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Just wondering hows the prairie dogs towns are looking like this year in South Dakota. I'm headed up there the first week of June. Not sure of the exact place I'll be shooting at but I'm sure it'll be on private land or on one of the reservations. As far as the private land goes It'll be west of the Molbridge area. Not sure which reservation. Maybe standing rock or Rosebud most likely, could be any of them really.
I,m hunting wester nd may 19 21 will let u know how they look out there
Problem with getting local info, is that the locals do not see P-dogs shooting in the same way out of towners do. To the locals it's just something to do for some fun once in awhile. Test their long range shooting or what ever. They can do it pretty much when ever they want. For out of towners like you and me it can be a pretty big expensive and take even more valuable vacation time. For example my brother lives in the north eastern part of South Dakota. Him and a friend will drive out to the western part of the state on a Saturday morning. Shoot on saturday afternoon, maybe fish a little at night. Shoot again sunday morning and then head back. If the weather's not good or they don't find a good town, it's no big deal. Just do it again next week or the week after. All it cost them was a tank of gas. For me it's a two day drive each way, hotels lodgeing out of state licence etc....
Sounds like I am more like your brother. From my house, I get in my side by side and drive up a dirt road for 1/4 mile and start shooting. I used to get paid hourly to go shoot them via a 22 and a propane gun. The 22 is funner but I can say that propane gun has a bigger boom then I have ever seen. 30 seconds of propane down a hole, and then you ignite it. If you watch the face of the hole, the pressure that comes up will damn near make you puke everytime.
Well my brother can do that with gophers all day long but there's no P-dogs in the NE part of South Dakota that I know of. Although I enjoy poping 22's at them, it's just doesn't sound as good when you hit one of them as it does a P-dog.
I havent made it out yet this year myself but we are planning a trip out around the same time as public land opens mid june
My Pd shooting partner was in SD. last week and between the wind and rain the shooting was CRAPPY. We are headed out there again on the 8th of next month. I will have the new 223 that Kevin at Stockade built for me. Pictures when my daughter returns my camera
I don't want to rain on your parade but I'm hearing that the ranchers have poisoned a lot of the dog towns in SD and NE..I was going out to NE. in June but I called it off. A friend in NE said all the towns he shoots have been poisoned. From what I've heard the Indian lands are ok. Good luck Shooters.
Martin
It's too late for me to change plans now. Plus I'm from the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate on the Lake Traverse Reservation. It's in the north East part of South Dakota. I haven't lived on the res in years but I still travel back to see family and friends when I could while in the Army. My trip is in the hands of my brother and friends. Hopefully all will go well.
update on south dakota p-dags.
NOT WORTHA SHIT.. lol went for what was supposed to be 4 days ended up being 2 got there sun. morning at 8 shot sun. shot mon. weather went to hell mon. night, tues fired 80 rounds at dirtpiles to keep entertained came home tues. night last year we went out for 3 days and had a freakin blast. this year it didnt seem like there were as many dogs out even on the good days and the days the weather was bad it sucked butt. so maybe waitin next year till the lader of june to go. i didnt load up as much ammo as i did to be rained out after drivin 980 miles. which sux. we were in the southern part of south dakota btw.
I just retururned from South Dakota trip. Went out west river area twice. Once down in the southern region between Rapid and Pine ridge. The weather was rainy and windy. The ground was slick as snot too. Although on that tripp, I was not there to shoot p-dog, good thing too. On June 3rd and 4th I was shooting just west of Mobridge. Off of 12 and 20 on a road called promise road. A frien of a friend kinda thing. Very nice weather ground was firm dogs were out wasn't too windy either. I'm guessing we shot between 3-400 between four of us in a day and half. We were just driving around a couple fields and shooting off the hood of a couple pick-ups. Had a blast and camped out with the cows. Only took a couple pictures. I hadf a blast.
There was also a huge field of P-dogs right along highway 12/20 about 4-8 miles heading west out of Mobridge. looked like there might be two trailers that were used for hunting on the land too. I did a google map search of the area. The p-dog mounds show up but not the trailers. Look on the north side of 12/20 right where 20 spilts of of 12 and heads south. I probably seen 3-400 hundread at a time when we drove by on our way in and out. The local rancher where I was shooting doesn't know whom owns the land there. He's just glade there isn't that many dogs on his land! lol
I was looking at the map and the place looks like it's on Standing Rock Indian Rev.. Did you have a Indian Guide?
Martin
No guide, the rancher is a Native and so am I. However the big part of this deal was the ladies, they have done horse trading with each other before. No kidding they meet trading horse's. However in this case, it was one of them bob tailed 6 toe cats that was traded. Real nice couple not the typical "Res folk" you hear so many things about. However there isn't a large number of dogs on his land(700 acers I believe). I've only been shooting p-dogs a couple of times. So anytime I get to shoot'em I have a blast.
Did you have to use lead free bullets? I have about 1000 rds loaded with V-max. I guess I won't be shooting on the reservations. Darn that place looks good though.
Martin
The guy didn't care what type of bullet we shot. I reload and I tried Midway Dogtown bullets, Midsouth Shooters Supply Varmit Extreme and Hornady V-max bullets. Different guns of coarse and not loaded with the same powder charge as I loaded for accuracy rather all out speed. Between the four of us we used a Savage model 10, Savage Model 12 VLP DBM, Winchester Model 70 and a Colt AR-15, all in .223. I also used my Savage Model 12 VLP DBM in .243 too. The Dogtowns and Varmit Extremes 55gr look, weight and performed the same way in the Model 10 and 12. I only used the Varmit Extremes in the AR-15. Surprisingly they didn't come apart but I kept the speed down to 2875 fps using H335. However the V-Max as can be expected were the most consistent and accurate.
rcinit,
Please e-mail me. rebalgray@wildblue.net
Martin
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