Prairie Dogs on the Rosebud By Larry Myhre
Reprinted from the Sioux City Journal
“There’s no shortage of prairie dogs right here,” Gary Howey said as he scanned the huge pasture.
I agreed. There were mounds as far as the eye could see on all sides of us.
“We just as well set up right here and get to work,” I said.
We lifted the big picnic table from the back of Ben Bearshield’s pickup and set it on the ground.
With our rifles uncased and set up on bi-pods on the table, a spotting scope in place, binoculars and ammunition beside us, it was time to begin.
We were hunting the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in south-central South Dakota , a premier destination for prairie dog hunters from around the nation and even the world.
It is easy to see why. There are currently somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 acres of prairie dog towns on the reservation. If you drive the roads west of Rosebud, chances are anytime you care to look, you will see prairie dogs.
The little rodents are the bane of livestock ranchers. Their holes and mounds of dirt are literally traps waiting to break the leg of a running horse or cow. They eat the vegetation to the ground, eliminating the desirous grasses and forbes and in their place grow weeds if the town is ever abandoned. That’s why hunters are welcomed in prairie dog country.
Gary, Hartington, Neb., is host and producer of the Outdoorsmen Adventures television show. One of his cameramen, Steve Craig, also of Hartington, was along to record the action.
And the action was soon coming. We took turns firing, Gary with his .22-250 and me with the .243. We also had a .17 rimfire which saw lots of shooting out to about 150 yards.
I was using 58 grain Hornaday V-Max Molly bullets which leave the barrel at 3,750 fps. It’s a good load in my Ruger which favors lighter bullets at about 3,700 fps. The rifle is sighted in to hit an inch high at 100 yards which puts it dead on at 200. We rarely shoot much beyond 250 yards, although serious dog hunters don’t find anything under 300 yards challenging.
If you come out here, bring plenty of shells. It’s not unusual to shoot a case a day if you hunt all day long. Gary and I limited our shooting to about 4 hours on each of the two days we hunted.
Tribal guides are required for all hunters. Bearshield, a conservation officer for the Rosebud Game and Parks served as our guide. A listing of guides is available on the parks’ website: www.rstgfp.net. Guide fees range from about $50 to $150 per day.
The prairie dog season runs from March 1 through Sept. 30. A nonresident three-day license is $35. A annual license is $50 for nonresidents.
We stayed at the Rosebud Casino just north of Valentine, Neb.
There also is excellent hunting for deer, elk, turkey, grouse and other game on the reservation. Check the Game, Fish and Parks website for more information.