Thread: Prairie dog hunt

You really don't need an outfitter for prairie dogs. But depending on where you decide to go, like SD for example, it could be a requirement. Ditto for license requirements, WY and MT don't require any, but others do.
Time can be your friend or your enemy for places you've never been before.
If your looking to do a drive straight thru and hunt 3 days type deal, then hire an outfitter.
If you have the time then just go, when you get to the area ask around for ranches to hunt on and you will find them.
Many ranchers are glad to have them shot and will charge no fee. Others might, so ask about that up front.
Be prepared to be quite a distance from motels, fuel and eating places.

I seen tons of them things in Colorado back when ....I imagine the main issue is getting permission to hunt a place

There are tons of them on public land in Wyoming. Not sure where you are from, but we stayed in New Castle for an antelope hunt and as we hunted antelope, we spotted more prairie dogs than a guy could shoot in a week. Another good option, if you must pay someone is to contact the reservations out in SD. They have some good options after paying a trespass fee.


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According to a good friend who has hunted them on the reservations in SD several times, you must in addition to the trespass fee also
hire an indian to go along each day to sleep in your vehicle while you shoot dogs. And a license is required to hunt in SD whereas in WY
and MT they are not. There is lots of good hunting in both places, but the ones near the roads tend to get hammered pretty hard on public land. I hunt on private ranches in MT not far from Brodus which is on hwy 59 north of Gillette WY. I couldn't go this year but some friends did. On the way out they received a call saying that due to fires the area was closed to hunting. So they stopped in Sundance WY, and found a place on public land to hunt. All the dogs less than about 400 yds had been worked over and the ones remaining were very cautious about showing themselves. 600 and beyond had good numbers but they didn't come equipted for those distances. Also by noon it was so hot they couldn't take it so they quit early every day. That was late June, so go early or go late but don't go in the middle of the summer. I personally prefer Oct. so I can shoot pheasants also which there are plenty of in SE MT. But that does require a small game license which you can buy over the counter. And Antelope come in in Oct also if that appeals to you.
There are some great people out there if you can take the time to get to know them.
I had struck up a website conversation with a gunsmith in Gillette prior to going out to hunt with another guy from MT I had met while he was on vacation in the keys where I was living/guiding at the time. Anyway I called this gunsmith when I crossed over into WY on hwy 90 on my way to MT and he said stop by. So I did, and I was there for a week in my p/u camper in his yard. He got me a left over antelope tag and took me for a hunt for a couple hours which was enough to kill a nice buck antelope I hadn't planned on.
So as I said in an earlier post, time can be your friend.

Originally Posted by yobuck

According to a good friend who has hunted them on the reservations in SD several times, you must in addition to the trespass fee also
hire an indian to go along each day to sleep in your vehicle while you shoot dogs. And a license is required to hunt in SD whereas in WY
and MT they are not. There is lots of good hunting in both places, but the ones near the roads tend to get hammered pretty hard on public land. I hunt on private ranches in MT not far from Brodus which is on hwy 59 north of Gillette WY. I couldn't go this year but some friends did. On the way out they received a call saying that due to fires the area was closed to hunting. So they stopped in Sundance WY, and found a place on public land to hunt. All the dogs less than about 400 yds had been worked over and the ones remaining were very cautious about showing themselves. 600 and beyond had good numbers but they didn't come equipted for those distances. Also by noon it was so hot they couldn't take it so they quit early every day. That was late June, so go early or go late but don't go in the middle of the summer. I personally prefer Oct. so I can shoot pheasants also which there are plenty of in SE MT. But that does require a small game license which you can buy over the counter. And Antelope come in in Oct also if that appeals to you.
There are some great people out there if you can take the time to get to know them.
I had struck up a website conversation with a gunsmith in Gillette prior to going out to hunt with another guy from MT I had met while he was on vacation in the keys where I was living/guiding at the time. Anyway I called this gunsmith when I crossed over into WY on hwy 90 on my way to MT and he said stop by. So I did, and I was there for a week in my p/u camper in his yard. He got me a left over antelope tag and took me for a hunt for a couple hours which was enough to kill a nice buck antelope I hadn't planned on.
So as I said in an earlier post, time can be your friend.

Have heard the guide thing before on the reservations, but the time I? went, and both times buddies went, it wasn’t true. A guy did show us where to go when I? went, but he went on his way. It’s been a few years, but the fee on the reservation was 100 each for three days I? think. It was worth it at the time.

I? will agree w the getting to know folks out west. When we hit Wyoming antelope hunting there are plenty of people willing to let you hunt their land for 100 bucks or so. There is so much public that we have never taken them up on it, but I? bet you could find really good private prairie dog shooting for nothing, or next to nothing out there. We literally have had multiple ranchers chase us down in trucks to try to offer their land for a small trespass fee.


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Thanks for the comments, I've read about the Indian reservation requirements, and the DIY version of these trips as well. I'm thinking of using an outfitter this time, and while out there take some time to learn the lay of the land, make some contacts and such for future trips. I just don't want to drive that far and be frustrated with "finding" a good spot or spots on the first trip.

Were most afraid of the things we know little about. And that's unfortunate because most things aren't really hard to do, and if they were, then most of us couldn't do them, at least without some training.
And it often turns out that the trainers are simply opportunist with a little local knowledge.
Many of the ranches out there are leased to large outfitters who have little to no knowledge of that ranch. The so called guide is often just some local guy who goes along with you and acts as though he knows something.
When it comes to guns and shooting, that is as a rule very little. And that's what prairie dog hunting is all about, at least for me and those who I hunt with.
Lots of guys will tell you that they shoot 100s of rounds a day. Maybe go thru a 1000 rnd case in a few days.
Those are the spray and pray guys who enjoy the fire power of AR type rifles, and a major reason the dogs close to public roads get hammered. Go to any uncontrolled public range and look at the target frames if there are any still standing to get the picture.
I could help you with what to take as for equiptment at least for the type shooting we do. I might also cast some light on ideas for places to go. PM me and ill give you my number if your interested.