Prairie Dogs

[moorepower]

The Fiddleback Ranch north of Douglas, Wyoming is crawling with the little buggers. PM me for contact info. I shot 501 in 3 days and I did NOT count all of the head/ body shots that went in the hole, where I could not see blood, which would be several dozen more. More details latter.

[Bill K]

Looking forward too more and photo/s. Bill K

[moorepower]

I did get a few photos, but how to load. I did not shoot photos of dead dogs, and not cause I don't love the pictures but I got a few of the land and I was obsessed with the Antelope watching me shoot the dogs. The ranch is over 50000 acres and has lease on federal lands as well. It is in the Thunder Basin National grasslands. Ty, the owner said many of the ranches have has the plague and die off of the little buggers. Day one was a bear, because of 25-45 mph winds. I still managed over one hundred, but most of those was driving on ranch roads and shooting out of my pickup. Day two started out fantastic, and even after 3/4" of rain as dry as it is, all the roads was driveable. I forded the Cheyenne river, to get to a couple of the pastures. I got in 2 great dogtowns in the first pasture. In the first one I used my Savage M40 with 40 grain Vmax@2850 and was smacking them from 30 to 186yds, lasered. If anyone can assist with photos I took a picture of the Antelope watching me shoot them about 75yds. away. I really had to watch for him so I did not shoot him! The .22 Hornet does a great job when it's still, but the .17HH does a better job in the wind, and where I really found an issue with misses, is with it sighted in 1.5" high at 100yds. I was missing high, alot at first because of the trajectory at closer ranges. I was hitting better at 100-150yds. at a higher rate than under 50yds. The second town was about 100yds. down the road, and I broke out my custom L461 varmint in .222, with a VXII 4-12 AO, shooting 50 grain Zmax bullets on 20.5 grains of H4198. The second town ranged from 50 to 325yds. I had ten hits in a row ranging from 100 out to 325yds. There was about a about a 5-10 mph breeze with temps in the 50's to 70 in the AM. Again I missed the short shots more than the 100-250yd. shots. By the time I worked around to the third dogtown in the next pasture, the wid had picked up to 15-25mph. I broke out the .204 shooting 40grain Vmaxes at 3800. All I will say is I am not great at reading gusting swirling winds. I got some really nice airtime "when" I got hits, and am very impressed with the performance of that bullet. That gun is a LRPV with a 1-10 Shilen select match barrel, and a Cabelas Covenant scope. When a dogtown stretches for 60-800 yards of solid mounds and flat to rolling hills, the range finder, or its operator does not work worth a crap. it's almost impossible, for me to get a good reading. They could vary from 140-350yds. with a very slight movement. I had alot of misses, but when the winds were steady, kind of, the moa reticle really helped out. I finished off the day driving on ranch roads shooting the 77/22/17HH out the window of my pickup. This has a PacNor 1-9 3 grove .920 straight barrel with a JARD trigger and V-16 scope and is money in the bank in those winds out to about 125yds. The thirdd day the winds probably never got over 5mph till about 5pm, with 50 to a high of 78f. I was really able to get in some long shots! I had a several shots with the .17HH out to 246 yds. with NO holdoff for wind. I got 2 doubles with it at 236 yds. I did not even see the second dog till I hit them. I got a couple of hits out to 325 yds. with the .222, which with a 12X scope is about it for me. I joined the 1/4 mile club with the .204, holding over a little more than 3 moa with a 265yds zero. I lasered the mound at 446yds. I wpent the reat of the day driving on the ranch roads going thru about 175 rounds of .17H. with not wind, it was hammering them from 20yds to 225 yds with not alot of misses. I ran out of 20 grain ammo, and had a couple of boxes of 50, of the 25 hp, ammo. At the range on paper, it shot 1 1/4" but you would never know by the way it shot. This stuff is loaded HOT. If it was an 85f day I could not have used it. I have to say even though the dogs do not blow up as much, it actually seems to hit harder, as it really rolls them. If someome pm's me I will text the photos to them if they wold help post.

[Bill K]

Good read. I know how it is, I can not seem to learn to post photo's either. Someone, that does know, will probably aid you, as a few have done for me, in the past. That wind can sure play havoc with our shooting at times, for sure. But all in all, sounds like you had a very good time. Bill k

[georgeld]

Sounds like you had a great time of it.
You need to do some up close practice shooting though.

Thanks for sharing your adventure.

[moorepower]

I learned ALOT. I have shot alot of dogs growing up, but all at the same towns, that I knew distance of. I was getting much better by day 2-3, at close in, but honestly I never expected dogs to pop up that close when shooting! By the end of day 2 the .17HH was not missing much, and when I did I was over compensating wind. I learned that out there it is best to be out on a dogtown at 6-6:30 am. I got a little hung up with numbers, as I was keeping a body count and when I saw 500 was getting closer, I got a little more serious, but my it was a blast. I learned that those little buggers can have some serious hang time, I I shot, tried to spot thru the scope, didn't see it, pulled my head back and saw it at the top of flight. I can't imagine a better place to hunt Pdogs, and the price was great, FREE to hunt. His daughter explained that 100 of these little baskets eat as much grass as one cow. They have many cows stepping in holes and her sisters horse fell in one while they were riding, so they HATE them. The third day was pure heaven, waking up, going out to my pickup and start shooting at the dogs around the trailer. I shot 8 before breakfast. I found out which 3 guns I will never part with for sure!

[sgtg]

How much per day is it, tons of dogs sounds good. Thanks sgtg out

[Eagle_view]

Anyone that needs photos posted, please send them to me and I will post for you.

lkenney@eagleviewarms.com

Not a problem to help you out.

Lowell

[moorepower]

Originally Posted by sgtg

How much per day is it, tons of dogs sounds good. Thanks sgtg out

$0.00 They have a 3 br trailer minutes from the ranch that Aspen rents out, and will serve from 1-3 meals a day, and she brings you meals. She is doing this to fund her college and it's reasonable, also shows you where the larger towns are, but really they are everywhere.

[Screaminweasil]

Awesome, now you have got me wanting to drive over there. I've always wanted to shoot PD's.........grass is grown up too tall in my neck of the woods. Squeek shooting is all but over for me this season. HMMM???