Two questions on prairie dog hunting for those with some experience.
First: Where are the best prairie dog hunting spots in eastern Nebraska/southeastern South Dakota? (I know there maybe better spots out west but trying to find someplace further east.)
Second: I'm struggling to justify buying an 20" AR-15 for hunting only a few times (even though that would be ideal) so wondering what luck I might have with a 357 Mag lever gun with a 20" barrel with iron sights and a 10/22 with a 3-9X32 scope? I can usually take out clay birds on a berm at 75-100 yds with both guns...guessing 100 yds would be the reasonable range limit. I'm up for a challenging hunt but don't want it to be a disappointment.
Staap It2013-06-13T19:17:11Z
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100 yards ? That is a real short shot. I have hunted Nebraska, But,normally do Montana for prairie dogs. I take four or five rifles to have one ready to use with a cool barrel. ( that was always a problem, whoo hooo, that is some shooting ) Keep ammo in a cooler. The fun of prairie dog hunting is the long shots, and using a long range rifle or two or three. The smallest I have used WAS an AR in .223. I used to take 2- .22-250s, one AR, a .243 and a .270.
We quit going when the government began poisoning programs on BLM lands. I believe that was a real shame, effective ? Yes, but ruined a great income for those local folks, and killed off a whole lot of non-targeted animals.
Edit : A funny thing, I had a rancher offer to pay me to come out and shoot his place. Did not know if it was legal to accept compensation for shooting P-dogs. Called out to Montana, to ask a game warden, made a friend with the local game warden who used to join me, and showed me a bunch of other good spots. We shot my spot, then some of his. A good deal that was.
As much as I like the AR - I think a good used bolt rifle for a few hundred bucks in a decent varmint cartridge would be a lot of fun on the cheap. Sure, a nice new top of the line tacticool bolt rifle would be wonderful, but, I would still rather take a beater rifle out.
Everyone has given you great advice - the 10/22 will be fine for a few hours - but the little buggers will wise up. Lobbing a 22 across hundreds of yards is 'fun' when shooting at ice or stuff flowing down a river...... but that bullets is just gonna nose dive with no puff of dirt big enough to notice so you can call your shots. It will get boring quick.
222, 223, 22 Hornet, 22-250, these are all calibers that have been around 60+ years and there are some nice rifles sitting in pawn shops and the used gun racks at gunshops that would really love to get out of the store and do some shooting. Consider it an 'adoption'. I really enjoy having a 223 bolt gun to go with my AR's - this would be a nice combo for your future.
My family goes to the Sioux Reservation. It's the only area that I have any experience with.
I have a heavy 24" varmint AR with a 12X Leupold that I use. My Dad has an older Wilde built varmint gun that's similar. He also runs heavy barreled Remington 700s in .22-250 and .243. He runs Leupold glass on all his rigs.
I don't see your combination being effective. You don't need to blow $2,000 though. Something like this would make your hunt much more enjoyable. The scope could be a little more powerful, and the light barrel will mean you need to pace yourself, but it would be a great place to start. There are lots of other options on this site, and it will give you an idea what things cost. You can also use the prices as a bargaining point when buying locally.
You can shoot a few close... 22 long rifle close. It won't take long to figure out that human is part of the problem and they will stay down till you leave
Back out to 300 yards or more... They will keep showing and you get more targets
I'd figure that Marlin is a 100 yard max rifle. A mid length AR gets you in the game with optics As would a bolt action chambered in a flat shooter with legs... 22-250 or any of the other popular varmint cartridges