Go Go Varmint Go Member Articles

Season?

As of today – 10/24/00, the prairie dog in South Dakota is classified as a non-game animal.  As a result, it has no season and can be hunted without regard to bag limits or calendar limitations.  This could change at any time.  I’ll update this document if/when this change occurs.  Whatever you do, DO NOT take my word for it.  Before you hunt, you check the rules and regulations for yourself.  My own personal “season” is from May 15th to October 1st.  Any earlier, they just won’t be up in good numbers yet.  Do people hunt earlier?  Absolutely.  But if you are planning a long drive / flight from out of state, you are risking a successful hunt by coming too early.  I stop shooting when October rolls around, just because I think too much hunting pressure is a bad thing.  I also feel that those prairie dogs that have survived all summer have earned the right to mate.  Remember, you do have to leave a few breeding pairs or there won’t be anything to hunt next year.  Hunters can and do go out later.  Just be sure you’ve got good mud and snow tires on your 4WD truck.  A cell phone won’t do you very much good in most places where you will be hunting.  There just aren’t very many cell phone towers out on the prairie.

Where to go?

Prairie dogs thrive in open black gumbo prairie.  In South Dakota, that habitat exists in abundance in the western half of the state.  The Missouri River provides a convenient dividing line and most prairie dog hunting is done west river.  Most - not all.  I grew up in southern Hand / Hyde county and we had a few prairie dog towns near my home.  I would consider this the eastern ‘fringe’ of their range in central South Dakota.  The towns in this area aren’t very plentiful and are usually smaller in size.

How do I get started?

IMHO, the best place for you to get started is at the South Dakota game fish and parks website.  There is a wealth of good solid info on that site.  You need to check it out.  Many questions will be answered if you just take a little time and do a bit of research.  Look hard enough and you will find a link provided for out of state hunters to get a license.

The Link: http://www.state.sd.us/gfp/hunting/PrDog&Coyote/PrairieDogs.htm

South Dakota hunting opportunities exist on private ranches, tribal ground or federal ground.  Private ground is your best bet, but it is also the hardest to find access to.  Tribal agencies are a good option and hunting can be fairly inexpensive.  Federal ground is public ground and open to anyone and everyone.

Private ground

The best advice I can give you is to get busy.  Get off your duff and do some basic research.  Make a few phone calls.  Don’t go to the GGVG main board and ask, “Where should I go?” and expect anyone to just hand over their private hunting areas.  Take a look at a map, pick a city and call their chamber of commerce office.  Call a motel and ask for the owner’s advice.  Book a hunt thru a local guide.  Come a few days early and visit the local livestock sale barn.  Visit with the regulars at the lumberyard or implement dealer.  Stop at the downtown café for breakfast.  Hit the main street diner for lunch.  Show up at the local corner bar on a Friday night and buy the locals a round of Bud’s.  We’re friendly folk here, most of us enjoy free beers and most will be glad to help you out.

Tribal ground

My own PERSONAL recommendation would be to shy away from the Pine Ridge and Rosebud.  These areas get hit hard and get hit often.  Great hunting can also be found on the Crow Creek and the Lower Brule.  I grew up very near both of those reservations and KNOW it to be good habitat for prairie dogs.  I believe these two reservations as well as the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River hold the most “untapped” hunting in the state.

The phone numbers are as follows:
Lower Brule--605/473-5666
Pine Ridge--605/455-2584
Rosebud--605/747-2289
Cheyenne River--605/964-7812
Standing Rock--701/854-7236

Federal ground

Three years ago, my son and I had one of those extra special days of hunting.  It was one of those days where the memories will last a lifetime.  We hunted the Fort Pierre National Grasslands, south of Ft. Pierre.  We had a brand new Ford Explorer, a full tank of gas, an untested gun and plenty of time on our hands.  You get to see lots of virgin native prairie, plenty of dog towns, and a few dogs.  These dogs are very well trained and fairly gun shy.  When we hunted, the most fruitful town yielded 8 or 10 shots.  But, on that day, to my son and I, numbers didn't matter.  The best part was that it was free and you don't have to answer to anyone.  Again, contact numbers are found on the SDGF&P web site.  The grasslands are controlled by the U.S. Forest Service and include:

Buffalo Gap National Grasslands (605-745-4107) in southwestern South Dakota
Fort Pierre National Grasslands (605-224-5517) in central South Dakota
Grand River National Grasslands (605-374-3592) in northwestern South Dakota

Maps are available from the grasslands offices.  Tell them you are hunting prairie dogs and they might include a photocopied map with the sizes and locations of towns penciled in.  I say MIGHT because this practice is iffy at best.  Don’t count on it.

If all else fails and you feel like your hunt just isn’t going to work out, drop me a note.  I hate to think anyone would come all the way to South Dakota and not have a good time.  Just be sure you’ve done some of the basic legwork on your own first.  With a bit of minor arm-twisting, I just might be available that weekend to guide you to a few spots that I know of.  Obviously, I can't promise anything, but I would hate for you to get skunked.

-niv
joeniv@prodigy.net

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