they carry alot of disease, they can destroy the vegetation around the dog towns, and wait until a horse steps in the holes and breaks a leg, you will kill every prairie dog you see.

I've heard they make excellent targets.

They don't carry any disease, they dont destroy the vegetation, the rancher does, and have you personally ever seen a horse or cow with a broken leg from a prairie dog hole? I don't want a brother's cousin ex in-law story either.

On the vegetation, they keep it grazed down for protection. The grass is also very rich in Nitrogen, and the livestock prefer this area, hence why it looks like the prairie dog is the problem, but they're not. Their tunnels also get full of water when it rains, which helps the ground in saturation.

Rebeltex, sorry that you are the first one to answer, but people like you that don't know the facts cause problems. Trust me, I hated the things, but after a little research, you can see that they are very great animals, and probably the biggest keystone species in the prairie.

They don't carry any disease, they dont destroy the vegetation, the rancher does, and have you personally ever seen a horse or cow with a broken leg from a prairie dog hole? I don't want a brother's cousin ex in-law story either.

On the vegetation, they keep it grazed down for protection. The grass is also very rich in Nitrogen, and the livestock prefer this area, hence why it looks like the prairie dog is the problem, but they're not. Their tunnels also get full of water when it rains, which helps the ground in saturation.

Rebeltex, sorry that you are the first one to answer, but people like you that don't know the facts cause problems. Trust me, I hated the things, but after a little research, you can see that they are very great animals, and probably the biggest keystone species in the prairie.

Had them all around my house, until one of the landowners finally poisoned them. I know once they get established in even a crp field they will keep it mowed. I know all the cattle guys around here hate them. You would think when you moved your cows off the grass would grow back, but not when you have praire dogs everywhere keeping it cut short. Definately not good when you have already had two years of extreme drought conditions. You can say what you want about their holes but I'm not buying that they are benefitial. No I have not ever seen a broken animal leg but I know that from what I have seen for every whole there is an area of approx 4 or more square feet that has no vegitation due to the mound. You mutiply that by hundreds or thousands depending on the size of the prairie dog colony and you have a lot of wasted space that should be growing grass.

I am not a researcher on prairie dogs, just a redneck that lives around them daily, and luckily I have a green light to shoot all I see on all of my neighbors places in the area.

Yes they are great target practice and this is a great time of year to hunt them, because the babies are just now leaving the holes and don't know yet to run back down them when the bullets start flying. I got my kid started hunting on praire dogs.

speaking of prarie dogs

How does water run uphill on the mounds to fill the tunnels full of water?

Had them all around my house, until one of the landowners finally poisoned them. I know once they get established in even a crp field they will keep it mowed. I know all the cattle guys around here hate them. You would think when you moved your cows off the grass would grow back, but not when you have praire dogs everywhere keeping it cut short. Definately not good when you have already had two years of extreme drought conditions. You can say what you want about their holes but I'm not buying that they are benefitial. No I have not ever seen a broken animal leg but I know that from what I have seen for every whole there is an area of approx 4 or more square feet that has no vegitation due to the mound. You mutiply that by hundreds or thousands depending on the size of the prairie dog colony and you have a lot of wasted space that should be growing grass.

I am not a researcher on prairie dogs, just a redneck that lives around them daily, and luckily I have a green light to shoot all I see on all of my neighbors places in the area.

Yes they are great target practice and this is a great time of year to hunt them, because the babies are just now leaving the holes and don't know yet to run back down them when the bullets start flying. I got my kid started hunting on praire dogs.

I don't see prairie dogs as all bad or all good, they are not disease free, they can have tularemia and bubonic plague. Plague can wipe out a town, so while they don't act as a reservoir of disease, an infected town can act as a stepping stone for a broader infection. It's the bottom line why ranchers hate them they compete with cattle for grass. They are the primary prey species for badgers, ferrets, and some hawks. Remove the predators and towns can explode and become too large. Like most thing they aren't all good or all bad.