South Dakota Pheasants

[SDSmacker]

You can still be successful without a dog. And just a heads up, a lot of the CRP and CREP acres got hayed off so there may not be habitat where you think there will be before you show up

 

[Novashooter]

Can a guy without a dog be successful?

I'd like to think I am, but it's not easy. You can't just walk around in some grass and expect the pheasants to jump up when you get within 20 yards of them. Most of the time they just run for cover, sometimes they flush when you are still 75+ yards away. Later season that can be 150+ yards away. Some birds do hold, but good luck finding one without a dog. Despite the preserves letting tons of their farm pheasants into the wild, most of the pheasants you see on public land are wild birds. Even if they were born on a farm, they are wild by October.

Very early season, like the first week, maybe two, you can have success sneaking up to the thicker brush like the switchgrass. If you find the right lands that have a tiny pocket of cattails, or a field with a strip of unharvested corn or something, that can work good. Sometimes you can even get lucky in the evenings when they are going between the cattails and cornfield or wherever they are eating. After that it gets really hard without a dog unless you know the area really well. Once it starts snowing, you can start to have success without a dog again. Birds will be abandoning the short grass, and going to thicker cover. You can see where they are walking, and often you can sneak after them. Sometimes they escape anyways, sometimes they will hunker down until you are really close to them and jump them. Remember this will be very thick cover like cattails and spruce trees, sometimes even haybales, so shots don't always come easy or at all.

 

[Novashooter]

You can still be successful without a dog. And just a heads up, a lot of the CRP and CREP acres got hayed off so there may not be habitat where you think there will be before you show up

That was the case last year with the drought, but I'm not seeing much, if any cut up here near Aberdeen. I think last year was actually a special emergency permit, I don't think they are normally allowed to cut CREP. I'm not sure if CRP is any different.

 

[eaglemountainman]

I'd like to think I am, but it's not easy. You can't just walk around in some grass and expect the pheasants to jump up when you get within 20 yards of them. Most of the time they just run for cover, sometimes they flush when you are still 75+ yards away. Later season that can be 150+ yards away. Some birds do hold, but good luck finding one without a dog. Despite the preserves letting tons of their farm pheasants into the wild, most of the pheasants you see on public land are wild birds. Even if they were born on a farm, they are wild by October.

Very early season, like the first week, maybe two, you can have success sneaking up to the thicker brush like the switchgrass. If you find the right lands that have a tiny pocket of cattails, or a field with a strip of unharvested corn or something, that can work good. Sometimes you can even get lucky in the evenings when they are going between the cattails and cornfield or wherever they are eating. After that it gets really hard without a dog unless you know the area really well. Once it starts snowing, you can start to have success without a dog again. Birds will be abandoning the short grass, and going to thicker cover. You can see where they are walking, and often you can sneak after them. Sometimes they escape anyways, sometimes they will hunker down until you are really close to them and jump them. Remember this will be very thick cover like cattails and spruce trees, sometimes even haybales, so shots don't always come easy or at all.

Thanks for the info. I've always been curious, and wondered if it would be worth spending a few days on my drive home back east, after a big game hunt in Wyoming or Montana.

 

[Scottyboy]

Thanks for the info. I've always been curious, and wondered if it would be worth spending a few days on my drive home back east, after a big game hunt in Wyoming or Montana.

If you have the time, and it’s on the way… I’d stop. I make a trip there a few times each year and skip hunting pheasants in my home state of Minnesota. Been doing it for about 20yrs now.

 

[Novashooter]

Thanks for the info. I've always been curious, and wondered if it would be worth spending a few days on my drive home back east, after a big game hunt in Wyoming or Montana.

I guess that depends how much you like pheasant hunting. To me the $150ish to hunt a maximum 10 days (two 5 day slots, so only two trips maximum) as a non-resident seems steep unless you really like pheasant hunting. That said, pheasant numbers drop off fast as you go west, and I haven't seen that many in WY. ND is just as expensive as SD. IA is pretty limited for public land. western MN can be good if you know the right areas, but most of its public land gets trampled like crazy. Late season MN is basically useless on public land. I don't know anything about Nebraska or Kansas.

 

[eaglemountainman]

I guess that depends how much you like pheasant hunting. To me the $150ish to hunt a maximum 10 days (two 5 day slots, so only two trips maximum) as a non-resident seems steep unless you really like pheasant hunting. That said, pheasant numbers drop off fast as you go west, and I haven't seen that many in WY. ND is just as expensive as SD. IA is pretty limited for public land. western MN can be good if you know the right areas, but most of its public land gets trampled like crazy. Late season MN is basically useless on public land. I don't know anything about Nebraska or Kansas.

I'm retired, so I have no time constraints, and the license fee isn't an issue. I haven't hunted pheasants in about 30 years now, but I always had a blast!

My travels take me across the state on I90. Would you be willing to list a few towns that I could start doing research on for public access, motels etc. You could PM me if you're more comfortable with that. I thank you for your response, as well as @Scottyboy

 

[long hunter]

Hunted there 2021 on the way back from a Wyoming Antelope hunt, it was O.K. but I will never do it again, the hunt was with a guided outfit spent more time drinking coffee than hunting, for me its overrated. To be fair we limited on the birds but really had my doubts if they were true wild birds. When younger I would hunt the wild birds around my grandparent's farm and the Dakota birds acted nothing like them. Enjoy your hunt at least you can say you hunted phesants in the phesant capitol.

