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.

Reader Comments
I wonder why they have a Star of David as the background for their logo? MG
What a bunch of rednecks. thinking that's all
god is watching Sam Wells
God enjoys watching prairie dog hunts too? I suppose the winning team will give credit to the Lord but who are the losers to blame? Sports Fan
Jews against prairie dogs. JHighland
some ones always got to be political! my badge is shaped like that too, what dose that say about me? its leagle & benifits over population get over it. Your too self contious az. law dawg
I am baffled about how humans treat animals and the environment. Carnage is obviously fun for these people, no matter the life form or how they destroy it. People, wake up, there is no god, only life and now. No wonder this planet is going down the drain! Stangya
Morons 1 Nature 0 Nigel
Stangya, I generally agree with you about the humans and their lust for carnage. But if you look at how uncivilized humans were before the 21st century, all animals are much better off now. These guys are a bunch of bozos, don't let them get you down. Stacey
The Great Spirit lives in the Dogs, so say the Lakota Sioux, yet they understand the Dogs must be culled. The Great Spirit knows best, not man. Death is the way on the great prairies. Graywolf Vic salguero (Graywolf)
To: MG & JHighland-It only took one of us to fool all of you dummies, didnt it. GET A LIFE! Lester Lester
That's not the Star of David. Can't you recognise a Sheriff's Badge. it obviously goes with a "Posse", the original posse's. Hang in there Prairie dog hunters! They are a safety and health concern in Wyoming. Judy M
Hey They are Rodents!, Jackson hole residents are for the most part lefty's from some where besides Wyoming. jim bowman
HEY VIC.. YOU MORON.. THE SIOUX WERE REFERING TO REAL DOGS.. LIKE BEAGLES.. NOT RATS.. LIKE THE PRARIE DOG.. ITS A DAM RODENT FOR CHRIST SAKE.. AND ITS GOING TO DIE IN 2.5 YEARS ANYWAY.. THATS ITS ENTIRE LIFE SPAN.. AND IN THAT TIME..IT WILL MAKE 2000 MORE RODENTS... ASDFAF
You are more than welcome to come and take as many of these prairie dogs as you want and transplant them in your backyard anytime you want. Let them harm your property, drop your land value, injure your animals and spread disease. Sound good? In the meanwhile, I prefer the faster and more fun method. b thomas

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