I was heading out after prairie dogs next, as I wound down a two-week hunting road trip that spanned almost border to border!
Introduction
This trip took me to the Oglala Sioux tribal lands right on the edge of the Badlands national Park in South Dakota. The terrain in this region is spectacular, with buttes and rock formations popping up throughout countless miles of prairie grassland. On my way to Sobo’s Ranch on the reservation border, I saw mule deer and pronghorn antelope bounding across the open plains, while herds of bison grazed against postcard backdrops. Sobo’s Ranch offers some very nice camping facilities and guided hunts on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. They had set me up in a comfortable travel trailer at the campgrounds, used for visitors that don’t have their own rigs and prefer not to tent camp, though tent camping in their improved sites is another option.
After unloading my gear and making lunch, I set up a makeshift shooting range right outside my front door, placed a target at 100 yards, and proceeded to sight in the Brocock BRK Ghost .30 caliber rifle I’d brought for long range shooting. With a moderate wind blowing, I consistently piled pellets into the kill zone of a prairie dog at this range. I was impressed with both the accuracy and power of the Ghost in .30. After sighting in the ranch owner loaded me into his truck and we drove to several prairie dog towns which tribal wildlife management has earmarked for shooting. I dropped pins on google earth and drew a map for backup, as I would be shooting on my own for the next couple days.
Hunting the Grasslands
The following morning, I saddled up and was off at 8:00, as prairie dogs are active throughout the day so there is no need to get up early. The drive was about 10 miles down a paved road before getting to the first fence that led onto a dirt road. Driving across rolling hills, with the occasional stop to open a livestock gate, it was about 8 miles to the first prairie dog town. The towns are identified by dirt mounds popping up on a blanket of green native grasses, and as I rolled in prairie dogs that had been standing sentry barked warnings as they dropped down their burrows.
I parked and aired up the rifle with one of the carbon fiber tanks packed into my 4-wheeler, appreciating the fact that with the relatively high shot count there was no need to pack extra air. I carried a extra pellets and a bottle of water, though I did find that spraying down with some insect repellent was a very good idea. At this time of year there are big black flies that have evolved to snack on bison but are just as happy with a hunter laying in the grass. A bite from one of these can raise an itchy welt that lasts for days!
My approach was to take a prone shooting position with the Ghost up on an attached adjustable bipod. When walking towards the towns the prairie dogs would drop out of sight, but after 10 minutes they would start to resurface if I didn’t move or make noise. Most of the shots offered were at 100-120 yards, and I tried to stick with headshots. There were some changing winds, but an advantage of shooting a quiet rifle at this distance, is that a miss would not spook my intended target. I could adjust for windage if I missed on the first shot, and the corrected second shot was usually dead on.
An advantage of the .30 over a .25 caliber, in my opinion, is that out of a high-power gun the .30 seems to offer slightly better performance at longer ranges in windier conditions and impacts with more authority at that range. I was using JSB Exact Diabolo 44.75 gr roundnose pellets, which provided accuracy and solid terminal performance.
The scope used was the Leapers Integrix iX 3-18×44 FFP which has become one of my go-to optics because of outstanding image clarity, a clean and intuitive reticle, and a very wide field of view which is an asset in this type of shooting. It allowed me to dial in the magnification but still see enough of the surrounding area to easily locate acquire small and mobile targets.
Over the next couple of days, I worked my way through two more towns and removed dozens of prairie dogs. The imperative of wildlife management in these areas is to reduce the population and curtail expansion outside of the established towns. Shooting is not allowed in all areas, mostly where there is a conflict with livestock. But even so, this leaves several thousands of acres of shooting opportunity. In addition to being a fairly good pest control approach, hunting licenses and outfitting fees provide a recurring revenue stream to the tribe.
My Experience with the Ghost for Long Range Shooting
The BRK Ghost was a brilliant shooter, the accuracy and power profiles of this rifle are top notch, but it was the ergonomics and shootability that really stood out. Air management provided a high shot count and excellent shot-to-shot consistency, the trigger and sidelever action are buttery smooth, and I found it to be one of the best long-range small-game shooting rigs I’ve used! I also believe that for my applications on this trip, the .30 was the perfect option. It is my understanding that the Ghost is the first model offered in .30 by Brocock and I believe they got it right!
On the third morning of my stay in South Dakota, it was forecasted that a major storm was heading in. After almost two weeks on the road, hunting hard on minimal sleep and being battered by nasty weather at every turn, I was done in! So instead of exploring a new prairie dog town, I loaded up my gear, said goodbye to my hosts, and started the drive back to Minnesota to get an extra couple days of rest before going back to work.