 

[Novashooter]

I'm retired, so I have no time constraints, and the license fee isn't an issue. I haven't hunted pheasants in about 30 years now, but I always had a blast!

My travels take me across the state on I90. Would you be willing to list a few towns that I could start doing research on for public access, motels etc. You could PM me if you're more comfortable with that. I thank you for your response, as well as @Scottyboy

It isn't a short list, and none really hidden secrets. There's really good bird numbers in the entire eastern 2/3rds of the state, although logistically most people opt for east river. I'm not sure I'd bother near Sioux Falls. Other than that, I'd look at OnX or the public hunting atlas and pick an area with good public lands. The names you will often hear of are Huron, Aberdeen, Redfield, Mitchell, and often Pierre. None of them are really better than the others. The Pierre area does offer a good chance of prairie chicken and grouse that you probably wont find farther east. I also think it gets hunted a little harder than farther east. Don't discount the small towns, which by SD standards are less than 1000 population.

 

[FranklinBluth]

Can a guy without a dog be successful?

Absolutely. Pick cover that you can push by yourself. Go slow. Change directions often. Pause at random intervals.

When its late season and some of the birds are flushing out of range, take note of exactly where they flushed from. Often there'll be a straggler or two. Patiently work those areas.

Went to college in SD and did a lot of weekend hunting with friends and we never had a dog. If we had particularly thick cover to hunt, we'd take turns being the "dog". One guy would leave his gun at the truck and plow through cattails or thickets to flush birds.

I always liked the Chamberlain area. Good bird hunting not too far away from town and sometimes really productive walleye fishing from shore.

 

[SDSmacker]

I’d try to hunt at least a half hour away from the bigger towns as those seem to get hit harder than the pieces in the middle of nowhere from my experience. People have their different opinions on road hunting but it can be effective as well. All good advice on this thread

 

[jmez]

Pheasant numbers west of the river along 90 aren't near what they used to be. Presho area to the river used to be phenomenal. Not anymore. Most of the commercial operations around there are shooting released birds now. A lot of grouse, very few pheasants. Too much farming now, all the CRP is gone. No where for them to nest.




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[KurtR]

Pheasant numbers west of the river along 90 aren't near what they used to be. Presho area to the river used to be phenomenal. Not anymore. Most of the commercial operations around there are shooting released birds now. A lot of grouse, very few pheasants. Too much farming now, all the CRP is gone. No where for them to nest.




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Did you know this is the most acres of crp we have ever had enrolled. I was told that didn’t believe it till I looked it up

 

[Novashooter]

Did you know this is the most acres of crp we have ever had enrolled. I was told that didn’t believe it till I looked it up

It didn't look up the numbers, but maybe you are thinking of CREP? CRP from what I understand is mostly federal, I think with the farm bill, and it is down in acreage overall from what I heard. CREP is the state leasing program, similar to CRP in structure, but it is high in acreage right now. I think we are at the maximum the state set for the program. There is not much CREP land enrolled around Pierre, it's definitely a lot more prominent in the NE part of the state. I don't know why that is.

 

[jmez]

Not a long the I 90 corridor from presho to the river. There is essentially none.

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[eaglemountainman]

I’d try to hunt at least a half hour away from the bigger towns as those seem to get hit harder than the pieces in the middle of nowhere from my experience. People have their different opinions on road hunting but it can be effective as well. All good advice on this thread

Would I be correct to assume that pressure wouldn't be as heavy during midweek as a opposed to the weekends, on public, especially a few weeks into the season?

 

[jmichaelberg]

Did you know this is the most acres of crp we have ever had enrolled. I was told that didn’t believe it till I looked it up

There is something like 800,000 acres less of CRP in SD than during those halcyon days of 2003-2007. Add in all the pasture and other nonprogram grassland converted to cropland in that time and you'll understand why SD quit doing its roadside surveys. The decline of pheasants hurt marketing.

 

[KurtR]

It didn't look up the numbers, but maybe you are thinking of CREP? CRP from what I understand is mostly federal, I think with the farm bill, and it is down in acreage overall from what I heard. CREP is the state leasing program, similar to CRP in structure, but it is high in acreage right now. I think we are at the maximum the state set for the program. There is not much CREP land enrolled around Pierre, it's definitely a lot more prominent in the NE part of the state. I don't know why that is.

Crep is a state program that is for the James river valley that is why it is in the ne. 2.1 million acres that’s nation wide in crp right now second to only Texas and Colorado. With the moisture we have had this year there will be a lot of cover going into next year.

 

[KurtR]

There is something like 800,000 acres less of CRP in SD than during those halcyon days of 2003-2007. Add in all the pasture and other nonprogram grassland converted to cropland in that time and you'll understand why SD quit doing its roadside surveys. The decline of pheasants hurt marketing.

2003-7 was horrible drought and go figure most pheasants ever

 

[SDSmacker]

Would I be correct to assume that pressure wouldn't be as heavy during midweek as a opposed to the weekends, on public, especially a few weeks into the season?

Yes that should be the case. The first couple of weekends there's people everywhere but it slows down after that and during the week.