Prairie Dog hunting.

[chicane]

Is there anywhere closer to the middle of the state that you can legally hunt prairie dogs? I have been looking into it, and I can only find a place way up in the pan handle. Are there seasons for hunting them? I have looked on the state website, and I couldn't find a season for prairie dogs or crow... But I have been told both have seasons?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks:thumb:

[olyeller]

Prairie dogs are non game animals; and since the blacktailed prairie dogs were taken off the endangered list 2 years ago; if its brown, its down.
Youd be spinning you wheels trying to get a place to shoot em anywhere other than texas, cimarron, and beaver counties.
This is about the time to go, too; the little ones should be out and about and theyre pretty stupid.

REGULATIONS
License Requirements
Resident: Annual hunting or combination license, lifetime hunting or lifetime combination license, youth hunting or youth combination license, senior citizen hunting or senior citizen combination license, a fishing and hunting legacy permit or proof of exemption.

Nonresident: Nonresident annual or five-day nonresident hunting license, nonresident lifetime hunting or nonresident lifetime combination license, a fishing and hunting legacy permit or proof of exemption.

Dates & Open Areas
Oct. 10 - Nov. 16, 2006 and Dec. 9, 2006 - Mar. 4, 2007; statewide

Daily Limit
No limit.

Shooting Hours
One-half hour before official sunrise to official sunset.

Legal Means of Taking
Firearms, archery equipment and legal raptors as provided under General Hunting Regulations. Shotguns larger than 10 gauge are prohibited.

Depredation Order
Federal law provides for a depredation order for crows when committing or about to commit depredations or when concentrated in such numbers and manner as to constitute a health hazard or other nuisance. For a complete copy of the Depredation Order, see 50 CFR, Part 20.43.

[chicane]

Good info. Another question, Using an AR, Is a 20rd mag ok? Or is the 5rd mag required as with other game animals?

[brennan]

There should not be any mag regrestions because the are not game. There is a crow season but with out looking at the game regs I could not tell you when the seasons are (split seasons).

[olyeller]

There is a crow season but with out looking at the game regs I could not tell you when the seasons are (split seasons).

You dont need to; I just posted them in my post above.

[brennan]

Wasn't going to anyway just being polite.

[olyeller]

o kay.

[chicane]

Well Olyeller, You pretty much ruined my parade. lol

I was hoping that there was somewhere at least within an hour. I keep hearing about these "so called farmers" that will let people shoot sod poodles on their land because thier cows keep breaking legs in the dog holes. I've heard some are as close as Blanchard/Lindsay. Seems to be mythical farmers.

[Glock 'em down]

Shotguns larger than 10 gauge are prohibited?

Does anybody make shotguns LARGER than 10 gauge? :faint: OMIGOD! I'd hate to shoot one if they did! :nutkick:

[olyeller]

Im sorry, chicane; save up for a south dakota hunt, youll get a lifetimes full of shooting then.

-the whole prairie dog hole breaking cow legs is really a myth, too, Im afraid.

[saddlebum]

-the whole prairie dog hole breaking cow legs is really a myth, too, Im afraid.[/QUOTE]


WRONG!!! my uncle lives in wyoming and we have found more than one dead cow with a leg stuck in a p dog hole and badly broken. and the kill the grass off.

[chicane]

MAybe I'll just have to find a whole pack of tree rats instead! lol

[criticalbass]

The Scots like 8-ga guns for waterfowl. In blackpowder days the 10 was considered a lady's gun.

I was fortunate enough to catch the Smithsonian displaying its incredible collection of market guns about 20 years ago. God knows when they'll do that again, but it was a very impressive exhibit.

I have a Browning BPS Stalker in 10 ga. It has a 24 inch barrel with the forcing cone lengthened. It's also magnaported. Mechanical Accuracy did the shortening and other work. Their re-thread job put the choke tubes in dead accurate. I use it on geese and cranes, and occasionally jump shoot ducks on farm ponds with it. My crane load is 2 and a half ounces of #4 buck--the only painful load I have fired in the gun. Others aren't near as bad as mose three inch twelves, let alone the #*~^&* three and a half twelves.

About the prairie dogs, you might call the Farmers CO-OP in Snyder. There used to be a dog town near there, but I am not sure if it still exists. Some of the dog towns in the OK panhandle have perished from the plague. If you do shoot any, be damned careful not to handle them. The fleas may carry bubonic plague. It's curable, but nothing to fool around with.

In New Mexico about 20 or so years ago, one man got plague in the pneumonic form. One cough in a room full of people, and anyone untreated is dead in 24 hours. That's how it spread so fast in the 14th century. CB

[YukonGlocker]

... Others aren't near as bad as mose three inch twelves, let alone the #*~^&* three and a half twelves...

I know what you mean. Last spring I was practicing with some 12 gauge 3.5" magnum turkey loads out of my Mossy 835. Ohhh man, when the hammer falls on one of those bad boys you know something happened. :hithead: :thumb:

[UnSafe]

There's a Prarie Dog Town on the side of Hwy 62/9, about halfway between Chickasha and Blanchard. you might ask the guy that lives near it...

Of course he's also the one that built little houses around the mounds, but it can't hurt to ask, can it?

Elmer Thomas park in Lawton used to have a resident population of semi tame, obese, candy fed Prarie Dogs. Wonder if the park patrol would mind much if you set up with the .22-250 under a shade tree?


Back to reality- Here locally- Caddo & Grady Counties- If ranchers have Prarie Dog problems, they use poison bait. it can empty a town in several days. So, there really arn't any significant populations nearby.

Look over at GBO http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/smf/index.php/board,155.0.html for info on an annual varmint hunt up in the Panhandle.

[deadeye55]

I see Prarie dogs every time I drive NE on Lindsey