You definitely want to avoid shooting during or right after rainy weather when trails become impassable. Wait until the ground has dried, or you may become stuck in South Dakota's notorious gumbo mud. Not only would you have a long walk but leaving large ruts in the trail would make for an unhappy landowner. Be sure to introduce yourself to the ranchers and get permission before you hunt on private land. Although found on private, public, and tribal lands, the largest concentrations are found on tribal lands and on national grassland areas managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Maps are available from the grasslands offices.
To order, call the appropriate grasslands office. The reintroduced black-footed ferret depends almost completely on this ecosystem, rearing its young in prairie dog burrows and preying on prairie dogs. The burrowing owl nests in abandoned prairie dog dens, feeding on insects and small mammals. The swift fox sometimes lives in or near prairie dog towns. These are just three of the many protected species that may be found on prairie dog towns.