I lost track of my turret somewhere around the sixtieth adjustment. I did not know it at the time. I only knew that a dog I had ranged and read perfectly stood up on his mound, took a bullet through the air above him, and went on chewing. I stared at the scope, then at the knob, then at the dust where the round had landed, and slowly worked out the truth: the dial was sitting somewhere I had not left it. I had been so busy doing the work correctly that I had forgotten where I was.
Prairie dog shooting separates itself from most rifle work by pace. You are not taking one careful shot at a deer at a known distance, and you are not setting up once for a predator. You are firing dozens or hundreds of rounds at targets that change distance every few seconds, so you face a choice between two ways of correcting for it: dial the turret for each distance, or hold over with the reticle. Both work. They suit very different tempos and very different shooters, and the one you choose has a lot to do with how many dogs you connect with in a day.
Two Ways to Correct
Dialing means turning the elevation turret for each new distance. You range the dog, set the correction, aim at the center of the target and shoot. It is the traditional precision method and it works beautifully for deliberate shots.
Holding means leaving the turret at a base setting, often your zero or a mid-range distance, and using the marks in the reticle to aim high or low. You range the dog, find the right mark, place it on the target and shoot. It is faster, but it demands that you know your reticle and your holds well. If the reticle itself is part of your thinking, Christmas tree reticles and when they save you is worth reading beside this one.
Dialing: Precision Against Time
Dialing gives you the cleanest elevation correction available. The crosshair stays your point of aim, and the scope itself is adjusted to the distance. For one dog at a long distance where you want an exact correction, it removes guesswork. It also suits a measured pace, where you are working a single mound and every target is about the same distance away.
The cost appears in fast shooting. Each change means working out the correction, turning the knob and confirming the setting before you fire. I will not hand you a stopwatch number, because it varies a lot between shooters, but it is long enough to matter when dogs are popping up at several distances in quick succession. You end up spending more time on the turret than on the target, the rhythm breaks, and opportunities vanish. A rushed morning on a busy colony punishes the dialer.
Holding: Tempo Over Perfection
Holding turns the reticle into a correction tool. Once you know your holds, either memorized or written on a card, you range the dog, find the mark and shoot, and a change from a near dog to a far dog takes as long as moving the rifle. There is no click counting and no verification step.
The trade-off is that you must know the holds cold, and you are estimating placement instead of setting it mechanically. On targets of eight to twelve inches that matters less than you would expect, since a small error in placement still lands in the animal. Shooters who favor holding often fire more rounds per session because they keep their rhythm and use fleeting chances. Rangefinding fits into this rhythm, as a sensible rangefinder routine shows.
The Lost Turret Problem
The lost turret problem damages productivity more than anything else in volume shooting. After many adjustments across many distances, you lose track of where the dial is. Did you come back down after that long shot? Are you at zero or still several clicks up? The uncertainty freezes you and forces a mental or physical reset.
It compounds when you are hot, tired and moving quickly. You miss a dog and cannot tell whether it was the wind, the range or the dial, which turns a simple miss into a puzzle. Some shooters build systems, such as returning to zero after every shot, marking positions with tape or writing every change down, but each of these adds steps to an already slow process. A predator setup lets you track carefully because you fire only a few rounds, and a colony does not. A quick turret tracking check before a trip at least ensures that the dial does what it claims.
When to Dial and When to Hold
Dialing works best when you are shooting at a measured pace, one mound at a time, with time between shots to verify conditions. It also suits shooters who have not practiced holding, or who run a plain duplex reticle with no usable marks.
Holding dominates when dogs are active across several mounds at different distances, such as during a busy morning or an evening emergence. A hybrid splits the difference: dial your elevation to a mid-range distance, then hold for wind and small elevation changes. It cuts turret handling while keeping reasonable precision. The wind side of that approach is the subject of a hold table you can memorize.
A Checklist for Choosing a Method
- Dial if you shoot methodically, one mound at a time
- Hold if dogs are active across several mounds at varying distances
- Dial if you are not familiar with your reticle’s marks
- Hold if you have practiced and can execute holds without thinking
- Hybrid if you want fewer turret moves without giving up precision: dial to a mid-range distance and hold the rest
- Dial at the longest distances you shoot, where precision demands rise
- Hold for long volume sessions where rhythm matters
- A simple duplex favors dialing, while a marked reticle favors holding
Mistakes in Switching
- Mixing methods with no system. Dialing some shots and holding others without a rule creates confusion about your current setting.
- Holding without practice. Assuming you can hold well without range time leads to steady misses.
