Group set to ‘mist’ prairie dogs at annual hunt
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
By Grace Hammond
MEDICINE BOW, WYO. - In New York City,
they call pigeons rats with wings. In Wyoming, this kind of distaste is often
reserved for the prairie dog, which is legally classified as a pest.
Jim Bowman, known to
friends as “the short grass sniper,” heads The Prairie Dog Posse, a group set
to host the fifth annual “There Goes the Neighborhood Prairie Dog Hunt” on May
31 on private land in Medicine Bow, Wyo.
The event is part
contest, part varmint cleanup, according to organizers. Winners will be
determined by the longest shots and greatest number of animals killed.
The group defines
itself as “non-leftys.”
“We are all about
having fun here,” says Bowman, on the group’s website, http://prairiedogposse.com. “We [like] to dust prairie dogs from dawn to
dusk.”
Bowman argues that
the annual hunt is environmentally friendly because shooting prairie dogs
prevents ranchers from using pesticides instead.
Animal rights and
conservation groups argue that the use of lead-based bullets at the event to
“mist” the prairie dog, essentially exploding the animal into a cloud of blood
and dust-sized particles, negates this effect, as well as proves that the event
is little more than a blood sport.
While some
conservation groups have urged placement of the prairie dog on the Endangered
Species List, the species can currently be hunted year-round in Wyoming as a
rodent and nongame animal, with no license required.
The initial meeting
will be held at 7 p.m. the night before the event, on May 30, at the Virginian
Hotel in Medicine Bow. Fees for entry are $20 per person and four canned goods
for the “Hunters for the Hungry Program.” Admittance is $10 for minors or members
of the armed forces.
Way Out West Productions will be filming the event for a DVD
release.
Courtesy of Prairie Dog Posse, official logo.
PERMALINK:
Group set to ‘mist’ prairie dogs at annual hunt | Planet JH News Article: General News
Leave a Comment
Please limit your letter to 300 words, sign it and give us the name of your town.
