags, a portable shooting table etc.

I have finally settled on a tripod similar to this one for everything out to about 400 yards. I carry the rifle on one shoulder and the tripod on the other and can cover a lot of ground fairly quickly. I can be set up for a shot in about 15 seconds.

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubb...rue#Post339525

I used a surveying tripod and made a top for it out of aluminum U channel that was about 3x longer than the one on that guys tripod and put a regular shooting rest bag on the front and rear for a really solid rest. There are commercially produced models with swing out arm rests that are even nicer but I can't find any examples with google.

When we want to play the 1K+ game, a table with a rest and rear bag come into the picture be it on a trailer or just hauled out of the back of the truck.

Had some nice shooting yesterday despite the wind, spent about an hour is all but took about a dozen. Mostly head shots due to the wind I guess. It didn't stop blowing all day, some gusts well over 25 mph. The pups should be out soon but the grass was still mostly brown. Still saw some snow on the north facing surfaces.

Found a few more designs but not the one my friend uses. I really liked his. It had a rubber hose thingy on the front rest and fold out arm rests on a nice surveying tripod.

http://kencooutdoors.com/products.html

http://ewcalls.com/

When you are disabled and walking is a real chore the good old Polaris Ranger and trailer sure fill the bill. ;)

At my vintage of years, standing and shooting like the shooter did in most of the pictures is an absolute "Pain in the @$$ . . it just doesn't happen any more . . That trailer - and shooting benches are a must for an all day shoot in the killing fields . . Besides we can take an ice chest and some drinks, some food and have a nice day without running back and forth to the truck - parked 1/2 mile or more away . You too will soon be where we are and find that a few dollars put to good use on a rig will be "Worth it" !!

This year I am going to invest in some really good shooting bags and a good forward gun rest, the bi-pods are good, easy to move around with, but not quite as stable as I would like to have them. The old eyes and the meds that I am on don't make for a very good shooting platform anymore, need all the help that I can get . . . even for the cost, can't take it with me, may as well get rid of it before the present administration comes for it . . . ::) . . .

AMEN!!!!!! :D ;D ::)

We also have a "EZ UP" pop up canopy (12' x 12') we put over the trailer for those 100++++degree days in the SD. sun. Instead of heading back to the motel in the middle of the day because of the heat we just put up the "EZ Up" and continue on. We just keep a big cooler full of water, ice and sandwich's. We shoot off of a Sharp Shooting Bench from Cabela's. I modified mine to make the table 5" longer out the front and 5" wider on the right side. We use Steady Rest shooting rests (no bags) because they turn quickly and raise up and down easily. I had my daughters boy friend make flatter front cradles for the gun rests to accommodate large forarms on some of my guns.