First Prairie Dog Hunt in June. Things to know?

[cjsheely]

Wyoming shooter here. I slay probly close to 1000 every year. My advice. Leave the 22-250 home and bring a couple of 204 's. 223 bolt gun also works well and bring at least one 17 HMR. For the really close ones a good 22 pistol is a hoot. I live here and shoot almost year round.
Other calibers I like are 222 Rem and 17 Hornet.

 

[17CalFan]

Tripod (Bog Death Grip, won't break the bank, worth every penny)
Throw in at least 1 rifle sling and a belt pouch to carry extra ammo and empty brass when walking with tripod
Moisturized hand wipes (gun powder residue and fixing a sandwich don't mix)
Ear Muffs suck after 30 minutes, Push in foam plugs suck after an hour, I prefer banded ear pads which suck after 4 hours but you won't lose them.

 

[Blaster 1]

Tripod (Bog Death Grip, won't break the bank, worth every penny)
Throw in at least 1 rifle sling and a belt pouch to carry extra ammo and empty brass when walking with tripod
Moisturized hand wipes (gun powder residue and fixing a sandwich don't mix)
Ear Muffs suck after 30 minutes, Push in foam plugs suck after an hour, I prefer banded ear pads which suck after 4 hours but you won't lose them.

Would not go with out surrpproser

 

[17CalFan]

Would not go with out surrpproser

Just haven't jumped on the band wagon yet. If they get rid of the red tape, maybe. I'm old enough my hearing is already wrecked, for a few bucks I can protect what's left.

 

[GLTaylor]

All very good suggestions. You're getting a pretty complete list. No one mentioned gun cleaning cradle, rods, brushes, solvents, etc. You will be cleaning a LOT between rifles as you let them cool. It will feel good to get up periodically to stretch and stand up. I personally prefer a bench for comfort and to stay off of the ground and sand/grit/stickers. You also need to carry a few aerosol cans of brake cleaner and compressed air. The wind usually blows and grit will get into every orifice on you and your rifle. I also carry a jar (oatmeal canister) with a lid to put patches in so the wind doesn't blow them away.

If you are like many, the close dogs will get pretty boring pretty quickly. You'll find yourself wanting to try further and further for more challenge and interest. Obviously, you need drop charts for each of your rifles and I would suggest going out to at least 500-700 yds..

Depending upon the day, by mid morning or certainly mid day, the wind and mirage will get so bad your visibility may suffer to the point that you cannot shoot very far - and as mentioned previously, the close dogs will likely not want to cooperate once the shooting starts.

Hope you have a great trip and experience. Shooting dogs is about as much fun as you can have with a rifle!

 

[westexhunt]

I've been a couple times. Horus reticle and a 223 with a little weight to it is all I needed. Probably took a dozen rifles for myself and 2 boys. We all shot 223 and the Horus reticles were priceless in the stiff wind. We would take turns spotting for each other and calling holds.

 

[Critter Picker]

Freeze bottles of water. When it's three digits cold water is a must. I like to carry a pack with ammo (I put 100 rounds in a zip lock bag) carry an empty bag for brass. It keeps my brass in 100 round lots. When ammo bag is empty,brass bag is full. I would take an orange or grapefruit to eat while shooting. Have fun. It's addicting.

My most used guns are my .223's. After 100 rounds of 22-250 that .223 feels pretty nice, no recoil. The .308 will probably be used sparingly, you can't see bullet strikes.

 

[ridgewalker]

All great info. I have only hunted public land, so most hunts end around 200 rounds. I've talked to people who went with guides on private land with healthy colonies and they had a lot more shots. I usually combine my PD hunts with fishing or antelope hunts.
One caution is look out for rattle snakes that time of year. I have seen a couple while PD hunting.
You're going to have a grand time going with buds! Let the games begin!

 

[mhdick]

One other thing my brother and I brought least time we went was canopy. Maybe 12 x 12. If not too windy. it will give shade for 2 gunners at a time. Little bit of a pain to put up and take down but awesome for shade. Also depends on how much you plan to move around. We use a 3 for square tablev that folds up as shooting bench.

 

[dogz]

Wyoming shooter here. I slay probly close to 1000 every year. My advice. Leave the 22-250 home and bring a couple of 204 's. 223 bolt gun also works well and bring at least one 17 HMR. For the really close ones a good 22 pistol is a hoot. I live here and shoot almost year round.
Other calibers I like are 222 Rem and 17 Hornet.

CJ is all over it here!

 

[flyguy1]

We take 2 .204s, 3 bolt .223s, Rock River Arms Varmint .223 Wylde, and a .257 STW for long shots.

And a couple of .22 LRs.

 

[dogz]

To me the funnest is the 17 HMR, grab a box of ammo and go for a walk and take the buggers offhand. For me, that's way more fun than sitting at a table and blasting away

But, that's just my way

 

[dogz]

One other thing my brother and I brought least time we went was canopy. Maybe 12 x 12. If not too windy. it will give shade for 2 gunners at a time. Little bit of a pain to put up and take down but awesome for shade. Also depends on how much you plan to move around. We use a 3 for square tablev that folds up as shooting bench.

Great idea if one's going to be sitting fairly stationary for a while, and if one can keep it in the same county via the wind...

 

[MTPaul]

Many good suggestions here...and having/creating a checklist is a great idea! You have lots of time between now and then to mull over your various options and come up with something tailored to your needs. I'd echo leaving the 308 at home and replacing it with either more ammo and/or another small caliber rifle (17HMR, 17 Hornet, 204R, 223, 243). I'd also endorse bringing your favorite gun cleaning equipment. You'll be going thru a bunch of rounds and coupled with the dust and debris from the hunt, you will want to be cleaning your firearms. Enjoy!