Prairie dogs tend to be celebrated for their larger ecological virtues. In the grasslands across the central and western United States, their intricate underground colonies—called prairie dog towns—create shelter for jackrabbits, toads, and rattlesnakes.

grasslands

They feed primarily on grasses and small seeds. In the fall, they eat broadleaf forbs. In the winter, lactating and pregnant females supplement their diets with snow for extra water. They also will eat roots, seeds, fruit, buds, and grasses of various species.

The Producers – the grass. The Primary Consumers – the prairie dogs, grasshoppers, jackrabbits, and pronghorn antelope. The Secondary Consumers – the owls, rattlesnakes and coyotes. The Scavengers – the coyotes and insects.

The largest remnant populations currently are found in South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Mexico. Population Level: The remote and vast range of the prairie dog makes it difficult to estimate the number of prairie dogs.

Prairie dogs are not a protected species. Game Warden Aaron Sims says there’s oversight on the killing of these prairie dogs, but the only time he deals with prairie dog issues is making sure people that shoot them for sport have a hunting license.

You can kill prairie dogs by shooting them with a gun. You can kill them with lethal traps, which can be hard to set correctly. A potent toxicant was sprayed throughout prairie dog towns and 98% of the treated areas were killed, taking a perhaps overpopulated species and making it extremely endangered.

In Texas, property owners can kill “nuisance” animals such as opossums if the animals are considered a problem, according to the Dallas Morning News.

They are usually fairly harmless but can become a nuisance to your home. Within city limits, it is not legal to shoot squirrels as it poses a danger to other animals and people. You can, however, trap them safely and relocate them, after contacting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Is it Illegal to Shoot a Dog in Texas? It is only a defense to animal cruelty for a person to kill a dog while, or after, it has injured or killed livestock on the person’s land or while damaging crops and only at the time of either discovery.

In general, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department imposes an annual bag limit of four turkeys per hunter, only one of which may be an Eastern turkey.

Only shoot gobblers or jakes since hens, unless they also have beards, are illegal to harvest in the spring. Set your sights carefully when attempting to shoot, even with a tight turkey choke, especially if hens are near your gobbler.

“Otherwise, there is no restriction on using . 223 rounds. The law also prohibits hunting with a fully automatic rifle, but does allow hunting with an AR-15 equipped with a suppressor.”

Shotgun, archery and crossbows are the only lawful means; no hunting over bait; all turkeys must be reported to the department within 24 hours after they are killed. Harvested turkeys may be field dressed, but must otherwise remain intact until reaching a final destination.

22 rimfire cartridges as well as handguns are legal for hunting Rio Grande turkey in Texas, and in the hands of a seasoned shooter, they can be just as deadly as a shotgun. (Note: Do not use a rifle or handgun for Eastern turkey; for which only shotguns, archery equipment, and crossbows may be used.)

Yes, it is legal to shoot turkeys in Texas with a rifle.