PRAIRIE DOG CONTROL

   This article is about PRAIRIE DOG control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   Prairie dogs are small animals which inhabit the
flat lands of central and western North America. There
are several species on the continent; the most popular
being the black-tailed and the white-tailed. The other
species in the same region include the Gunnisons and
the threatened species, the Utah and the Mexican. These
animals live in colonies generally known as "towns"
and these towns can extend for several thousand miles!
Needless to say, populations can and do reach numbers
which put a strain on local vegetation. Because of
this and other problems associated with large populations
of prairie dogs, one must be careful when they start
to colonize on your property. It is suggested that
you keep their numbers in check otherwise you will
be confronted with a population that becomes too
big to ever control!
   Prairie dogs are small animals, generally around
1-2 lbs, which have short strong legs designed for
digging. Black tailed dogs can grow up over 4 lbs but
are generally in the 2-3 lb size. White tailed dogs
can grow almost as large but are most commonly around
1-3 lbs. Prairie dogs will create towns which can cover
thousands of miles and include several million animals.
Large colonies like these are not common anymore due to
the use of toxicants which were introduced in the mid
1900's. During those times the programs implemented
had a dramatic impact. As much as 98% of the population
in treated areas were killed off and in some areas
none were left. As concerns rose about the impact
complete elimination might have, restrictions were
put in place. The Mexican and the Utah species were
then labeled as a threatened species. This labeling
protected them from being hunted, shot, trapped and
poisoned. Natural predators like badgers, weasels
and black footed ferrets were forced to find other
food supplies; most adopted well but others like
the ferrets had a hard time adjusting. Black footed
ferrets soon became endangered as well due to lack
of food. However, all species began a strong comeback
in the 70's which has continued through the millineum.
At this time prairie dogs are ever increasing and with
this population increase they are coming in conflict
with man more and more.
   Prairie dogs prefer open land with low vegetation.
This allows them to survive predatory feeding. They
will avoid tall grass and woodlands preferring low
grasslands with little water. Prarie dogs will eat
a lot during any one day. Most will consume their
body weight in grass. They will also eat seeds, many
species of grass, flowers, roots and insects.
   Prarie dogs live in towns which are broken down
into coteries. A coterie usually has a male, several
females and their offspring.  Their towns will have
30-50 borrow entrances which usually have mounds
that are on average 2 feet tall by 10 feet wide. These
mounds serve as a lookout station and help to
keep water out of their burrows during floods.
   Prarie dogs are most active during the day. During
summer they will feed in the morning and afternoon, leaving
the surface during the hottest time to seek the cool
of their dens. Though some hibernate during the winter,
most are active year round and will surface even when
snow has accumulated.
   Most prairie dogs will live 5-8 years on average. They
are able to reproduce in their second year. Most litters
will arrive as early as January but generally in February
and March. Litters will have 4-8 pups which will emerge
from their dens in early summer usually 3-4 months after
they are born.
   Prarie dogs, like gophers, attract many predatory animals.
This list includes badgers, weasels, ferrets, coyotes,
bobcats, hawks and fox. Snakes like young dogs as well.
Vacant burrows will attract a host of animals all looking
for a good place to live. Rabbits, rodents, reptiles,
insects and several species of birds all like to be 
around prairie dog towns.
   Prarie dogs become a problem when their populations and
towns get large. Their continual feeding will deplete local
vegetation much needed by livestock and other plains
feeding animals. As prairie dogs clear local food they will
spread to new areas settling where food is readily
available. This has long been one of the main problems
associated with prairie dog activity; ranchers and farmers
have a long history of combating the prairie dog over
land use. Prarie dog burrows lend to rapid soil erosion
as well. When coupled with big reductions in vegetation
the landscape can rapidly change once they start living
in any one area. Furthermore, burrows present a danger
to livestock. Their holes can readily trip and injure
unsuspecting animals or damage farm equipment.
   Prarie dogs have been found to carry many types
of bacteria including plague. This alone is reason to
keep their numbers minimized around people. Furthermore,
abandoned burrows become homes to rattlesnakes and many
poisonous insects - including black widow spiders - which
only increases the likelihood of injury around mounds
and burrows. It is advised that any activity around your
home be addressed as soon as possible. Don't let them
multiply or get established close to where you intend 
on farming or using any land for recreation. This tends
to happen since prairie dogs are perceived as cute and
harmless. Don't let their looks deceive you; two or
three will quickly become 10 and 20. Soon your turf 
will be destroyed and erosion will begin to take its toll.
In the end you will have to remove the prairie dogs in
order to stop the destruction and since it is so much
easier to deal with the first few don't wait. If you 
have children in the area you really must act sooner
than later since they are more susceptible to disease 
and insect bites than adults.


