Planning SD trip-Advice Please

[Lunker]

I'm almost ashamd to say I have yet to make it to SD for a pheasant hunt. That being said, a buddy and I are headed that way this fall and I was hoping for a bit of advice. We'll be going during the week, hunting public areas mostly.

Where is a good area to start? Not looking for specific spots, just a region to base ourselves in.

Is it even worth asking private landowners or is it mostly pay to hunt these days?

If anyone has good dog-permitted motel/hotel suggestions.

Thanks

[rundrave]

My best advice would be to wait until later in the year for 2 reasons.

First being that most of the crops should be out if you wait (hopefully, last year it didnt happen). This will help group the birds up into the grassy areas instead of seeking shelter in standing corn etc.

Also going later in the year will mean less pressure. Most of the fair weathered hunters are done and most walk in areas etc will not have a lot of people walking through them.

The last couple of years I have really started to hunt public land. I have lost access to alot of private land for various reasons ($$$) but I have really enjoyed hunting public land mainly for the challenge that it brings.

You can shoot birds all over the state, I have shot birds just outside the city limits right here in Sioux Falls. Some areas to focus around would of course be the North East part of the state like Watertown and Aberdeen. But there are also great numbers in the mitchell, chamberlin, Huron and even Pierre areas.

If you go to the SD GFP HSOforum you can see a map of all the public areas and where they are located.

[zdmiller]

Best place too start is in Redfield wherever Im at!

Really though, highest numbers around are in the Redfield area. Have alot of relatives in and around Redfield, and we hunt the area a few weeks a year. We hunt alot of private land, but we spend a good amount of time on adjacent public aswell. I think alot of people are intimidated by a do it yourself SoDak hunt, and some of the public isnt marked well. I felt the same way when tryin to plan a grouse hunt up north. Just dive in, and feel it out! If you plan on goin to Redfield, I could help you out.

[zdmiller]

so easy even my daughter can catch em!

[pureinsanity]

RunDave nailed it.

Go later in the year. first couple weeks it opens most of SD is a ZOOOOOO.... Also less crops = better hunting

Public land is fine. Remember you can also road hunt and get several birds that way. Take a road trip one weekend and drive to a few places and scout out some areas. Pick up a public hunting map at most rest stops by the boarder. they are free! Or go online. I like to have the paper hand book so I can pencil stuff in on it.

Most the land is pay to hunt these days. however, it doesn't hurt to ask some people. I have hunted by yankton, by mitchell, by watertown, by aberdeen. All are good areas. One thing I like about public land is you have to work for your birds vs having private where only a select few get to hunt on the land.

Remember this though. Later in the season = smart birds alive. This is another reason I love going later in the season. its more of a challenge. I have been fortunate enough to have hunted South Dakota when the numbers were really high. It was like shooting pheasants in a barrel. It was fun at the time but now I enjoy the challenge more than the quantity of birds I see or get.

Getting late season birds are usually the birds that gives everyone the slip. These birds are use to seeing the same tactics season round and are gone on the run by the time they see the hunter, possibly even from a car door slamming.

This is were your skills and experience come into play. Being smarter then a veteran rooster!!! That is the fun part about late season birds! Big birds, big challenge = big fun!

[pureinsanity]

Ive had days out in South Dakota when we hunted in a larger group and were done in a few hours. Ive had days where its just my father and I going, and we finish in an hour or two. We have also had days were we were done in 15 minutes. I prefer the all day long hunts though. Ive let birds fly just to keep on walking. Who wants to finish early anyway? Maybe on the last day!

[gr8icefishinmind]

CLARK COUNTY! Hunted the clark area and south and west of clark many years and never had a problem filling out with 10+ guys hunting each year! We would go opening weekend and had a wildlife area we would hit each morning and there was an abundance of birds! Public land is usually pretty good. But when asking to hunt private land it never hurts to have something for a little insentive for the owner to say ok!

I have an uncle that was a higher up in jennie-o and we would bring coolers of turkey breasts and jennie-o merchandise like coats and sweatshirts to give out as a thank you for letting us hunt, and it always seemed like we got a "come back next year and hunt" reply when we left!

We had success walking grasslands, cornfields, and even sunflower fields!!

[pureinsanity]

I have an uncle that was a higher up in jennie-o and we would bring coolers of turkey breasts and jennie-o merchandise like coats and sweatshirts to give out as a thank you for letting us hunt, and it always seemed like we got a "come back next year and hunt" reply when we left!

Very true! I have private land to hunt so I am not worried. But we also hit some public just for the heck of it! We also do not pay for it but we do by doing exactly what your uncle would do. We bring them fresh walleye, many different kinds of meats from local meat markets in our area and also get them a gift card for dinner at a nice restaurant in town!

[zdmiller]

I have been fortunate enough to have hunted South Dakota when the numbers were really high

I've been out since before I could wipe my own butt, and I thought numbers have been highest the past few years! I dont believe in the 'good ole days', they are right now brother.

And pay to hunt is a myth! There are a couple of out of staters that hunt my families properties as well as their neighbors that don't pay a cent. That first week, farmers usually have their families out to hunt, after that you have a good chance of getting on private land for free, all you have to do is have the guts to ask. If you help out with the chores you may even be welcomed back the next time.

If you know how to push the birds, and they've got the crops out I've found it easier to push birds in CRP and public land. I certainly believe its give and take, yea, you might have to work harder for them on large tracts of public, but I disagree when it comes to small tracts, especially adjacent to private lands. I would say it hunts just as well. (I've got some public land birds here)>

Bottom line-

1. Dont listen to the nay sayers, i'd say 66% of farmers wouldn't be adverse to lettin you hunt their land (they are more interested in gettin work done around the place then hunting)

2. Come out second or third weekend.

3. Find the small tracts of land, dont be afraid to push ditches or abandoned railroad right-of-ways

4. Be sure to offer to help with the chores, maybe offer to buy em a drink later, establish report with them, because they not only have their land to hunt, they may say to their friends who have more land, "hey these guys arent so bad, I know you have that half section that ain't been pushed yet and these guys are short a limit you mind?". Ive seen this happen before.

5. Have fun!

[mnviking28]

I would like to add my .02 to this as well. I have hunted out there for about 20 years and have found that the pay operations are becoming more common all the time. I have been fortunate enough to have friends that live there and let me hunt for free. But, they also have guys from the metro areas that are coming to their farms and throwing hundreds at them like they are five dollar bills...after a while it gets hard for them to turn down, even if it is at the expense of family and friends hunting instead. It doesn't hurt to ask, but be prepared for someone that says "yeah, for $100, you and your buddy can hunt".

As for areas, the farther you can get from the larger cities, the better. The closer to the bigger towns, the more pressure the land gets. The best you can find is if you get out of bed in the morning and just do some driving. Find public areas that have a combine running next to them. Most of the time if you hit some CRP that is next to a freshly harvested field, or if you can happen to catch the farmer as he is unloading the combine (not trying to stop him as he is working of course), he may have a slough or a weed patch that you can pick up some concentrated birds in short order. With the noon open to the season, it gives you a chance to scout. Bring a dog if you have one, cause pheasant hunting without it is a lot tougher. If you like predator hunting, bring your varmint rifle, lots of coyotes to be had. It's a blast-nothing like those game farm birds that so many of us are stuck with that live too far away from pheasant country.

[zdmiller]

Some of the hunters that hunt there throughout the season 'throw 100's' at him. And some simply ask, and both hunt. In fact there is a nice hunter from Michigan that doesnt pay to hunt a little later in the year and my cousin some times even brings him out to his 'pets' if the action is a little slow. (Somethin he doesnt do for the guys that pay).

Ask, if he says "100$" say hey, I drove a long way, dont have a lot of cash, but I can help you out in the mornin before hunting or after. He declines, go on down the road and ask the next guy.

Can't be afraid to ask, like I said, 66% will let you hunt, and for free. Done it myself while deer hunting out there when I see a deer on land outside of what I have permission to hunt(and I'd say its harder to get permission for deer then pheasant out there!)

Those who say that pay hunting is taking over down there just simply haven't put the effort in building report with the farmers, thats my opinion. Where theres a will theres a way.

[zdmiller]

I do agree that you should get out away from the bigger cities, he's probably right, that you are likely to have to pay around places like Aberdeen and Watertown, but get 45 mins to an hour out and you should be fine. I would recommend Hand-Clark-Spink Tri-Co area.

if you head out there, let me know, I can help

651-500-0348

-Zach

[Lunker]

Thanks for the advice guys. I usually hunt later in the season in MN, but we'll probably go a bit earlier so we don't interrupt by friends trapping season too much. Zach-Thanks for the tips. I'll probably drop you a line once we get our plan sketched out a bit more.

Andrew aka Lunker

[pureinsanity]

No you do not always have to pay, ive been going to the same spot in south dakota $ free since I was about 12. We bring them meat and walleyes and stuff because we want to. There are guys who hunt it now that pay. We always get first pick on the spots usually. But now guys are leasing the land. So we end up getting second pick some days and other days they send us to the spot they are sending the leasers to later in the day!

We also help them fix equipment, and even do a little bit or chores. We also do a lot of scouting for them. We note what deer we saw where and how big it was. They love to deer hunt.

One thing I know is the last couple of years we've been hunting new spots of land that we never knew they had for over 20 years.

One thing we learned fast is once you get into a spot like this.... watch out who you bring.... We have brought someone with one year and the second time we went out for our second time for the license here was the guy we brought on their land with 6 of his friends. It wasn't pretty....

[mnviking28]

Definitely have to agree on the "watch who you bring" aspect of things. Have had the exact same thing happen to me. I also think it is true about helping with the chores. We have herded cattle, fixed fence, and helped build a pole barn just to name a few. We also make sure to send him a drink or two at the local tavern at night or buy a gift certificate for him to take his wife out for supper. To me, that is a good way to show appreciation without breaking the bank. Most of the time if you take the time to develop a relationship with these guys, you find out they are some of the hardest working, honest folks you can find. That is also how it is easy to understand the struggles in the smaller rural towns to make a go of it and how sometimes the extra income to let someone with a thick wallet is too hard to pass up.

[reddog]

It's taken me the last several seasons to work my way into the South Dakota experience without doing it the way they do it in South Dakota. I'm a one man operation with 2 dogs and I bought 3 bird licenses last year. ( also 2 archery tags and one rifle deer tag) It can be done, but its hard to make the contacts. There are literally hundreds of thousands of acres of ground that doesnt get hunted because it is too small for the large groups that are so popular out there. If its not 320 acres or extremely prime, its not worth stopping the truck for to organize a group of guys.

I had to hunt that way a few years till the owners of the land got to know me and then offered me some smaller or less attractive tracts of land to go follow my dogs around. I'll never forget the first piece of property where I could just go. It was a half section with a cattail creek winding thru it. Now, I dont need a 1000 pheasants to get up in front of me to have a good time. All I need is 5 or 6, and I'm in hog heaven. This cattail creek had 3-5 pheasants every 100 yds. It was amazing and they never, ever hunted it! I now am able to hunt many different 15- 40 acres pieces and a several other pieces ranging in size from 80 to 640. Some landowners have ground so far away from their home place, that they never hunt it, because they have it so good close to home.

You dont need to pay every time you go, although I did pay a few times initially. I sought info at the local cafe in the morning, tracked down the owners, paid them a benjamin and went hunting solo. Now, for the most part you cant do much on the first couple weeks as its like a national 2 week holiday for all of the locals and their relatives . Other weeks to stay away from if your hunting private lands are opening weekends of deer season.

It takes time to develop the relationships, but its well worth it if you like to hunt solo, like me. I stopped to chat with old boy cleaning out a culvert/tile in a ditch one morning that had been collapsed by trucks driving over it. I spent 10 mintes chatting and another hour or so helping him. I didnt do it for any other reason than to kill some time, because the season doesn't start till 10 am. ( noon for the first 2 weekends) I wanted nothing and asked for nothing. Thru the course of the conversation, he asked what I was doing there, and I explained my situation. At the end, he offered me 1/2 section to hunt deer on later in the season. It wasn't his prime spot, but it certainly was good enough for one hunter and it was.

Another time, a landowner sent me up to one of his pieces of ground where his farmer was combining beans and asked if I would take his son hunting as he had never hunted over a pointing dog before. I gladly agreed and he had the time of his life. Halfway thru our hunt, he asked if he could call one of his friends up and join us. Who was I to say no? I'm on their ground, for crying out loud. So his friend drives up and we continue to have a great hunt, coupled with incredible dog work. He shoots a box of shells, and his friend shoots at least half a box and we finally limit out. I shot 1 rooster. Lifetime memories were made there and I'm sure I have more land to hunt on next year, but it may not be alone. hehehe. The next day, his dad called me at 9 am, and said that his son had shot his first deer (buck) with his bow. I offered to drive up to the home place and help him field dress it. I met them all there, took the deer to the back woods and field dressed it for him. I cut the inside loins out, cleaned them up and told them how to prepare them on the grille. They (cattle farmers also)had never actually eaten deer meat that hadnt been processed into some kind of jerky or sausage or bologna. I got great email from them, thanking me for showing them how great venison is when prepared correctly.

The main thing is, dont be a game hog, dont be in the kill mode 24/7. Relax, you have all day. ( it goes till sunset) Be respectful of the land and the people. Be generous with your praise of the South Dakota experience and I'm sure you will get along just fine. . It's not going to be easy, but it will be well worth the effort if you do your part. Theyve heard every kind of sob story, seen way too many beer cans and trash along with the trespassing, so initially, they can be quite defensive about their situations. You would be also if it was you.

Also, South Dakota Game Fish and Parks and put every Walk in area in an extractable electronic file, that you can go in and copy it to a card and insert in your handheld gps. Its definitly worth the effort.

[rundrave]

reddog, you nailed it in your post.

