2018 Trip #1 Central, CO with Ash and Myself

2018 Trip #1 4/5 – 4/6 with Ash and Myself

Returned from what was suppose to be a three day trip scouting and shooting prairie dogs in Central Colorado.  The weather didn’t let it happen that way.  The first day we, my friend Ash and I, did really well.  We shot over 200 dogs on a very nice day on two ranches with the sun out bright, but not real warm.  The wind was down (around 10 – 15 mph) compared to the last few days of 40 mph +  and cool.  While it was warm, kind ‘a, it wasn’t the best weather.

This time of the year the females are down giving birth and getting ready to give birth; with the grass above ground mostly gone.  The prairie dogs now depend on the amount of grass they stored below ground in the fall to survive.

The first place was lacking in prairie dogs being out, they were there, just not out.  They don’t like the wind much either.  After two hours shooting 50 or so, we moved on to the second ranch about 65 miles farther South.  We had much better luck on it.  Prairie dogs were out and didn’t much care what we was doing, bad mistake.  Moving down farther in the State the wind wasn’t as bad, 5 – 10 mph at the most.  We shot for about three hours until the dogs went down for the night. 

2018 Trip #1 using my 223 Rem 700

We shot a total of 203 dogs with me getting 97 of them.  I shot my 223 Rem 700 with the stainless steel fluted barrel and standard trigger rifle.  I used a old standby load with the 55 grain Hornady Soft Point with TAC powder.  It holds the wind good and hits hard.  Most of our shots were right at 200 yards, maybe a little more.

Got up Friday to a bright clear blue sky with a little chill in the air.  That didn’t last long.  Before we finished breakfast the clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped 15 degrees with the wind getting up over 25 mph before we got too the field.  All we accomplished was driving around scouting around for an hour or so and gave it up.  IT WAS COLD!!!  Headed home