Black-tailed prairie dogs once formed colonies across huge stretches of Montana’s eastern prairie, but widespread poisoning campaigns through the 20th century, aimed at protecting rangeland forage for cattle, wiped out the vast majority of that range. NatureServe’s S3, vulnerable, rank in Montana reflects that lasting decline, even though the species carries a more secure G4 rank across its broader Great Plains range. The 375 records trace open prairie and badlands east of the Continental Divide, including the Missouri River breaks country, rather than the forested shores around Flathead Lake on the state’s namesake overlay list.
Records build sharply through spring to a June peak, more than 15 times the January low, tracking when colonies are most visible above ground and easiest to survey. A single well-visited prairie dog town can generate dozens of repeat observations on its own, so that record volume reflects one accessible, easy-to-tour colony as much as it does the species’ true statewide range.
Full species profile
