This from an American hunting magazine:
The weather on that early June afternoon in northwestern Wyoming couldn’t have been gloomier. There was a storm brewing, the sky filled with dark clouds that promised heavy rain—which thankfully didn’t come until after nightfall. Yet despite the lamentations of our host, Ralph...who said the weather kept us from really seeing what the area could offer in terms of sheer numbers of prairie dogs, in 2 days four rifle barrels didn’t cool down from the time we set up at mid-morning until we left for supper.
Each summer, similar experiences are shared across many parts of the West. The reason is simple: The popularity of prairie dog shooting is growing by leaps and bounds. It is, in fact, one of the fastest-growing segments of the hunting and shooting sports.
Despite the best efforts of the “usual suspects” in the animal rights and anti-hunting crowd, who continue to try and “save” the “endangered” prairie dog and other varmint populations that are, in fact, growing throughout the West, varmint shooting opportunities are expanding rapidly...“It’s simple, really,” said (our guide), “When you stack it up against other Western guided hunts, varmint shooting doesn’t cost that much, and both the ranchers and the guiding community have found it’s a good way to supplement our business in what amounts to our off-season.
It’s also a ton of fun, and the best shooting practice a hunter can have to improve his or her skills for the coming big game seasons.” In addition to prairie dogs, varmint hunters can also pursue rockchucks in some areas, ground squirrels in others; and when encountered, coyotes are always on the menu.
When it comes to practicing your rifle shooting, nothing beats burning up a lot of powder at live targets, in particular, prairie dogs. Not only can you fire literally hundreds of rounds in a day, but in much of the best prairie dog country, the wind is always blowing. To consistently hit a pop bottle-sized dog at long distances, you must become tuned to the nuances of wind-drift. Also, you quickly learn the importance of taking a rock-solid rest, how to steady the crosshairs on the target, even how to squeeze the trigger between heart beats to eliminate muzzle jump at the wrong moment...(the rest of the article is all technical shooting stuff).
NOTE: the sole justification of all of this, is that ranchers are pissed off over all of the prairie dog holes in their pastures--a fact of the prairie that America's prairie-land ranchers have had to learn to live with for over 150 years. Why it's suddenly bothering them now, to the point of total extermination...especially in light of the fact that the numbers (scientifically proven to be true, despite the rancher's claims--true some populations in a few regions have increased, while in other regions they are quite clearly in decline, and close to being endangered) of prairie dogs are in fact, dwindling.
