South Dakota Pheasants

[160andup]

Room is booked and I’m headed out to SD this year to chase roosters for the first time ever. How overrated and over-hyped is SD’s reputation? I’ve heard it on both ends, but coming from back east we just don’t have the opportunity for wild birds, ever. Hoping to put some miles on the truck and let the dog get some reps in on a few wild pheasants.

Just curious if any Roksliders makes this trip and what they think.

 

[dukxdog]

Will be a good season.

Winter holdover population was good. Nesting conditions and some moisture make for numbers of young birds.

You'll have a great time.

Shoot straight!

 

[Cannonball]

I did a trip to Kennebec SD about 15 years ago and 8 guys shot our limit everyday

 

[justinspicher]

I went this past December for a two day hunt and had a blast, I shot my shotgun more in those two days than previous two years. It was cold and I didn’t have a dog but I didn’t care. I’m definitely doing it again.

 

[snowymtnwolf]

It’s on my list. I called a reputable place at the tail end of Covid and never heard back and website wasn’t updated till recently

On my bucket list. Keep us posted


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[jmez]

If you are from back east and have no wild pheasants you will have a good time! Even in bad years SD is still good.



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[MT-nuffgun]

I was born and raised in Huron, SD. Pheasant hunting is easy if you have good private land to hunt. Even if you go DIY public land style it’s not overly difficult especially if you have a good bird dog and do some research ahead of time. It can be tough to get birds to hold if you go public land late in the season but limits can still be had. Don’t overlook small cover like thick grass fence lines along picked corn fields.

 

[160andup]

Thanks, guys. Really looking forward to it. I’ll be out there the first week of November with my 2-year-old field bred springer. He did phenomenal on our local grouse and woodcock last year so really looking forward to this fall. I’ll be sure to do a post-hunt report.

 

[voltage]

I assume you are going DIY? As mentioned above, private land pet pheasants (joking...sort of) can be extremely easy if managed properly. Depending on timing, I have experienced the public hunting in SD can be worse than the public land I hunt in Missouri.

I usually go up to SD two or three times a year and am always into birds on public...some pieces are better than others. I hunt an area of SD that doesn't have a great reputation, but I always have fun and usually put up a few birds. The corn has been taken out early the last few years (relative to historic averages), and that has made the opener very productive for my group. My group has limited out on public on the opening weekend the past 3 years. However, when returning in December/January, it seems that the opening weekend productivity has led to a steep reduction in roosters, usually seeing a 1:20 hen to rooster ratio.

As an example, a group of 4 of us made quick work of our 4 man limit on the first 3 days of the season in 2021 (36 total roosters). A friend of mine organized a hunt for early December with ~15 people, and we shot ~5 birds a day on the same pieces of public...quite the dichotomy.

 

[jmez]

Springers are great little dogs. It will take your dog some time to adjust. November on public land they are going to run!

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[voltage]

One tip: those birds will have already been pressured by November. Be sure to be quiet especially when getting out of your truck. If it is just you and your dog, use that to your advantage. There won't be a lot of pieces that yo will be able to cover 100% of, so just put the wind in your dog's face and let it work.

 

[KurtR]

Since i live year i dont go till after deer season in December. I used to guide so i have had my fill of pheasants. Opening weekend is over rated its generally hot and lots of people. This year should be good for both chickens and sharptails. I have been seeing a lot of birds while out and around. Biggest mistake i see is people walking right past birds slow down let the dog work and get them nervous and they will fly.

 

[rtrevith]

Go for the pheasant, come back for the prairie chickens and grouse

 

[jags]

We try to do a couple of trips a year also, late season. Just like it better, cooler and less people around. Get the Sportsmen atlas book with all the public land mapped by county and the walk-in book, scout out some decent spots, you'll find birds with a good dog.

 

[spur60]

As an SD resident, I'm a little jaded when it comes to pheasants for a variety of reasons but you'll have a fun trip.
If it's just you and your dog, don't put any pressure on yourself. Just bounce from piece to piece and hunt the best you can. Some areas will have good numbers, some areas will have terrible numbers. Keep the wind in your face. 1 guy with 1 dog has a lot of advantages over hunting with a group. You can run and gun, targeting spots that should hold birds for the given timeframe/weather. I loved hitting small pockets of heavy cover near food sources. I also love finding those 1 mile long section lines that haven't been mowed.

Since I don't currently have a dog, these days I just shoot the dumb released birds out of the road ditches while scouting for snows and mallards.

 

[jmichaelberg]

Room is booked and I’m headed out to SD this year to chase roosters for the first time ever. How overrated and over-hyped is SD’s reputation? I’ve heard it on both ends, but coming from back east we just don’t have the opportunity for wild birds, ever. Hoping to put some miles on the truck and let the dog get some reps in on a few wild pheasants.

Just curious if any Roksliders makes this trip and what they think.

When are you going and where? Public land hunting?

 

[SDSmacker]

From what I've seen pheasant numbers look similar to last year, which was the best year we've had in a long time

 

[KurtR]

Been scouting waterfowl every weekend since august goose has started. More pheasants than I have seen in ten years. The guys around here grouse hunting have said numbers are the best they have seen in a long time

 

[Novashooter]

You will have a good time. Many say SD isn't what it used to be, which may be true, but it's still really good. ND has some good pheasant numbers, but most surrounding states are nothing like SD. Opening weekend can be a little hectic, but it's not that horrible. Minnesota pheasants get hit SO much harder. I'm an SD resident, so I usually go out for the resident-only opener, but that's about it for me until late season. Even though we have really good bird numbers, and really good public land, they aren't easy to hunt once they know the danger. A hunting dog would be a huge asset, which I do not have. Having a large group of hunters could work too to push the larger fields. I mostly hunt alone, and don't have a dog, so I like to wait until it snows where i can track them into the cattails where they like to hide. Without snow, good luck trying to jump them out of cattails.

 

[eaglemountainman]

Can a guy without a dog be successful?