I grew up hunting in the big parties, pushing large sections of land with blockers etc. It was fun and we shot alot of birds. But I got tired of people yelling "up bird", "cmon bird" all day long. Cmon dogs gett'm up blah blah blah.

I hate hunting with people like that, and when they cheer and encourage the dogs it drives my nuts. Most dogs know what they are doing in the field when you yell and holler and tell them to go find the birds all it does is distract the dogs.

I dont shoot near as many birds now that I usually hunt by myself, but I have much more enjoyable hunts when its just my 2 dogs and myself.

You made a good point about the smaller sections of land. I have seen grass areas that are not very big out in the middle of no where or in the corner of an intersection that will hold birds and a lot of times even deer. It may look like there is no cover but often times its just enough to hold some birds. Fence lines are other areas, they may only be a couple feet wide and there isnt a crop near them for a mile but they will also hold birds.

I will sometimes work away from the group and just say, I am gonna walk that little section over there, and guys will laugh and say your just wasting your time lets go. Then a dog goes on point and I just produced a bird, when most guys would have just skipped and gone back to the truck.

I saw combines harvesting beans this morning on my way to work. Hopefully the corn wont be to far behind. Its almost time boys!

[shooter_mcgavin]

I've been invited to hunt pheasants in SD this year. Someone please tell me that I'm reading the license fee wrong...$114 for nonresidents??

[TRice]

It's not a bad deal if you can make it out there more then once. It is good for 2 5 day periods. We usually go out in December and if you buy your license after about mid November I believe, you can select the last day of next year as your 2nd 5 day period and it would be good for any time next year, so if you go later in the year you only need to buy 1 license every 2 years. You can move that date back so next year you could go at any time, they just dont let you move it to a later date.

[AugieAngler1010]

As a former broke college student in SD, I had no choice but to hunt public land. The advice these guys have given is solid: While you can shoot pheasants all over in South Dakota, there is a ton of public land in the NE part of the state. My favorite stretch of country was the Groton-Aberdeen-Redfield (Brown County harvest the most birds annually) area.

Really though anything north and or west of Brookings (Counties: Codington, Spink, Deuel, Day, Brown, Marshall, Hamlin) have both good numbers of birds and lots of public land. If you want to hunt the famed south-central South Dakota places (Winner, Gregory, Chamberlain) you'll have better luck going through an outfitter as there is less public land out that way.

Ideally you could stay in Aberdeen, Redfield, or Clark as a base camp and explore a different area every day. Make sure to get a public lands manual - those are really handy for planning out a day.

Good luck.

[pureinsanity]

I hate hunting with people like that, and when they cheer and encourage the dogs it drives my nuts. Most dogs know what they are doing in the field when you yell and holler and tell them to go find the birds all it does is distract the dogs.

I will have to disagree with you. Although I do not think its always a good thing to constantly praise your dog. However I do it occasionally. To be honest. when I tell my dog to get the bird or hunt em up. he goes nuts. He gets a burst of energy, and hes feeding off my excitement. Which I think makes him think there is something really close and he covers more ground and really uses his hunting instincts to their potential. But that is just me.

[pureinsanity]

Ive shot more birds out of fence lines, small patches of cover than I ever have in a giant slough.

#1 lesson I learned in SD at a young age is. When you get out of your vehicle. Chamber a shell..... I see it almost every day I am out there where you get out of the car, grab your gun, and you're standing around waiting for the dogs to go potty, or the rest of your party to get ready and boom there goes birds 5 feet away from you in the fence line.

I also remember a time when I was road hunting and saw a small slough on a section road. I sent the dog in the slough and WOW!!!!!! Over a hundred birds got out of that slough that smaller than a baseball diamond that 99.9% of people would over look because its "too small."

[pureinsanity]

One of the biggest things is;

Each and everyone is going to have their own opinions about this. Each person was taught different hunting ethics. I think your best bet would be go out there this weekend. Find an area you want to consider, Drive out there for the weekend.

Stay over night someplace, get up in the morning and go scouting. You'll be amazed at the birds on the roads getting some gravel in their gizzards and or basking in the morning sun! Go walk some public land! Get a feel of the layouts and how many birds you see. Take some notes, check out some lodging around the area, and see if they allow dogs... (an old trick we've always used is ask for an outside corner room. because you can sneak your dog in lol) We have always done this because we know our dog doesn't bark at people that walk by, he just growls which can be mistaken for snoring

If South Dakota is to far of a drive for you, there is always Iowa, or South west Minnesota. Both those places can be great for pheasants too!

[pureinsanity]

Has anyone gone to Kansas for birds? Ive been thinking about heading down there as I have friends in Kansas

[Ridgerunnr]

If going to SD be aware that the Crow Creek Indian Res North of Chamberlain has new regs out..NO hunting without a GUIDE! period!Must have an indian guide to hutn ANY species..