- Dialing without tracking. Without a way to track the dial, you will lose it.
- Ignoring reticle limits. A fine duplex gives you little to hold with.
- Overcomplicating a hybrid. Elaborate rules slow you down more than choosing one method.
- Forgetting to return to zero. Ending the day with the turret far off ruins the first shots of the next outing.
- Assuming dialing is always more accurate. On colony-sized targets at typical distances, a well-executed hold lands within the target’s margin.
Your zero changes how much you must dial or hold at all, so settle it first with prairie zero, one hundred or two hundred yards, and build the card that backs it up with a dope card built fast.
Comparison: Dial and Hold
| Factor | Dialing | Holding |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Slower, with a setting to make each time | Fast, no turret handling |
| Precision | Highest potential | Adequate for colony-sized targets |
| Mental load | Higher, tracking the dial | Moderate, knowing the holds |
| Best for | Methodical work on one mound | Fast shooting at mixed distances |
| Learning curve | Low | Moderate |
| Long volume days | Can break down as adjustments pile up | Holds up over many rounds |
The table shows the shape of the trade, not measured numbers. How the choice plays out for you depends on your rifle, your optic and your habits.
How the Choice Fits the Rest of Your Day
Both methods depend on the same things: a good distance, a reasonable wind call and a stable rifle. If your wind call is weak, neither method will save you, and prairie wind basics and full-value wind versus angles are where to start. Your stability matters too, because a wandering rifle ruins both a dial and a hold, which is why the work in bench bags versus a bipod pays off.
Eyes and brain tire over a long session, and tired shooters lose their place on a dial first. Keeping yourself fresh is part of the method, as heat and dehydration explains, and a sensible limit on how much you fire at once, as in realistic string limits, keeps your system from running away from you. If this is your first season, a no-stress first trip is a good place to try both methods in easy conditions and see which one feels natural.
Slopes, Altitude and the Method
Two things shift your numbers whichever method you choose. Steep shooting angles change the correction you need, though less than most people fear, and angle shooting, when it matters and when it does not sorts out when to care. Thin air flattens your trajectory, and density altitude on the prairie explains why a card made at home may not fit the colony. If your dial and your holds disagree at altitude, suspect the air before you suspect the scope.
When the wind is unreadable, neither method helps much by itself. A short test routine such as bracketing the first shot gives you a starting point, and a clear idea of when to stop shooting, covered in when wind says wait, saves ammunition on days when no correction is reliable.
The Short Version
- Dialing is precise but slow, and it risks the lost turret problem
- Holding is fast and keeps your rhythm, but needs practiced holds
- A hybrid dials to mid-range and holds for wind and small changes
- Pick one method for a session and stick to it
- Match the method to your reticle and your tempo
- Practice before the trip, not on the colony
Dial vs Hold on Prairie Dogs
Can I dial elevation and hold wind?
Yes, and it is a popular approach. Dial elevation to a mid-range distance, then hold for wind and for small distance changes. It reduces turret handling while keeping wind calls quick.
How many adjustments before dialing becomes impractical?
It depends on the shooter and the day, and I would not trust a fixed number. Many shooters notice they are losing track of the dial after a long run of changes. If you are firing many rounds with constant distance changes, holding or a hybrid usually keeps you more productive.
Do I need a Christmas tree reticle to hold well?
No, but it helps. A standard marked reticle works for holding, while a plain duplex gives you few reference points. If you are shopping for a colony scope, look for clear, usable marks across the field of view.
Does holding work at longer distances?
Yes, though it takes more familiarity with the reticle. Many shooters hold well beyond typical colony distances once they have practiced, provided they know their corrections cold and the reticle has enough marks.
Where should I zero for holding?
A zero somewhere past a hundred yards keeps your common distances closer to the point of aim and shrinks the biggest holds. A hundred yard zero also works but needs larger holds. Choose based on where you actually shoot.
Can I switch methods in the same session?
You can, but it often causes confusion about the dial. If you start by dialing, commit for that session. If you hold, stay with it. Changing midway is the quickest route to losing your zero.
Is shooting prairie dogs legal wherever I find a colony?
No. Seasons, methods and access rules differ by state and landowner, so confirm what applies and get permission before you go.
Back to Zero
When I finally found the dial I turned it all the way back to its stop, counted up to my usual setting and wrote it on a strip of tape on the stock. From then on I held for most things and dialed only when a dog was far enough to justify it. I shot more that afternoon than I had all morning. A good method is not the one with the best theory behind it. It is the one you can still run, without thinking, when the sun is high and the dogs are everywhere.
