Where it lives
Dry, flat or gently sloping open grassland with short sparse vegetation, including overgrazed pasture; most abundant in mixed-grass and short-grass associations. [1][2]
Where it is listed for legal take
These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.
Where legal take is listed
- Colorado — hunting, trapping · 2 CCR 406-3 Chapter W-3 Furbearers and Small Game, Except Migratory Birds (07/16/2026; eff. 2026-09-01)
- Kansas — hunting · Kansas Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, Fall 2025-Spring 2026
- Montana — hunting · Recreational Shooting of Nongame Species (FWP web page)
- Nebraska — hunting · Small Game & Waterfowl Guide 2025-2026
- New Mexico — hunting · NMDOW Nongame
- North Dakota — hunting · Hunting - Other Species
- Oklahoma — hunting · Small Game Regulations
- South Dakota — hunting · 2026 South Dakota Hunting and Trapping Handbook
- Texas — hunting · Outdoor Annual: Nongame, Exotic, Endangered, Threatened & Protected Species
- Wyoming — hunting, other regulated take · WGFD FAQ: What do I need to hunt prairie dogs in Wyoming? (2023)
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
In Canada, limited to the Frenchman River Valley in southeastern Saskatchewan. In the US from eastern and central Montana and western North Dakota south to Texas and eastern New Mexico; extirpated from Arizona by the 1960s and since reintroduced.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30
NatureServe
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology