Prairie dog hunts closest to east coast?

[CouchPotatoGun]

Looking at taking some family on a prairie dog hunt but we live in N Carolina and would like to find the closest state where we could have a successful prairie dog hunt without spending $600/day per person.
Anyone know anything similar to this?
Does it exist?
Any state with PDs closer than south Dakota?

Thanks everyone

 

[KurtR]

I dont know of any but who the hell pays 600 dollars a day per person to shoot pdogs?

 

[Chris in TN]

I've seen them several times while in possession of a license to shoot them but have never pulled the trigger on one.

I'll just say they live in at least modest numbers in a lot of places but you'll have to do your homework to find them. It absolutely can be done. And once you get to the eastern edge of their range you're only part of a summer-day drive to the center of their range. Might as well take one extra day and go to the best public land you can find.

 

[sodaksooner]

Not much closer but Nebraska? or Kansas. At least you wouldn't have to go as far North. SD is about as far east as I know. Hella fun to shoot prairie dogs for sure. I know of a few dog towns, but ranchers will only let people they know on. I don't know if walk in applies to that or not. I'm sure the dog towns on public get hammered.

I WOULD NOT pay $600 per day just to shoot prairie dogs. We used to just walk through the towns with our .22 pistols and shoot them. Once they got wise, we'd back out and use .22 rifles, once they got wise to that, we'd back further out with bigger stuff. Super fun for sure.

 

[CouchPotatoGun]

I dont know of any but who the hell pays 600 dollars a day per person to shoot pdogs?

That was one of the quotes I got lol

 

[KurtR]

That was one of the quotes I got lol

That had to include lodging meals and i dont know what else. Thats more than a deer hunt out here

 

[CouchPotatoGun]

Not much closer but Nebraska? or Kansas. At least you wouldn't have to go as far North. SD is about as far east as I know. Hella fun to shoot prairie dogs for sure. I know of a few dog towns, but ranchers will only let people they know on. I don't know if walk in applies to that or not. I'm sure the dog towns on public get hammered.

I WOULD NOT pay $600 per day just to shoot prairie dogs. We used to just walk through the towns with our .22 pistols and shoot them. Once they got wise, we'd back out and use .22 rifles, once they got wise to that, we'd back further out with bigger stuff. Super fun for sure.

Kansas has PDs? I didn't know that

 

[sodaksooner]

Kansas has PDs? I didn't know that

I just assumed so. I didn't research it.

 

[CouchPotatoGun]

That had to include lodging meals and i dont know what else. Thats more than a deer hunt out here

It DID include lodging for sure. Cant remember if anything else.

 

[Chris in TN]

Kansas has PDs? I didn't know that

Oklahoma also:

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/prairie-dogs.pdf

 

[Laramie]

Nebraska has plenty of them but they are mainly on western end of the state. Very little public land so you would need permission. Lots of public in Wyoming to go shoot them...

 

[CouchPotatoGun]

I wonder who I could call in these states that could give me info on where to find either good public lands or relatively cheap private land hunting.

 

[KurtR]

I wonder who I could call in these states that could give me info on where to find either good public lands or relatively cheap private land hunting.

Here is map of the grass lands by pierre its public and shows the towns. How busy it is that i cant say but its a start.

https://gfp.sd.gov/userdocs/docs/new_fpng_letter_1.pdf

 

[7RemMag]

I wonder who I could call in these states that could give me info on where to find either good public lands or relatively cheap private land hunting.

You might be able to get some intel by calling game and fish agencies and asking. As has already been said, I don’t think that I would pay the price you were quoted for a prairie dog hunt of any kind but it’s certainly easy for me to say as a resident of a state with an abundance of them.

OnX used to have a layer for this but it was discontinued. In Wyoming, you do not have to purchase a license to hunt P dogs. I know of several towns close to home on public land, but many of them are pretty well frequented. Maybe if you gathered enough research you could bring said family out on a trip West and look for some prairie dogs while you’re here. I assure you you’d find some before long.