GREEN RIVER - The prairie dog rises above its burrow on the high plains of southern Wyoming and takes a casual look around.

Seconds later, the animal disappears in an explosion of blood and dirt. The self-described "shortgrass sniper" dressed in camouflage and orange chuckles for the camera and gets ready to fire again.

With thousands of hits on YouTube, this popular prairie dog video by Colorado hunter Jim Bowman advises hunters to get ready for the upcoming prairie dog killing contest in southern Wyoming's Carbon County.

The controversial, fifth annual, three-day "There Goes the Neighborhood" prairie dog killing contest is scheduled to begin May 31 on private lands around Medicine Bow, organizer Bowman said.

Bowman, a machinist who lives in Kersey, Colo., said the event drew 38 participants last year, mostly from Colorado and Wyoming. He said this year's event will include the first-ever "world championship, long-range prairie dog sniper event" scheduled for June 1.

"I think we're going to have a really good hunt this year," Bowman said in a phone interview. "And if we get some controversy out there, we're ready to handle that, too. We'll see what happens."

Bowman said he formed an organization after last year's hunt, Prairie Dog Posse, to promote the event and to provide a "voice" for prairie dog shooters.

The group's Web site boasts that members are "a fun crowd who likes to dust prairie dogs from to dawn to dusk."

Duane Short, wild species program director for the Laramie-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, criticized the event and said it's unfortunate that Wyoming continues to allow "disgraceful" prairie dog shooting contests.

"It's hard to find any socially or environmentally redeeming qualities to this kind of shoot … The barbarism of this event is enough to turn one's stomach," Short said.

Bowman said participants pay a $20 per person and four canned goods for the group's "Hunters for the Hungry Program." Members of the armed services get half off, he said. Prizes are awarded based on the number of prairie dogs killed.

Bowman said the canned goods are donated to local food banks and to needy families.

Blood sport

Like most Western states, Wyoming allows year-round hunting of the prairie dog and classifies the rodent as a nongame animal. The Wyoming Department of Agriculture has classified the animal as a pest worthy of extermination any time, any place and by any means.

Part of the appeal to prairie dog shooters is that no license is needed to hunt in Wyoming. Nor is there a bag limit on the animal. Moreover, the Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides does not require a license to guide prairie dog hunters.

Federal biologists say prairie dog populations declined rapidly last century, due in large part to sylvatic plague, regulated and unregulated poisoning by government agencies and private landowners, loss of habitat and unregulated shooting.

While many ranchers and others in Wyoming kill prairie dogs on private and public lands, western wildlife agencies including the Wyoming Game and Fish Department have been working to conserve the animal through interstate agreements and state management plans.

Several times over the last decade conservation groups have petitioned to have the prairie dog listed under the Endangered Species Act, though federal officials have determined the prairie dog's current status does not warrant a listing. Further review of the animals' status is under way.

Bowman contends that the annual prairie dog shoot helps ranchers eliminate - without the use of poisons and other chemicals that are harmful to the environment and other wildlife - unwanted prairie dogs.

"I think what we're doing is certainly not hurting the environment … I think there are still plenty of prairie dogs (in Wyoming) to go around," he said.

"If we thought they were really an endangered species, we certainly wouldn't have the shoot … We're not like that," Bowman said. "We're doing everything legal and above board … One thing about us is that we're not running from anybody."

Ban the event?

Animal rights activists such as the Prairie Dog Coalition and conservation groups including Biodiversity believe shooting prairie dogs in contests is an abhorrent, cruel and unnecessary blood sport that should be stopped in Wyoming.

The groups have asked the Game and Fish Department to ban prairie dog killing contests such as Bowman's.

"It makes absolutely no sense to allow these prairie dog kill-fests to continue … (The department) should immediately act" to ban the events, Short said.

Lindsey Sterling Crank, executive director of the Prairie Dog Coalition, said it was important to "stop sending the message to our children that it's OK to shoot and kill their heritage. The fact is these practices are cruel and inhumane."

Recent studies have shown prairie dog shooting contests have a "residual, negative physical and ecological effect" on prairie dog colonies, and feeding and reproductive behavior, Short said in a phone interview.

"The bullets used are also typically non-jacketed, hollow-point, exploding bullets designed to 'mist' the prairie dog, which is a pretty despicable practice," he said.

"Those exploding lead bullets turn into sand-sized grains … that are picked up by any species that scavenge on corpses," Short said.

He said carcasses containing those lead fragments can poison hawks, foxes, black-footed ferrets and burrowing owls, among other animals that feed on prairie dogs.

Southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com.

More information about the fifth annual "There Goes the Neighborhood" prairie dog shoot can be found on the Prairie Dog Posse Web site, http://prairiedogposse.com.]]->

* Species: The stout, burrowing rodent is found only in North America. The two main species of prairie dog - black-tailed and white-tailed - are found throughout Wyoming.

* History: Once abundant throughout the West, prairie dog numbers have been greatly reduced over the past few decades by poisoning, hunting and plague.

* Features: Prairie dogs have four sharp teeth, golden brown fur and powerful short legs and arms. The animal grows to between 12 and 17 inches in length and is about 4 inches tall. The prairie dog is about a foot tall when standing.

* Habitat: The ground-dwelling member of the squirrel family lives in holes burrowed up to 15 feet underground. Hundreds and even thousands of prairie dogs can live together in single "town" that covers thousands of acres. Prairie dogs feed on grasses, leaves, roots and flowers.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]]->