February 10, 20205 yr Panhandle resident here. Have done it some. It is fun if you back off 500 yards and have a good rest and chair (in the shade). They wise up pretty quick so you can't just sit in one spot all day. Much like calling coyotes and even dove hunting up here, the days of freebie hunts are about over. The ranchers figured out there was money to be made, and most of the good spots are all leased up.
February 11, 20205 yr 3 hours ago, elfenix said: i thought this was going to be about something completely different Shart threat offshoot?
February 11, 20205 yr A 1969 Custom Bench 222.7 Shilen Bull barrel with a Super Targetspot scope will take them out at 800yds. Edited February 11, 20205 yr by Alex Karev
February 26, 20205 yr I'm going to be that guy: Prairie dogs aerate and fertilize the soil. Prairie dog towns result in more rainwater making it back into the aquifer and less running off, resulting is less soil erosion. Cows (and other large ungulates like pronghorn, deer, elk, antelope- you know stuff you guys like to kill) prefer to graze in areas adjacent to dog towns, because the grasses have higher protein content. Prairie dogs act to prevent grasslands from being over run with brush, like cedar. Ranchers who exterminate prairie dogs are degrading their land and the abundance and quality of the grasses and forbs on that land. More prairie dogs on ranch land means more grazing for cattle, not less. Burrowing owls are on the decline due primarily to the war on prairie dogs. The owls use abandoned dog holes to nest, they don't make their own. Desert tortoise also depends on prairie dogs. Finally, cows do not break legs stepping in prairie dog holes. Anybody who tells you other wise is either lying or deluded or doesn't know what they are talking about. I concede a galloping horse is at risk of breaking a leg in a prairie dog hole, but the towns are pretty obvious, and anybody dumb enough to gallop a horse through a dog town shouldn't be riding a horse anyway.
February 26, 20205 yr I agree with everything you said except for there being more grazing, not less.
February 27, 20205 yr In northern McCulloch County, in the early 80's, there was a colony on the ranch next to ours. The old timers around that area told me that they were thick in the '50s but that is the most eastern I have ever heard of them being. They disappeared shortly thereafter but not because we were killing them. There was an explosion of the fox population around that time so maybe that had something to do with it.
February 27, 20205 yr 16 hours ago, fattyflattie said: No one is wiping out entire towns, either. Not by shooting, for sure. The places around Liberal, KS, Turpin,OK that we used to shoot over have been decimated by poison. We hardly ever see a dog there anymore.
February 28, 20205 yr 20 hours ago, Shoxthemonkey said: Not by shooting, for sure. The places around Liberal, KS, Turpin,OK that we used to shoot over have been decimated by poison. We hardly ever see a dog there anymore. Yes, I use poison on mine. While a blast with kids, shooting prairie dogs has almost no effect on the local populations here on the high plains.
February 28, 20205 yr On 2/25/2020 at 11:23 PM, High Plains Drifter said: I concede a galloping horse is at risk of breaking a leg in a prairie dog hole, but the towns are pretty obvious, and anybody dumb enough to gallop a horse through a dog town shouldn't be riding a horse anyway. It's often overblown to an extent - but my aunt still raises quarter horses to this day, and before that sheep. I remember vividly on one occasion her putting down a horse with broken leg from stepping in one of the holes. It's not something you forget. Horse crying - she was crying. It was a mess. Same with cattle ranchers and porcupines. Only has to happen once to set the morderous genocide in motion.
February 28, 20205 yr 11 minutes ago, BabaYaga said: Same with cattle ranchers and porcupines dog packs or coyotes. Only has to happen once to set the morderous genocide in motion. Fixed it for the truth.
February 28, 20205 yr Just now, davidg said: Fixed it for the truth. Like I said, prior to horses it was sheep/goats. Anything brown and on 4 legs had the air let out of it ASAP. Granted sheep are dumber than a sack of hammers, but still. Walking meat bags for the coyotes and wolves (back they were still around).
April 3, 20205 yr The field across the street has a million of these things. I've killed at least 5 this week with a bb gun. Very addicting.
May 10, 20205 yr On 2/25/2020 at 11:23 PM, High Plains Drifter said: I'm going to be that guy: Prairie dogs aerate and fertilize the soil. Prairie dog towns result in more rainwater making it back into the aquifer and less running off, resulting is less soil erosion. Cows (and other large ungulates like pronghorn, deer, elk, antelope- you know stuff you guys like to kill) prefer to graze in areas adjacent to dog towns, because the grasses have higher protein content. Prairie dogs act to prevent grasslands from being over run with brush, like cedar. Ranchers who exterminate prairie dogs are degrading their land and the abundance and quality of the grasses and forbs on that land. More prairie dogs on ranch land means more grazing for cattle, not less. Burrowing owls are on the decline due primarily to the war on prairie dogs. The owls use abandoned dog holes to nest, they don't make their own. Desert tortoise also depends on prairie dogs. Finally, cows do not break legs stepping in prairie dog holes. Anybody who tells you other wise is either lying or deluded or doesn't know what they are talking about. I concede a galloping horse is at risk of breaking a leg in a prairie dog hole, but the towns are pretty obvious, and anybody dumb enough to gallop a horse through a dog town shouldn't be riding a horse anyway. Family has been ranching in the panhandle for over 100 years. While not common, we have had cattle break legs on occasion. Also, when working cattle you don’t always get to choose where you do and don’t gallop. You see one good horse get put down bc of a prairie dog hole and you’re willing to do a lot of work to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
May 10, 20205 yr On 2/27/2020 at 5:40 PM, Alex Karev said: Disease has killed them out in West Texas. Not hunting fucking covid !
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