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May 23, 2008
Out on the Prairie
By Kim Hiss
I was on a Wyoming hunt a few years ago, when the guide asked if we felt like shooting a few prairie dogs, and proceeded to pick one off with a 30-06. Not pretty.
I remembered that when I saw this Casper Star Tribune story about the upcoming May 31 "There Goes the Neighborhood" prairie dog killing contest in Wyoming's Carbon County. According to organizers, the event is intended to, "provide a voice for prairie dog shooters," and the entrance fee includes four cans of food to donate to the "Hunters for the Hungry" program.
Of course, in addition to participants, the event draws a fair amount of moral and environmental criticism from outraged opponents seeking to ban it.
I've never shot a prairie dog (that time with the guide was my only experience to date with prairie dog shooting -- no big surprise being from New York) but I know plenty of women who plunk off a few of the 'pests' now and then. Do you shoot the occasional prairie dog, or just not bother with the rodents? -K.H.
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Comments (1)
Don't forget that if they die above ground after being poisoned that any scavenger be it a coyote or a hawk then eats it and dies as well.
The past 2 summers I have gone out in south-central Kansas with my brother and a guide to shoot p-dogs. The guide has access rights to properties otherwise we would just go ourselves. I found out that it doesn't matter wether or not I shoot them because if the population is too bad they will end up being poisoned. If I were in the prairie dogs position I would much rather die in a split second than role around for a few hours with a horable belly ache before finally dying. I would have gone right about now but unfortunately I am serving over seas. Hopefully I can catch them in the early fall when I get back.
I live in Colorado and spend a fair amount of time with horses. Prairie dogs are a big problem out here making a ton of holes and rite out destroying property. I don't hesitate to shoot one any chance I get. Sorry but my horse is far more important then any of those rodents.
I have shot CA ground squirrels and prairie dogs. My select group of varminters call them SERTs, Self Erecting Rifle Targets.The ground squirrels were collected, after the fleas left, and donated to a wildlife rehabilitation center near Fresno, CA.The prairie dogs were pests on the Zuni reservation and endangering the cattle, elk, and deer by making holes for the bigger animals to break their legs. The Zunis depended on the larger animals for food and profit.
I have shot the notorious "whistle pigs" when I had pasture land. They can really do a lot of damage and create big holes which can and does injure livestock every year. Must say I've never eaten one, nor am I iterested in trying to eat one.
Well, as a Wyomingite, I can say there is certainly a problem with prarie dogs. I personally haven't shot at them, but my husband and family do quite a bit. We have even started my daughter out shooting a pellet gun at them. The prarie dog population doesn't have as many predators to keep it in check, so us humans are left to help out. As far as the waste argument... other animals (including other prairie dogs) will eat the remains, so I don't think that there should be too much worry in that. As for the protesters, I guess they need to have something to do!
Haven't ever drawn a bead on one, but I can imagine that if they were a problem here in the south, I wouldn't hesitate to blast away at every opportunity. Coyotes and Bob Cats are the predators we actively hunt. Their numbers have grown so much in recent years that our turkey populations have dropped drastically! And ofcourse with so many predators roaming thru the woods, the turkey have gotten educated. You can call and call, and they won't answer you...just suddenly appear when you're least expecting it. If the turkey DO gobble, a coyote or bob cat will get them before they even get within shooting range. Yep, I believe I wouldn't have any problems a few prarie dogs!
I've never hunted rodent and the only rodent I've killed is a Wood Chuck that ran infront of my 4-wheeler. I do know of some women who plunk a few of them little critters, they can really tear into a property I've heard. I'm all for controlling the population, because otherwise it can get out of hand. Main example is Coyotes. I never seen a coyote in my area ever, now within the last couple years you can't walk thru a woods with at least seeing multiple tracks.
I'm with NorCal Cazadora. I have only shot animals I wanted to cook up later. I've eaten woodchuck, and I don't remember it being something I wanted more of later. Last fall when I was deer hunting I had a good shot at three coyotes, but did not take any for two reasons: a) They were happily playing in the morning sun and b) I didn't want to scare the deer in the area and mess up my hunt. Later I felt bad for not taking one because I found out the same pack killed six sheep on the farm on which I was hunting. Helping out the farmer would have been a good trade for him letting me hunt his ranch.
