prarie dogs or rock chucks

[calib]

i am looking to do some shooting after my coyote season is over usually around the end of febuary or early march i quit chasing the dogs. i was wondering if there are prarie dogs any where near spokane, or where to go to see a lot of chucks around eastern wa

[CAMPMEAT]

Normally up here the prarie dogs show up about April to August and then just disappear. We have a ton of them up here. They're all over in the woods, slash piles, roads and wherever. We just drive around and find 'em.

[Cylvertip]

 

[Tom Reichner]

Normally up here the prarie dogs show up about April to August and then just disappear. We have a ton of them up here. They're all over in the woods, slash piles, roads and wherever. We just drive around and find 'em.

April to August, then nothing?  Hmmmmm.  Sounds more like Ground Squirrels than Prairie Dogs.  Ground Squirrels spend most of the year hibernating. 

I wonder . . . when folks on this site say "prairie dogs", are they in fact referring to ground squirrels?   If so, and it is really ground squirrels that you are after, send me a PM (or better yet, and email).   I know of a couple very good areas, and would be glad to share them with you.

[CAMPMEAT]

Whistle pigs is better I guess. Not prairie dogs as I answered too.

[CAMPMEAT]

Tom,

Were you up near Curlew last year trying to get pictures of the sheep near the Midway bridge ? You had a rancher you were talking too and another guy pulled up in his pickup ?

Campmeat

[MtnMuley]

Ground squirrels are illegal to shoot as far as I know?   Rock chucks (goundhogs) are fine to kill, but not the smaller version found in the mountains.

[calib]

when i say praire dogs i mean what they shoot in colorado, or dakotas. the varmints that are about 12" or so tall maybe 3 lbs.  live in dog towns.

[MuleySniper]

Normally up here the prarie dogs show up about April to August and then just disappear. We have a ton of them up here. They're all over in the woods, slash piles, roads and wherever. We just drive around and find 'em.

April to August, then nothing?  Hmmmmm.  Sounds more like Ground Squirrels than Prairie Dogs.  Ground Squirrels spend most of the year hibernating. 

I wonder . . . when folks on this site say "prairie dogs", are they in fact referring to ground squirrels?   If so, and it is really ground squirrels that you are after, send me a PM (or better yet, and email).   I know of a couple very good areas, and would be glad to share them with you.

 
99% sure those are ground squirrels which are illegal to shoot here in WA.
I found a good article on them, I'll do a search to see if I can find it.
MS

[MuleySniper]

Here is one link... Not the one I originally found, I'll keep looking but I'm betting there are a lot of guys shooting these critters thinking they are a "prairie dog"
http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/research/projects/shrubsteppe/occupancy_modeling_ground_squirrel/

[Bofire]

I have never seen a prarie dog town in Washington. aint saying there are none but they are hiding. What you are seeing near Curlew sounds like rock chucks to me.
Carl

[MuleySniper]

I was gonna say the same as bofire. I don't think I have ever seen a prairie dog here either. Lots of the guys that are really into bench shooting those things head down to OR or MT.
MS

[calib]

ok so i will skip the prarie dogs then and i can go after the chucks correct?

[fishermanjoe]

how about graydiggers? 

[Tom Reichner]

Tom,

Were you up near Curlew last year trying to get pictures of the sheep near the Midway bridge ? You had a rancher you were talking too and another guy pulled up in his pickup ?

Campmeat

No, that wasn't me.  Where's Midway Bridge?