Prairie Dog Optic

[Crow Hunter TN]

I have never hunting P-Dogs before. I am planning a trip next year to Oklahoma. I will be using a Tikka Varmint in .223 as a primary with a Tikka T3X .223 and Tikka T1x for extra rifles.

What power/focal plane scope is should I be looking for on the primary rifle?

The T3x and the T1x both have Trijicon Credo 3-9X40 Mil/Mil scopes on them now and I am not opposed to swapping them for something else to match the primary.

 

[SW hunter]

I have an ?-18x40 on a 223 that works great for g squirrels and p dogs. 200yds is about my limit. I like the 18x lets me see where i hit when I get a miss.
Wish i had gone w a 50 objective vs 40 since weight and size is no issue. At the time I didnt think of that.

 

[rayporter]

a 6-18 may seem hard to see through while a good 6.5-20 will be clear as can be when the mirage kicks up.. with a good variable our group will be set at about 24x at the end of the day. more than 30x and mirage bothers me. i have 5 old 24x Lepolds that i use for dogs.

the heavier bullets will help if you get over 300yd. 70gr bergers are great.

 

[rayporter]

the dogs in Oklahoma get hit pretty hard, you might plan on taking a rifle that will reach 450 or so. the possibility of nothing showing under 300yd after a dozen shots is there.

 

[Browninglover1]

I have shot a lot of prairie dogs. A 6-24x scope is tough to beat but I shoot 95% of mine at 14-16x because of the larger FOV and the less visible mirage.
It's not a bad idea to throw your nicest optic on your rifle for a prairie dog hunt and then swap it back over to your hunting rifle in the fall.

 

[StupidLightweight]

Prairie dogs sure are fun to shoot. For your .223, I think 12-14X top end would be ideal. More power won't help. You didn't mention whether you plan to dial or hold for distance, so I'll just assume you're in the dialing camp. Were I buying a dedicated optic for prairie dogs, I'd go with a SWFA SS 3-15x42, precisely because of what the others have said. Once shots ring out, your only targets may be a long ways out. Knowing your drop with a high BC bullet will enable you to keep firing.