you are shooting at prairie dogs. On occasion, we’ve also seen eagles and badgers. The South Dakota prairie is big
and in places vast. There are three of us and we can be in the same dog town but far enough apart to need a binocular to look at each other. In fi ve days this year I shot 1,182
David Lees (right) from Mount Vernon, Illinois, with Cody Nightpipe, Indian guide on the Rosebud.
point I was holding anywhere from two to three feet of windage at 300 yards. Each day usually provides a couple of hours of calm to almost calm. Calm is not good for the prairie dog. Try to set up with the wind at your front or back, for this helps with a better percentage of hits. Prairie dogs are out in numbers when the sun is out but still can be shot when it’s overcast. They are out espe- cially when the sun shines after a period of rain. It can rain hard all night long and after one hour of sun and the prairie wind, it’s dry enough to drive off road. You will see mule deer, antelope,
rattlesnakes, pheasants, turkeys, jack- rabbits, prairie owls, and lots of prairie dogs. I’ve shot dogs as early as 7:30 a.m. and as late as 9:30 p.m. It is light on the prairie until nearly 10:00 at night. The pronghorn antelope pays little
attention to you during this time of year and will sometimes graze nearby while
rounds of centerfi re reloads. One of my hunting partners, David Lees, went through more than 1,500 rounds in the same fi ve days. I’ll never go to the prairie again
without some kind of wind flag. At times when using ear protection it is diffi cult to tell which way the wind is blowing. This is especially true when you are constantly rotating on a shoot- ing bench. The wind on the prairie changes direction often. All of us now use very thin skinned
plastic tipped bullets of various brands. Each particular gun has its preference. Some bullets are just not as accurate or explosive upon contact as others. The grass on the prairie in June can
be short or long, depending upon how much rain has fallen. I am from Ohio and the air there is more dense. The air on the prairie is such that bullets shoot fl atter. This takes some getting used to. At long distances there can be a big dif- ference in trajectory in a 22-250 between 50-grain bullets and 55-grain bullets. Out to 350 yards it’s relatively easy but beyond 400 yards the men are separated from the boys! Especially when using a 22 caliber with lightweight bullets.
I took four guns this year and all
were .22 caliber centerfi res. The Sierra BlitzKing bullet impresses me on paper and upon impact with the South Dakota prairie dog. The Nosler Ballistic Tip bul- let is hard to beat as well. I’ve noticed that both the Nosler B.T. and the Sierra BlitzKing in 55-grain weights need a faster twist than 1:14. The South Dakota prairie in the
spring and summer is a very pretty place to be. After fi ve 10- to 12-hour days on the open prairie you are wind burned, sun burned, and physically burned. When shooting an average of 300 times per day, a rifl e with barrel jump is frus- trating and will wear you out. Prairie dogs have personalities.
Some are nervous by nature while oth- ers are fearless. Some are calm and oth- ers run at the fi rst sight of possible harm. The prairie rattlesnake is numerous but I’ve seen them out only on hot sunny days. As well, there is a big difference between one rattler and another. Some will rattle, while others buzz at you. Stay clear of the rattlesnake that buzzes! I stay clear of all rattlesnakes. The prairie jackrabbit is like noth-
ing an easterner has ever experienced. They do not hop. They run and look like something you see on Saturday morning cartoons. After 6,000-plus rounds shot
through six different variations of 22 caliber high powered rifles, I could write a book on the pros and cons of the 220 Swift, 22-250, 222 Mag wildcat 40° shoulder, 223 Ackley improved, 222 Magnum, and 222. My partners both use the 204 and I can tell you they perform very well. The 40-grain bullet in the smaller case and the 50-grain bullet in the bigger case are good combinations. The 55-grain and larger bullet creates enough barrel jump to create a problem in viewing bullet contact. Also, some of the 55-grain bullets require a faster twist barrel. We have noticed a signifi cant in-
John Peabody from Chicago, Illinois, gets out his customized table. It has a huge top, of two sheets of 5/8” plywood glued together. Notice my rolling tool box beside David’s truck. David drives us around and drops us in separate locations.
Page 140 Winter 2012
crease in prairie dog hunters and a slight decrease in prairie dogs. But shooting three hundred to four hundred times a day is nothing to complain about. For a good day on the prairie, take two to three rifl es, with two pounds or less trigger pull, a quality long-range scope, a varmint-weight barrel, and a good varmint bullet.
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