[Dan]

APK-223 and myself took the morning to drive up to Seligman, AZ for some choice prairie dogs and snapped a few pictures of them and the guns. Hopefully, we're not overstepping the bounds of this forum, but we think fellow varminters will appreciate them. A warning: These pictures are somewhat graphic, so don't look if you disagree with what we've done.

Note the first bullet grazed this dog.

The last dog of the day.

Obviously not the best of friends. Sorry, couldn't resist.

The first rifle is a RRA Varminter EOP Upper 24" 1:8 barrel (.223)
The second is a Remington VSSF 26" 1:14 barrel (.22-250)

 

[Jeff_850]

nice pictures
how many did you get today?

i didnt have a problem with the pictures ive seen plenty of dead varmints

 

[Dan]

Because of the time constraint, we had about 3 hours.
We each bagged two, and APK might have got anthor one, but we couldn't find it.
We traded off shooter/spotter after each kill.
Couldn't have asked for better weather.

 

[badshot]

The only problem I have is that I wasnt there with ya'll.

 

[SpEcTeR]

Badshot,

I would like to give varmint hunting a try. I have never really hunted small game like coyotes or little critters like in Dan's trip. My question is where can I do this, or where do you recommend here close to our hometown. Jeff, yourself and I all live in the same city :wink: . Any information would be appreciated as I don't even know the proper permits or bag limits. Is it similar to deer hunting? Thanks.

 

[CM2k]

Meh. Hunting isn't exactly what i'd enjoy doing. If i'm going to shoot something, it had better be for food, self defense, or because they are causing damage of sorts.

 

[badshot]

Specter,

I don't have any idea where we could go for something like that. All my hunting is done on my little place south of San Antonio on family owned land. I wish we had something like that to shoot here. Sorry I can't be of any help.

 

[cody221]

lol... nice stuff

but i woulda thought that it would have done more to them, i have shot woodchucks that were ripped apart even worse then that..althought i did shoot t he woodchucks with a 7mm Rem Mag with 160 grain sierra hollow points

 

[Shoe]

Looks good. You guys have any idea what ranges you were working from when you bagged these poor, little, adorable, cuddly, furry, oh-so-cute animals? Hehe...just kidding. Good work! The one holding the casing reminds me of all the pictures of roadkill holding beer bottles...

 

[Yimmy]

What do you do with them having shot them anyway?
Are you required to dispose of them or something?

 

[Dan]

Yimmy,

There are no disposal laws that I'm aware of. We even found a dead one and thought we shot it earlier, but after looking at it somebody had left it there for maybe a day. There's a healthy raven population along with other scavengers that take care of what we leave behind.

Shoe,

We were trying to stay inside of 200 yards with all of our shots because that's the furthest range we have to practice at in town. We took a few shots at about 300-400 yards and were blown away by how difficult it was. The advantage to that range is they don't hear the shot loud enough to hide. Someday...

Cody,

Yeah, we're shooting some quick loads. That and the bullet weights are 52 and 77 gr. They're too quick and little to do that kind of damage.

 

[cody221]

yeah theres not enough there for the bullet to expand hardly any is there?

 

[Yimmy]

I've never seen a prairie dog before... I always imagined them to be like foxes.

 

[Shoe]

Yimmy: Nope. They're members of the rodent family, so they're about like large chipmunks. Then again, capybara are technically rodents, so maybe that doesn't say anything. Anyhow, think large ground chipmunk or squirrels minus the tail and you'll get the idea. The 'dog' in prairie dog is a bit of a misnomer.

 

[AcidMeister]

I live int eh San Diego area, i was wondering if anyone on this board knows some area's close by, i was just going to take a long drive int ot he desert with my rifle and see what i find, i lived in Goergia for 6 years so my only experience was deer, foxes, waterfowl..... Just kinda looking for something besides the range, the longest range i can find here is 100 yards, unless i take a 1-2 hour drive.

 

[Scopes]

Here is where you need to go www.dogbegone.com If you haven't hunted prairie dogs en masse, you have not hunted! it is a blast. You need to take a trip to the dakotas, Montana, Wyoming or any of the prairie states.
You will shoot hundreds, yes hundreds of dogs in a day. I have personally shot over a full day over three hundred dogs. You can find a guide that will take you out to a ranch, set you up on a hill, and let you go at it. It is also a great sniping practice and probably the closest anyone will ever get to actual sniping without being in the military. Ask mel about it, he's up in Montana.

 

[Yimmy]

re

That sounds a bit like, "shooting rats in a barrel".

 

[Scopes]

go to www.dogbegone.com and then call a guide. It's more fun than rats in a barrel. I am going to make another trip next spring.

 

[SpEcTeR]

Dan,

Where do you recommend for some good varmint hunting in Texas or close to it. Other than Arizona. Thanks.

 

[APK]

SpEcTeR:

Dan is currently occupied with bootcamp. NAVY all the way!!!!!!! Sorry but I don't know of any varmint hunting in Texas. My advice is to ask the local guys. That is how me and Dan found our area. I guarentee that someone in your area can help. Good luck.