Chamberlain

[snagger]

I'm heading to Chamberlain So. Dak. for some pheasants in October. Any suggestions on public or private land?

[Guest]

I hunted the Chamberlain area the previous two Novembers so will give what info I can.

There is a fair amount of public land to hunt in the area but it is hunted very hard. Birds are usually in the thickest cover available and at least in November the number of hens flushed far exceeds the number of roosters you will see. A South Dakota Gazeteer and some of the free state publications should be sufficient to help you find and locate these areas.

I have hunted road sides in the late afternoon with some success. Its not my favorite type of hunting but if a guy hunts the minimum access roads the birds are plentiful and the traffic is minimal. I make sure and stick to the rules very tightly here as I think some of the locals have had bad experiences with out-of-state hunters taking liberties and shooting birds over private property or too close to livestock and farm buildings.

If you are staying at Allens Hillside or one of the other motels in town and you let them know in advance they can likely set you up with some fee hunting on private land. The cost is approximately $100.00 to $125.00 dollars per day per gun. Just understand you may not be hunting all wild birds. A lot of the big fee hunting operations supplement their wild populations with a release of pen raised birds.

I have never tried the Walk-In areas around Chamberlain altough there are some. Also if you are personable, appear respectful and in a small group simply asking permission from some of the local farmers might provide hunting opportunities.

Hope I was of some help. Good Luck. I think you will enjoy hunting in this area I know I have.