Coyotes, Prairie Dogs, & Jackrabbits

I am getting Older now so my hunting trips are fewer and farther between. But I got a chance to make a quick trip to Amarillo Tx a few weeks ago. To do a little Prairie Dog hunting and I just took three of my Old Savage Bolt Guns, a 223HD, 22-250HD, and a 25-06HD. I had not shot any of them in well over a year, and was worried about them holding their zero`s. I should not have worried, I fired a 3 round group in each rifle and they were all spot on just like I had left them. We shot a lot of Prairie Dogs and a few Jackrabbits in the 2 days I was there. And even killed two Coyotes that got to close to me trying to grab a dead Prairie Dog or Jackrabbit that were laying close to a brushy fence line. All three of my Old Savage Bolt Guns shot extremely well, as well or better than a couple of Sako`s some of the other Guys were using. And they were the ones that pointed that out. I don`t own a Savage Bolt Gun that doesn't shoot an inch or less at a 100yds. And all of my Savages are all stock from the factory except for Trigger Jobs. And to be real honest the Savage Barrel Nut on my rifles makes them better looking to me and I am very proud of every one of them I own. I have never seen a Savage Bolt Gun that wouldn't`t shoot. Sorry if I got long winded and bored you guys. Thanks for letting me join Your Forum.
ken

Glad you had a great time and way to go with the Savage bolt rifles. I'd love to get out west and shoot prairie dogs you're so lucky

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Originally Posted by cpt-t

I am getting Older now so my hunting trips are fewer and farther between. But I got a chance to make a quick trip to Amarillo Tx a few weeks ago. To do a little Prairie Dog hunting and I just took three of my Old Savage Bolt Guns, a 223HD, 22-250HD, and a 25-06HD. I had not shot any of them in well over a year, and was worried about them holding their zero`s. I should not have worried, I fired a 3 round group in each rifle and they were all spot on just like I had left them. We shot a lot of Prairie Dogs and a few Jackrabbits in the 2 days I was there. And even killed two Coyotes that got to close to me trying to grab a dead Prairie Dog or Jackrabbit that were laying close to a brushy fence line. All three of my Old Savage Bolt Guns shot extremely well, as well or better than a couple of Sako`s some of the other Guys were using. And they were the ones that pointed that out. I don`t own a Savage Bolt Gun that doesn't shoot an inch or less at a 100yds. And all of my Savages are all stock from the factory except for Trigger Jobs. And to be real honest the Savage Barrel Nut on my rifles makes them better looking to me and I am very proud of every one of them I own. I have never seen a Savage Bolt Gun that wouldn't`t shoot. Sorry if I got long winded and bored you guys. Thanks for letting me join Your Forum.
ken

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That is great to hear. Really glad you got a chance to go out. Glad you had a good hurt. Even better that you had a great time. I hope you got out as often as you can.

Oxn316 & reaper06: Yes I have been very lucky to grow up where I did. I grew up shooting Prairie Dogs, Jack Rabbits, Coyotes, Badgers, and Groundhogs with my Dad, Grandpa, Brother, and Uncles. At the time I didn't really know, just how special it was to be able to shoot on the large Prairie Dog Towns. Where you could shoot all day and not even make a dent into their population. Or shoot Jackrabbits where they were so thick, they moved in large groups and the farmers held Jackrabbit Drives to help thin them out. That many Jackrabbits could ruin large alfalfa fields in a couple of days. So the Farmers & Ranchers welcomed shooters with open arms. And to be able to go a short distance and shoot them whenever you had any free time and ammo. Yes it was very special. For extremely large areas in Ks,Ok, & Tx that I used to get to shoot Jacks and Prairie Dogs on have been all but poisoned out by the States and Federal Government many years ago. And now in Ks you hardly ever see a Jack Rabbit any more and if you can even find a Prairie Dog Town any more in my area the Dog Towns are very small and have very few Prairie Dogs. So if you are wanting to come shoot some Prairie Dogs I would try TX, NE, MT, WY, ND, or SD. And bring more than one rifle, for you can toast a barrel in a very short time, if you find a large Dog Town with lots of Prairie Dogs. Again I hope I didn't bore any of you with this, for I am just an Old Man now, reliving and retelling Old Times and Old Memories that were very special to me a long time ago.
ken

I sure miss prairie dog shooting. I did a lot of it when I lived in New Mexico back in the 70's. Vaporized a lot of them with a 243 and 25-06.

I have no idea how many jack rabbits I shot while living in West Texas. They were thick as fleas.