I grew up just south of Dalhart. We shot a ton of them and poisoned even more.

Lots of those protected burrowing owls in the PD towns…may be you need to add them to your platter as well!

Lined a scope up, on more than one of them.

Oops! That's an owl, moving on.

Nope. Bird hunting in the Cimmaron National Grassland the prairie dog towns have bubonic plague warnings around them. Explicit instructions not to touch or handle them. Made me nervous when we topped a rise and realized our pointing dogs are blowing through a prairie dog town. Creepy signs to read. I’d have to be on the verge of starving to death to give serious thought to eating prairie dogs. Starvation might be a better death than the Black Plague.

Interesting reading:

https://www.longmontleader.com/community/fact-and-fiction-do-prairie-dogs-carry-the-plague-5589385

I had some in Viet Nam and it was much better than I thought it would be.

you know what they say, hang with dogs and you get fleas

I bet it's delicious. Not shortage of them either!

Well I decided to try eating a Wyoming Prairie dog. Shot a nice young one and started skinning it. Whew what a nasty smell. Nope not for me.

Spouse trapped some that tested positive, not sure what the article says but I know they had some with the plague and it rears it's head in PD towns every few years.
Black footed ferrets aren't released where they have positives for plague.

I'll eat a jackrabbit before a pd, lol.

yes sir

I was a biological researcher on the Nevada Nuclear Test Site in the 80's, the prairie dogs had fleas that carried the plague. Had to get special shots. I collected them for research, they ALWAYS HAD FLEAS. They were naturally immune to plague. I wouldn't consider getting near them until cold and dead. In the winter preferably. Besides bubonic plague, sylvatic fever, tetanus, tularemia and MONKEY POX.

Probably why they are shot at a lot.

I've seen the flea ridden little bastages close up, I'd have to be pretty dang hungry to try and eat one.