At this point in my life, I only kill animals that I will eat. But I hope to buy a farm in the next few years, and I will shoot animals that endanger crops or livestock if necessary. And if and when that happens, I'll probably want to try cooking whatever I shoot, because I hate waste - chalk it up to my parents' upbringing during the Great Depression.
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Don't forget that if they die above ground after being poisoned that any scavenger be it a coyote or a hawk then eats it and dies as well.
The past 2 summers I have gone out in south-central Kansas with my brother and a guide to shoot p-dogs. The guide has access rights to properties otherwise we would just go ourselves. I found out that it doesn't matter wether or not I shoot them because if the population is too bad they will end up being poisoned. If I were in the prairie dogs position I would much rather die in a split second than role around for a few hours with a horable belly ache before finally dying. I would have gone right about now but unfortunately I am serving over seas. Hopefully I can catch them in the early fall when I get back.
I live in Colorado and spend a fair amount of time with horses. Prairie dogs are a big problem out here making a ton of holes and rite out destroying property. I don't hesitate to shoot one any chance I get. Sorry but my horse is far more important then any of those rodents.
I have shot CA ground squirrels and prairie dogs. My select group of varminters call them SERTs, Self Erecting Rifle Targets.The ground squirrels were collected, after the fleas left, and donated to a wildlife rehabilitation center near Fresno, CA.The prairie dogs were pests on the Zuni reservation and endangering the cattle, elk, and deer by making holes for the bigger animals to break their legs. The Zunis depended on the larger animals for food and profit.
I have shot the notorious "whistle pigs" when I had pasture land. They can really do a lot of damage and create big holes which can and does injure livestock every year. Must say I've never eaten one, nor am I iterested in trying to eat one.
Well, as a Wyomingite, I can say there is certainly a problem with prarie dogs. I personally haven't shot at them, but my husband and family do quite a bit. We have even started my daughter out shooting a pellet gun at them. The prarie dog population doesn't have as many predators to keep it in check, so us humans are left to help out. As far as the waste argument... other animals (including other prairie dogs) will eat the remains, so I don't think that there should be too much worry in that. As for the protesters, I guess they need to have something to do!
Haven't ever drawn a bead on one, but I can imagine that if they were a problem here in the south, I wouldn't hesitate to blast away at every opportunity. Coyotes and Bob Cats are the predators we actively hunt. Their numbers have grown so much in recent years that our turkey populations have dropped drastically! And ofcourse with so many predators roaming thru the woods, the turkey have gotten educated. You can call and call, and they won't answer you...just suddenly appear when you're least expecting it. If the turkey DO gobble, a coyote or bob cat will get them before they even get within shooting range. Yep, I believe I wouldn't have any problems a few prarie dogs!
I've never hunted rodent and the only rodent I've killed is a Wood Chuck that ran infront of my 4-wheeler. I do know of some women who plunk a few of them little critters, they can really tear into a property I've heard. I'm all for controlling the population, because otherwise it can get out of hand. Main example is Coyotes. I never seen a coyote in my area ever, now within the last couple years you can't walk thru a woods with at least seeing multiple tracks.
I'm with NorCal Cazadora. I have only shot animals I wanted to cook up later. I've eaten woodchuck, and I don't remember it being something I wanted more of later. Last fall when I was deer hunting I had a good shot at three coyotes, but did not take any for two reasons: a) They were happily playing in the morning sun and b) I didn't want to scare the deer in the area and mess up my hunt. Later I felt bad for not taking one because I found out the same pack killed six sheep on the farm on which I was hunting. Helping out the farmer would have been a good trade for him letting me hunt his ranch.
At this point in my life, I only kill animals that I will eat. But I hope to buy a farm in the next few years, and I will shoot animals that endanger crops or livestock if necessary. And if and when that happens, I'll probably want to try cooking whatever I shoot, because I hate waste - chalk it up to my parents' upbringing during the Great Depression.
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