Why hunt prairie dogs?

[YukonKid]

because its fun

don't touch them though

YK

[JP Sarte]

Because they are a menace to the golfing industry. Wait a minute, sorry Carl, that's gophers.

JP

[tplumeri]

don't touch them though

Diseases??

[OnTheFly]

Originally Posted by Tuzo

We do have an imported pest called a nutria that damages canal walls and levees.

Years back, my dad bought my mom a coat made from Nutrias. He had a newspaper clipping with pictures of these strange creatures. Someone was holding what looked like a giant rat by its tail. The coat was actually really nice. You would never know it came from such an ugly creature.

If you have open range on these things, you might see if the pelts are worth anything. I will be waiting for my royalty check for hooking you up with such valuable information.

Fly

[fbrown333@suddenlink]

I used to hunt them in Washington amd Idaho when I was a kid. I can't wait to move back and try my 90grn hollow points chambered in .270 I live in West Virginia as of now, not a lot of them around where I live at. the ones I see I do commit to the almighty. The cyotes around here are tough to get, the law kind of frowns on shooting inside the city limits and thats where I see most of them. Heck, when I ride to work I have to worry more about hitting a deer a block from my house than I do going down the highway!

[Tuzo]

In the marshes of southeast Louisiana racoons have become an out-of-control pest. With few, if any, natural predators the racoon population has bloomed. They raid nests and kill migratory waterfowl and are known to carry rabies. I have seen people hunt racoons at night with a decent searchlight shooting them out of trees and on shorelines.

Seems that in addition to prairie dogs, nutria, and urban coyotes, we can include racoons in the mix of shootable pests.

[davlandrum]

Fly - Been a long time since I checked fur prices, but I would be surprised if it was worth the time and effort to skin them these days.

I had a buddy when I was in High School who ran a trap line and he did pretty well selling Nute pelts.

Funniest thing was he saved the carcasses and did a midnight nutria carcass dump at our rival high school...Oh the good old days

[OnTheFly]

...I would be surprised if it was worth the time and effort to skin them these days.

Sooooo...your saying no royalty check?

Fly

[thallub]

Diseases??

Yes, the little suckers sometimes carry bubonic plague.

[T-Ray]

But disease transmission threat is also pretty high. Just like wild hogs, prairie dogs are possible carriers of BAD diseases. I understand bubonic plague is carried by them. it would take only a few cases of cattle infected with ANY disease to severely interrupt the meat industry and it would hurt the farmers and consumers real fast and real bad!

I agree with your thinking, but i'm going to be a science geek here: Most, if not all of the diseases and viruses they carry are host-specific, meaning that they only affect certain species, and most, if not all do not affect cows or humans or any other thing we eat. Plus, when the meat gets cooked, so do the diseases and viruses. But as for broken legs...

But in no way, shape, or form am I saying I oppose shooting them. I just felt like being a science geek for a second

[hogdogs]

T-Ray, I understand host specific but the threat of a germ modifying to hit other hosts exists.

Brent

[T-Ray]

T-Ray, I understand host specific but the threat of a germ modifying to hit other hosts exists.

Very much so, although it takes a long time and many different mutations to change hosts. That's why bird flu is made up to be a big deal, which it very well may turn out to be...(contraversial but please for anyone-lets not start that issue) The way to prevent bird flu is for everyone to hunt

Just felt like spreading some light on this stuff.

[Redneckrepairs]

What is the name of the group of supposed gunowners that support obama ?? This thread reminds me of it by proclaiming ... I am a hunter but.....

I am a Rancher and i want the vermin off my land by any means . If someone can enjoy shooting them then fine heck i do myself however i will still spread poison where they eat treated grain and go down the den to bleed out as it takes effect . They damage my land , occationaly they damage livestock due to the burrows . We are dry this year and i have about 300 acres that are worthless pasture due to the rodents while i feed cattle bales/grain/ that i will need this coming winter not to mention the extra cost on supplements . As a result of both the weather and the prarie dogs all our cattle are not producing milk as they should , all the calves are under weight , and 7 have been pulled off momma cows simply because they could not produce enough milk and the calves would have starved to death . On a normal year ill have one or two bottle babys . All this without even mentioning that they are plague prone and yes it transfers to humans .

For the record Yes i have eaten prarie dog , its about like jack rabbit or other grass fed animal of similar size .

[BobR]

$1,000 gone, gone, gone.

If the rancher is only raising meat cows, that might be a good number. I have a good friend who raises registered black angus by Calgary. Those aren't food cows, but to make the breed better. She wouldn't tell me how much she pays for her cows, but they can get very pricey.

I would go up there and shoot gophers (richardson ground squirrels) for her. She lost a young bull a couple of years ago due to a gopher hole. She was not too happy about that. He sure was tasty though.

redneckrepairs,

If you really want someone to shoot your vermin, I would be happy too if you are close enough.

bob

[tplumeri]

On a normal year ill have one or two bottle babys

ive got just the one bottle baby,(see pics on my thread) and no prairie dogs.
Gun for "hire" within 4 hrs of hays kansas!
tom

[Redneckrepairs]

Folks i ranch in extreme SE colorado , one town i need shot runs to within 4 miles of Kansas and is south of hwy US 160 . If your serious about shooting the vermin drop me an email to my screenname at yahoo.com If yall over run my towns dont worry ranchers here will fight for responsable prarie dog killers lol .

[Wang]

We have to shoot them because they know to much! Plus they have seen my face and could pick me out of a line up. "Some things need killin" Just kidding.

[rem870hunter]

they ate some of my flowers,my neighbor has a few big ones running around on their land and in the horsepen. i see them every morning. they gave me permission to shoot them(the groundhogs that is) on sight. they do have a hunting season for them here. i nailed one last summer. buried it? nope trash bag and put it in the can. maybe bury the others.

[Logs]

My best shot was just over 300 yards with a Mini 14.

[T. O'Heir]

"...trying to keep them from crossing property lines..." They'll do that no matter what you do. Kill every one on your land this year and they'll be back next Spring.
Varmint hunting is great practice for deer hunting. If it's legal, use the same rifle and ammo you use for larger game.

[Art Eatman]

"If it's legal, use the same rifle and ammo you use for larger game."

200 or more rounds of .30-'06? Nooooo! I don' think so. Noway, nohow.

However, I work at having the triggers pretty close to being the same feel for all my rifles...

[ForneyRider]

"I said gophers, not golfers."

[WIN71]

...I would be surprised if it was worth the time and effort to skin them these days.

Anything shot with any high speed .224 won't need to be skined !

You can only trap them if you want the hides and that's not worth it anymore either.