            HOW TO CONTROL THE ACTIVITY
			
   Once you have some activity which needs to be addressed,
you have several control options which can be employed.
The level of control will depend a lot on the level of
activity. If you have some mounds and burrows coming
close to your property you may consider the use of
some repellents. These may do good at keeping prarie
dogs off your land. The first repellent to try is
COYOTE URINE.  Prarie dogs know this smell and tend
to stay away from areas if they smell it. The best
way to apply it is to use 2-4 ounces right on the turf
close to mounds or burrows when you first find them.
Prarie dogs are constantly looking for food and know
the risks associated with foraging. If they smell fresh
coyote urine they will try to move in an opposite
direction attempting to minimize the risk of having to
come face to face with a coyote. The use of coyote
urine is particularly helpful if you have fields or lots
of land adjacent to yours which are not being treated.
By placing urine along the property line you can
create a "fence" which will keep the dogs out and away.
Try to make applications close to the mounds and
then again close to your property. This insures they
will move away in the right direction and not onto
your land. If you want to get the urine to last longer,
protect them with REPELLENT GUARDS. These plastic
stations are staked in the ground and shelter the urine
from the rain and sun. This will allow the scent to
last longer - as much as 2-3 times as long! They will
pay for themselves in a few months with the savings
you will get from using less urine.
   If you have prarie dogs coming onto your property and
want to stop them from chewing on or eating certain
plants, use ROPEL LIQUID. It is a bad tasting liquid
which can be sprayed onto any plant or non-living
object. It is odorless, dries quickly and will stop
any animal from chewing on treated surfaces. It comes
in handy if you have a prarie dog which has found
something in your yard which it finds tasty. Treat it
once or twice a month to make sure they will stay
away. 
   Though coyote urine and Ropel may work to stop new
dogs from moving in or chewing, they may choose to
stay if food supplies are limited or if they have
been living in the area a long time. This territorial
behavior is a strong trait which might be stronger
than the repellents. If you try Urine and/or Ropel
but the dogs persist, you will have to do some trapping.
The two best traps to use are the LT6619 or the
LT7824. Both of these can be set close to where they
have mounds or where you have seen activity. Prarie
dogs are easy to trap. Use a large supply of whatever
they have been eating. This is usually one of the
types of grass which is growing around their mounds.
Place some PRAIRIE DOG LURE on the trip pan of the trap
if they are having a hard time finding it. The lure
is a mix of grasses which has a strong smell sure
to get their attention. You still need to fill the
back of the trap with grass since this is what they
really want. If you have a lot of dogs to catch,
use several traps. The latest design of these live
traps can be used without any bait. The LT111236BD
has a unique design which works by placing it
directly over the prarie dog entrance/exit holes on
their mounds. It has a sealed front with a cage
all the way around so that the door can open inside
the cage. The second unique feature of the trap is
that the bottom of the front section is open. This
will allow the trap to be placed directly over any
hole. As the dogs exit they will be inside the trap.
They can't exit the front of the trap since it will
be closed. They have no choice but to head toward
the back of the trap and along the way they will
have to hit the trip pan causing the trap door to
close tight. You don't have to bait this trap to
get it to work; placing it over their dens is all
that is needed. When using this trap be ready to
do some dog removal. It is not unusual to catch
several a day and they generally don't grow
afraid of it since it is not killing any which
are caught. Once caught you can either relocate
or destroy the animal as needed.
   If cage trapping is not desirable you can opt
to use a leghold trap. There have been several used
over the years and the most common are the 
COIL TRAP and the BRIDGER LEGHOLD TRAP. Either of
these will work when placed around their dens.
The concept is that the target animal will come
out of it's den and step on the trap which needs
to be concealed with either a light cover of dust,
dirt, plants, etc. Every trapper will use their
own preference of disguising the device and the
natural curiosity of prarie dogs is sometimes all
that is needed to get them caught. Another type
used more recently are SNARES. This is the use of
cabling which has a locking mechanism designed
to move in one direction. One end of the snare - 
which is usually about 4-5 feet long - has an
anchor loop designed to affix the snare to
something like a stake, log or heavy object.
The other end of the snare is looped with the
locking mechanism at the end. The loop is set
over the entrance/exit hole and as the animal
moves out or in they will slide their head
through the snare. When set right, the snare
will tighten over the animals neck and shoulders
thus keeping it from escaping back down it's
den. This type of trap is the least expensive
to use but the most difficult to work with and
is only recommended to use if you have experience
with them in the field. Don't waste your time
with them if you are trying this for your first
time. Once trapped you will have to remove the 
animal and reset as needed. Most animals trapped 
this way need to be destroyed so there is an added 
step you need to consider.
   Kill traps are probably the most effective trap
that can be used when relocation is out of the
question. BODYGRIP traps are both easy to use and
very effective. Placed over their dens prairie dogs
will fall victim to it's lethal grip over and over
again. Simply set the trap over the den and stake
it so you won't loose it to predators or a dog
that tries to die down it's den. Be sure to check
them daily; most good sets will get their target
within a short period of time. If you are having
a problem getting the target you will have to add
more sets. In general, it is very hard to have too
many sets. The more you have the quicker you will
reduce their numbers.
   
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