South Dakota Prairie Dog Journal, Gear Review, And Field Test:
Browning Shoulder Saver Shirt And Bushnell Fusion 1600 12x50 Rangefi nding Binocular Member Mike Nelson
OUR OWN MOTLEY HUNTING CREW
sional hunters as you can get. All of us are experienced shooters and outdoor enthusiasts, but unfortunately at this point none of us has the luxury of be- ing able to hunt prairie dogs 15 or more days per year or expending thousands of rounds in the process. We are regular guys who enjoy shooting, hunting, the outdoors, and the camaraderie of the trip. We spend time at the range mak- ing adjustments to ourselves, our rifles, optics, and our gear, and we value every dollar spent on what we purchase. All of us are on a budget and plan our trips for maximum enjoyment per dollar spent, not necessarily maximum rounds fired. That said, I don’t think any one of us would opt for fewer shots when given the opportunity for more targets. For this particular trip, we left
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Minnesota one sunny late June after- noon headed west with Pierre, South Dakota, in our sights. Our six and a half hour trip was uneventful and largely forgettable except for the memorable stories we all shared and the brief road- side consultation from one of South Dakota’s finest Highway Patrol. Let me take just a quick moment to salute the South Dakota Highway Patrol. This par- ticular visit was borderline enjoyable, with the officer being efficient, polite, and courteous. With a verbal warning, which admittedly was deserved, a final nod and “Have a better day” from the officer, we were back on our way with roadside cherries soon disappearing in the rear view mirror. After arriving at our hotel, we found that one of our two rooms was without functional air conditioning, and so we headed out to a nearby establishment to have a late dinner and cool off. DAY ONE: THE LAY OF THE LAND Day one dawned warm, bright, sunny, and cloud-free with a forecast
n our small crew of three guys, each is about as far from profes-
high temperature in the mid 90s and light winds from 5 to 15 miles per hour. After talking with the front desk staff at the hotel to ensure we could secure a new room with air conditioning that actually cooled the room, we grabbed a quick breakfast and headed east toward our destination about a half-hour away. We had arranged previously through some good old-fashioned legwork and phone calls to hunt some private pasture land. Stopping in to introduce ourselves and chat with our hosts, we set off down the dusty dirt path in the general direc- tion provided. After spotting our targets and spending a few minutes glassing, we determined the best place to set up and quickly got down to the business of shooting prairie dogs. We definitely are oriented toward
the sit, glass, and shoot versus spot and stalk methodology. With three shooters, we typically have two shoot- ers on benches with a third positioned strategically between the two benches calling out target locations with vague landmarks and yardages that every dog shooter can identify with. Locations like “behind three mounds, left of the big thistle, short of the draw,” or “seven fence posts left of the lone tree in the dis- tance, just in front of the big rock” were called out in a fast and furious fashion along with yardages. In short order we all were chuckling and complimenting each other on nice shots. At the end of a great first day
marked by light winds, warm tem- peratures, and abundant prairie dogs, we tallied two location moves, and an average of 150 rounds shot by each shooter at dogs ranging from 125 yards to 350 yards. DAY TWO: WINDY AND WINDIER Our second day began after a
more refreshing night’s sleep with a comfortable room temperature thanks to that brilliant invention in 1902 by Mr. Willis Carrier! Morning temperatures
and weather conditions were almost a carbon copy of day one, except for a persistent wind of 30 miles per hour with periodic gusts exceeding 40 miles per hour. The wind proved to be very challenging for everyone, but particu- larly problematic for the lighter bullets from 223s. Greater success was had by the faster velocity and heavier rounds shot by the 243 and 22-250. The shooting action proved to
be not as fast and furious as day one. I know the wind affected the shooters and our shots, but I also think it affected the dogs as well. We searched and glassed harder to find dogs that appeared to be more comfortable staying closer to their mounds and spent less time out of the ground. In spite of the wind we were able to shoot quite a number of dogs, generally at ranges from 200 to 400 yards, with one particularly fortu- itous 630-yard laser-ranged shot by the author, witnessed by his companions. DAY THREE: RUMBLING,
RAINDROPS AND RANGING Day three dawned with potential
for some badly-needed rain for the area near Pierre. We all met in the hotel lobby for breakfast and watched omi- nous clouds roll in with some flashes of lightning to complement our breakfast discussion. While the clouds did open up, unfortunately it rained only enough to get the streets of Pierre thoroughly wet but not enough to put a dent in the moisture deficit in the area. We took advantage of our extra time in the hotel lobby to take in an impromptu “comedy” show put on by another guest of the hotel. This friendly chap was a resident of Brookings passing through Pierre with some friends, and we thor- oughly enjoyed chuckling at our new friend while his wife was dragging their baggage out the door to the car while he was still telling us jokes.
The brief rain shower and weak front that went through thankfully led to
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