{"id":248,"date":"2017-06-15T04:47:05","date_gmt":"2017-06-15T04:47:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tma65.com\/blog\/?p=248"},"modified":"2026-05-21T11:37:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T11:37:54","slug":"go-prairie-dog-hunting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/go-prairie-dog-hunting\/","title":{"rendered":"Go Prairie Dog Hunting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\"><div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\"><p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p><span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/go-prairie-dog-hunting\/#Go_Prairie_Dog_Hunting\" >Go Prairie Dog Hunting<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/go-prairie-dog-hunting\/#Where_to_Go_Prairie_Dog_Hunting\" >Where to Go:\u00a0Prairie Dog Hunting<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/go-prairie-dog-hunting\/#How_to_Hunt_%E2%80%98Em\" >How to Hunt \u2018Em<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div><h2 style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Go_Prairie_Dog_Hunting\"><\/span>Go Prairie Dog Hunting<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify\">Go Prairie Dog <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/all-about-hog-hunting\/\" title=\"All About Hog Hunting\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"601\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hunting<\/a>. It\u2019s fast. It\u2019s fun. And you get to shoot\u2026 a lot. Prairie dog <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"hunting\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"289\">hunting<\/a> has been a popular off-season endeavor for many big game hunters, especially those living west of the Mississippi River that don\u2019t have to travel far to find dense populations packed into one field, known as a \u201ctown.\u201d These towns can consist of hundreds, even thousands, of these stout, ground-dwelling rodents.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify\">The two most common species of prairie dogs are the black-tailed and white-tailed, which are found mainly out west in the Great Plains region. They are about a foot tall when standing on their back legs and have been known to burrow as deep as 15 feet in the ground. As for the prairie dogs\u2019 role in the ecosystem, they serve by providing habitat for burrowing owls and providing micro habitats for a whole host of other critters.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify\">Like any other animal, prairie dogs are highly susceptible to diseases if their numbers aren\u2019t controlled. And while they\u2019re listed as \u201cagricultural pests,\u201d we would never push for the eradication of the species. Prairie dog <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/shed-hunting-with-a-binocular\/\">hunting<\/a> (also referred to as \u201cprairie dog shooting\u201d by the lefties) somewhat sustains the population, though these rodents\u2019 demise will likely never occur from the rifle\u2019s bullet. As none of us would enjoy seeing Mother <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/tag\/nature\/\">Nature<\/a> intervene with her population control tactics, which usually involves a slow death, we\u2019ll continue making a pilgrimage every few years out to the Plains as long as game laws allow.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_to_Go_Prairie_Dog_Hunting\"><\/span>Where to Go:\u00a0Prairie Dog Hunting<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify\">Look to the Dakotas, Wyoming and Montana as top hot spots. You can find good <a title=\"hunting\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/category\/hunting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hunts<\/a> on public land, but you\u2019ll need ample time to scout, and the easily accessible towns will have likely been shot out. Talk with locals and game officials who may have knowledge on the whereabouts of a highly populated town.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify\">However, we\u2019d recommend finding private land. Like fishermen, prairie dog hunting enthusiasts aren\u2019t very likely to simply give you a honey hole. Finding a reputable outfitter or a rancher in want of pest control and booking several months in advance is the ideal way to increase your chances of having a good shoot. A quick Google search will get you started.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Hunt_%E2%80%98Em\"><\/span>How to Hunt \u2018Em<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify\">Once you\u2019ve found a well-populated town, it\u2019s time to set up. Find a flat spot to anchor your <a title=\"A Couple Rimfire Rifle Memories\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/a-couple-rimfire-rifle-memories\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rifle at least a couple<\/a> hundred yards from the town. Feel free to move back as you become consistent at that initial distance. Any closer and they are likely to stay underground for longer periods of time.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image\" style=\"text-align: justify\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-249\" src=\"https:\/\/tma65.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/inner46-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"><figcaption><em>Find a good way to anchor your <a title=\"Why the 2.5-15x Rifle Scope is Ideal for Hunting\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/why-the-2-5-15x-rifle-scope-is-ideal-for-hunting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rifle for maximum accuracy when prairie dog hunting<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify\">With most outfitters, and in most states, you can shoot any caliber from a .22 LR to a .50 cal. We recommend the lower-middle tier calibers like .222 Rem, .22-250 and <a title=\".223\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/tag\/223\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">.223<\/a>. If you\u2019re going to be doing a lot of <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.tractoptics.com\/shooting-22lr-rifle-in-a-whole-new-way\/\" title=\"Shooting a 22LR Rifle in a Whole New Way\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"559\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shooting<\/a>, you\u2019re probably not going to want to beat yourself up with a larger caliber. Of course, moving up to any of the .30 calibers to keep your skills sharp for big-game hunting won\u2019t hurt unless, of course, you run a lot of <a title=\"The 6.5mm Creedmoor Rifle Round\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/the-6-5mm-creedmoor-rifle-round\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rounds through the rifle<\/a>.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-align: justify\">To us, the most important number in prairie dog hunting is the yardage between the <a title=\"5 Tips for Shooting Moving Targets\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/5-tips-for-shooting-moving-targets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tips of our rifle barrels and the target<\/a>. It\u2019s one thing to sit and <a title=\"6 Tips for Shooting Tighter Groups\" href=\"https:\/\/tractoptics.com\/blog\/6-tips-for-shooting-tighter-groups\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shoot a stationary target all day and consistently produce tight groups<\/a>. But if you really want to learn to make quality shots, ones that will count in the moment of truth when it\u2019s an elk or deer in your crosshairs, live, moving targets are the best preparation.<\/p><p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Go Prairie Dog Hunting | TRACT design and engineer performance-grade optics without the added retail costs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12243,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2258,1],"tags":[2421,2422,2423,2424,2425,2427,2432,2433,2435,2654,2797],"class_list":["post-248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hunting","category-uncategorized","tag-best-hunting-arrows","tag-best-hunting-binoculars-canada","tag-best-hunting-rangefinder","tag-best-hunting-scope","tag-best-hunting-scopes","tag-best-hunting-sunglasses","tag-best-lens-pen","tag-best-leupold-binoculars-for-hunting","tag-best-monocular","tag-go-prairie-dog-hunting","tag-hunting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11526,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248\/revisions\/11526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.tract-optics.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}